fantasybooknerd
Daniel Weisbeck is a new name to me. However, it seems that he has an IndieReader Discovery Award for Science Fiction under his belt for one of his previous books.
In addition to this, I am pretty new to the Biopunk scene. However, if Moon Rising is anything to go by, I may be delving a little bit further.
The story revolves around an unknown girl trapped in a cellar by a man called Sad Man. Initially, the book is claustrophobic and very tense as Sad Man makes his demands. He keeps her in darkness in the cellar, only allowing her light when he visits her and dresses the girl in what we learn are his daughter???s clothes.
However, aid comes from her former teacher, Dr Bobby Houndstooth (also known as Teach, or Teacher), which sets off a chain of events that includes shadowy organisations, underground tech geniuses and an android that likes to dance, interwoven with a story of a girl who is learning to live in the outside world and her capabilities.
In Moon Rising, Daniel Weisbeck gives us a fast moving Sci Fi action thriller that after the initial set up, takes off as quick as the gliders in the book. The plot is compelling and you cannot help but be drawn into the story. The characters are well realised and have an ability to grow, which is surprising in light of the brevity of the book.
The story is written from the first person perspective. However, what he cleverly does is use each of the three main characters perspectives to flesh out scenes that they have all been involved with, so you are able to navigate how each of the different protagonists feel about the same scene. This works surprisingly well.
As an introduction to both Daniel Weisbeck???s writing and to the series as a whole, Moon Rising is an effective and solid introduction, I enjoyed Moon Rising and I am looking forward to seeing how the series progresses and develops.
There???s a lot to admire in Dan Fitzgerald???s writing. I like how he is pushing the boundaries of fantasy to tell unconventional stories, which is always going to get my attention.
Now, I know that much has been said about the fact that this book does not contain a sharp pointy thing called a sword, and that makes no difference to the level of threat that is there in the story, except it comes from a different source than loads of fantasy peoples running around or threatening people with oversized cutlery.
The story centres around a raft trip down a river, and the events that happen on the trip.
Temi and Sylvan are two members of an aristocratic society who come from two ends of the specctrum. Sylavn is from a highly successful, well to do family, whilst Temi???s family are down on their luck and are hoping that the hue of Temi???s skin will bag her a rich, powerful husband in order to save the family???s fortunes.
The thing that these two have in common is that they are planning to take something called a Roughabout. A kind of trip that is designed to give the rich folk a bit of resilience and character. A sort of toffee nose rite of passage that lets the pampered, cosseted children of rich folk experience ???real??? life.
Along with Temi and Sylvan is Leo, the organiser of the roughabout, and Gilea, Temi???s protector and aide.
Now whilst they all have one thing in common, they all have very different goals. Sylvan is a scholar of nature, particularly marine nature and biodiversity, and hopes to study the environment and compare what he finds to a work of scholarly art that he received for his graduation. Temi has her own plans that do not involve any of these things. Leo is in it for the money, but also some level of excitement and a hope to find The living Waters. Whilst Gilea is initially in it for the money, but finds that she has other motivations on the trip.
Essentially, I felt that it was a very gentle story about development and growth, and how experience affects each of differently. Each of the characters grow throughout the book in different ways and it was such a delight to see how each of the characters took different things away similar experiences and how they interpreted those experiences.
The book is a character driven book, and I got attached to all the characters in different ways. Temi and Sylvan are both nobles, and I found the construct of the upper eschelons quite fascinating. The nobles in The Living Waters paint their faces, and cherish their lightened skins as a way to denote their wealth and standing. Conversely, the regular folk of the country who work outside have sun browned skins that imply that these are commoners.
I adored each of the characters in the story, although I liked some more than others. I think most people will find Temi and Gilea???s arc the most satisfying, and I did enjoy their stories. Temi is strong willed , she becomes quite ill in the story with a disease that resembles consumption (Tuberculosis), and she bravely copes with this condition. However, I liked Sylvan. He has an unassuming way of looking at the world. He is constantly in awe of the natural world and the environment that he finds himself in, and in the end undergoes a dramatic change that shows his strength and willingness to assimilate into new cultures and experiences.
I have to say that I did find Leo a little overwhelming at times, he just never sits still, or goes off on impulsive little side trips. He is at once charming and aloof, and at times a little difficult to emapthise with.
Now I know that I said that this is a gentle story. However, that does not mean that there isn???t action and tension, because quite the opposite, there are a number of scenes of tense action. Particularly the end, and the dangers posed by the different events that occurs on their journey.
The journeying aspect of the book give it a chance to introduce a rich source of world building that Dan Fitzgerald does in organic and underwhelming manner. He evokes a rich and well realised world that constantly changes at different parts of the river. In addition to this, he brings in a lot of cultural and environmental diversity.
Furthermore, there is an intriguing magic system in the book that doesn???t involve explosions of fireballs, but revolves around a mixture of natural magic, alchemy and a spiritual and meditative approach, and this becomes more prominent when the gang meet the Ipsis and the Sitri.
The Living Waters is an ambitious book, showing how fantasy can be used to tell different types of stories, and it is one of those books that will stay with me.
Devilshly good, Witches Unleashed is the latest from Aconyte???s Marvels Untold range and features Ghost Rider as its celebrity driver.
As well as Ghost Rider, Carrie Harris brings in three witches, Jennifer Kale, Toapz and Satana to give Ghost Rider some magical clout as he has to recapture the 666 fragments of Lucifer???s soul, which he inadvertently let escape from his fiery confines when the Ghost Rider escaped from Hell???s clutches.
Up until now, Johnny Blaze and his demonic occupant Zarathos, have bee doing pretty well , and have sent about 650 (odd) fragments on their way back to the fiery nether regions, but when he finds out that the latest fragment has gone and lodged itself in one of Jennifer Kale???s relatives and most likely has magical powers (in addition to his hellish ones!), he knows he is out of his depth and enlists the help of the sisters Lefay.
In reality, the sisters Lefay are not sisters, but as they are residing in Salem, they have adopted the name after they were brought together by Doctor Strange and are now running a magical shop in the town, in order to keep their cover and live as normal a life as possible. That is until Johnny Blaze comes a ??? knocking.
Now, I have to say that I have been really enjoying what Aconyte books have been doing with the Marvel books and letting writers bring their own individuality to the stories that they are putting out. However, I also admire the fact that they are not relying on the canon heroes to bolster these titles, but are bringing in some of the more unheard of characters in the Marvel Universe.
In Witches Unleashed, Carrie Harris does a fantastic job of bringing the sisters Lefay into the universe, and I must say for me, they were the stars of the book. From the moment that they enter into the story, the narrative just lights up. Firstly, there is Satana, a half demonic succubus who besides learning to curb her demonic side, is also embracing her human side and the difficulties of living with others. Then there is Jennifer Kale, the level headed studious type, who is coming to terms with the loss of her brother Andrew, killed by the demonic force Hellphyr. Who she guards in the book that she protects, The Tome of Zherad ??? Na. And finally, there is Topaz, the beating heart of the group. Who with her empathic powers carefully takes care of the group.
