Beth Tabler

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.

If you would like to read more of my book ramblings check out my blog at https://beforewegoblog.com/

“I am Fetching, leader of the half-orc hoof known as the True Bastards. I need to know who you cocksuckers are and what you are doing in the fucking lots.”

Once again, we visit the badlands of Ul-wundulas in all its dirty, and blood smeared glory. Instead of the Intrepid Jackal as the main narrator, we follow Fetch through her turmoil of keeping the hoof from dying off. After the events of the first novel (you can find my review here), we have the Bastards' home destroyed and their leader killed. Fetching is the new leader of the dwindling band of Bastards. She must confront starvation, hoof politics, and her failing health. All while working to defend the hoof from “Devil Dogs (hyena-like creatures),” and scheming Frails.

Unlike, Jackel, I found Fetch to be a much more sympathetic character and narrator. She often demonstrates a levelheadedness that Jackal did not have, and I found it necessary and well-written for the role she was managing as chief. She is an outcast female character, set within a very male, patriarchal world. This means that she has to have a backbone of steel. But Fetch is a well-rounded character; the steel of her spine is tempered with vulnerability. Also, Fetch is separated from her two best friends who, in the previous novel, offered her a bit of comfort and stability. However, her fierce protectiveness is effectively passed on to the hoof. She will do anything to keep the hoof alive. This includes keeping the spreading sludge filth in her body a secret. This bit of characterization is excellent and believable writing on the Part of Johnathon French.

Worldbuilding in this book is fantastic and an extension of the world that was created in The Gray Bastards. In the story, we learn a bit more about what the world is like outside of Ul-wundulas. This adds even more depth to the world, and I can't wait to see where French goes with it.

One of the difficulties I had with this book is the pacing. It is not as fast-paced as the first novel. There is quite a bit of action to be sure and some kick-ass fight scenes, but it did not flow as quickly as the first book. This might be due to the change of narrator. It isn't necessarily a detractor, just very different.

I can't tell you what happens at the end of this book, because that would ruin the fun. But be sure that the next book in the series is set up to be crazy.

This book is a killer. Fetch is a well-written anti-hero. You cheer her on, you sympathize with her, and you want to know what happens next. It is a page-turner with fabulous action. I highly recommend this kick-ass book and can't wait to read what else happens on the hog.

The Armored Saint by Myke Cole is a quick-moving grimdark fantasy that grabs you by the throat in the first few pages and doesn't let go.

I came to The Armored Saint by way of Myke Cole's other series, Shadow Ops. Although Shadow Ops is an entirely different genre, I enjoyed Myke Cole's use of language and world-building in it, and I was hoping that that would transfer to a grimdark novel. I was in for a pleasant surprise, Myke Cole kicked the writing up a notch in Armoured Saint. When reading The Armoured Saint, it feels like Myke Cole has indeed found his groove.

“Heloise Factor is my favorite kind of hero, the one who makes mistakes and suffers for them, and comes out swinging anyway. I can't wait for you to meet her.” –Myke Cole

Starting, I knew very little about the series except for what I could glean from the gorgeous cover work done by Tommy Arnold. I had heard that Heloise was a Brienne of Tarth type character, but I knew little else. It is exciting to go into a series cold with very little information and see where the narrative takes you. It doesn't always work out. You learn pretty quickly which books will work for you and which don't. But I am pleased to say that the buzz about this book is well earned. The Armored Saint is a great read.

The Armored Saint is the first book in the Sacred Throne series. The conclusion to the trilogy, The Killing Light, will be coming out on November 12th of 2019. Oddly, The Armored Saint is considered a Novella but is more of a short novel coming in at 206 pages. I wouldn't call this a hefty book by any stretch, but it is a full-bodied, fully realized story.

The story is told from the perspective of Heloise Factor. A young woman living a quiet life in a quasi-medieval town where magic and religion have mixed to form an authoritarian regime. This regime early on is described as something to be both feared and in awe of and has a deified Emporer at its head. The religious group that acts as the sword and cudgel for The Emporer frames many of its actions as “I know that this may seem cruel, but it is for your own good.” The totalitarianism is terrifying, as this religious group seems like an unstoppable force in the townsfolk's lives.

“Did we have to do it? She asked.
“No,” he answered, his voice breaking, tears falling into his beard to turn the flakes of ash to gray slush. “No, child. We didn't.”...
He took a deep break then spoke again. “And making us complicit means, we will never call them to account for the crime.”
― Myke Cole, The Armored Saint

I am glad the Cole wrote Heloise the way that he did. Instead of couching Heloise's character in false bravado, and confidence of a character much older, he wrote Heloise to be the child that she is. At the start of the story, Heloise is pure innocence. She has not seen the ways of the world as many of the older, more grizzled characters that surround her. She is sheltered and loved like the rare flower that she is. Her responses and actions in different situations wisely reflect that. Often I would be reading this book and think, “God, why is she doing that” only to be reminded of what I was like at 16. I was young, so incredibly immature and naive, and I made stupid decisions. Cole's writing wisely reflects that.

