Jessica Strider

Pros: excellent characters, great world-building, variety of fights

Cons:

Pyrre has reached the final test for becoming a priestess of Ananshael. She must kill seven people in fourteen days. But her final target must be someone she loves above all others, and Pyrre has never known love. So she returns to the city of her birth and the man she once knew, hoping he'll be The One.

Pyrre appears as a side character in Staveley's Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne. This is a stand-alone novel where she - and her worship of the god of death - are in the forefront. While the previous books aren't necessary to enjoy this one, there are descriptions of Rassambur, the assassin's home base, in book three, Last Mortal Bond, which flesh out the city and the practice of Ananshael's priests.

Witnessing her trial are two priests, Kossal, an older man who speaks truth and has few cares for the world, and Ela, the woman he loves, who loves everybody and who's as graceful as she is deadly. Ela tries to teach Pyrre what love is, a conversation that involves as many knives as you'd expect from a duo of professional assassins.

There's a surprising amount of banter considering the premise of the book. I enjoyed Pyrre's attempts to understand her own emotions as she alternates between getting closer and further away from Ruc Lan Lac. Her plan is overly convoluted but has some fascinating consequences. I especially enjoyed the chapters dealing with the delta and life there.

The world-building was top notch, expanding an unexplored area of the world but tying it and its history into that of the previous books. The delta felt vibrant and the dangers - and how to deal with them - realistic. The local religion also had weight to it, practiced differently by the city folk and the delta people.

As expected, there are some fabulous fight scenes, against a surprising variety of people and things.

This was an excellent book.

Pros: brilliantly plotted, amazing world-building, excellent pacing, thought provoking

Cons: fundamentally disagreed with some of the philosophy, ending left me disappointed

Picking up immediately where Too Like the Lightning left off, Seven Surrenders details more of the actions of the heads of the seven hives, reveals the thief behind the seven-ten list, deals with the fall-out of the revelations that ended the first book, and paves the way for potential war.

I loved all of the politics, manipulation, and unclear morality of this book. This book has a LOT of political maneuvering and backroom dealings. It made me think about a lot of issues, even if my conclusions were different from those the book came to.

Mycroft remains an unreliable narrator at times, not always telling the truth and keeping certain things hidden until later. this helps with the pacing of the book, which I thought was great. The revelations come fast and hard, but enough is saved for the end to keep the reader guessing and turning pages quickly.

If the mix of sensual language and politics from the first book disturbed you, there are a few uncomfortable scenes in this book as well, mostly at the beginning.

One character is gendered as ‘it', which may upset readers. We are told the character chose that pronoun, but in addition to being a gender neutral term, it's also a term that reduces the person's humanity. Given the nature of the character, both of those may have been intentional repercussions of that choice.

There's a speech towards the end of the novel about gender that kind of irritated me. While I agreed with the ultimate point (or, at least understood where the character was going with the discussion), I'd understood this future to have done away with gendered pronouns as well as gendered clothing and expectations. And yet, this speech implied that children were still raised with the ideas that boys were more aggressive and girls more caring, etc, something I didn't get from the books themselves. But what annoyed me was the assertion that some traits code ‘female' and others ‘male' and if you get rid of those terms, it just makes everyone more ‘masculine' as if men aren't inherently capable of being kind or considerate despite the book's clear proof to the contrary (Carlyle, Bridger, etc. are men who obviously care about humanity, notwithstanding their being male).

The ending left me feeling unsatisfied. Yes, there are more books in the series which may overturn this, but with so many revelations I was expecting more resolution.

Pros: great characters, interesting mystery, some new spells and creatures

Cons:

Three years after the events of The Twilight Watch Anton Gorodetsky is sent to Scotland to help investigate the murder of the human son of a potential Russian other, by what appears to have been a vampire. It's quickly apparent that more's going on than murder, and that whoever's behind the murder isn't afraid to use humans as canon fodder.

This book refers fairly often to the events in the previous books in the series, so if you haven't read them if a while, a quick skim is in order.

As with the previous books this one is separated into three sections. It was cool seeing Anton work in different locales and dealing with new members of the watches. He's an interesting character and the supporting cast grows a bit in this book while bringing back several characters from the previous books.

The mystery surrounding the hole in the twilight and Merlin's spell kept me guessing even as other new spells were explained and used, and some new creatures - specifically different types of golems - show up. The book also had some Others using more technology with their magic, which was cool to see.

I enjoyed the book. This is my favourite urban fantasy series and I'm glad to be reading it again.

Pros: interesting mystery, varied characters, good pacing

Cons: lots of gore & disturbing descriptions

In a future where convicted criminals are lobotomized and have half their jaw removed a convicted serial killer halfhead has regained a sense of herself, over the mutilated body of the man she's just killed. Assistant Network Director William Hunter has nightmares about the last time he visited Sherman House, the multi-storied residence where he fought during the VR riots. He's not happy returning to Sherman House now, to investigate the second gruesome murder in the building that week. Something's not right with Sherman House, and Hunter's digging threatens to expose something that powerful people want kept quiet. Something involving the work done by a certain halfhead killer.

If you're squeamish, this is not the book for you. In many ways it reminded me of the original Robocop film, only without the black humour. There's a lot of blood, guts, and some truly disturbing descriptions of violence. Though, I will say that you don't get much graphic violence (ie, most of it is descriptions after the events have happened, rather than first person views of the violence itself). The characters all take quite a number of literal beatings. There's also mention of torture, but no descriptions.

The mystery is interesting. The halfhead's story is terrifying. William's a great character, and I enjoyed seeing him break the rules to get to the bottom of what was going on. I really liked Jo as well. She's spunky with a crazy fashion sense. Emily kept making me think of Emily Blunt, partly because of her name and partly because of her military kickass character in Edge of Tomorrow. Brian's accent caused me some issues, but I liked seeing him helping William out as a friend.