I read this at the speed of light and quite simply couldn???t put it down. I loved the Lefay sisters. If you like a found family trope then this has it in buckets. The sisters fight together (each other and everyone else), care for each other and laugh together. They all have such a big heart and this comes through constantly.
Granted, Jennifer can get a little annoying at times, and Topaz a little cloying. However, they all grow in the book and each have a good character arc, but for me Topaz is the one that has the best of the arcs, and I couldn???t help warming to her the most. Apart form all this, the three witches interact well with each other and the interplay between them is handled with such dexterity that even Johnny and his demon warm to their cozy little family life.
You cannot help but like Witches unleashed, it is just infectiously good fun that is written with a blisteringly fast paced that never lets up for a minute, and Carrie Harris manages to balance to balance the book perfectly with good characterisation and an action filled plot. Well worth a read!
This is one of those books that I have had on my TBR for ages. I was particularly drawn to this one due to the fact that Mike Morris is a very good ???friend??? of one of my favourite authors Mike Shackle, and on the basis of this thought that there would be some similarities in writing style.
Cry Havoc is a fast paced, coming of age adventure story that really grabs you by the heels and takes you along on a mad dash through monster infested castles and exceptionally written action pieces.
The story revolves around two main characters, Jack Frey (he that is on the front of the book) and Lin, a young girl who resides in a castle that is owned by the Nostros.
We meet them initially as children and we follow their story from there.
After the loss of their father, Jack and his brother Brendan are virtually bringing themselves up. They do have a mother, but she has problems, and whilst it is not explicitly stated, we can determine that after the loss of their father she has fallen into a pit of despair and has turned to alcohol to function (which she doesn???t do very well!), leaving Jack and Brendon to live on their wits. As you can imagine this isn???t going to turn out that well and they find themselves in a life of crime.
After they are caught trying to steal from one of the wealthier members of the populace, they are subsequently sent to gaol to await sentencing. Whilst there, they are approached by Aiden, a knight of the Order of St Stephen otherwise known as The Black Dogs, who gives the boys and their mother an offer to join The Black Dogs or go through sentencing which will surely result in death. He also offers Jack & Brendon???s mother money in relation to this. She subsequently agrees and the boys are indoctrinated into The Black Dogs as soldiers to fight in the war against the blood drinking Nostros.
On the other side of the ocean, Lin is a slave to the cruel Nostros. A race of vampire like creatures that drink blood, eat human flesh and enslave all the humans that they conquer. The slaves are then sorted into several categories, some being meat (speaks for itself), others being grunts (soldiers in the army), sweats (workers) and those who are to be turned into willing slaves of the Nostros.
After a particularly horrific incident when one of the Nostros masters enters the nursery and eats some of the children in front of her, a kindly matron takes pity on her and makes sure that at the time of sorting she will be assigned as a sweat.
Lin???s existence is fraught with danger, with each hour a constant battle in the brutal world that she lives in, as she not only has to traverse the evil masters that are a constant threat, but also the fact that there are evil men in the work detail that she is assigned to.
Lin is primarily the way we see how the Nostros function, their society and their culture. It also gives us a good sense of how bloody evil they are. These are not you cartoonish monsters, the Nostros have no regard for human life and their only goal is to seek dominance over all mankind.
Cry Havoc is a brilliant book, it has the essence of a coming-of-age fantasy but then moves onto a full-on battle fantasy.
The characters are all well rounded, and it is Lin and Jack (obviously, as they are the main characters) that I identified with the most. Lin???s story is the one that is the most stressful as hers is constantly filled with danger, and I constantly found myself on tenterhooks wondering how she was going to survive the page, never mind the book.
I was quite surprised with Jack on the other hand. When we meet Jack, he is quite the precocious teenager. He doesn???t understand why he has been taken from his home and believes that he has been basically sold to the knights and into servitude. However, it is not until about halfway through the book that he realises he has a home. He is continually full of doubts about his own ability to face the Nostros, making him someone that is easy to understand with and get on board with.
In addition to that, Mike Morris writes some of the best action scenes in fantasy in my opinion. They are always cinematic and extremely visual. He must have been taking a leaf out of Mike Shackle???s books.
It is a very fact paced book that never lags at all. It generally keeps the momentum all the way through the book, and Mile Morris???s writing style is really engaging, and I always had to get to the next chapter to see what happens next.
I didn???t want to put this book down, in fact I didn???t want to put the series down and moved immediately on to the next book in the series, Cry Witch immediately.
Gods, Monsters and revelations abound aplenty in Zack Argyle's gripping sequel to Voice of War.
At the end of Voice of War, Chrys was lost to all as he had let loose the Apogee.
Now, in the grip of the Apogee's powers, he is being led to far off lands, attempting to regain power and take control of himself once again
Meanwhile, Laurel, mourning the loss of her powers has allied herself with the head of the blood thieves, Arabella, the amber thread weaver.
And on the other side of the world, Alverax, and the survivors from Zedalan have sought sanctuary in the land of Felia. In their hopes to find a safe haven for their people, Alvarax, Elder Rowan and Elder Rosemary petition the Empress of the Sun to grant the people of Zedalan asylum.
The Stones of Light builds on the events that began in Voice of War, and adds much more to the story. In Stones of Light, we find out more about the voice in Chrys's head as it leads him to the home of The Wastelanders, the people he fought when he was The Apogee.
In addition to that, he learns of a new threat in the form of the Ancient Wastelander god, Relek and his sister, Lylax. These were gods who were once imprisoned and have now been released. Their only goal; to get revenge on those that locked the away by setting their army of Wastelanders and pet monsters, the Corespwan upon the world.
All the main characters are expanded upon really well in the book, however, it is Laurel that undergoes the most change.
At the end of Voice of War, Laurel experienced a massive wound which had a catastrophic effect on her. And it is due to this change that she allies herself with Alabella, who has told her that she can fix the wound that she has suffered. But this comes at a cost, and the price is to take her back to Zedalum in order to access the core seal and get the necessary materials to make her plans of being able to make everyone be a thread weaver come to fruition. Obviously, things don't go to plan and as she struggles with her inabilities, she believes that Alabella will be the answer to set everything right. However, what Laurel doesn't count on, is the change that she will undergo.
Alverax, the thief gone good, also experiences changes. He finds that he has a conscience, and actually wants to do good. As he tries to remedy the mistakes he made in the last book, he finds that actually, he is a good man. He has gone to Felia with the Zeda people. But they must fight against mistrust, and the shocking events that unfold
Stones of Light is a fantastic read, and if possible, is more accomplished and breath taking than the first.
It's plot runs along at the pace of a juggernaut and grabs you immediately, never letting you go until you reach the end. It's populated with characters that you will adore and expands the world that Zack Argyle has built in his first book.