Along with her naivete, he wrote Heloise to have a backbone of steel. This steel is a beautiful counterpoint to her naiveite. You know, as a reader, that Heloise is going to be a force to be reckoned with when she gets a bit of experience under her belt.

“Fear is a deadly thing, Heloise. It can drain a person of all their strength, make them weak before their enemies.”
― Myke Cole, The Armored Saint

One of the best aspects of this character-driven story, along with Heloise, is the masterfully use of language to convey emotion and thought. Cole is a person who speaks plainly and succinctly. There is no flowery prose in The Armored Saint. Cole using language like a knife. He cuts through the bullshit to bring you raw emotion and stark scenes. Parts of this book are grim. Cole does not mince words. He will bash you as a reader, or cut you to the quick if he needs to. There is no mercy in the world of Heloise.

My only complaint about this masterfully crafted story is the love interest, or at least how it initially presented. It felt too immediate to me. It felt shoehorned into the flow of the story. The odd thing is, as the story progressed, the feeling of the love story as an afterthought dissipated. By the end of the book, it was the appropriate and correct direction for the story. I no longer doubted the authenticity of it, and it felt as real to me as it did to Heloise.

“It is a person you love. Not a name. Not a he or a she. A person in all their shining glory. There is a thing in us, Heloise. A seed. It makes us who we are. It is our core. That the thing that we love. It alone exists. It alone is holy. It has no home, no name. It is neither male nor female. It is greater than that.”
― Myke Cole, The Armored Saint

In conclusion:
We need characters like Heloise.
We need strong female leads.
We need accurate representations of love.
We need beautiful dark worlds with morally ambiguous characters.
We need more of this series and whatever else Cole can come up with.

The Armored Saint was a hell of a read. Dark and beautiful, atmospheric, and ruthless, I loved this book. And I love Heloise.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo is the third story by P. Djèlí Clark that I have had the pleasure to read and review. In all three stories, Clark demonstrates a keen ability to tease out small details to the reader and build an evocative and confident story.

He manages to do all this within the confines of a short story. I think he is one of the best fantasy short story writers working today.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo is the tale of investigator Fatma el-Sha'arawi in 1912 steampunk Cairo. A confident, articulate, and intelligent detective tasked with the case of a dead djinn.

Why is the djinn dead?
What are the repercussions to the magical community?
What is Fatma's part in all this?

All questions that get answered within a wildly atmospheric and richly detailed steampunk setting. There are flying machines, and streetcars, beautifully tailored suits, and a kickass female Nubian magic wielder named Siti.

A Dead Djinn in Cairo is an exciting addition to Clark's catalog of already outstanding short stories and is definitely worth the read.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.
If you would like to read more of my reviews or various other bookish things please come by my blog
at https://beforewegoblog.com/

Mira Grant has written some of my favorite stories. Have you read The Newsflesh Series or Parasitology? If not, you should. Both are fantastic. Grant has a way of writing aspects of the horror genre that humanize it. For instance, in Newsflesh, the main antagonist is zombies. But, more than that, it is the yoke of our fears as a society. Instead of a typical zombie yarn, we have a story that is very human and one the reader can empathize. In Parasitology, we have science and technology run amok — again a story with horror aspects that can be empathized within our technology-driven world.

The ability to empathize or care about the main characters is entirely missing in The Shadow of The Spindrift House.

It doesn't make it a bad book — it's typical and humdrum. What could have been exciting and terrifying is boring and predictable. I still liked it; I gave it a three out of five stars. It is still a serviceable book. But, it is no way up to par with Grant's other books. It is a typical haunted house story, with slightly stupid characters that make predictable mistakes and choices and pay for their decisions with deadly consequences. If the book was longer and Grant had more of a chance for significant exposition on her characters and more worldbuilding with the house, it would have been much better. As it stands, though, it feels short and a bit choppy.

If you are looking for a haunted house book to whittle away at for an hour or two, it isn't bad. But only if you are hard up for something to read in that genre. Otherwise, pick up The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson or Room 1408 by Stephen King.

If you would like to see more of my reviews, please check out my blog https://beforewegoblog.com/

A dystopian fantasy story set into a world that entirely takes place on a large island. The island itself divides into the “Haves” and “Have-nots.” The “Haves” are those that live inside the wall at the center of the island. The “Have-nots” are those that live outside of the wall. We never understand exactly why those that live at the center of the island are considered better. There is some general allusion to a story about gods, but it didn't seem fleshed out enough for me as a reader. From a practical standard, this idea was challenging for me and threw me out of the story a bit. In the real-world, you would need access to the sea for food purposes. Commerce would need to move across the wall in one fashion or another. But, commerce is not directly talked about, but maybe that should be assumed by the reader.

Men of stature get two wives. One that is a Marylyn Monroe type, she is used for child breeding purposes. The other is a Jackie Kennedy type, that is a helpmate and schooled on assisting her husband in his career. One wife to attend to her husband's physical needs while the other attends to her husband's mind and intellect. The division of the two wives responsibilities again hearken back to the legend of the god with two wives.

It is a bleak picture of a world where women are trained and schooled as a commodity and bought by the highest bidder. I feel as a reader; this world could have been more fleshed out more. How did women, in general, think about this system. Was it present in the lower classes of societal hierarchy? I would love to learn more about these relationships.

