Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Out on a lonely beach, the last of a line of ritualists whose purpose is forgotten is about to die. Just about then, or soon after, alchemists in Ankh-Morpork discover how to make celluloid and project movies. But there may be more to the lure of Holy Wood than just fame and fortune.
Review
This is, in a general sense, very familiar territory for Pratchett in that he’s satirizing a known element – in this case the film industry. The story itself veers among satire, parody, and just plain fun. And it is fun. While Pratchett can be a bit uneven and lose track of the need for the book to entertain (as opposed to the line), here’s he’s pretty consistent.
The story itself is fun, and of course does have many of those funny Pratchett moments – a few, very funny. The scenery is a deliberate amalgam of every movie cliche you can imagine, and then some, and it all works pretty well.
Funny and with a pretty good story in it.
Originally posted at reviews.metaphorosis.com.
Summary
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Donut, and their friends have made it to the sixth level of the dungeon aliens created from Earth for their own fun and profit. Carl is sick of the whole pointless process, but to make a stink about it, he and Donut will have to power through as usual, making odd alliances, and killing monsters left and right.
Review
Yet again, I’ve enjoyed this episode in the saga of Matt, Donut, and the increasingly off-kilter AI that runs the dungeon. In many ways, it’s reminding me of Martin Scott’s Thraxas books. There’s not a lot that’s new in each one; they stick to a familiar formula. But they’re consistently fun and easy to read; they’re books I enjoy picking up.
In this volume, Dinniman hasn’t picked up the pace quite as much as I’d expected, though he does finally do that a bit at the end. It’s more – to use the terminology of the book – grinding progress, though that sounds a lot more pejorative than I intend. In brief, there’s a lot more leveling up and dungeon level accomplishment than there is real forward progress in the larger narrative. The book is currently listed as a 7 book series, though I’m not sure whether that’s the intended total. I do start to worry a bit that this will become a Vlad Taltos formula book, with a great beginning devolving into the same story and jokes over and over. The dungeon has (I think) 18 levels, and even a dozen books would be taking a good thing way too far. Still, so far, so entertaining, and I hold out hope that Dinniman, like his protagonist, has a plan.
Larger picture aside, we do get the usual crop of goodies here: Carl and Donut are good at heart, there’s some relationship development, there are cool items and spells, etc. We also get the usual weaker points: it’s often hard to follow what’s happening or why, and the geography is vague. The point, though, is that to date, the goodies far outweigh the weak points, and these books are just a lot of fun.
I do continue to think, though, that the old covers are a lot better than the new ones.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted at reviews.metaphorosis.com.
Summary
In the cold, dusty confines of Grey Tower, where few remain, the last Guardian has died, and with her last breath charged her young apprentice with a message: "Tell Black it's coming." As unexpected winter sets in on the Grey district, the newly-named Mother has also set out to ask a question of the Black Lady who leads the palace. Can either of them reach their goal before the fabled Beast emerges?
Review
I’ve read a number of books that follow in the footsteps of Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast books. Few do so successfully. Alex Pheby’s Mordew made a good effort, but got a little carried away with itself. This book does much better. As with Mordew, it carves out a home in the Gormenghast neighbourhood without actually trying to be Gormenghast.
Pechaček’s decaying, overgrown palace is confusing, filled with obscure ritual, and shows us the misery of the underlings (and sometimes the leaders) of the realm, ground down by obeisance to tradition. It goes a step further in inserting a cast seemingly drawn from a Bosch painting, but treated as absolutely normal (and, in fact, charming). The result is excellent – a rich, hyper-gothic tableau of slow, epic adventure undertaken by confused but noble actors, all against a carefully revealed ancient tragedy, with dryly humorous asides. I loved it.
Where I think Pechaček goes wrong is in focusing so much on the enticing visual imagery – one clever oddity after another – rather than story. The characters spend most of the book trying to get one place or another, and it often began to feel more like a travelogue than a narrative – look at this! And this! And now this! Aren’t they intriguing and grotesque? They are, but to my mind scenery is in aid of story, not in place of it. It’s almost immediately clear that the author has a broad, slant-wise imagination; we don’t need to see proof after proof after proof. The imagery doesn’t fit or work as well, for example, as the vocabulary, which is rich and varied, but generally doesn’t feel like the author is putting it on display (as opposed to choosing just the right and fitting word for the occasion).
The interior art, by the author, is not to my usual taste, but is excellent for the purpose, and genuinely adds another dimension. I’m not sure why Tor felt the need for a different cover artist.
To be fair, Pechaček does land the story pretty well. Early on, I had concerns, but as the book progressed, I grew more and more confident that he would treat the reader well, and he does. There could have been a touch more clarity on one of the two endings, but overall, it reads well, left me satisfied, and left me a definite Pechaček fan. Here’s hoping that for his next book, he does something equally interesting, but very, very different.