Stones of Light is a fantastic read, full of action and fantastic characters. I would heartily recommend it to any fantasy fan.
Heartbreaking, horrifying and whimsical, Elyse Hoffman???s historical fantasy, set in Poland during world war two, centres around Uriel, the mute Angel Finder, who is tasked by Samael, the Angel of Death to complete five tasks that will set the captive Angel Michael free.
Elyse Hoffman???s book is a strangely beguiling story. As I said, it centres around Uriel, a mute Jewish child who after surviving the massacre of his village, Zingdorf, in Poland, is healed by a host of angels who tell him that the Angel Michael is being held captive by the Angel of Death in revenge of the people that he was the Guardian for, the Esau. They heal him and tell him of their plight, subsequently engaging his aid to help them and giving him a Hamsa in order to protect him and turn him invisible from the unrighteous, telling it will only be the righteous that can see him.
What we don???t count on is that the righteous person that can see him is a German linguist called Uwe Litten, who has been employed to translate for the leader of the Ordnunpolezei, the Order police, Major Brandt. Upon being transported to his place of residence, Uwe travels through the village of Zingdorf, and discovers the nearly dead body of Uriel. Whilst he cannot revive him, takes the boy most prized possession, a golden notebook, in which the mute boy has written down the stories that that boy???s father has told him.
Later, Uriel travels to the house where Uwe is staying and learns that the Germans cannot see him and steals into the house but is shocked to discover that against his expectations Uwe can see him, thus making him righteous. Uwe, then hides the boy in his room.
As the story moves on, he meets with the Angel of death who informs him of his plan and also that the thing he desires most is the death of Michael???s people, the Jewish people, and that he is following around the destruction caused by the Nazis with not a small amount of glee.
In the midst of this, while he is being aided by Uwe, a sort of friendship and bond develops between the two. In essence, Uwe is a good soul, and is able to relate to Uriel as both a child and a human being, which we know this was something that was lacking in the Nazi Psyche, and was one of the many myriads of reasons that they could carry out the atrocities they did.
This is one of those books that defies being fitted into a particular pigeon hole. On the one hand, it runs like a fairy story, and is it at times almost whimsical. However, it never shies away from the brutality and horror of the situation. In addition to this, there is this strange juxtaposition of the German Army, that paints a different picture of the people that were carrying out these atrocities. For instance, Major Brandt is constantly shown as an affable and amiable soldier, who is almost father like in his ministrations to his subordinates, and they regularly refer to him as Uncle, yet carries out a thoroughly awful torture scene in the book, and other atrocities against the Jewish people.
In addition to this, Elyse Hoffman gives the reader insights into the Jewish faith and folklore, that are encapsulated in the stories that Uriel writes down, or by little passages at the end of a chapter, but it is never preached
Uriel is one of my favourite characters that I have seen written. He is at once innocent, trusting and faithful to his religion, yet on the other hand, he is strong, resilient, and fearless in the face of adversity. And then we have Uwe, who is loving and has more than an ounce of compassion, yet can be hard, as is illustrated when he cuffs Uriel around the back of the head for going out of the room, or when he stands up for his principles and stops the torture that Brandt is involved with.
This is one of the most original books that I have read all year, in fact for a very long time. It beguiled and captivated me, horrified me, delighted me, whilst educating and perplexing me at the same time. I don???t know how I felt about this book, but I do know that it will stay with me.
Jim Ody's pulpy revenge thriller Sweet Vigilante draws you into the dark underbelly of its story immediately as we are introduced to a little girl, Gina, who is been taken to some kind of boarding school or home in the country. As the story opens a deep sense of foreboding sets in as we find out that her mother has no love for the child and would rather give Gina up to complete strangers who she knows nothing about, whatever the outcome. As soon as we meet her foster family, there is a sense that something is off, and you are basically shouting at the page for the mother to come back and take the child away from this place.
Moving on to the story, we learn that Gina has taken up the mantle of a vigilante in order to protect others from the trauma that she has experienced and endured throughout her childhood.
Through alternating chapters that reach into Gina's past, we get to understand what shaped her and forced her into the choices that she makes. How she cannot trust the male of the species and how she struggles to form.
The story is a dark story and outlines how Gina was used, abused and abandoned. And whilst there is a lot of darkness in the book (such as sexual assault against children), Jim Ody treats the subject with sensitivity and compassion, and I never felt that this was exploitative.
Sweet Vengeance is a solid crime novel that has a number of things that I liked about it, not least Gina as a character. Whilst she is traumatised and sometimes makes decisions that are not wholly commendable, she is able to show love and empathy to those around her. As well as Gina, Sweet Vigilante is peppered with solid characters that add to the story.
There were times that I felt for me where the narrative missed its mark, particularly in the second act of the book when Gina takes in a child.In addition, there was an element to the story that I was not quite sure of its inclusion in the story, but I feel that these elements may be explored in later book. However, these were minor points and they did not spoil my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
In fact, in relation to the plot, I found it to have a decent pace and there were plenty of hooks in there to keep me reading and turning the pages at a fantastic rate to finish the book.
Whilst I guessed the nature of the main antagonist, and I think that this was done purposefully, I never actually saw the twist at the end and in no way predicted the culmination of the story.
Sweet Vigilante is a page turner of a book that maintains its pace throughout the story, and it finishes with a denouement that I definitely did not see coming.
Dragons, found family and heroes aplenty abound in Jim Wilbourne???s sprawling epic, The Seventh Cadence.
The Seventh Cadence is as interesting novel that introduces a new world to readers that lies somewhere between Brandon Sanderson???s epic Stormlight series, and David Eddings??? chosen one familiarity.
Tele is a Keeper, a not altogether safe occupation and one that her family and the other Keepers have hidden in order to maintain knowledge that is passed through the generations until the Wizard Titan makes his triumphant return. However, the world has split into various races and religions that see the object of their religion in different lights, ranging from near slight observation of the religious edicts to the fundamentalist zealotry of the Dominion (the bad guys of the story).
If epic fantasy is your bag, then I would definitely point you in the direction of The Seventh Cadence. It has all the things that you would expect from the genre and it builds on these admirably. I have always had a soft spot for the found family trope, and the relationships between Tele and Navid, a seer who has the potential to be dangerous and every time that he meets others during their travels, we are aware that he is classed as a dangerous weapon and is thus shunned in fear from all that he meets, plays to that soft spot
It takes quite a while to see the sheer awesomeness that Navid is capable of, as throughout most of the book spends his time shielding those around him from the power that he holds. However, this is nicely played on and he is regularly seen as weak, especially by Tele, the prickly Keeper who has spent most of her time shielded by her family. Which whilst keeping her safe, also affects her ability to interact with others around her, and a large portion of the first act of the book shows us the steadily growing relationships between her and Navid as we learn about the two characters and the main motivations that drive them.