The heroine of the story is a woman named Daniela. She has trained in the art of being a Primera. All brains and coldness. While her counterpart, the Segunda is all passion and vibrancy. I enjoyed Daniela's perspective and her inner voice. She was a strong character with enough weakness that she is believable.

The issue I had with the story is the romance that comes out of nowhere. It felt shoehorned in. There was no build-up to it, no hinting in previous chapters. BAM romance. I don't want to say more and give away spoilers. Same goes for the ending. I wasn't prepared for it, and it leaves the reader on quite the cliff hanger.

Even with the instant-romance, this is an engaging story, and I enjoyed it. I look forward to the next installment and the continued world-building. It seems like there are quite a few places for this story to go.

The Wall by John Lanchester (author of numerous books - both non-fiction and fictions works) touches on familiar themes found in dystopia and speculative fiction: propaganda, militarism, the concept of “the other,” and isolationism. Lanchester tackles the results of severe climate change and flooding and the isolation of a large island by 10k miles of wall. In this future dystopia, large scale flooding has diminished useable land to the point this country felt that it had to build a giant wall encircling their island. It creates a “haves” and “have not” scenario. Those inside the circumference of the island are blessed and deserved of their circumstance, while those outside the wall are not. There is something inherently wrong with the outsiders. They should be demonized and destroyed. You see echos of this in the real world with countries isolationism and migrant issues. Lanchester took those issues and turned it up to 11.

A defender writes this story. Defenders are citizens that have been conscripted to perform two years of service on the wall. They need to watch and stand at attention and kill any who attempt to cross the wall into the promised land of the island. The cost of failure is the deportation off the island into the water. Either you defend, or you most likely die in the water. It is very stark black and white logic, and I think that is where this story lost me. The philosophy and actions were so polarizing that it threw me out of the story. Life is not as black and white as it is depicted in The Wall; it is full of subtleties of grays. People have more thoughts and values that “those people are bad,” and “I am good.” I know it was a conscious choice by the author to depict humanity that way, but for me, as a reader, I found it offputting.

The world-building is well done. The descriptions of the wall and society are clear and easy to visualize. The constant state of fear that is drilled into defenders is scary. You are on a knifes edge most of the novel wondering what is going to happen. The needs of the wall are relentless.

At the end of the story, I wonder, “why?” What was the author trying to tell me, it wasn't clear. The story ended with a Deus ex machinea that came out of leftfield. Again, “why?” Why did the characters do what they did? Overall the story was interesting, but it left me feeling uneasy and off-put. Maybe that was what the author was going for, but it left me unsettled.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my open and honest review.

If given unequivocal proof that god exists, what would happen to the world's religions?

That is the question that Turtledove asks in his newest alternate world science fiction novel called Alpha and Omega. Turtledove is famous for asking the big “What if's” in alternative history. Previous stories include a second civil war (How Few Remain), third world war (American Empire series), supervolcano (Eruption) plus many more. Turtledove is a highly prolific author.

Alpha and Omega sees ancient prophecy realized in Jerusalem. All prophetic triggers for the end of days. This proves that without a doubt that God is real. But the question becomes “whose god?” What should the followers of Christianity, Judaism or Islam expect from the realized prophecies?

This was a difficult read for me. The subject matter is interesting, alternative history can be engrossing especially when you are somewhat familiar with the subject matter. This might have been my issue with this book and why it did not resonate with me. I am not overly familiar with Judaic and Islamic traditions and history. I think had I been more familiar this would have been a more engrossing read. As it stood though, I found it very dry and difficult to get into. I attempted to finish this but I ended up DNF at 80%. I could not get into the story. I just did not care about the characters enough to be interested in their plight.

If you would like to see more of my reviews, please check out my website at https://beforewegoblog.com/

This is a fun and fairly short story from famed author Seanan Mcguire. Even in it's short format, the story packs in plenty of worldbuilding to give you a full sense of the moment in time and space that Mcguire is describing.
As someone who has visited The Flatiron building in New York, I can attest that it is an architectural marvel jutting away into space like the sail of a great ship. It is fitting that Mcguire used the imagery of another ship, in this a blimp, as a way to connect the two. At least that is the imagery I got from the story. She created it to celebrate Tor.com's residence at the Flatiron building.
Check it out!

Oh, my heart.

Two characters, Lindsey and Keith. Separated by time, space and circumstances. They could not be more different, yet so much about them comes together to be right.

Lindsey lives with her mother and step-father in the past. Lindsey is right out of school floundering about what she wants to do and who she wants to be. Family dynamics complicate things and make her home life uncomfortable. With no one to talk to, Lindsey pulls out a video camera and records a video diary to have somewhere to put her thoughts.

Keith lives in the past, but only figuratively. He lost his parents at a young age in an automobile accident. As a means to cope, Keith collects comic books to feel close to his dad. On one fateful day, while searching for comics books, Keith comes across an old VHS tape. On a whim, he takes the tape home to see what he has come across. What he finds on that tape changes both Lindsey and Keith forever.