While I enjoyed aspects of the book, I don't think I'd reread it, simply because I had to work hard not to let any of the visual imagery give me nightmares. A few scenes were quite disturbing and I wouldn't want to revisit them. The ending alone was kind of terrifying. While this isn't technically a military SF book, there's enough military style action to please lovers of that sub-genre. Similarly if you like mysteries or serial killers, this might be for you.

Pros: fantastic mystery, suspenseful, interesting technology, diverse characters

Cons: a few continuity errors

When the six member crew of the starship Dormire all wake up in new clones, they're shocked to find several of them were murdered. Unsure of who to trust, knowing they're all convicted felons but not what each others' crimes were, they try to find answers for what happened in the 25 years of memories they've lost.

You're introduced to all six characters, plus their AI, all at once, so it's impressive how Lafferty keeps their voices unique and their personalities distinct. You jump around to everyone's POV, so this is important.

The story unfolds mostly linearly, with important historical background flashbacks as needed to forward the plot, learn more about the characters, and keep you guessing about what happened. I was impressed by how intricate the various stories were and how they eventually pulled together. The pacing is great, propelling you towards the ending.

I was also impressed by the treatment of Joanna's character. She was born with withered legs and uses a wheelchair and 2 prosthetic legs in the book. Her choice to retain this disability comes up in the book, and is handled well.

The technology and world-building were a lot of fun. There's a series of codicils governing the creation of clones, riots, anti-cloning sentiment, the generation ship, AI, mind hacking, and more.

I did notice two minor continuity errors, one where a character got up twice to program food, and another where two characters suddenly shift from talking in the theatre to talking in one of their rooms. Hiro got a little annoying at times, but even the characters in the book complained about that.

It's a fast paced book that kept me guessing and glued to the pages. Highly recommended.

Pros: diverse and multi-layered characters, great world-building, excellent storytelling

Cons: minor confusion at times

Five thirteen year old girls are chosen by the goddess to help fight the Grey, an entity created from terror, rage, and destruction. Now 25, Alex, Ria, Aiko, and Natalie help Selena prepare for her upcoming wedding. As the big day approaches, they reflect on their past as magical girls and wonder how long they'll have to keep fighting.

Hurricane Heels is a a collection of 5 interconnected stories. Each one is told from the point of view of a different girl.

This is a novel for adults who love magical girl stories like Sailor Moon, who are interested in what real life for such girls growing into women would look like. The author clearly explains why no one in the larger world knows what's going on in the fight between good and evil and how the girls heal after their battles. But these are women who swear, drink, go to a strip club (it's a bachelorette party), and hold day jobs around their monster battles.

I loved the juxtaposition of these young girls getting magical powers and being given decidedly earthy weapons. When you think of magical girls you think glittery magic weapons, light weight, deadly because of their magical attacks. But these girls get an ax, a chainsaw, double swords. There's no way to avoid the solid brutality of these as weapons and the death and gore of their battles against the Grey.

Each chapter begins with a black and white illustration of the girl whose point of view that chapter is from. Unlike the Sailor Moon characters, these aren't thin waifs. They've got some weight on them and some curves. They look like real women, chosen to do great things.

At one point I tried to see what the main thrust of each story was - love, power, etc. Each character has a colour, a different piece of transformation jewelry, and a primary weapon, surely they each have an attribute they embody as well. A few of them seem to on the surface, but when you consider each character - and each story - more carefully, these aren't simplistic portrayals. These are multi-layered characters who are scared of their new responsibilities and powers in different ways. They also try to hide their frailties from their friends, not realizing that they all have similar doubts. They fight because they need to, because the world needs them to. It's amazing how well you get to know each girl, despite how short the book is.

I did find the scene in Ria's story where she moved from the Philippines to the US a bit confusing. I had to read it twice to realize that's what happened. There was also a formatting issue in the first story. In two places necessary page breaks, showing where one scene ended and another began, were missing. Because each story jumps between places and times so often, the page breaks are needed to help the reader reorient themselves. It was very confusing going from the end of a fight scene to the girls grabbing a drink with no indication that the location or time had changed. It was even more confusing jumping from a post fight conversation to a strip club scene.

This is a brilliant book. If you like magical girl anime - and even if you just enjoy well told stories about women trying to find their places in the world while battling evil to save it - this book is for you.

Pros: excellent world-building, lots of action, complex characters and plot

Cons: minor irritants

Note: This is the third book in the series and as such my review contains spoilers for the earlier books. This is an excellent series. You can read my review of book 1 here.

It's been several months since the events in The Providence of Fire. Adare remains with Il Tornja in the North, protecting Annur from the barbarian Urghul. When a messenger from Kaden's republic arrives, asking for her to return to the capital as a puppet ruler, a series of events unfolds, allowing Il Tornja to pursue his true goal. Meanwhile the remains of Valyn's wing return to the Eyrie to find out what's happened there, while Kaden tries to untangle the mystery of gods walking the earth.

The first few chapters get you back up to speed with regards to what everyone's been up to the past few months. It's a bit disorienting, but things quickly get interesting as the intrigues pile up. There are a number of plots weaving around each other, getting ever more complicated as time goes on.

There's a fair amount of action, with descriptions of war, torture (limited), and a LOT of one on one or small group battles. The action is varied and never dull. In between, there's a fair bit of politics (mainly Adare) and philosophical questions (mainly Kaden).

One scene greatly confused me for a few pages until I finally figured out what was happening.

As with the other books the world-building is fantastic. We get to see more of the world, including learning more about the Skullsworn and their religious order.

The motivations of the characters are as complex as the plot. People make, question, and regret decisions. They act in own best interests based on their information of what's going on in the world. They lie to advantage and tell the truth when it suits them. They're infuriating at times, and completely understandable.

It's a great ending to an excellent series.