In amongst Tele and Navid???s story is the build up of political events in the city of Caldor, and the King of the Hzorah, Jeremiah. Besides giving the reader some political and cultural insight into the world the characters inhabit, it is also an opportunity for the book to provide some background to how the world was shaped. We learn that the world is split into a number of different cultures that were once dominated by the Dominion, and their fundamentalist religion The Creed. However, through a series of wars and skirmishes the people gained their freedom and their right to self-govern themselves. However, the Dominion, with the Prophet Tristan are always in the background, ready to reassert their dominance and bring everyone back into the fold, including the religious leaders of the other lands, The prophets.
During Jeremiah???s stay in the city of Caldor, calamity strikes and a whole city is decimated resulting in the death of King Jeremiah, and subsequently leading the way for another of the main characters to be introduced, the reluctant boy king Gabriel, who whilst being a fearsome warrior, does not really see himself as the leader that his father was.
Structurally, the book alternates between the points of view of four main characters, Gabriel, Tele and Navid, Amie and her sister Mara (who we learn are related to Navid, quite early in the book) and a member of the Dominion, General Darius Gareth. With these differing points of view, Jim Wilbourne is able to give differing world views and build the different areas and people that the characters encounter.
There is a lot of world building within The Seventh Cadence, and Jim Wilbourne is able to carefully add layer by layer, different aspects of the world. At times, the intricateness of the world building can hamper the pacing of the plot as Jim Wilbourne takes his time to layer his canvas. However, if you have patience and enjoy the carefully laid strokes you are rewarded with an ambitiously entertaining introduction to The Continua Chronicles.
Gods, Monsters and revelations abound aplenty in Zack Argyle's gripping sequel to Voice of War.
At the end of Voice of War, Chrys was lost to all as he had let loose the Apogee.
Now, in the grip of the Apogee's powers, he is being led to far off lands, attempting to regain power and take control of himself once again
Meanwhile, Laurel, mourning the loss of her powers has allied herself with the head of the blood thieves, Arabella, the amber thread weaver.
And on the other side of the world, Alverax, and the survivors from Zedalan have sought sanctuary in the land of Felia. In their hopes to find a safe haven for their people, Alvarax, Elder Rowan and Elder Rosemary petition the Empress of the Sun to grant the people of Zedalan asylum.
The Stones of Light builds on the events that began in Voice of War, and adds much more to the story. In Stones of Light, we find out more about the voice in Chrys's head as it leads him to the home of The Wastelanders, the people he fought when he was The Apogee.
In addition to that, he learns of a new threat in the form of the Ancient Wastelander god, Relek and his sister, Lylax. These were gods who were once imprisoned and have now been released. Their only goal; to get revenge on those that locked the away by setting their army of Wastelanders and pet monsters, the Corespwan upon the world.
All the main characters are expanded upon really well in the book, however, it is Laurel that undergoes the most change.
At the end of Voice of War, Laurel experienced a massive wound which had a catastrophic effect on her. And it is due to this change that she allies herself with Alabella, who has told her that she can fix the wound that she has suffered. But this comes at a cost, and the price is to take her back to Zedalum in order to access the core seal and get the necessary materials to make her plans of being able to make everyone be a thread weaver come to fruition. Obviously, things don't go to plan and as she struggles with her inabilities, she believes that Alabella will be the answer to set everything right. However, what Laurel doesn't count on, is the change that she will undergo.
Alverax, the thief gone good, also experiences changes. He finds that he has a conscience, and actually wants to do good. As he tries to remedy the mistakes he made in the last book, he finds that actually, he is a good man. He has gone to Felia with the Zeda people. But they must fight against mistrust, and the shocking events that unfold
Stones of Light is a fantastic read, and if possible, is more accomplished and breath taking than the first.
It's plot runs along at the pace of a juggernaut and grabs you immediately, never letting you go until you reach the end. It's populated with characters that you will adore and expands the world that Zack Argyle has built in his first book.
Stones of Light is a fantastic read, full of action and fantastic characters. I would heartily recommend it to any fantasy fan.
Butterfly Assassin is the second in Steve Walsh???s series The WiFi of Dreams.
This has been a bit of a sleeper hit for me and I have to say that I have adored these two books.
In the second book, we again spend time with Wilson and his girlfriend Daisy dealing with the unexpected after effects of the events of the first book, Wilson Indeed.
This time, Steve Walsh expands the world considerably and we get to see more about other characters that were in the first series.
Initially, we learn about Sally Bennett and the life that she leads with her Aunty Kay following her release from hospital after her life is saved by Wilson.
In the first act of the book, Wilson does not play a large part as he is recovering in hospital. During this first section of the book I was wondering where the book would go and what impact Sally Bennett would have on the story. However, I should have trusted Steve Walsh and the fact that he uses every character to great effect and she becomes an integral part of the story.
In addition to this we learn more about The Market Place and the dream land is expanded exponentially.
Butterfly Assassins is another excellently written adventure that has you guessing what is going to happen. Steve Walsh has written two fantastically imaginative and immersive reads with Wilson Indeed and Butterfly Assassins, and I love how he mixes simple domesticity with the magical.
Throughout Butterfly Assassins, Steve Walsh introduces us to other characters like Balthazar, James & Mark who work for the Powers that Be as their emissaries on Earth, interweaving them into the fabric of the narrative.
I do like Steve Walsh???s writing. His writing is so engaging, and again, I think that as a Northerner, there are these little snippets in his book that make me all warm and fuzzy like when Sally???s aunty Kay asks her to pass the zapper. I can???t help but smile.
In terms of plot, I am purposefully steering away from it as I don???t want to give any spoilers, but suffice it to say, it has the same amount of complexities that will keep you hooked, turning the pages frenetically as you want to see what is going to happen next. Primarily, it concerns itself with events that occurred in Wilson Indeed and how they effect Wilson and his family as a whole. As you can guess manipulating events in The Marketplace does have some fallout and these unexpected repercussions cause havoc with those around Wilson and Daisy.
As I said at the beginning of this review, these books have been a bit of a hit with me and they inhabit that place that Mark Lawrence???s Impossible Times Trilogy inhabit in my list of favourite books. I am so glad that I was introduced to these books and I sincerely hope that there will be more in this series.
Life in Red Valley is simple if you follow the rules:
Do not trust the Liar
Do Not go in the River
Do not cross The King
In the Liar of Red Valley, Walter Goodwater mixes equal doses of urban fantasy with other worldly horror and a blisteringly paced plot to write a thoroughly entertaining book.
The book starts off with the death of The Liar, and her daughter, Sadie, coming to terms with the death of her mother. However, The Liar keeps all the town???s secrets and makes the lies that they tell come to be reality. This may be a little lie, like I am not going bald, to even bigger lies, and Sadie needs to know how to be the Liar, quick!
With the death of her mother, Sadie inherits the power of the Liar, and all that that means. She discovers that the position of The Liar was given to her family by The King, an all powerful being who walked the cosmos eons before the coming of the human race, generations ago in order to keep the lies of The King and the people safe.