This book spoke to me. I related to both Lindsey and Keith. I grew up in the 1980s. It was sweet bits of nostalgia reading about Lindsey. Keith was also very relatable and well written. I liked him, I liked his character. I wanted him to succeed. I can't give away to much of the plot arc because what is the fun of that? But man, my heart. If you want a love story that spans time with relatable characters then this is the story for you. Beware the ending, it left me destroyed but in a lovely sweet way.

You have seen this expression, “Harry Potter for adults” all over the place in marketing books. I know right off the Lev Grossman's The Magicians has certainly been marketed that way. It is a much closer approximation to the Harry Potter universe than this story is, but you get a general idea. Lots of books for adults want to capture the kind of magic that Harry Potter battling evil unbeknownst to muggles captures for kids. This is one of those books that loosely attempts at this.

The premise of the story is there are five families of magicians who protect the world. This isn't staged magic, although some of the members of the families make their bread and butter by doing tricks. This is real magic. They use their skills to protect humanity from the dark and more nefarious arts and those who would take advantage of humanity. Good and evil families battle for power. In the middle of the battle for power is a highly dysfunctional family, The Moonstones.

Things fall apart as members of the families get assassinated one by one, till the center cannot hold. The narrative and pacing of the story are pretty flat, you know what is going to happen from the second page. However, the assassination scenes are very creative and interesting. Where this story shines is Coipel's artwork. It is stellar. Gorgeous. It brings flat scenes up to par and makes them jump off of the page.

If you like comics with a magic bend to them, this isn't bad.

I am a fan!

This made me giggle. Who would be the least relatable dad in the whole world? Darth Vader of course. Try to imagine Vader dealing with 16-year-old histrionics. Hilarious right? This collection doesn't have a cohesive storyline, just panel after panel of fun. Put it on the coffee table and enjoy a panel anight. You dig star wars, you will dig this.

Hard DNF on this one. Damn, I wanted to love this story as it was one of my most anticipated releases this year. I did not connect with this character. I tried. I really, really tried. I picked up the book and put it down a number of times in different mental states. But Gideon felt as a character, forced. The snark that Gideon displays, which was funny on page 25, felt annoying on page 100. It felt contrived. The goth world building in the beginning that I started out loving, started feeling forced right around where I stopped reading. I give this book two stars instead of 1 because of the ideas for the world-building were awesome and unique in the beginning. It was a very cool way to approach a world. 

Now, this is one of those rare books that is insanely polarizing. If you love this book, you really really love it. Like 5 stars, a huge fan of it and that is fantastic! I am so glad that there are books out there for everyone. So give this book a try. You might be in the “best book ever camp,” which would be wonderful and you will have discovered a new favorite book. Or you might be like me and this book might not have resonated with you, and that's alright. Not every book has to be for every person. It would be a boring world if that were so. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.

I am not one to normally read military science fiction. It is an acquired taste. Often when you read a dense military science fiction it requires a graph, charts, and post-it notes. I am not being hyperbolic. There is a good segment of science fiction readers that can get into the weeds with a thick military science fiction book. Arguments prevail over tactics and disciplines. That is a bit heavy-handed for me. It just isn't my cuppa. That was why I was slightly leary when picking up Marko Kloos's Aftershocks. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Aftershocks is just what the title implies. It is the long-reaching aftershocks after a drawn-out interplanetary war. It covers the societal, military, and financial changes that have taken place in the five years since the war. There is an uneasy and easily shakeable alliance that shifts and changes between the 6 planets. As the story moves along we watch the perspectives shift and change from a selection of characters with different personal histories and backstories. The story begins with the character Aden. A former Gretian intelligence officer and I think the star of the story. He found himself in POW camp after his side lost the war. He is a smart, capable, and calm character trying to find his footing after being away so long. It is interesting with his character being both military intelligence and also fish-out-water. Because of the atrocities of what the Gretians did during the war, many of the other planets will not forgive or forget what his people did. His people and culture will forever be marred by the war.

Another interesting character that sits in counterpoint to Aden's character is Idina. For as calm as Aden is Idina is intense. Idina is a Palladian and Palladians were the winning side in the great war between the six planets. Her perspective is quite different than Aden or another character in the book Solvieg. Idina has seen quite a lot of atrocities, some quite recent. She comes from a place of deep patriotism and deeply held grudges.

The pacing of the story is quick moving. The world-building is interesting and gives you just enough to keep you on your toes and open for more. I was also pleasantly surprised that the novel leaned heavily towards space opera rather than military science fiction even though the novel takes place after a war and within the context of the military. This isn't a light and fluffy novel. Far from it. But it had just enough of both military and space opera to be a little bit of both genres. My only real quibble with the story is the ending, and that is only do to preference and style. It is abrupt. It leaves you hanging. Some readers may not like that. Especially when there is no book two written yet to dive into to get your fix. If you are not a fan of that style, wait a bit. I am sure more books are coming. I hope more books are coming because I am for sure going to continue reading this series. I dig everything about it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review

I am a fan of Jeff Buckley. I think anyone who has heard his haunting version of Leanord Cohen's ‘Hallelujah' would be affected by it and be a fan. But Jeff Buckley was generally an enigma whose life was cut short. Even after reading this, he is still sort of an enigma. I learned a few new things: for instance, I had no idea who his dad was, or that he was actually a folk singer. I learned that he was uncomfortable with fame and how it was thrust upon him, first in comparison to his father and then further through his own well earned fame. Then poof, his life, his light was out like a light. Jeff Buckley still remains an enigma. Maybe that is how the author intended it. To show that to all, he was and always will be this great shining star that brought light into the sky for a brilliant moment then puffed out. It is really sad the way his life ended.