One more caveat, I suppose – as with Gormenghast, I found the geography of the palace impossible to unravel, and not a match for either of the maps that is provided.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted at reviews.metaphorosis.com.
Summary
Firstborn, archangels, and angels have survived three waves of chaos and built a heaven to hide in. And a plan to form a more permanent refuge for future angels starts with the best of intentions. How, then, does it all go so wrong?
Review
To Reign in Hell may well be the first Steven Brust novel I read. It may have been Jhereg, but it may equally have been this, especially with an introduction by Roger Zelazny to draw me in. In any case, I recall being just as sceptical as Zelazny of the subject matter. But, like him, I was wrong. Along with Jhereg, this was the book that convinced me Brust really knew what he was doing. I just wish he’d kept at it.
You wouldn’t think, even back in the 1980s, that there was much new to be done with Abrahamic mythology. But you’d be wrong. This is brilliant, carefully constructed omedy of errors. It’s fun to read, with just the right touch of wry humor. It’s by far the best treatment of the concept I’ve seen.
Brust does cheat a bit in places. He splits Satan and Lucifer into separate beings. And where here both are show in a sympathetic light, a key catalyst in some ways takes their place by being venal and selfish without much cause.
But overall, I think this is great, and I enjoyed it as much on this re-read 40 years later as when I initially read it. Then, Brust was largely unknown to me aside from Liavek and possibly Jhereg. Now, I think of him as an extremely talented writer who just stopped trying a long time ago. But this early book is still terrific – from that early period when he was trying, and when his books were fantastic in all the right ways. It didn’t last long, but the reason he’s still around is because of books like this one.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted at reviews.metaphorosis.com.
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
In an alternate post-world war Los Angeles full of vampires, zombies, and wizards, Jack Mitchell is a private investigator with a smart-mouthed cat and more debts than clients. Until Dora Urban, a glamorous vampire, hires him to find her half-brother, and Mitchell finds himself tangling with powers well beyond his scope.
Review
I encountered Harry Turtledove's writing decades ago, via the Krispos of Videssos books. I enjoyed those, but realized that most of his writing was too alternate-history for me. I've dipped into a few of his other books with mixed results. But when I saw this fantasy noir offering, I thought I'd give it a try.
I guess what I can say is that the alternate history element is strong and well developed. References to real history are simple enough to figure out – fylfot (swastika) supporters, etc. I'm not normally a fan of vampires and zombies, but those elements work fine. Unfortunately, it's the detective noir piece that fails. I just didn't buy Turtledove's voice on this front. It's as if he's trying to amalgamate noir tropes and standards by imitation rather than organically; it all feels like a clumsy copy.
Beneath the awkward voice and jokes that mostly don't land, there's a pretty good story. It's not groundbreaking, but it fits its territory – poor but capable detective, femme fatale (more literally than usual), etc. There's even a sarcastic cat.
This was an ARC, and seemingly less polished than most. Almost no typos, but there's a lengthy piece of description (of a zombie) that's repeated verbatim once, and paraphrased again. There's pretty hefty continuity error regarding a lawyer. Hopefully these issues will be cleared up before publication, but that's in ten days, so I doubt it.
All in all, a decent book and start to a series, but more for Turtledove and alternate history fans than noir aficionados.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
2 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
A human-infesting fungus that promotes empathy among those that incorporate it has been developed, and some are spreading it. A weaker Russian analogue also exists. Meanwhile, a brother and sister vie to take over their father's kingdom, with their mother plotting behind the scenes.
Review
Kinning starts any number of different times; the whole beginning of the book is a meta-discussion of which beginning would best suit the reader. I liked the concept quite a bit, but in practice ... I found the options murky and fairly dull. Unfortunately, the book didn't improve much for me.
I read the prequel, Everfair, some years back and didn't care for it. However, I had hopes that a more focused book would draw on Shawl's strengths as writer. Instead, after the false beginnings, the book is divided into two plot threads/groups of protagonists. One, the royals, was somewhat clear, but not particularly interesting. The other, the fungus distributors, I never found my footing in; I was never very clear on who those protagonists were, what they were doing, or why I should care.
This is a thoroughly developed alternate universe that does more than just rely on simple extrapolations. That's all to the good. Unfortunately, I also found the book both very unclear and (not unrelated) deadly dull. Even the inclusion of a fair amount of sex didn't spice it up, because I never cared about the people having the sex or why they were doing it.