In the course of the book, she discovers the power of Lies and what it can do. However, everyone wants that power, and she discovers that people will do anything to get the power of the lies for themselves as she is chased, threatened, arrested and reviled for her powers. It seems that everyone wants to know what lies Sadie???s family have been keeping and they will stop at nothing to discover the truth.
Sadie finds herself chased by the Laughing Boys, a gang of addicts who let demons reside in their head instead of using drugs. Harassed by the local Undersheriff who says that he wants to depose the King???s reign and let Red Valley govern itself. However, one thing that they all have in common is that they will use whatever means necessary to obtain the power that is stored in her family???s ledgers.
I have to say that I enjoyed this book immensely. It is filled with monsters, a time traveling house, Cthuluesque leviathans and all sorts of madness in between. Sadie is a good character, who develops as the book moves on. Initially beginning the book as a dormouse and transforming into a snarky lion that is able to navigate her own destiny. On the whole the plot moves at a frenetic pace as Sadie. is forced to come to terms with the death of her mother, and then know how to use her powers whilst at the same time traversing the strange and murky waters that is Red Valley. You watch her grow and she is aided by a supporting cast that at times, are a little one dimensional, but they adequately buoy the story along to get Sadie to where she needs to be.
Added to that a plot that introduces twists and turns that is both unpredictable and blisteringly fast paced. I also found the setting of Red Valley and its plethora of strange residents that add a rich vein of strangeness, immersive and vividly written as the book runs towards its climactic ending.
Whilst this is a standalone novel, I would love to see some more of this world that Walter Goodwater has crafted and hope for more stories set in Red Valley in the future as I think that this could be cracking ongoing series.
We Men of Ash and Shadow is a grimdark Gaslamp novel by H.L. Tinsley set in the shadowy underworld of D???orsee.
John Vanguard, the main character, is a grizzled veteran who hires his services out to the powers that be to remove anyone that they see as being ???undesirable???, which mainly involves the scum of society. However, John Vanguard is not like your average assassin, he has the power to be undetectable, and this gives him an advantage in his chosen profession.
In addition to Vanguard, the other main protagonist is Tarryn, an emotionless psychopath who lives on the edge of ???society??? with his ailing mother. Once a prosperous family who owned a shipping conglomerate, he now lives on the cusp of poverty in a decaying house with his mother, who is slowly losing her wits and does not even recognise her own son anymore.
We men of Ash and Shadow is an interesting book. It???s a gritty noirish tale of two broken people who live in a world of broken people. John Vanguard is a man that is steeped in guilt and is effectively a husk of a man who has few pleasures. He lives in a brothel (mainly sleeping in the bath tub as he has spent a number of years confined in ???The Hole??? for crimes against the state). When we meet Tarryn we learn of his past, but we also learn throughout the book that he is also on the edge of psychopathy, and is similarly an emotionless husk of a man who only comes alive when he is killing
.
We Men of Ash and Shadow is a deliciously dark introduction into John Vanguard???s world and one of the things that jumped out at me immediately is the character of John Vanguard. It makes a nice change to encounter a character that is middle aged in years and not just on the verge of adulthood. Yes, whilst he is a cold-hearted killer, for some reason it is easy to connect with him as a character. He does have an ethical code in which he operates and there is a sense of honour to him. Throughout the book, it is clear that whilst he lives in an environment that is morally grey, he will look after those that he cares about, such as the girls who live in the brothel, or the madame who governs it. He will not see injustice done and tends to only kill those that deserve it.
Tarrryn on the other hand is also a good secondary character, and we see his development through the story as at first, he is merely a lost soul, but the writer shows us how he got to where he is now through recollection and develops him and his ever-tenuous psyche.
The world that Holly Tinsley has built is bleak, hard and unforgiving. There is grime and filth aplenty and the citizens of D???Orsee eke out an existence in this grim environment. It seems to be quite a dystopian world that the citizens of D???Orsee live in, resembling the industrialised environment of Victorian England, and you get hints of the changes from the vestiges of a pastoral world to the grime and degradation of an industrialised world, and Holly Tinsley captures this very well.
The book itself is filled with a multitude of characters that you can???t help but like. There???s Ruth (who is renamed Carmen to make her more exotic to the customers of the brothel) who has an interesting arc in the book, moving from wide eyed innocent to revolutionary. I particularly enjoyed her interactions with Vanguard, and again this one of the things that Holly Tinsley does well. Whilst the world that the characters inhabit is harsh, cold and bitter, there is the juxtaposition of warm and intimate friendships and relationships in this hostile climate. Vanguard???s relationship with the brothel Madam, Henrietta for instance, is such a good one that highlights this propensity for hope throughout the book. Similarly, Tarryn???s adherence to his duty to looking after his mother. He endures a multitude of punishments from her when she is in a frenzied state of unreality. However, despite his ability for violence against others, he takes the beatings that she gives him and calmly deals with them, recognising that they are not her fault.
I have to say that I enjoyed Holly Tinsley???s book, that is filled with characters that have an emotional complexity which helps brings the characters alive and kept me immersed in the narrative.
The plot of the book itself keeps you gripped and takes you to places that you don???t particularly expect and leads you expectantly into the next book. The plot initially has noirish murder plot to it as Vanguard is tasked to investigate the deaths of a number of the ???Red Guard???, the militia of the town of D???orsee and also the disappearance of a prominent figure in society. However, as the plot develops, we soon see that there is more going on that meets the eye.
In terms of magic, it is fairly muted, except for the strange powers of Vanguard and Tarryn???s abilities to meld into the shadows. However, I liked this aspect and the fact that there are not inexplicable magical events peppered throughout the book as I felt that it added to the overall substance of the book, that gritty realism of the story, shall we say.
Added to that there is the familiar comfort of RJ Bayley???s excellent narration of the story, which increased my enjoyment of the book. This in itself was a draw to me.
Since I listen to a plethora of audiobooks, I will look for narrators who I am familiar with. I first became aware of R. J. Bayley in another favourite audiobook of mine ???Ritual of Flesh???, so when I noticed that he was the narrator of ???We Men of Ash and Shadow??? I was immediately interested in this book as I knew it would be excellent.
We Men of Ash and Shadow is an excellent debut by Holly Tinsley and is a must for any grimdark fan, and the dimly lit world of light and shadow is sure to please those that delight in the darker aspects of fantasy.
If you like this review, have a look on my website www.fantasybooknerd.com
So, I read this as part of Zooloo's Blog Tour for Wilson Indeed. Whilst the book was provided for review purposes, the enjoyment was all my own
One of the reasons that I like to do book tours is that I get to read some books that would not normally be on my radar. And the sad fact is that I may have passed Wilson Indeed by. However, I am on Zooloo???s Book Tours and saw this one and thought, ???hmmm sounds interesting!???, and boy am I glad I did!