Still, it felt very unsatisfying to me.

Aside from the story the graphics are extremely well done. Kudos to Dizin and Reist. They used a light touch but conveyed a lot of information.

I had a great opportunity to do this as a buddy read with my great friend Jodie at Witty and Sarcastic Book Club. She plows through books like a fiend and if you haven't checked out her site you really should. She is a fabulous reviewer and reads all the cool stuff.

I have read a lot of urban fantasy, I mean a lot. I adore the genre. It hits that spot of fun and fantasy. This story hits a lot of those fun spots. The great kick-ass heroine that channels a bit of the Mercy Thompson vibes with some Kate Daniels. Nadira is more than just a tough character which adds a great dimension to the story. She has insecurities that war with her training and this allows the reader to identify with her as a character.

My only slight complaint with this book with the pacing. I had a difficult time with the pacing. I felt it was a bit uneven. The middle slowed down a touch. But once the story got going though, it was pretty exciting. I especially enjoyed the ending leading into the next book. Check out this indie story. It is really fun and worth the read.

Check out Witty and Sarcastic Book Club's Review

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig is his magnum opus. It is a colossal story that occupies a sliver of literary real estate between dystopian, science fiction, and current events.

“You didn't change anyone's mind about politics by hammering away at them—all that did was drive the nail deeper into the wall of their own certainty.”
― Chuck Wendig, Wanderers

One morning on June 3rd, in the small town of Maker's Bell, Pennsylvania, Shana stood next to her little sister's bed and thought, “Nessie ran away again.” Nessie ran away often, and as Shana was Nessie's older sister and protector, it was Shana's problem. Nessie left the farm in the middle of the night with nothing on but a dress. What Shana did not know at the time, but learns quickly is that Nessie is sleepwalking. Or, as she becomes known later, a walker. Nessie has begun a long walk, and nothing can deter her. Shana is not far behind. As the days pass, the group of walkers grows. The group that stumbles through the countryside is made up of all sorts of people, young or old, they all walk with a single-minded determinedness. The group picks up walkers, and shepherds (people who help take care of their flock of walking friends and family) regularly.

While the walkers walk, the world's opinion is split on what type of creature these walkers are. Are they aliens, science experiments, do they carry disease? Whatever they are, the right-wing side of American politics, Kreel, feels that there is something unholy about them. They should be stopped. Kreel goes to rallies and muckrakes against the sitting president Hunt. How is she is not doing anything? How is she not acting fast enough and putting the children at risk? It would be perverse if it weren't so plausible. All of the political machinations of the American two-party system tear each other apart and turn to civil war in the background of the story. While the walkers are doing their long march across the countryside, the world is wracked by a pandemic. A type of flu that travels quickly from person to person, kills without mercy, and drives people insane.

In the foreground of the story, we have a few intersections of well thought out and interesting characters. The first thing I noticed about Wanderers is that it doesn't feel like there are any protagonists, either that or everyone is a protagonist. No one truly is a hero. All the characters develop and change. Because the narrative is told from many viewpoints, you get a good feel for all the distinct characteristics. They are all dealing with the world crumbling around them, political unrest, and the desperate desire to protect the walkers.

Secondly, the characters are written like people, warts and all. You will like them; you want them to live. Sometimes they won't. You will hate them, and maybe want them to suffer a little bit. There are good guys, especially Benji, Aram, and Pete, but perhaps they aren't always right.
Wendig draws no lines in the sand on who is good and who is evil. There are not amateur black and white characters in Wanderers because in Wendig's world, the world is full of grays. Much like real life. No one thinks of themselves as the villain.

“That is how science and medicine are practiced best, though—we are best when we admit our ignorance up front, and then attempt to fill the darkness of not-knowing with the light of information and knowledge.”
― Chuck Wendig, Wanderers

Also, I tell you this as one reader to another; this author is not kind to his characters in this book. This book is The Stand meets Nevil Shutes On The Beach with some Techno-Thriller Johnny Mnemonic stuff that is impossible to explain without spoilers. Half the time, I had no idea where the hell the story was going. I said, “huh” more times than I could count.

The pacing was a real issue for me, and Wanderers is a massive book. It is a tale that slowly burns. Every chapter is well written, but instead of galloping, the chapters slowly and steadily march you towards the end. At about the 50% mark, the pace starts to quicken, the parts and story begin to collide. It is a symphony of elements that come crashing together in a grand sforzando that left me stunned and unable to read much for a few days.