Having hoped for a more focused and interesting book than Everfair, I found this sequel slightly more focused, just as hard to follow, and a lot less interesting. If you loved Everfair, give it a try. Otherwise, I can't recommend it.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Rafi, a half-fae ‘counted as human' becomes involved with a fully human witch and her family, just as political and social forces in the fae and human communities are driving renewed tensions.
Review
Ballad for Jasmine Town has a very rocky start – an awkward wiki entry on faery and then a plunge into the world with haphazard introduction of elements and concepts. There are also two completely different names for a key character (a grandmother) who is sometimes referred to by one, sometimes by the other, with the usage never clarified. Hard as I tried, it took a long time for me to be certain that the two names referred to the same grandmother. As with most infodumps, the wiki didn't work. And it was only at the very end of the book that I realized that this was a sequel, which perhaps explains some of the trouble. It does in many ways function as a standalone book, but only once you've managed to get through the first 25% or so. For me, that opening left a distaste that lingered.
I'm not quite sure what ‘romantasy' really is, but this might qualify, at least on the fringes. It's not bodice ripping, but there's a small amount of bosom-heaving sex, and there's a central romantic relationship. I liked the relationship, though it did border a little too often on wish fulfillment and faced no major obstacles.
Romance aside, the main plot is tension between human and fae, with what I took to be some not too disguised to real world events in one country or another. The concept was good, but the execution not as successful as one might hope. For a book that clearly leans heavily toward a progressive, politically correct view of the world, it fell quickly into a bit of a racism trap. A group of korreds (a type of fae) are just bad news. Not all korreds, the book is quick to point out, just this group (with one exception). But the story quickly settles into a shortcut that korred = bad, which seems more reductionist than seemed to fit the story. Similarly, a solution that the protagonists come up with is not explored as deeply as I might have hoped. They do debate its propriety and justice, but I felt the ending didn't come to grips with the drawbacks as directly as I thought it should have.
I'm not usually a skimmer, but even after I felt grounded in the world at the 1/4 mark, by the 2/3 mark I found myself wanting to skim. I couldn't quite pin down the issue beyond just not feeling as interested in the story as I wanted – perhaps because, ethically difficult solution aside, the emotional and moral issues all seemed so cut and dried; there was never much question of how things would work out. It also, despite being set in a fae world with humans there on sufferance, seemed peculiarly focused on impacts to humans. Perhaps for those who enjoy angsty voyages to happy romantic endings, this will be a joy. For me, I found it just didn't keep my attention.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Sam Harker is an American researcher for the British Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But a new case has arisen in Paris that's made her determined to prove her mettle as a field agent. Only they've assigned her a partner - Hel Moriarty, daughter of the infamous criminal. And Hel's last three partners died almost as soon as they were assigned.
Review
In the end, I may not have been the right target for this book. It's a pastiche of all sorts of things, bringing together Dracula, werewolves, Van Helsing, Moriarty, Dickens, monster hunters, Paris, etc. I quickly found that it stretched my suspension of disbelief past the breaking point.
The characters as well strained credulity. The protagonist is attracted to men, to women, to no one – not because the character is working it out for herself, or because it's signposted as part of her nature, but because it allows for nifty plot twists. That seems to apply across other elements as well. The thing is that they're twists, but they're not in the least unexpected. We know what the twist will be because we can see what the author thinks will be fun.
For some readers, I'd bet that it is fun. For me, the cramming in of every 1800s notion and well-worn trope possible was too much – far too much. And I found the plot points too quick, too easy, too much like too much wish fulfillment, too pointedly Anglo- and Francophilic.
All that said, the prose is generally good (though rocky and in need of polish at the start), the pace is smooth, the lore sufficiently credible and consistent. There's some animal testing that goes on that was both unnecessary and cruel.
This book isn't advertised as part of a series, but I've marked it as one because it seems so clear that one is intended.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Estevar Borros, overweight magistrate and dueling investigator for the King, has been called to the Isola de Sombra by its abbott. But on arrival, Estevar, already wounded in a previous duel, is first met by a mysterious representative of a local noble, and then swept to sea with his mule. Their rescue is just the first of a set of odd occurrences as he tries to determine what happened to the monks of the abbey.
Review
There are some good elements in Crucible of Chaos – the Greatcoat magistrates, the characters, how gods are created and destroyed, and an intriguing backstory.
Unfortunately, that backstory also works as a negative in some ways. I'm new to this series, and there are so many references to how the gods were killed (I assume in previous volumes) that I often wished I were reading that story rather than this one. That story sounds intriguing and novel. This one refers to intriguing novelty, and has a few interesting features, but at many points threatens to boil down to something quite mundane.
It's not that the characters or the plot points are weak in themselves. I felt that what held the story back was the prose. It's technically smooth, but very dry and often stilted. The characters speak in declamations rather than dialogue, and it rarely sounds natural. It kept me from getting as deeply involved in the story as I'd have liked. The tendency of some sentences to run on and on through convoluted loops didn't help.