Wilson Indeed is the story of Wilson Armitage, a normal boy just living outside of Stockport. There???s nothing particularly remarkable about Wilson until one day, he comes down for breakfast and is able to speak fluent French, at the age of five. Nobody has taught him the language, and he is not even remotely French in any way.
This is the start of a number of unexplainable and remarkable things that that he does throughout his life, and with that we learn that Wilson Armitage is far from a normal boy. He has the inexplicable talent to be able to learn things that no one has taught him. Is he a genius? A prodigy? Well, no, not really! It is just that he can access information from his dreams. And thus, we have the premise of the book.
The Wifi of dreams delighted me throughout, and I clicked with it immediately. Steve Walsh???s writing style is so accessible and good natured, that he draws you along with the story of Wilson Armitage and the events that unfold in the book, and I think that one of the enchanting things that he does in the book, is that he makes the unbelievable believable and makes you want to be a part of this world.
The story itself is part coming of age story, with Wilson coming to terms about his abilities and also finding out about the existentialist nature of the world that he inhabits when he sleeps, at other times, it is a teenage boys first relationship with a girl. There is a bit of mystery thrown in, especially when Wilson decides that he can do some good with his extraordinary abilities.
Wilson himself is a good character, he???s at once gifted with extraordinary abilities, but fallible in his own way as he is a teenage boy, and he makes mistakes. The supporting cast of Teaps and Hoover, Daisy and the Armitage family as a whole help to give some delightful scenes throughout the book. The standouts being Hoovers lost sock website, or his interactions with his family. However, it is Teaps that you cannot help but liking. His story really tugs at your strings and you cannot help but have some empathy with the situation that he is in.
Now, I think what got my attention the most was the descriptions of the dream land, the reasons for it and how it impacts on Wilson and those around him. I think Steven Walsh did an exceptional job with this part of the book. He gives it a decidedly other world feel, but at the same time, keeps it restrained enough to feel within the realms of possibilities. With this maintenance of that fine balance, he is able to expand it further and introduce other possibilities to its actual nature. Yes, there are the theories of Morphic Fields underpinning this, but the concept is used to great effect to provide an immersive narrative that I just wanted to read until the end.
I think for me personally, with the book being set in the North it brought some elements of nostalgia to me and also gave me those connections. For instance, when he describes that Wilson???s mum was making the tea. Obviously, I immediately clicked because that is how I talk, so there was that instant connection. But there were other things too that reminded me of favourite things. The interactions with his family brought to mind Sue Townsend. Added to that, there is a scene in the dream world in which all the participants stop as though they have been frozen, and this immediately put me in mind of Powell & Pressburger???s film ???A Matter of Life and Death??? which is one of my favourite films ever. It???s little things like that that hooked me in.
I have to say that Wilson Indeed is a moreish book that I just wanted to carry on with to see what happens next.
Caroline Dunford's The Mapmaker's Daughter is an interesting tale of political wrangling, betrayal and ecological disaster.
The Shift moves across the land bringing devastation in its wake. The Mapmaker's work to prevent this, but their battle to stop the Shift is becoming harder to predict.
The story starts with our MC, Sharra and her socially conscious sister Jayne being Waylaid by a man delivering maps to two towns. However, after his horse breaks it's leg, he has to commandeer a horse. Enter Sharra and Jayne. The Two Daughters of master Mapmaker, Milton.
It is from here that the story springboards off to give a view of the current happenings within the Milton household and the plot, which whilst having a slow start, full of intrigue and political machinations, eventually careers off to become a full blown adventure story.
The book is essentially a story of two halves, with the first half set in the Milton household, and the second half being set in the wider world. For me, I found that as well as being two halves to the book, there was also two tones to the book, with the first half feeling like gothic horror, reminding me very much of Daphne du Maurer's Rebecca, accentuated by the fact that Sharra's mother is a ghost like presence seeping through the essence of the first half of the story. We get constant hints that she is there and that there was some tragedy surrounding her death. Add to that the creaking eeriness of the house and it's forest like library that women are not allowed to enter as they may disrupt the balance. And the second half of the book becomes more of an action/adventure story.
It is obvious that Caroline Dunford likes fairy/folktales as she manages to bring in various tropes of fairy tales such as the evil stepmother who marries the father after the mother has died in tragic circumstances, and is totally selfish, only concerned with her own status, hating the stepdaughter and favouring her own. She also manages to get the tale of Stone soup in there, which is one of my favourite tales as a child.
On top of this she manages to bring in some prescient topical subjects with the main antagonist of the story, the Shift, which reflects current topics such as climate change and the effects of over resourcing the planet. And whilst Sharra's stepmother, Ivory, is the villain of the group (I didn't think I would ever get a Zappa skit in a review
So, I am writing this just as I have finished reading the book. Phew! Talk about cutting it fine there!
Fireborn is a middle grade fantasy that revolves around a flawed and friendless young girl, Twelve, who happens to be quite good with a pair of axes. In fact she is so good with them that no one wants to get too close to her, except unpopular Seven and her pet squirrel, Widge.
She is constantly in trouble and she gets a fair amount of stick from the others in the Hunting Lodge, a home for a group of fighters, called Hunters, that protect the land from the evils amd monsters that plague it. The main culprit for having a go at Twelve is too big for his boots, Five and his partner in crime, Six.
One evening, after hearing Five remonstrating that she is a bad apple, she pushes a crate of things near to Five that leads to changing her life forever.
I have to say that I really enjoyed Fireborn immensely and am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this charming and delightful book by Aisling Fowler.
I always point out when I am reading middle grade fantasy that whilst not being the target audience, the sign of a good book is that despite the fact that I am not the target audience, it is relatable to whoever is reading it. And in all honesty, my demands from a good book are exactly the same as what they were when I was a kid. In fact they haven???t changed at all. I want a well written story, with characters that have depth and are believable and a plot that is going to keep me reading until the very end.
And Fireborn has this in spades!
Aisling Fowler???s debut is a cracking book and meets all those demands that I have up there.. It???s full of magic, has endearing relationships and bags of action.
There were loads of things that I liked about this book. Aisling Fowler???s writing is fantastic. Her writing style is really easy to read and she maintains the pace all the way through the book.
Twelve is a fantastic character, and I really enjoyed her character arc. Twelve is complex, flawed,sometimes cruel, has aggressive outbursts and is completely socially incompetent, due to the fact that she cuts off those around her.
There are reasons that she behaves the way that she does and throughout the book we get some insight into the tragedy that she has experienced and has brought her to the Hunting Lodge.
On top of that. The side characters of Five, Six, and Seven are amazing too. Especially Five! I have to say that I liked him loads. He is annoying, he is a loud mouth and is insensitive to most things around him, but I did enjoy his arc.
Aisling Fowler mixes in some of my favorite fantasy tropes that I can???t help be drawn to. We have animal companions, in the form of ???Dog??? the stone guardian of the Hunting Lodge who is let loose as events happen in the book. He is the parent in the story, always being the light of reason and keeping the party in line. And then there is Widge the Squirrel, who is cute as anything, despite my aversion to squirrels.