Pros: brilliant world-building, fascinating characters, thought-provoking

Cons:

Chrysoberyl of Dolomoth is a pyroscape artist with the Seven Stars. In order to improve her financial and artistic positions she agrees to become a carrier. Carriers play host to sentient microbial symbionts, visible to the host via their optic neuroports. Chrys' ‘people', the Eleutherians, call her the God of Mercy, but they don't always act in her best interests. And there are other strains of micros going around, ones that take over their hosts, turning them into vampires and drug addicts. These hosts eventually travel to the Slave World, a place no one ever returns from.

You're dropped into this complex world with no explanation, so it takes a few chapters to become familiar with all the terms, characters, and ideas. You do learn about the micros and how being a carrier works along with Chrys, but there's a lot outside of that to take in: Chrys' art, elves, sentients, simians, the Underworld, vampires, anti-simian groups, etc. The world is multi-layered and realistically complex.

The characters, both humanoid and micro, are quite fascinating. Chris must learn how to deal with the little people in her head and their demands on her time (for themselves and for the larger micro community as a whole) while also continuing with her own life (her art, lost friends, religious family, learning how to handle money, personal relationships).

The book does... meander a bit. While there are several linear plot threads, there are also a fair number of asides into complementary issues. The author examines different problems associated with being a host, and how different hosts treat their people. It also goes into how the hosts treat each other - both in the carrier community and outside of it. Then there's the inter-racial problems: simians and physician sentients face discrimination, elves believe their society is perfect and so ignore the real threat one of their members poses everyone, should micros have the same rights as carriers, etc.

I really enjoyed the book. It's fascinating seeing the different groups interact, and the micros are so much fun.

Pros: photos of many of the recipes, supplementary recipes, footnotes

Cons: some photos are dark or blurry

This is a translation of Dyets Dry Dinner (1599) by Mr. Henry Buttes, with a fair amount of added content by the author, Michelle Enzinas. Enzinas is a historical re-enactor and at the very end of the book gives a short description of the dinner party she threw following Buttes' dinner plan. The introduction gives information about Buttes and why he wrote the book, the manuscript itself, the breakdown and organization of the recipes, humour theory, etc. Each menu item has 7 pieces of information: choice (how to pick good/ripe ones), use (it's positive qualities), hurt (it's negative qualities), preparation and correction (how to eat the item, which is sometimes the only ‘recipe' given), degree (where it falls with regard to humour theory), season, age and constitution (when to eat the item and who benefits best from it), and finally story for table-talk (etymology, often with some sexual humour, designed to entertain the guests during the feast). At the bottom of most pages are the footnotes, with translation and vocabulary aids. At the back of the book are references, a glossary, and two appendixes, one with foods sorted by humour and degree, and one with supplementary pie crust recipes.

Buttes doesn't always have many recipes included (or any in a few cases), and some of his ‘recipes' are really just advice on cooking/preparation methods, rather than something we'd consider a recipe, so the author decided to supplement his recipes with some taken from eleven other cookbooks from the same period. It was a great decision and enhances the book.

I couldn't find a photography credit, which leads me to believe that the author also did the photography. It was great seeing what a lot of the recipes look like and the photographer had an artistic bent. However, some of the photos are quite dark (like the lemony mutton steaks photo on pg 306), and some are blurry due to camera jiggle and low light conditions. It's a real shame that this is the case, but on the whole the photographs are helpful.

I loved that there were some comfort food recipes, like warm milk & honey.

As with other historical cookbooks, there were a lot of ... unique flavour combinations (note, these might taste great, but sound unusual to modern readers). Buttes also uses interesting categorizations: salt for example is categorized as a sauce, rather than a spice, and the herbs category includes vegetables.

While the author did a great job with the footnotes, giving translations and vocabulary definitions, there were a few instances when Latin was left untranslated (as with the first line of the prayer on pg 41).

I tried the stewed leeks in honey recipe and there are several others I wouldn't mind attempting when the fruits or vegetables required are in season. On the whole though, the book is more of a historical curiosity than full of recipes I'd want to prepare and eat.

I've looked through a few historical cookbooks and thought this one was well put together. There are a good number of recipes included. If you're interested in what people ate in Elizabethan England, this is a great volume.

Pros: complex issues, great world-building, transgender protagonist

Cons: a few minor complaints

When the superhero Dreadnought dies in front of Danny, he gives the teen his mantel, which changes Danny's body from male to female. Now in the body she's always wanted, Danny's never been happier, though she feels guilty about how she got it. Her new body also causes her new problems, as her parents and schoolmates finally see the real her, and not everyone's happy with her transition. The superhero community is different from what Danny's always believed, and she faces several difficult choices - including whether to go after the supervillain who killed Dreadnought.

The book deals with several complex issues, not the least of which is Danny's gender transition. I appreciated that the author didn't pull punches, and showed Danny's conflicted emotions and real consequences for both long term and short term actions.

It was great seeing a transgender protagonist, and the author showed how difficult things are: from coming out to friends and family, dealing with opposition, and learning to feel good in your skin. I especially appreciated the scenes where Danny learns about make-up and gets her first bra. While the book didn't make me cry, I did feel for Danny on multiple occasions and was frankly shocked by a lot of the things that happened.

While Dreadnought is described as being invincible - his death notwithstanding, Danny quickly realizes she has limitations and can still feel pain and hurt herself. So there was tension and actual concern during fights that things might not go well for her.

I also appreciated that there was no romance in the book. There were times I thought the author was heading in that direction, but Danny had so much to deal with already, I think a love interest would have been too much. Having said that, I wouldn't mind seeing a romance develop in later books.

The world-building is quite good, with some basic history into where super humans come from and how they've impacted recent history. While you don't learn everyone's backstories, some of them - specifically Calamity's - are very realistic. Others are brushed off as comic book style transformations (specifically ones dealing with mythological or mystical origins).

The plot is great. while I saw one or two of the complications that cropped up, I was blindsided by most of the plot twists. The mystery of Utopia's identity kept me guessing, and I enjoyed seeing Calamity teach Danny the ropes of ‘caping'.