For what's labeled as a prologue to a series, the book is slow to start – prologue within prologue within prologue. To its credit, the major worldbuilding is fairly smoothly done, though there are at times so many names and elements that it's hard to keep track of. There are some minor inconsistencies.
Overall, my reaction was that the prior quartet of books (ISFDB tells me there was one about Greatcoats) sounds interesting, but that the prose of this book is stiff enough to keep me from trying them out. If you're new to the world and looking for fantasy detectives, this is okay, but I think there are better options.
On the plus side, the art, layout and design, are attractive.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
For decades or more, Marrowdell's house toads have collected white stones to build a throne for their queen. Now, at last, she's making her presence felt. And she's angry.
Review
I didn't feel as drawn into this book as I did the preceding ones. Partly, there's a fair amount that's not clearly explained – e.g., the climactic fight with the key villain is resolved more by elision than by actual description. There's a big fight and then ... it's over, and it's not really clear why.
I think, though, that the principal problem for me was the the central relationship between Jenn and Bannan has turned – at least in my perception – from sweet to treacly. Where in the first book it was a breath of fresh air to find a relationship that was happy and optimistic, the determinedly even keel of it all – and the lovers' recurring joy in finding each other again – has started to wear on me. They never, ever fight, and they just love each other to pieces – on every page. In a similar vein, it's bothered me more and more over time that so many individuals, and particularly non-humans, fall over themselves to bow at Jenn's feet, do her bidding, and bind themselves to her service. And, while mostly Jenn, it's not just her – humans just seem to draw servitude and loyalty from non-humans (and some humans). I'd have liked to see at least one case where a human said, “You know, toad? I'm going to dedicate my life to serving you.” It's very reminiscent of Sira's relationships with Morgan and everyone else in Czerneda's Trade Pact universe, where it was equally a flaw.
There's a feel of something missing throughout this book, particularly with reference to a key character who's a bit of a black box. It was only in reading the acknowledgements at the very end that I learned that, in addition to A Dragon for William, there's another novella between this book and A Play of Shadow, named A Pearl from the Dark, that apparently explains all this. I strongly recommend reading A Dragon for William, since it deals with characters and places that are key to this one – while they appeared to be an offshoot when I read the novella, they are clearly not. That seems to be true for A Pearl from the Dark as well, and I wish I'd known of its existence – apparently available only in a collection of Czerneda's short fiction, which I somehow also missed.
All that said, I'm still enjoying the series. I do plan to track down the Pearl novella, and look forward to the forthcoming A Shift of Time. At the same time, I do rather hope that that will be the last book in the series Much as I enjoy the world, I don't know how much more of Jenn and Bannan I can take.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Attempting to summon a powerful demon, teenaged prodigy Eric ends up with dissheveled so-so wizard Rincewind instead. To everyone's surprise, Rincewind is able to grant wishes - just not in a way anyone wanted.
Review
Terry Pratchett does best when he's creating an original story, like Guards! Guards!. His pastiches of well-known stories haven't been as effective (with the exception of Wyrd Sisters). Here, the cover gives away that he's aiming in the direction of Faust, and he brings back popular character Rincewind, but frankly the whole thing felt a little half-hearted to me.
There's some good humour and both Rincewind and Eric are engaging enough, but the overall story framing (reforms in hell) felt thin and worn. Pratchett does seemingly take aim at some of his own quirks – e.g., constantly saying ‘wossname', a joke that was once funny, but was wearing out, becomes a target in this book. And there are the usual situational jokes, often funny. But this isn't one of the more stellar Discworld entries, especially after the excellent Guards! Guards!
Fine for Discworld aficionados, but very skippable for casual readers.
4.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
The Night Watch - the least regarded and least active law enforcement crew in Ankh-Morkpork is down a man. But just in time, would-be dwarf Carrot has volunteered - seemingly unaware that the role of the Watch is absolutely not to enforce the law. Especially when it involves dragons.
Review
It was a rockier beginning than I recall, but when Pratchett hits his stride, he's really funny. This book is even more full of little jokes than previous volumes, and is a fully contained and realized story like Pyramids was, though taking place in Ankh-Morpork and involving one or two familiar characters.
Really the only criticism I have is on pacing. The story doesn't drag, but I did feel that it was closing in on an ending several times, and was surprised to find that I was, respectively, just a third and halfway through the book the first two times. It's not a big problem, but it does underline that Pratchett is here more for the puns and situational humor than for the overarching storyline.
That said, this is a genuinely fun book – funny, easy to read, and the best Discworld book so far. It is (as with Pyramids) disappointing to see so many careless typos and formatting errors in a book that's been out for 35 years.