“I heard that if you complain, it reprograms your brain like a computer virus, and it just makes you more and more unhappy, so I'm going to stay positive because I bet the opposite is true, too.”
― Chuck Wendig, Wanderers

Most importantly of all, there is hope in Wanderers. Hope for humanity, and the characters. I didn't see it through the weeds of most of the book. It was frustrating and tiresome at times. I wanted to be blasted in the face with hope. Please give me something to cling to Wendig. Give me something to grab on to, don't let me be pulled out to sea to drown with these characters. But hopes shining light would stick out now and again. There is hope that most magnificent of human emotions that can lead us through tragedy. Wendig wrote about it; it is here in the muck and mire of pandemic and upheaval. Look for it, chapter to chapter, you will find it among Wendig's words.

I would recommend this as a must-read. I have never encountered a Wendig book that I was not fond of, this included. The reader should be aware of the exciting and interesting, heart busting, soul-crushing time they are in for. Especially with times as they are right now.

David Small has crafted an atmospheric, timeless, and fearlessly dark coming of age story. He has taken everything and put it out for the world to see, panel by panel. It is uncomfortable, some of the panels make me feel ill, some make me squirm, some almost made me cry. This isn't a book that brings warm fuzziness. Matter-a-fact, this story ends quite abruptly. This was a profoundly difficult story for me to get through.

Small creates a narrative of growing up in the 1950s. His mother has abandoned him. His father, an alcoholic has pretty much abandoned him as well. There isn't much for him to cling to. Many of the situations he finds himself in show just how rudderless a kid he really is. There is violence, gore, bullying, and animal cruelty. This is a heart wrenching and dark book. It takes you places that I am not sure most readers want to go. I actually had to read it in short bursts because it left me feeling to much to plow through it. Stitches his other book, was dark like this but in a slightly different way. By the end of Stitches I hated the parents and what they had did to him, in this story I have no idea how I feel. Maybe just hated the situations that he was put in. It is well done, but definitely not for everyone. Read with caution, especially if you are triggered by the above.

Fridging' is the practice of killing off or hurting a minor character to motivate or torture the main character. The term comes from the world of comics, describing an issue of Green Lantern in which the hero's partner is killed and stuffed in a refrigerator for the protagonist to find.

Let that sink in a minute. 

This is a storytelling trope aimed at motivating the main character through emotional torture. That violence is usually visited on a female character to motivate a male character. 

Case in point:

The death of Gwen Stacey in Spiderman - Is thrown off of a bridge only to have her neck snap at the last minute by spiderman. 
The death of Linda Park in Flash - Although the originally planned demise of Linda Park in The Flash was avoided, the sonic boom that was created by the battle between Zoom and Flash caused the pregnant Linda to abort her children. 
Barbara Gordon from Batman The Killing Joke - “While she fought crime for years as Batgirl, it was the fact that she was Commissioner Gordon's daughter that caused Barbara to receive a visit by the maniac known as the Joker. In an attempt to drive the Commissioner insane, the Joker showed up at Barbara's house and shot her in the stomach, then proceeded to remove her clothes and take pictures of her. He showed these pictures to her father to try and break him, but the Commissioner remained sane and was freed by the Batman. Barbara, however, was paralyzed — the bullet lodged in her spine, and she never walked again, becoming the wheelchair-bound information broker known as Oracle. Also, they gave her a crappy TV show, so, you know, double whammy.”(link)
Sue Dibny was the wife of Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man. - “The two were always a happy couple of the superhero set, with Sue often acting as den mother to the Justice League, and the pair did detective work on the side, like some sort of stretchy Nick and Nora Charles. Then came the Identity Crisis mini-series. Right off the bat, Sue gets horribly burned to death in her home. The culprit is unknown, but based on the evidence, the League suspects it to be Dr. Light. Now Doc Light is usually a D-list villain, and he actually had his name stolen by a superhero once, but we find out through a flashback that one day, when Sue was hanging out on the Justice League satellite (by herself, in space), Dr. Light somehow managed to get aboard. Yes, a supervillain had somehow gained access to the League's high-tech HQ (in space), and that was when he decided to rape Sue to within an inch of her life.”(link)

Now that you see this trope for what it is, it is hard to unsee it in popular literature. It is everywhere from tv to Comics. Which brings us to the brilliant Refrigerator Monologues written by Catherynne M. Valente. The Refrigerator Monologues is a combination of The Vaginia Monologues by Eve Ensler and Gail Simone's Women in Refrigerators. It is six stories told from the point of view of six dead women. Either the superheroes themselves or wives/girlfriends/motivations of living superheroes. The stories are brilliant and based loosely around existing stories in the comics universe. For example, the first story is about a character, Paige Embry, loosely based on Gwen Stacey. Paige is hurled off of a bridge only to have her neck snapped in when saved a la Gwen Stacey from Spiderman. The stories that Valente wrote are much rawer, much more adult, and much more real. And frankly much more interesting. 

I think the best story of the bunch, and that is saying something because every story in this collection is damn good, is the one about Pauline Ketch. This story is loosely based on Harley Quinn. Violence is not sexy, and violence within a relationship is definitely not sexy, it is tragic and sickening. This story is hard to describe, it should be read. It is written from an almost obsessive combination of love/sex/violence where the reader doesn't know where one emotion ends the next begins and isn't that what the Harley/Joker relationship is? 