I had a few minor complaints, like Danny's insistence that her best friend would come around to her new body quickly. Considering the fact that Danny didn't feel she could share that she was transgender with him, something about her friend must have tipped her off to the fact that she couldn't trust him with the news.

I also had trouble picturing the action in some of the airplane rescue scenes, though the author did a great job explaining Danny's powers in other scenes.

This is a fantastic debut and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.

Pros: emotional punch, multi-layered plot, great characters

Cons:

It's been thirteen years since Sigrud last saw Shara Komayd, but the news of her assassination still hits him hard. When he goes looking for those who killed her, he stumbles into a series of plots started years past. He also has to locate and protect her adopted daughter, Tatyana, from Shara's enemies.

This is the third book in the Divine Cities trilogy. While it was possible to read book two of this series as a standalone, the personal connections and plot twists of book three require having read at least the first book, though I'd recommend reading both before starting this one. Knowing the close connection between Sigrud and Shara is what propels the first half of this book, with Mulaghesh making an appearance and Signe's name showing up several times. But it's Shara's presence that infuses the story, and Sigrud's regrets regarding his treatment of the women in his life that completes it.

In many ways this book takes the plot of City of Stairs and brings it full circle, explaining some of the mysteries that book left open as well as some of the mysteries surrounding Sigrud himself.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Sigrud as the main point of view character considering how straightforward he is. But he's quite fascinating once you get into his mind. And while he isn't the planner that Shara was, he's quite intelligent and figures things out pretty fast.

It would have been nice to get to know Tatyana better, but I loved Ivanya. It's strange seeing the future of a fantasy world, and seeing how people affected by the great events in one book pick up the pieces of their lives - or transform themselves completely - because of them. Ivanya is cool under pressure, having prepared for years for what's coming.

The plot has several layers to it, some of them get pulled back quickly, while others take a while to be revealed.

This is a brilliant end to a brilliant series, and I'm not ashamed to say that it had me in tears several times.

Pros: great premise, diverse cast, complex plot

Cons: Chris's connections start to feel contrived, Chris's wealth

First off, had I not read when the audio book came out that there were two versions, one with a female narrator and one with a male, I might not have noticed that Chris's gender is never specified. Hence my use of his/her.

The book deals heavily with disabilities - the language used to talk about it, how people with disabilities are perceived by those without disabilities, there's a very brief conversation about whether cures are the best course of action, etc. It's great to see a book deal with these issues in a frank way. It also goes into discrimination in some ways, for example, while Haden's sufferers are able to use threeps, no one else can, including people with other debilitating physical conditions - like quadriplegics.

I loved some of the technology used in the book, particularly the 3D crime scene maps and the agora.

The plot was pretty complicated and had a lot of great twists. I did start to feel that a few of the connections Chris made were contrived - Tony being the exact person they need to help with their case, meeting with the heads of the pertinent Haden corporations the week everything's happening. They're realistic given the context, their location, and the number of Haden's concentrated in DC, but they still felt a bit too lucky.

It started to annoy me how quickly Chris was to throw money at his/her problems. Yes he/she is rich, but he/she can't afford to do this kind of thing on every job - replacing threeps, paying for services people he/she meets on cases can't afford, agreeing to pay Tony whatever he wants, regardless of the budgetary concerns of restrictions of the FBI (they don't even see if the FBI has their own contracted programmers who could do the work for them before hiring him).

I thought it was a great mystery with some thought provoking ideas.

Pros: great characters, terrifying premise, thought-provoking

Cons:

Lyle Fontanelle is the head chemist at NewYew. His newest experimental product is an anti-aging cream developed from research conducted on burn victims. But the most recent test group starts showing strange side effects, which show alternate potential uses for the cream. Uses that could destroy the world.

Each chapter header of the book mentions a time and a place and the number of days until the end of the world. This is a slow apocalypse. It's a story of an experiment that goes wrong - much like Dr. Jeckyll's experiment - which is then exploited by one person after another until there's no going back.

The book questions aspects of corporate greed, personal identity, having a purpose in life, and more.

There's a variety of characters, though most of the book is told through Lyle's point of view. He's coasting through life, socially awkward, not well liked, doing work he enjoys but isn't entirely comfortable with how the company plans to use his new product. He goes through some actual growth as the story progresses, examining his previous actions and personality in the face of what his cream has done to the world. I was surprised by who he becomes by the end of the book. Susan, his intern, also goes through a series of changes, becoming someone completely different as well. Outside those two, character motivations predominately circle around greed and power in some form or another. As the stakes increase, so do their tactics.

Things progress in a realistic way given the premise. Each decision compounds the previous ones, making things ten times worse. It's a train wreck that's impossible to look away from - and a quick read as a result.

There's a surprising undercurrent of humour considering it's detailing the end of the world. It's black humour, to be sure, but it had me laughing out loud at points.

This is a brilliant book if you like novels detailing soft apocalypses or plagues.

Pros: lyrical writing, thought provoking, evocative

Cons:

Imogen is a writer while her younger sister Marin is a ballet dancer. Their mother supported Marin's beauty and talent, as they reflected positively on her. She denounced Imogen's storytelling as lies, punishing her as necessary. Imogen escaped but had to leave her sister behind. They grew up. This is the fairytale of two sisters, coming together after a decade apart, to work on their arts in an artist's colony where things aren't as they appear.

I loved this book. It resonated with me on so many levels. Howard captures the hard work, the fear, the loneliness, the exhilaration of being an artist, believing in yourself one moment while wondering if you're good enough the next. She also captures the emotional turmoil of a broken family: the guilt, the attempts to reconcile the truth you know from the truth others believe, protecting yourself from harm while constantly dreading the next attack - whether physical or verbal.

The book is so lyrically written, it's prose is beautiful, and often heart-wrenching. The snippets of Imogen's stories that retell her childhood are so sad and yet so hopeful as well. The descriptions are vivid and lush, easy to picture and viscerally present as events progress.