And just to make things that little bit better, there is the old found family trope, which I???m sorry, I can???t help but loving. I also like that the relationships are a little rocky and we get to see them develop, even though Twelve does make it rather difficult for the others to like her at times.
The plot revolves around a quest/mystery premise which works well, and I have to say. I didn???t guess what was coming at all. I am not going to go into the plot too much as I don???t wasnt to spoil the joy of discovering it for yourself.
The world building is solid, and we see the environment as the gang travel through it, although the story does centre on the monsters at times and there were some questions that I wanted answering.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone to read, adults or children and is a perfect starting point to anyone wanting to get into the fantasy genre.
The Serpent & The Dead is the latest addition in Aconite???s Legends of Asgard series set in the Marvel Universe written by Anna Stephens.
I have to say that prior to this, I had read Anna Stephen???s The Stone Knife, and with this book she had firmly cemented herself as one of my favourite authors who writes complex and rich narratives, so I was immediately drawn to this book to see what she could produce in the Marvel Universe.
And boy, was I not disappointed!
I am so glad that I read this book as it showcases Anna Stephen???s versatility as a writer and perfectly compounded why I have so much admiration for her writing.
The Serpent and the Dead is a pacey Action/Adventure story featuring Lady Sif and the Valkyrie Brunnhilde in a tale of friendship, mystery, and action.
From the very beginning we are thrown headlong into the story as we join Lady Sif in the middle of a battle sequence. When the book initially opens Lady Sif is engaged with giants in a skirmish in another part of Asgard. However, the giants are not behaving as they normally would and seem to be targeting certain individuals, one of these being Lady Sif???s friend, Gyda. Ultimately, Lady Sif???s comrade and friend is killed. But, for some inexplicable reason, her soul is stolen from her body at the point of death, and is whisked away to somewhere that is not Valhalla.
Obviously, this leaves Lady Sif pretty distressed, as all souls who die in battle are promised eternity in Valhalla and her mate did not transcend to the Hall of the Gods. In a bit of a state, she asks Brunnhilde, the leader of the Valkyries to check out whether her friend is where she should be.
When Brunnhilde discovers that Gyda is not sitting in the halls of Valhalla quaffing ale and mead, she investigate the reasons for this and also finds a deeper mystery. This is not the first time that this has happened, and it seems to be occurring undetected with alarming frequency. As a result, Lady Sif and Brunnhilde are thrown together to unravel the mystery of the missing souls, and the main culprit is obviously our friendly neighbourhood trickster, Loki.
What follows is a journey through Asgard, and subsequently to Jotenheim, to discover who is responsible for stealing the souls of the Asgardians before they die.
Whilst this is set in the Marvel Universe, the settings of the book feel like classical Norse Mythology. We get to see what is outside of Asgard and how the people of that realm live as Sif and Brunnhilde, along with Brunnhilde???s partner Inge follow the breadcrumbs to solve the mystery.
As I said earlier, the book shows Anna Stephen???s versatility as a writer as she comprehensively builds the world outside of Asgard and adds her own flourishes, for instance when the party go to Meadowfall or to the jump gates.
Be prepared, this is an action book, and it never lets up from the beginning, swiftly moving from one battle scene to another without giving you pause for breath. And this is one of the things that stands out in the book. Anna Stephens writes blood pumpingly good action sequences. I had seen many examples of it in previous books, but The Serpent & The Dead shows her skill at this magnificently. There were many a time that I was reading I found that I was holding my breath till I got to the end of the sequence that she was writing.
Add to this her skill of writing characters and relationships with such depth and clarity they virtually walk off the page, everything just clicks together.
And somehow, whilst the book is nonstop action, Anna Stephens manages to fashion a relationship between the three women, getting across the deeply loving relationship between Brunnhilde and Inge and form lasting relationships with the characters without it being contrived or mawkish is absolutely stunning. Throughout the book, the relationship between Sif and Brunnhilde grows and is central to the plot. And let???s not forget, they are all badass.
As the book reaches its climactic plot, you do get some inkling of the fact that things are not what they seem, as Anna Stephen???s does give some hints.
However, I am not one of those people who sit there being all smug, saying that I had figured it out. I didn???t! And I am glad I didn???t as it would have spoilt the cracking ending.
If you want supersonic action and adventure, you won???t go far wrong picking up this little number.
This is one of those books that I have been meaning to read for ages as I have had it recommended to me on a number of occasions, and I have to say that I found this book to be exceptionally good.
Now the story is billed as fantasy, but for me I didn???t feel that it was fantasy per se, but there does seem to be fantasy elements running through it, but they do see to be there, intrinsically wrapped up in the very essence of the rich and detailed world that Michael Fletcher and Clayton Snyder have developed. At this point in time, the world reminded me more of something set in a nightmarish gaslamp Gibsonian world.
The book is set in a Russian inspired world, which I have to say that I found totally unique, and this is something that I have not come across before. It???s a bleak setting, full of grime and smoke, filth and slush. Nothing is clean in the industrualised town of Norylska. There might be nice parts of it, but the story sets itself in the downtrodden slums of the town and we only get a glimpse of the ostentatious part of the town.
Added to this, there is an oppressive state-run political system that seems to be akin to the early years of communist rule. Everything is run around ???The Party???, and there are partisan politics running through the whole of the book. From how the inhabitants of Norylska live their lives to what type of employment that they are suited to.
As I said, it is a pretty grim book, and Michael Fletcher and Clayton capture the essence of the bleakness perfectly. In the past, I have read some Russian literature, and for the most part I found it to be quite dark, and similarly with Norlyska Groans, there is that oppressive feeling that I got when reading this type of literature, and the book is as harsh as the environment that it is set in.
That is not to say that it is totally devoid of light and hope, because it is not, and this seems to be a driving force to the characters motivations. Both Gen & Kat are motivated by their hopes that their choices can lead to a better life, although it is this hope which leads them down the individual paths that they go down.
The story revolves around two main protagonists, Genndy Antonov and Katyushka Leonova, and the book tells their stories separately, even though their paths do collide at various points in the book.
Genndy, or Gen for short is a factory worker who is initially laid off from his job as a factory worker in the early stages in the book. Following this, he is approached by local crime lord Akady Vetrov to come and work for the resident crime family, especially as Gen is ex-military and has a propensity for violence. As he as a wife and the imminent birth of a child to provide for, he sees this as the only viable option to solving his problems.
Katyushka, otherwise known as Kat, on the other hand is a woman that is in an unsatisfying relationship with a turd of a man. She initially takes up a job as a secretary in the local police force. However, she is side-lined into ???volunteering??? for an experimental project to introduce women to the police force and is subsequently teamed with suave Maks Tkatchenko.
What follows is the descent of both protagonists into their respective worlds. One, a police officer and the other a criminal and how their lives fall apart, intersect and dissect again.