This book is brilliant. Valente created an entirely real universe and canon of superheroes to prove a point. It is not preachy, it is persuasive and well written. 

I received a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.

This is a slow burn of a story. I read one of the other reviewers describe this story as having its own music. It dances and sways to its own rhythm and prose. Much like the beat of the forest, you get the sense that there is a deep thrumming that exists from page to page. It adds a deep atmospheric quality to the narrative. The only issue is that it is a very specific type of story. It has an almost misty type quality to it that is like viewing a story through a keyhole.

Tesh wove a lovely and romantic but restrained love story around the green man myth. Instead of just a myth steeped in legend, Tesh humanizes the green man with backstory. Tesh explains how the green man experience time, yet tries to humanize himself and not get lost with the woods. And how he deals with dryads and his very fun cat, Pearl.

I don't think that this type of storytelling appeals to the masses. But, if you enjoy fae type quality in storytelling you will enjoy this story. It is beautifully done.

This is a fun romp through two Dr. Who episodes, one episode involves sentient sun creatures, the other episode involves time and India. Was it perfect? No, but for the discerning Whovian, this was a fun romp with the doctor. The characterizations were pretty good. Peter Capaldi's Doctor is done rather well, you get the gruffness and snark. Clara is whiny and snarky as usual. The artwork for the two stories was decent although I think the quality fell off sharply at the end of the first story. There are plenty of the usual one-liners that add just enough of cheek to know that you are, in fact, in an episode of Dr. Who.

Overall this was a fun read and I recommend it. Plus, next to David Tennant, Peter Capaldi is my favorite doctor so it was fun to see him in this format. Check it out. 

Thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.
If you would like to see more of my reviews please visit me on beforewegoblog.com

Sometimes you need to kick a little ash.

It's all fun and games till someone gets their ash kicked.

I am here to chew bubble gum and kick a little ash

To punny? Nah, there is always time for punny ash kicking.

First off, I LOVE THIS BOOK.

I love this story for a myriad of reasons. These are not limited to: the protagonist kicks absolute ass, the depiction of badass firefighting, the dragons, the Phoenix, the camaraderie, the dialog. Seriously, I can go on and on. This isn't a deep book, this is pure unadulterated fun. And we need to have some fun once in a while, not all books should be serious and thoughtful. Some books should be action-packed, full of jokes, and ones that make you fist pump. This one is like that. I fist pumped and said. “YEAH!” many times.

Ash Kickers is the second of the Smoke Eaters series following the cataclysm of the rise of dragons and later destruction of much of humanity. Firefighters are humanities last hope in fighting dragons. Specifically, specialized firefighters that are immune to dragon smoke. The first of this series, Smoke Eaters is about Brannigan. A veteran firefighter who is conscripted into the Smoke Eaters after 30 years of regular firefighter service. The second book of the series is about Tamerica Williams. Brannigan makes frequent cameos in Ash Kickers. But, the action centers around Williams who is first a firefighter and then becomes a chief with her own team investigating mysterious ash and burning dragons.

Tamerica is a great character. She is strong, weak, and everything you would think a real person, under the circumstance, with that kind of job would feel. She manages a team, personal conflict, guilt, regret, and decision making with as much aplomb as she can. Every so often she breaks down and shows a softer side that a reader can empathize with. It is not all ass kicking and rainbows. She may be an amazing firefighter, but her job is hard and she has lost many friends along the way. Every now and then a person needs to emotionally reset.

Ash Kickers also does a great job adding current events into the mix. Such as how communities feel about immigration. It doesn't feel hackneyed or contrived in an attempt to relate it to current events. Rather, it is a nod to what is going on in the world and shows it in a different light.

Also, I don't think a reader will have any issues picking up the second book and going forward with the story. I never read the first book and had no issues. I will, however, go back and read the first book tuite suite.

This story is all adventure and exactly what I needed. I had so much reading it. If you are looking for a whole lot of fun and great world-building centered around firefighters, you will love this. And dragons, I mean dragons always kick ash.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group - DAW for the opportunity to review this as an eARC in exchange for my open and honest opinion.

The character October Daye comes to you in this novel from a deeply personal place. Unlike other novels in the October Daye series that are typically full of high adventure and blood feuds, in some cases with literal blood, this one speaks to the heart and soul of what makes October, October. Who she is. That is her love of her family. One of the members of her family is the Luidaeg and the Luidaeg has come to finally collect her due.

This book speaks to the softer, more tender, and rawer part of October's personality. The part of her that defines what a family is. In October's world, and I think I can speak for the world in general, a family is not what is defined by birth or blood but what is defined as who becomes apart of our lives in ways that we can not let go. They become a part of who we are. They become a part of our bones, our blood, and our cells. Our very skin. Much like the selkies. October is the embodiment of that. In some ways, I think Mcguire's writing, in general, is much like that. You see examples of that theme in much of her writing. The importance of family and how a family is defined in more ways than just blood. I think it is an important theme to have at the forefront of writing right now with what is going on in the world. It is a positive message to spread.