I loved the characters and the hints of what's happening at Melete, the campus where they're studying. Everything felt real. The characters impacted each others lives in ways it was hard to imagine when the novel started. Though I thought there were times when Imogen should have been more honest and open with her sister, I can understand why such intimacy was difficult for them, given their upbringing and past.

This is a brilliant book and I can't recommend it enough.

Pros: great artwork, good condensing of the story, one scene is moved creating more tension

Cons: abrupt opening, inclusion of lyrics makes for disjointed storytelling

Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, is tired of his job. When he stumbles across a doorway to another holiday land, he comes up with a plan to take over Christmas.

This is a manga version of the Disney film The Nightmare Before Christmas, based on Tim Burton's children's story of the same name. It follows the film exactly, even going so far as to reproduce song lyrics and dialogue verbatim.

I enjoyed the stylized manga artwork. The characters had a vibrancy and motion to them.

The story is condensed well, keeping the essentials but not including everything. One scene towards the end was moved to a different place, creating significantly more tension than that scene has in the film.

The opening is quite abrupt, starting with the line about discovering where holidays come from rather than the lead in lines the movie has.

Unfortunately the inclusion of lyrics made some dialogue and narration feel clunky and disjointed. There's unnecessary repetition in some scenes, while others have phrases that go nowhere. The scene where Lock, Shock, and Barrel discuss plans for kidnapping Sandy Claws goes like this:
“I heard he has razor sharp claws!”
“We'll kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws!”
“First we're going to set some bait.”
“I can't wait to see how scary he is.”
“But you know... Mr. Oogie Boogie Might be even scarier.”
In the film, the bait line in the song is followed by the rest of the plan to use the bait to catch Santa. Here, it's mentioned but not referred to again, making it feel out of place. The end of the comic has fewer song lyrics, and the storytelling becomes more coherent. Instead of forcing one or two lyric lines into the text and explaining what the missing lyrics would have, the writer was able to simply tell a good story.

Despite my annoyance with the text at times, it is a good physical rendition of the film, for those who love it.

Pros: wonderful characters, emotionally touching scenes, romantic elements, fast paced

cons: not much world-building

Toby is a 16 year old defective. Weeks ago a black van picked him up at home and deposited him at what he and the other kids call the Death House. They'll live here until their bodies break down and they're taken upstairs to the sanitarium from which none return. The atmosphere in the house changes when two new kids arrive.

I started this book thinking it was a horror novel. It's not. There are minor SF elements, in that you slowly learn that it's a future after which humanity has recovered from a pandemic. Unfortunately the characters don't know much more than that, and so can't pass on any more detailed information about the history of the pandemic or what makes the kids defective genes dangerous (beyond the fact that they get sick). The lack of details on this account was my only complaint with the book.

The characters are all wonderful. There are a number of dynamics at play: what room you're assigned to, the age of the kids, religious beliefs, fear factor, etc. I enjoyed the complexities of the various relationships and Toby realizing the undertones of why people act the way they do. He grows as a character as the book progresses, realizing his own motivations as well as the motivations of those around him.

Clara's wonderful too, with a zest for life, relishing her freedom from overbearing parents despite being sent to the place where she's going to die. I really enjoyed watching her entrance change how things work in the house.

There's a dread about the book - obviously considering the plot - but it's not all dread. There are moments of joy and moments of peace. I thought the author did a great job of varying the events to keep me guessing about what would happen next.

There were some truly touching scenes and I thought the romance progresses naturally given the circumstances.

The book is a very quick read that had me in tears at the end.

Pros: great characters, several interconnected stories

Cons: slow

During the mime of Hercules commissioned by Senator Saxa to commemorate his becoming Consul, the special effects suddenly become much better. While the Senator and many in the audience believe the vision they're seeing is manufactured, Saxa's children, Varus and Alphena, his third wife Hedia, and Varus's friend Corylus know it's a real representation of danger facing their city of Carce.

This is the second Book of the Elements novel, taking place only a short time after the events of book one. While it's not necessary to have read the first book - enough background is given to bring you up to speed - it is worth it.

Once again I loved the characters and how they interact in this not quite historical Roman empire. Hedia is unable to use her sexuality and poise to advantage when when naked and capture by enemies who don't care about her rank, but that doesn't stop her. Her determination is admirable, as is her ability to manipulate those around her. Alphena's story showed more personal growth, which was great to see. She's learning that her unbridled anger and petulance aren't as powerful as Hedia's weapons, and so tries to emulate her stepmother. Varus shows some growth as well, becoming more self-aware as his powers grow.

Several of the characters again find themselves in alternate worlds, a device that arranges for them to be at the right place at the right time.

I enjoyed the various storylines that formed the plot, and how each principle character played an important role in the ending. I did find the story quite slow though, especially the opening which involved a fair amount of exposition.

The ending surprised me a bit in terms of how unsympathetic the principles were to the Atlantean's plight. But we're shown so little of them, and what we see is negative, which I guess is meant to excuse the violence.

As with the first book the historical setting is great with some wonderful protagonists. While the story is slow, it has a satisfying ending.

Pros: interesting characters, good ending

Cons: advances are made ridiculously fast, some continuity errors, gets boring at times

After spending two years in America, Toru returns to Japan, defying the Shogun's law of isolation and the death penalty his return will earn him. He knows American ships will come, forcing the country to open its borders on their terms, unless Japan can innovate and show its strength in time.

Toru is a great protagonist, deeply in love with his homeland but also an admirer of the technology and people he met in America. He straddles a difficult line as a commoner advising a Lord, trying to foster quick changes in a society that honours tradition.

I really liked Masuyo, Lord Aya's feisty daughter. Her flaunting of custom on her father's land was well contrasted by her embarrassment in front of other noble women, where she tried to fit society's ideals. This accurately portrays the juxtapositions common in Japan today.