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Worfel and Semyn, sent to Marrowdell to save them from serious threats, are heading home, but political complications mean that home isn't exactly what it used to be. And, away from Marrowdell's magic, only Worfel remembers its dragons.
Review
This is an immediate sequel to A Play of Shadow – though following supporting characters – and I recommend they be read one soon after the other. It also steps away – a little – from the happy, lovey-dovey tone of the main series.
Worfel and Semyn were central but supporting actors in Play of Shadow, coming to and eventually leaving Marrowdell. This story picks up immediately after they leave, and lets us know what happens to them. Perhaps because it's not so focused on core characters Jenn and Bannan, it's a little less sickly sweet than that relationship. Much as I like Jenn and the happy tone of her stories, it's a welcome change, since she and Bannan get pretty sappy – on the verge of incredible. In any case, this story, though about children and childish concerns, also deals with weighty concerns and a little more darkness, to my mind.
Czerneda brings in another interesting species, and some of the old ones come up in interesting ways, which is fun. Emon and Lila, the boys' parents, naturally play important roles, though as before Lilia is quite distant – and, I found, unlikable.
The plot sets off well, but at about the two third mark or a little after, it feels like Czerneda loses her grip on it. A key confrontation that has been set up suddenly, and for no real reason, fizzles out almost completely and then the story ends. Czerneda notes in the acknowledgements that the story was originally written as a gift, and maybe those roots are why she (and her editor) wasn't so concerned with narrative structure. The result is a nice field trip into the Night's Edge world that's a little “This way to the Egress” – I expected more from it.
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Bannan Larmensu has come to Marrowdell to live with Jenn, whose magic nature means she cannot leave there. But when Bannon's nephews arrive in desperate straits, and with unexpected powers, he and Jenn have to find a way to save his sister despite Jenn's limitations.
Review
I quite liked the first book in this series, A Turn of Light, as a happy, romantic fantasy. This sequel commits fully to that tone. There's risk and danger, but not too much, and the central lovers never have so much as a tiff. It's not too credible, but it is light, easy, and interesting.
As is her trademark, Czerneda introduces intriguing beings with unusual cultural and ecological roles. The toads continue to put in an important appearance, though they did feel to me to draw heavily on the Drapsk of her Trade Pact books. If they turn out to be secretly powerful, I think it'll be an uncomfortably close match.
Jenn continues her development in a logical and satisfying way, edging closer to an understanding of who and what she is, though mysteries remain abundant. All the key characters continue to play their roles – Wisp the dragon and Scourge the kruar. Lila, the sister of Jenn's lover Bannan comes more to the foreground than in the past, and I found I didn't care for it. Czerneda relies quite a bit on family bonds, but Lila came across to me as cruel and selfish; the fact that Bannan's okay with being used didn't make it any more appealing to me. That's a bit of a problem, as his quest to help Lila is the core of the book. The politics that causes the quest is very muddled, but it's a pretext for the plot, not a central element.
I recommend this to those looking for sunny (if not always lighthearted), sentimental fantasy. It's a big book and the plot is on the thin side, but I found myself always happy to pick it up for its sentiment and innovation. There was a surprising number of typos for a ten year old book.
3 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Pteppic, heir to a 7,000 year dynasty and a tiny kingdom, has been sent to Ankh-Morpork to train as an assassin. It's given him some funny ideas about change being desirable. When his father dies and Pteppic receives a sign to come home, his new-fangled ideas clash with the traditions of a rather elderly high priest.
Review
I seem to be having quite a different reaction to Discworld this time around. Books that introduced me to the series, and that I quite liked, now seem halting and disjointed. Books, like this one, that I don't really remember, seem much more effective. I suppose that then, the novelty worked better on me than the story.
This book has possibly the strongest story so far, in that it doesn't rely on parody as much, and seems much more self-contained. It's funny, too; no guffaws, but plenty of chuckles and an occasional chortle. There is a certain amount of repetition of jokes from earlier books. Not a lot, but a little worrying so early in the series.
Unfortunately, a key portion of the resolution relies on deliberate cruelty to an animal. One that's smarter than all the other characters, but it's cruelty nonetheless. It ruined what for me had been the best Discworld story so far. For a moderately old, but popular book, there are a surprising number of careless errors in my new e-book version.
4.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Chloe and Oliver become best friends when she sends him an origami rose as part of a school pen pal program. But when they're in their teens, they suddenly part ways. Years later, they're both in New York, and their paths cross when she, just fired, begins leaving origami roses around town with messages inside.
>Review
This is a book that is unabashedly, enthusiastically romantic and (literally) incredible. There are huge plot holes all over the place, and at times it feels like it was written for the sole purpose of being a Meg Ryan movie. The title is clunky. But that's all okay; I'm also a romantic idealist, and I loved it.