Long ago The Luidaeg, The Sea Witch made a deal with The Selkies. Some day they had to make a choice, they had to choose whether to live in the sea or live on the land and not all of them would get that choice. October would play a part in the choice, and that is all the reader knew up until this book. We learned this early on in the series and had been dealt bits and pieces of information up until this point that has created a grand story which is this book.

All I can say is that Seanan McGuire nailed it.

The bond of family is held in high esteem. Family in its many forms. The book wraps up that many questions I had but still kept me guessing what is next. Unlike many seasoned series out there that may be getting stale in the narrative, but not this one.

The narrative is still going strong and in some instances better. Pick up the October Daye series. She is a strong female character, great uses of magic, great world-building, diverse characters, and a world that keeps getting better and better.

Ben Galley's epic story, Chasing Graves is the quintessential grimdark fantasy:

Dark and brooding characters, check.
Inhospitable political climate, check.
Violence, check.
Fantastic plot, check.

The world-building is exceptional. Galley has created a city unlike any I have read before named Araxas, City of Countless Souls. Imagine a place that stretches horizon to horizon. Dark towers of glittering crystal reach towards the sky and on the ground, the dead walk. The dead are in the form of souls. These souls are people who have died and had the souls taken into perpetual servitude. The oligarchy of Araxas is those few who can command control of the most dead. Araxas is a seat of power for the region, also as you can guess it is a seat of danger and murder.

Character-wise, the first book follows the intertwining narratives of four main characters. The first is of the Empress in waiting. The daughter of the absent Emperor that rules this city from behind closed doors, fearful for his life. Our main character, Caltro, comes to Araxas for an important meeting, only to be murdered in the streets. His soul stolen and sold into slavery. A mysterious woman traveling in the desert dragging a body and a man with a golden eagle's talon for a foot that runs a trade of stolen souls. All of these characters dance around the plot. They peak in and out of each other's stories. They tease the reader with small details that lead us to the larger story. Believe me; Galley is playing the long game in this story. There are no cute and resolved plots for this book. Chasing Graves is a long and luxuriously executed first book that is throwing us head first into the next story.

One of the few detractors I have from the book is at times the pacing slowed. Particularly with the Empress in waiting. I believe that to be a function of backstory and world-building creation and nothing that Galley had control over. That, and I can't really stand her. I find her character to be a well-written brat with a lot of power. I foresee her changing quite a bit in future books, growing as necessity dictates in the political climate.

These characters are not likable, and like in most grimdark stories, they aren't meant to be. There isn't a plucky protagonist that steals the heart of a young maiden. Grimdark is just that, dark. It can be almost cruel in its narrative. Anyone who has read any G.R.R Martin or Mark Lawrence knows how unforgiving a grimdark author can be with his characters. What I like a lot of this book is that it is a dark fantasy, but there are shining brilliant moments of redemption or humor. It is not all muck and mire and savagery. There is light, at least a little bit. That gives me hope and a cause to cheer for Caltro, and I think much more than a typical fantasy story because Caltro, by the end of this tale, will have been through hell and I hope come out in some way on the other side.

That is something to cheer for, and I can't wait to read about it.

The 2011 movie, Drive starring Ryan Gosling as the titular Getaway Driver was an underground hit. It is based on the novella written in 2006 by author James Sallis. The novella follows a man who stunt drives for the movies by day while driving for criminals at night. The driver is a profoundly moral man, moral as in he abides by a strict set of his morals and codes of ethics. After a driving job goes south, very south, the unnamed driver needs to rectify things.

The story is reminiscent of an in 1940's camp noir. Quiet, and methodical the story moves at a measured pace until we get to action scenes supercut with moments that jump back through time that give the graphic novel a very cinematic feel. It is bloody, but not in a gratuitous way. The graphics of the story are drawn in a way that has a very 1980's neon feel. The panels practically glow off of the page.

Artwork aside, the adaptation of this story falls flat for me. It might not be the book's fault but more that the movie so heavily overshadows it. It just doesn't have the same sort of magic you expect from this story, although it tries. I suggest giving this a look through but go watch the fantastic movie.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this to me in exchange for my open and honest review.

First off, I want to say that Richard Kadrey is the man and hands down one of my favorite authors. The Sandman Slim saga is a story that has made me cheer for the dark antihero, the fallible Slim. It is dark and twisted, and in my opinion, one of the perfect urban fantasy series out there. It has it all, which is why I did backflips when I got approved. The Grand Dark was my most anticipated release of this year so far. That is why it pains me to DNF this at 50%.

The Grand Dark is not a bad book in any stretch of the word. Kadrey is a master worldbuilder. The world he creates here is rich, lusty, and dark. It has vice and wonder, with just a tinge of steampunk. The pervasive drug use and the bisection of classes add a very interesting visual to an already cool world. What made me stop was the pacing. The pacing is slow, plodding. At times it is so slow that I can't find a plot amidst the rich language and description. The intercuts of the story between chapters would have added a great backstory to a faster-paced book, but in this book, it turns things into a slog. I stopped reading it because I was not the right reader for this type of storytelling, but the correct reader is out there. If you like languid storytelling very much in the vein of Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, this is a good fit for you.

If you would like to read more of my reviews, check out my page on beforewegoblog.com