There were a lot of supporting characters, ranging from peasantry to Lords, many of whom had well defined personalities. While she's negatively portrayed, I thought Lady Tomatsu was well done, snobbish and overly proud of her family name while married to a less powerful Lord. I liked that she had impeccable taste in food and clothing. I also thought she showed astute political sense, given her circumstances, though she makes a decision towards the end of the book that could have used more clarification as it seemed to go against her earlier personality.

The plot consists of Toru convincing people to build trains, telegraph machines, Babbage Difference Engines, airships, and more in order to face the American threat. While I can believe that some of what they accomplish is possible within a year, the sheer scope of their operations and how much they achieve - necessarily kept hidden from the Shogun and requiring parts to be ordered from overseas - is hard to believe. Masuyo, an admittedly intelligent and well-educated woman, somehow translates enough English (which she's never seen before) and engineering data (for things she's never heard of before) in less than a week to put together a list in one night of all thing parts the Japanese can manufacture themselves and others they'll need to order so that they can start building trains, etc. right away. Despite the failure of engineers with more experience in France to build working airships, the Japanese manage to make one using dictionaries to translate the French and then improving on the designs, again, despite never having seen such schematics before or (I would guess) knowing the science behind them.

I also wondered how the smaller Lords Toru influences have enough money to finance the large - and expensive - projects. Added to this is how they believed they could keep what they were doing hidden from the Shogun. Given the sheer number of people involved and the obvious damage to the land, it seems unreasonable to believe the Shogun wasn't aware of things from a very early point.

For anyone looking for steampunk elements, there are airships towards the end of the book, and mention of submersibles, but not much else.

The inclusion of Japanese words and phrases for things helped keep the oriental flavour of the setting. In a few places the immediate translation felt awkward (as someone who knows a fair bit of Japanese), like ofuro bath (which basically mean the same thing). A handful of times the Japanese was left untranslated, which might trip up readers unfamiliar with the language. I personally had trouble figuring out the meaning behind the name of the first dirigible, which was commented on, but not translated (as far as I could determine).

There were some long sentences with awkward phrasing that I had to reread a few times in order to understand properly. I also noticed some continuity errors with regards to timing. One section began by saying it was the next morning and a character was preparing for a meeting, despite the fact that the meeting was to be in 3 days. Other times characters suddenly travelled weeks worth of distance in a few days (two characters were said to be at their homes but managed to be at least a 4 week journey away from their homes the next day).

While I founds parts of the story a bit tedious, it's basically set-up for future books where the divergence from history becomes more stark. There's an author note at the end of the book explaining how this book compares to history (while the tech advance is all added, the meeting with Commodore Perry at the end and the difficulties between the Shogun and his Lords was cribbed from history). Following books are meant to diverge more, showing Japan in a position of power as its borders open.

While it's not a perfect book, it was an interesting look at an interesting time (imagined as parts of it were) of Japanese history. The author's familiarity with the language and customs (and gestures) shows through.

Pros: lush artwork, bonus features

Cons: nudity started to feel excessive

When the white witch Virtue makes a selfish wish for a child, the demon Slur grants that wish. He taunts her that their daughter, Shame, will be a tool of evil. To prevent Shame from damaging the world, Virtue contains her in a forest grove. But evil cannot be contained.

Shame is comprised of three comics: Conception, Pursuit, and Redemption. There's a forward by Colleen Doran, a preface by Lovern Kindzierski, and a preview of the next comic in the series, Tales of Hope. It also contains a discussion about Shame between Lovern Kindzierski, John Bolton, and Alexander Finbow (publisher and editor in chief of Renegade Arts Entertainment) that includes some concept and finished artwork, the original outline for the Shame graphic novel, and some panel description to finished copy artwork stills.

Graphic novel artwork can be hit or miss for me. John Bolton's artwork is lush and descriptive. It is done in photorealistic watercolours and form a mix of gorgeous and grotesque. When the artwork aims for beautiful it's stunning. When it doesn't, there are hideous, misshapen creatures. I really liked the artwork around the young Virtue in book 2, and a lot of Shame's medieval outfits in book 3. Personally I'm not so keen on the grotesque side of art, and so many panels were not to my liking. Virtue's old form, for example, is the unattractive, warty witch from traditional fairytales.

There's a fair amount of nudity, as fits the adult nature of this fairytale. Some of it felt warranted, like the nymphs, though at times it started to feel gratuitous, as when nipples were visible through opaque cloth. Having said that, there is no sexual violence or gratuitous sex depicted.

I'd expected the plot to have a more Pandora's Box feel, showing how the world changed when shame was introduced to it, but that's not what happened. It's a clear cut story of evil versus good, where true evil cannot be redeemed, and pure good cannot be corrupted. Only a man of fate, standing between them, has the ability to choose which side to join, and thereby change the outcome.

Slur and his minions are quite terrifying in execution. Their guiding of Shame down the dark path is chilling.

As someone who doesn't believe in original sin or that the sins of the parents damn their children, I was surprised that Virtue simply left the child and didn't even try to prevent her corruption (though the assumption is that Shame is automatically corrupt, I would argue that the fact that she wonders why her mother abandoned her shows she could have turned another way).

It's an interesting story with a unique art style.

Pros: plausible future, interesting characters, fast paced

Cons: ending

In the near future, Cumulus controls much of the world's technology. It's founder, Huian Li, wants to extend her company's reach but is frustrated when an important acquisition falls through. Graham Chandler used to work for the Agency until its never ending bureaucracy drove him out. He's spent the past few years working his way through the ranks of Cumulus and now he's making himself indispensable to Huian. Soon she'll be his puppet and he'll run Cumulus.

Lilly Miyamoto's first love is film photography but she's tired of pimping out her life, photographing Greenie weddings, barely able to afford her place in the slums. Two unexpected encounters give her the chance to make her photography mean so much more.