Like I said earlier, I liked this book immensely. Whilst it is not a hard book to read as both Snyder???s and Fletcher???s prose drive the story along with addictive precision, it is a dark book! There are no shreds of light and each of the protagonists find themselves enfolded in an increasingly violent and stygian world.
There are loads of things going on this book and lots of aspects of the book that caught my attention. One of these being the magic system. And whilst it is not a conventional fantasy magic system as such, you get hints that it derives from fantastical elements in its inception and that it has been modified altered and transmuted into something new through the ages of the world. It is a totally intriguing concept that bears a resemblance to say something like the computerised alterations of a William Gibson book, but that it has been pared back to fit into a prehistoric concept ad subsequently updated to the industrialised setting. Let me explain! The system revolves around stones that the wearer places next to their skin. The stones are imbued with the characteristics, personalities, and memories of the previous wearers, and these can instil these same memories, personality traits and characteristics into the individual that is wearing them. The personality can wear one or more stones and they will each enhance certain properties in the wearer, like bravery for instance. However, there is a catch that the wearer will lose time and memories when wearing the stones, which again leads to some brilliant scenarios in which the wearers will forget everything they have done throughout the day when they revert to their original personalities. Totally fascinating! And whilst initially, the magic system seems to be such a small part of the narrative, it is so intricately woven into the plot that you do not realise how much an effect that the magic system does have on the narrative.
In addition to this, the world building is so rich and vividly detailed that you can actually feel the soot and grime on your fingertips as you turn the page. Michael Fletcher and Clayton Snyder have created a fully realised world that has a history and all the other things that make the environment that the characters inhabit a living and breathing entity that makes you feel like you are actually ensconces in the surroundings of the book when you are reading it.
The story falls very definitely into the hard-boiled category of violence and there are some graphic scenes of violence and torture throughout the book. However, I did not feel that this was violence for violence???s sake, but that it matched the tone and narrative of the book, and on top of that it always felt like it was controlled with Fletcher and Snyder reining in the violence when it wasn???t necessary.
One of the things that I had a little trepidation over, was the fact that two authors had done the book. You always wonder what the styles, different ideas and different approaches will have on the story. However, both Snyder and Fletcher mesh their differences seamlessly, and each differing approach compliments, interacts and bounces off each other perfectly.
I have to say, that this is one of those books that has stayed with me as I will find myself mulling over some aspect of the book, days and weeks after I have finished it.
She Who Became the Sun has garnered a lot of attention as one of fantasy???s summer must reads. To say there has been a lot of attention is a little bit of an understatement. Along with The Jasmine Throne, it has had praise heaped upon it from many notables of fantasy fiction, and there has been a bit of a superstar hype around the book. Obviously, opinion can go either way, as one of the problems with books that have this kind of hype attached to them, they can disappoint as expectations can be quite high.
She Who Became The Sun is the first in The Radiant Emperor duology and revolves around both a reimagining of the story of the rise of the Ming Emperor in middle ages China.
I have to say that the book starts off pretty bleak in all honesty. There is not a shred of pomposity about the main characters or the epicness of the story. It starts with famine and death. We are initially introduced to the girl, who is a resourceful little creature, but is considered worthless by her family. Her father is a harsh, contemptible thing who, after taking the son to a fortune teller, believes that he is destined for greatness. However, things do not go as planned (do they ever!) and fate decides that it is going to have a starring role and when some bandits attack the girl???s family home, killing their father, who happens to be a shining beacon of fatherhood, and offers his daughter to the bandits in the hope that they will take her and leave the hope of their life alive.
Following the death of their father, they are subsequently orphans. Zhu Chongba is totally hapless and has to have the girl looking after him, but he subsequently gives up on life and dies.
With a burning desire to survive, the girl throws on the mantle of her brothers identity and seizes the fate that was promised to her brother and becomes Zhu Chongba.
With her new determination to grasp whatever fate has set down for her brother, Zhu Chongba takes his place at the local monastery, and after four days of stubbornly refusing to remove herself from the front steps of the monastery, she is allowed admittance, and thus begins the story of Zhu Chongba
Now I have to say that I was perplexed with this novel initially. So much so that I was teetering on the brink of throwing in the towel and putting it on the DNF shelf. There were loads of things that weren???t clicking for me. I am not saying at all that there is a fault with the book, but I just wasn???t getting it?????? at all!
Yes, the writing is excellent. The character of Zhu Chongba is good, and she has a case of astounding resilience going on there, but I was not getting the fantasy element or what it was about. At times, I was totally lost as to what the heck was going on and who these people are. I found the sheer volume of people in this book just totally blew my mind and I could not keep up. Another thing was that I was not getting the fantasy element. This seemed to be a historical novel, with supernatural elements, but I wasn't getting any fantasy from it, that ???s for sure.
However, I did decide to stick with it, got past my reservations that I had with it and ended up enjoying it.
Obviously, there has been a lot made of the main character???s identity in relation to their gender fluidity, but for me I felt that there was a wider discussion happening in the book about the acceptance of role. Whether that is in relation to gender, sex, duty, expectation, marriage, the role that fate decrees etc. Throughout the book, Zhu is constantly questioning if these roles should be accepted and to strive to be more than a role assigned to you. And you can see it highlighted in this quote from the book
???Learn to want something for yourself, Ma Xiuying. Not what someone says you should want. Not what you think you should want. Don???t go through life thinking only of duty. When all we have are these brief spans between our non-existences, why not make the most of the life you???re living now? The price is worth it.???
In addition to this, I found that there was an extremely positive feminist vibrancy to the book. Again, whilst Zhu is constantly questioning roles she is also empowering women to move beyond the constraints of the male dominated society and to take power for themselves, and there is a really excellent scene in the book where instead of using force and epic battles to get what she wants, Zhu uses alternative methods and empowers a woman to take power in a quiet revolution kind of way.
As you can see, I ended up having a little epiphany about the book and liked it more than I first thought I was going to.
We have to mention other characters for whilst Zhu is the star of the show, there is a full cast of characters in the book. And we need to mention Ouyong and Esen. Ouyong is a eunuch in Esen???s army. He was initially a slave, whose father was some kind of traitor to the Mongol Khan and Esen???s father was tasked with deposing of the traitorous family to the ninth degree, and subsequently having Ouyong castrated so that the family line could not go on and also leaving Ouyong to live in shame. Ouyong is in some ways the opposite of Zhu. However, not only is he an angtagonist in some ways, he enables Zhu to fulfil her role and become what she thinks she should be.
You are never sure about who the antagonist in the story actually is, in all honesty, because every character (inc Zhu) is neither good nor bad. And for me, it again plays with that idea of role, and does the antagonist of the story need to fit into the archetypal role of the villain, and similarly with the protagonist. Again, they shift, and you are as equally fluid in your sympathies to each character.
In the end, after I had got over my difficulties with the book, I ended up enjoying this one.