This is a book that is determinedly upbeat. There are some minor tribulations, and some darker undercurrents, but, like its protagonist, it's a story committed to seeing the upside of things. You have to be willing to suspend a lot of disbelief for it all to work, but I was willing, and I got teary eyed half a dozen times despite the unlikeliness of it all.
Some of the plot holes, I feel could have been edited out with a little work. Despite being inseparable childhood best friends for a decade, and exchanging countless letter, in later years, one doesn't recognize the other, and neither recognizes the other's handwriting. I found both of those hard to accept, despite my investment in the book's concept. One character's decisions also fell on the unrealistic side. The premise presented in marketing material (that origami captures sound) barely makes an appearance. I didn't love that it was a little on the ‘New York is magical' side. You have to invest in some magical thinking to make it all work.
The book's theme is relentless, but appealing, especially today – be nice to each other. I have to admit, though, that there's no little irony in a story that critiques a modern insistence on monetizing everything – as it says, “Why can't we just do things because we want to?” – put is on NetGalley and in its acknowledgements thanks a public relations firm. Not, obviously, that authors must reflect their characters, but the sentiment does fit a little uneasily in its setting.
There are also some nice touches – clever literary and genre references that generally don't intrude, even if the author does tend to underline them a bit. Overall, it's the kind of book that those who insist on gritty grimdark realism may hate for being light and fluffy and sappy. But I like a good grimdark story, and, with all its flaws, I loved this too. It's just the right mix of determination and hope, and Skye is a good writer; I look forward to checking out some of her other books.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Ciara, slowly starving in a mining town distant from the capital of the empire, has found an old journal. She keeps it to herself even when the Emperor sends troops to find it, and even when her father and then her mother are forced to work in the mines and contract disease. But then one day, when the troops finally find the book, it somehow summons a dragon.
Review
The Dragon's Apprentice takes a while to get it's feet on the ground. It's so intent on being cute (“STOP. Don't read any further. There are magic spells in this book...”) that the story itself has to fight to make its way through. After the first few chapters, though, it finds its stride.
While competently put together, there are few surprises here, beyond what seemed to me a mismatch between a simple plot and somewhat more sophisticated vocabulary that left me unsure of the intended audience. Given a premise of a spellbook, a young girl, and a dragon, the plot is largely what you'd expect. There are villains and very little violence, which fits the mostly young seeming tone. More disappointing is a very intentional cliffhanger ending. There's some mystery here to explore, but it all felt a little too manufactured for me.
I wish I'd been able to engage with the characters more. The viewpoints are split between girl and dragon, but I didn't find either one appealing or well developed enough to really draw me in, and the pace of the book felt rushed. Overall, it's inoffensive, and a quick read, but unlikely to stay with me for long.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
After a king is murdered, three witches trying to form a coven (against their own impulses) debate whether their rule against interfering in politics is a rigid rule or more of a suggestion.
Review
Wyrd Sisters is a deliberate and often very funny mashup of various Shakespeare plays and lines, Macbeth and Hamlet principal among them. If you're not not well read on these, you'll likely miss a lot of the humor, and I suspect I missed quite a bit from plays I'm not familiar with. That said, Pratchett at times gets carried away with himself, seeming to forget that he also has to tell a story, not just make jokes.
Criticism aside, this is one of the most cohesive Discworld story lines to date, and I very much enjoyed it. After five books, I'd been feeling that perhaps I didn't like Discworld as much as I remembered, and perhaps shouldn't have bought quite so many books in the series all at once (most of them). I've made that mistake before, with Jonathan Carroll and L.E., Modesitt, but I'm a slow learner. This book renewed my faith that the Pratchett books may still have been a good choice.
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Carl, Donut, et al have reached level five, where dungeon crawlers have been split into hundreds of ‘bubbles', each with four different quadrants. And of course, there are quests all over. This time, many of them involved gods, feral and otherwise.
Review
The seams began to show in the previous book, and here the stretch to keep things fun is even more evident. There are so many groups and characters and quests to keep track of that it's all something of a muddle. Dinniman does a great job of keeping the characters engaging, but not so well on clarity of his overcomplicated plots. That said, this was a lot more fun and quicker to read than the much shorter book I read just before it.
As noted previously, part of what's appealing is that Carl is smart and practical, and makes all the right choices. Unlikely as it may be, he probably falls in what some call the ‘noblebright' category, because he's compassionate and make the ‘right' moral choices. In a world that's awful and violent (I mean his), it keeps the tone lighter in that he's clearly a good person many of us can identify with.