The book isn't set too far in the future, but the internet has progressed and more things have been automated (cars, for example) and co-ordinated. The rich can afford the better private services of Cumulus, while state operated programs flounder due to reduced budgets. This has created an even larger socio-economic gap between the rich and the poor than currently exists. Graham's soliloquies about past jobs in foreign countries and how he's noticed the gap growing at home are quite interesting.

The main players were all fun to read about. They had layers to who they were, with ambitions, faults, habits, etc. I really liked Lilly's gumption given her unfortunate circumstances.

The book is fast paced with short chapters creating a sense of tension as the story jumps between viewpoints.

I really enjoyed the book right up until the ending, when it all fell apart. Suddenly Graham's motivation is lacking in a way that makes no sense. And while there's a sense that the events of the book will have a huge impact on the players, some last minute decisions seemed odd considering what was about to happen. I'll go into more detail in the spoiler section.

On the whole it was a fun, quick read. I just wish the author had spent more time considering the ending.


SPOILERS












Problems I had with the ending:
1) I'm supposed to believe that Graham, who has constant thoughts about socio-political inequality decided to work for the largest tech company in the world - spending years getting to where he needed to be in order to start controlling it from behind the scenes - and had no idea what he wanted to do with the company? I'd assumed he had some plan for fixing the problems he always complained about. He's simply too meticulous for me to believe he put in so much effort with no end goal in mind.

2) Huian plans to preempt Graham's leak by leaking the information herself. Does that include the sex tapes he made using Cumulus's spyware (including his blackmail files)? How about all the private financial, employment, and medical records of her employees? Because that's all stuff he set up to release. And I doubt anyone will be thrilled to learn about the depth of information Cumulus can access and how lax their security protocols are with regards to the privacy of their customers. I can only imagine how many people would want to cancel their Cumulus service because of this leak.

3) Despite the very obvious legal trouble Huian is about to be in (she even mentions this) and her recent decisions ordering the execution of his lover, Frederick decides Huian should be on the advisory committee overseeing the implementation of bringing Cumulus to the poor. Now, assuming the privacy concerns of #2 don't make people decide they're better off without Cumulus recording all their private moments, how is she divorced enough from the company to be part of an independent council? She'd obviously side with the company and what the next CEO thinks is best.

4) Following on #3, how does removing a corrupt mayor help if pretty much everyone in politics and on the police force is equally corrupt? From what the book said, everyone worked with Frederick. And the problem with electing someone who isn't corrupt is that you're stuck voting for one of the people running for office, and how do voters know who is and isn't corrupt?

5) Frederick states at the end of the book that he wants to retire and his organization will survive his leaving. If he had so little control of his operation, how has he not been replaced by someone with more ambition? I'm also a little concerned that the author set up the head of a criminal organization as the sole example of a great leader (following a phrase used just prior to this scene).

Pros: interesting plot, mostly fast paced, new aliens species

Cons: confusing opening, slow beginning

Memor technology allows humans to colonize several worlds. The Network Intelligence Office has been trying to catch Terl Plenko, leader of the Movement terrorist group. Plenko has been encouraging the colonies to leave the Union, using violent methods. The death of Plenko's mate during an NIO mission on the Ribon colony puts investigative partners Dave Crowell and Alan Brindos on Plenko's trail. His top henchmen (or maybe one of his alias's) have potentially been seen on the vacation planet of Temonus, and Dave sends Alan there. Split up, they each learn that there's a conspiracy going on, that they can't trust the NIO, and that Plenko is more than he seems.

The book is narrated in alternating chapters by Dave Crowell, in first person, and Alan Brindos, in third person. While it makes it clear when you're with the different protagonists, it took me several minutes of hunting through the text to figure out who the first narrator was (since he was “I” in the text) and properly understand what was going on. At the same time a lot of new terms are thrown at the reader, including a fair amount of tech terms, which didn't help. Once I knew who the narrators were, I reread the first few chapters again to make sure I didn't miss any clues with regards to the plot.

The first few chapters are quite slow as there's a lot of exposition going on. After that, the narrative structure of quickly passing back and forth between the protagonists creates tension and interest, and the rest of the book was a rush of trying to figure out the mystery.

The mystery was very interesting. There are a lot of great twists and turns. So much happened that I could not have guessed in advance, which kept me on my toes, wondering how this was all going to end.

I enjoyed reading about both Alan and Dave. They're proper noir PIs - thinking fast and cleverly inserting themselves where they need to be to get the information they want, though in the story they've contracted with the NIO and so have advanced resources. The supporting cast was varied and interesting, including several women and Helks (another alien race). I thought both Dorie and Jennifer were well written and intriguing.

While there weren't many alien races, the Helks and Memors were kind of interesting. You learn more about the Helks, who are giant like humanoids.

If you like noir science fiction, this book has a great mystery and is a relatively quick read.

Pros: engaging story, feisty protagonist

Cons: fairly predictable, created swear words are more distracting than useful

For Parents: non-graphic gun and knife violence, torture scenes, some kissing, fake swearing

Eden is a closed world created when humanity was on the brink of destruction to save at least a few people until the ruined world was again fit for habitation. Rowan is a second child, illegal in Eden. Hidden by her family, she's finally going to get a new identity and eye implants that will let her become a part of society. But she'll also have to leave her family - and never return or see them again. In a fit of anger, she climbs the walls of her family home and escapes to the outside world, for a few hours of freedom. What happens during those hours creates rippling consequences that haunt the days that follow.

If you've read a lot of dystopian YA none of this will be particularly new to you. The story runs in fairly predictable ways. The characters are generally what makes these books different and Rowan is a wonderful protagonist. She's willful and determined, scared when out of her depth but able to push past her fear. She causes a few of her own problems, so it's a good thing she's resilient. Making her bi, or at least uncertain about her sexuality (without making a big deal out of it) was wonderfully refreshing. I liked both Lark and Lachlan as supporting characters, though Lark's got my vote if the story develops more of a romance in later books.

The story is quick and engaging. The world is well constructed. I thought it clever that there's a fair amount of pre-Eden history but no Eden history. It gives the author options for the following books and I'm curious what he'll do.

I found the created swear words rather distracting and unnecessary. Instead of coming off as expletives, they confused me and bumped me out of the narrative.

There's a fair bit of violence including two torture scenes. Nothing is particularly graphic, and most of the violence has either a detached sense to it or is accompanied by the protagonist questioning the need for it and how the world should be better than this. There are a few kisses, but no other sexual content.

While this isn't highly original, it is a fun, quick read that will have you turning pages. It's set-up for a series, and leaves you interested in the world and what's going to happen next to the characters.

Pros: brilliant world-building, fascinating protagonist, complex mystery

Cons:

Anglet Sutonga is a steeplejack. When she was younger she cleaned chimneys. At 17 she's too big for that, so now she works the factory stacks. After a series of events, including the theft of a city landmark, she's hired to investigate a series of crimes that the police are ignoring. Meanwhile race relations in the city of Bar-Selehm are breaking down between the white upper class, the black Mahweni (those assimilated to city life as well as the tribesmen living traditional lifestyles outside of it) and the brown Lani, brought to the city by the whites as indentured servants and still not much better off, making her job urgent. And as tensions rise in the city, war between their northwest neighbours, the Grappoli, seems increasingly likely.

Bar-Selehm is a unique setting based on 19th Century South Africa but with fantasy overtones. The book is very contained to the city and its immediate surroundings, only mentioning Grappoli but not the wider politics of the outside world. Which keeps the book focused on the city and its problems. I loved that Anglet was able to mix with people of different races in different ways - depending on their social status, and how status and race were shown to be holdovers from the past, despite the current ideology that everyone is equal. There's a great quote later in the book which sums up a lot of modern racism - and blindness towards it:

“We say we are all equal in Bar-Selehm, but you know as well as I do that that is not even close to being true. You cannot simply take people's land, property, freedom from them and then, a couple of hundred years later, when you have built up your industries and your schools and your armies, pronounce them equals. And even when you pretend it is true, you do not change the hearts of men, and a great deal of small horrors have to be ignored, hidden, if the myth of equality is to be sustained.”

When going to the Drowning, where most of the Lani live, Anglet encounters hippos, monkeys, an ibex, and other creatures. She also mentions a few things that are made up, like weancats, which make the world feel both real and other at the same time. Similarly, the mineral that Bar-Selehm was built up on, luxorite, is made up, but the trade concerns, her brother-in-law's stubborn effort to pan more, and how society interacts with the mineral is explored in some depth.

The author brings in just enough minor details of taste, smell, sight, and touch to make the world feel 100% genuine without bogging down the narrative at all.

I loved Anglet as a character. She's necessarily tough and has to make a series of difficult decisions that change her life. I loved that her choices had consequences, and that as the book went on she often questioned the decisions she'd made. In several situations there was no good outcome, just the best she could do for now.

I liked that she encountered a wide variety of people during her investigation. The paper girl was probably my favourite, but Anglet meets people from several levels of society and cleverly finds ways to interact with them.

The murder mystery was tightly twisted so that while I figured out two of the twists at the end, several others were complete revelations. Looking back on the book as a whole the clues were there, but you take such a roundabout way to the end that it's hard figuring out everything that's going on. I found the ending quite a shock and really felt for Anglet.

It's the first in a trilogy, but can easily be read as a standalone as the mystery is entirely wrapped up at the end. This a great novel with all the things people in SFF circles have been asking for. I can't believe it's not being more widely read and talked about.

Pros: quick read, variety of action, good pay off, complex plans

Cons: some unnecessary repetition

Tris and his friends have made it to Principality City and gained several powerful allies, but if Tris wants to claim the Margolan throne and right his half-brother's wrongs, he'll have to assemble an army and master his summoner abilities.

As with the first book, there's a good variety to the action: fight scenes, mage training, diplomacy, and a touch of romance. It keeps things feeling fresh and helps with the quick turning of pages.

The plan for taking back Margolan has an appropriate complexity that relies on more than just Tris and his training. I appreciated that the efforts of displaced farmers and deserting soldiers helped with the overthrow.

You learn more about the vayash moru (vampires), and how they operate and survive. I also liked the introduction of new blood magic formed ‘creatures', though wished they had been given more page time as they're quite terrifying.

There were some times when the author repeated herself in giving information but it wasn't as distracting as in the first book.

It's a great conclusion to Martin's duology, with a pay off that feels hard earned for the characters.

Pros: brilliant premise, some heart-wrenching scenes, great characters

Cons: a few off notes

July 1916, the Great War continues and so does the work of the Spirit Corps, taking reports and messages from the British dead. Ginger Stuyvessant is a medium, doing her duty both with the ghosts and at the hospitality tent that acts as their cover. When a message comes through suggesting that the Spirit Corps is being targeted, her fiance and military spy, Captain Ben Harford, starts to investigate.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book. Mediums who used the ghosts of the dead to track enemy troop positions? What a brilliant idea. If, of course, also a horrific one as it's entirely dependant on your side dying. I loved that part of the mediums' job was assuring each soldier that their death had meaning.

The cast was great. I loved Ginger's pluck and her relationship with the members of her circle as well as the deep love she has for Ben. Ben is also a good character, trying to protect Ginger while acknowledging that part of what made him fall in love with her was her adventurous spirit.

I was impressed that Kowal brought in an Indian squad as well as a West Indian woman, and horrified by how they were treated by the military brass.

Given that it details wartime, it's not surprising that there are some heart-wrenching scenes.

A few minor things bugged me, like at the end I got Edna and Aunt Edie confused. There was also an ending scene with a character that rang a bit false to me.

The mystery was well done with a good number of twists and turns to the investigation. Ginger and Ben certainly work hard to find out what's going on, taking a lot of physical - and other - punishment.

I really enjoyed this novella. It's only about 200 pages, but it took a while to read, simply because of the heavy subject matter. I would love to see more done with this setting/premise.