Dinniman's juggling a lot of balls in this series, and I find it hard to keep track of most of them. I can't say they drop, exactly, but they do vanish from sight for long enough that you just have to take on faith that they're in the right place the next time you see them. The physical environment in particular can be hard to keep track on. It's not a crisis, but it would be more fun if I could consistently picture what in the hell was happening.
As with book three in the series, the loot boxes, etc. are beginning to wear thin. There are only so many amazing tools you can find. Dinniman clearly recognizes this, and is introducing some new dynamics. He also leans more heavily in this volume into the arc of the series overall – Carl's long-range plans for the sadists (or maybe just capitalists) that run the dungeon. That's a very good thing, as the story is beginning to really need more than just level-based scenery. However, to achieve Dinniman's goals, Carl's intentional hiding of information from the reader has become much more evident.
There's an odd little epilogue to the book that is interesting, perhaps important, info to have, but doesn't feel it fits well in the book. That's preceding the official ‘backstage' extra, which is more obviously stuck on and not (so far) essential to the plot.
All in all, still fun, but starting to wear. Happily, the next level/book should bring the capitalist dungeon investor factions more directly into focus, allowing Dinniman to bring out that side of the story more. He's also clearly slimming down the immediate cast, though I didn't see that as a major need.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
2 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Najeeba is a witch who can transform to a spirit creature of flame and wind. Her daughter formed by rape is a sorceress who remade the entire world. But Najeeba wants more - to understand the Mystic Points of power in the world, and become a full sorceress herself.
Review
I said in my review of Firespitter that DAW didn't seem to know what it was doing with the book, and this sequel hasn't changed my mind. This book has even less going on than the previous one – it's largely a description of the fact that the narrator is training in sorcery; not even really how she trains, beyond some vague, muddled description. It really made me lose patience with this series, and perhaps even with how Okorafor tells a story.
Okorafor starts with a defensive, ‘I can't explain what my previous book was about, but here's my [fairly useless] summary'. It refers to Who Fears Death, and seems to suggest this book and Firespitter are really just backstory for that novel, which I have not read. If so, that may explain why these books are so formless and opaque. It begins to feel as if many of Okorafor's books are connected, and I just don't have the right grounding, not having read the right set in the right order. However it may be, I found this book not only dull, but downright irritating. I'm taking a big step back from, ‘Okorafor is a very interesting writer new to me' and toward ‘Okorafor's books are occasionally interesting, but overall muddled'.
Very little happens in this book. Najeeba learns sorcery, but a) she was already a magician, and b) it all just sort of happens and she tells us it did. In a sense, we see the learning experience, but it's so opaque that it's hard to make sense of until she tells us the effect it apparently had. To make matters worse, she never accomplishes the one goal she set out for herself. Instead, a completely different and unheralded resolution worms its way in. I found the book boring, and was never invested in the characters. It's a short book, but even so, I was never eager to pick it up, feeling more that it was a chore I had to accomplish. It feels like the middle of a novel, but not an interesting one.
In a way, it's impressive that one book can me me reevaluate the author quite so much. But frankly, it's really only the Binti trilogy that drew me in, and the other Okorafor books I've read have been disappointing. I'm willing to class this one as bad, more because it's so muddled and flat than because there's anything egregious in it. I haven't read Who Fears Death, no longer want to, and am not interested to follow this backstory series any further. And that's from someone who hates to quit something they've started.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
A comet is coming, and it's going to wipe out life on Earth. But just two days before, mysterious white pods start landing, mostly in the midwest USA. Touch them and they open for a few minutes before taking off again. This is the story of what happens to those who got in them.
Review
I picked up Rule of Extinction based solely on the listed premise – that mysterious pods rescue humans just before a comet hits Earth. I was disappointed to find that while that's accurate, the ensuing plot is far more familiar – that the pods randomly drop a few people on a mysterious archipelago.
This is a trope that's very well established in science fiction. The book is even very reminiscent of Lost, the show I'm only now getting around to watching. And any ‘abandoned on an island' story is going to echo Robinson Crusoe one way or another. I've literally had dreams that were essentially this plot, and I've read a lot of books with the same theme.
Disappointing plot aside, Rule of Extinction is well put together. The characters are engaging, credibly flawed, and the author kills them off left and right. We get backstory for each as we go, and the whole fits together well. There's a little repetition in how strong men keep taking charge, but, sadly, that's probably a reflection of human nature.
If this were the first time I'd seen this idea, I'd have scored the book higher. Jones does a good job, and, despite the familiarity, I'm interested to keep on with the series.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Elma York has reached Mars - living on the surface itself with her husband Nathaniel and a crew of others as the deputy administrator to prepare the way for colonists (or is the term offensive?) still in orbit. But there's something the administrator and many others aren't telling her - something that happened on the mission that built the first dome - and it's important.
Review
I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Calculating Stars, but somehow managed to miss the next two books. I had no trouble picking up the thread in this one, though.
As before, this is largely a well designed, well-written hard-ish SF book. There's more jargon than hard engineering or calculation, but those would in any event have been beyond my skills, and this came across as very credible on the technical front. Also as with the last book, I found the emotional elements appealing, but a little too soft-focus for my taste; the narrator in particular is just too sweet and thoughtful. There are some very welcome suggestions toward the end that she's not quite as wonderful as she believes herself to be, but they're somewhat undercut by the fact that the external view of her is presented as something of a good thing.
This is an alternate history, so of course there are differences from our timeline, and wish-fulfillment is a legitimate part of SFF. It does feel, though, as if Kowal is trying too hard to fit modern values to a less progressive time period – to write about a less enlightened past without offending any modern readers. I'm an idealist, but overall it feels awkward and not very credible, perhaps because I was around in the time period in question, and the attitudes in question just didn't fit with my experience. I'd note that the progressive viewpoints decidedly did not extend to animals, who are cruelly sacrificed to human desires. True to the period, but animals are clearly not part of the alternate timeline's enlightened worldview.
The treatment of religious ritual feels equally heavy-handed – not one goes by without an explanation of its historical context and meaning. Maybe that's meant to be part of the narrator's culture, or maybe it's just Kowal demonstrating how well she's done her background research. Either way, it feels very ... educational rather than organic.
Overall, a well-written story with a welcome women's perspective for the time, but undermined by the awkward insertion of anachronistic modern values.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
The world is divided into rationalized economies run by AIs, and the Federation, run by the same autocrat for decades. But both societies are about to break down, with substantial help from shadowy but powerful cabals whose aims and allegiances aren't entirely clear. Each of a half dozen characters have an important part to play, despite never being quite sure what it is.
Review
The central theme of Where the Axe is Buried is a familiar one – systems containing the seeds of their own collapse – but Nayler's approach to it is astonishingly good. I liked Nayler's previous novel, The Mountain in the Sea, but it also left me a little cold. Here, there's also a bit of a clinical, distant feel, but the story is so well done that he gets away with it. This is one of the best constructed novels I've read for a while.
There are a lot of characters in the story; Nayler shifts among half a dozen to allow each to give us snippets of information and perspective on systems collapsing. None is really at the center (one is slightly more central) and none is indispensable. For the first third of the book, that left me intellectually interested, but not really emotionally invested. After that, my emotional engagement grew in small increments, though it never quite reached my heart.
It's generally clear where the story is going, though there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. One final twist toward the end feels like a step too far, and unnecessary. That's in part because, despite the emotional distance, Nayler is focused on the characters' experiences, and the system collapse that is the story's backdrop is too vague to really fit the pieces together. In that sense, this is an impressionist story – you get the gist of the theme without ever really seeing quite how the pieces fit together (and my feeling, frankly, was that they don't). The key, though, is that it works. It's an impressionist sketch without a central focus point or character, but it's also extremely well executed.
It probably helps that it appears Nayler draws on a professional background quite similar to my own, so the names, cultures, and concepts are familiar. In any case, just as the last book moved me from uncertain bystander to impressed onlooker, this books is moving me closer to enthusiast status – I still can't really say ‘fan', because I look for more emotional involvement, but I certainly enjoyed this story.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Ulysses Paxton, near or perhaps post-death on Earth, finds his spirit soaring free to Mars, where he finds a home and occupation working with the planet's most advanced biological scientist - who earns his keep by supplying wealthy rulers with beautiful new bodies, whether their prior owners agreed to give them up or not.
Review
I have to admit that I had totally forgotten the plot of this book – perhaps because it only barely features John Carter and other familiar characters. This feels more of a spin-off than part of the central storyline. Perhaps because of that, its relatively familiar components didn't feel quite as fresh as they might. In fact, one of the highlights is Burroughs' social critique of religion, rather than mighty-thewed heroics.
There are, of course, mighty thews, white apes, and beautiful damsels in distress. The plot, fairly self-contained, deals with brain transfers and similar experiments – fair young bodies for the old and powerful. And of course our hero is involved in a noble quest (though he seems pretty ready to ignore some grey areas). The heroics of it all are fine, in fact. They're simply not very memorable.
What, as an adult, I found much more interested was Burroughs' willingness to satirize religious practices. There's an extensive passage in the book for just that purpose, and manipulation of believers forms a central plot mechanism. It fits well, and I enjoyed it, but it does feel a bit as if Burroughs saw an opportunity to speak out and turned it into a central theme.
All in all, an interesting but generally minor entry in the Barsoom ledger.