Friday, January 31, 2014

Solomon's Jar (Rogue Angel #2)


Soloman's Jar - Alex Archer  This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis

Annja Creed finds out about Solomon's jar, where he supposedly stored the demons he used to build the temple described in Kings and Chronicles. Of course, others want this jar for it's supposed occultic power.

My Thoughts
Let me start off by saying that I believe that demons are real, that possession can and does occur today and that suggesting that Solomon built a temple to Jehovah using demons is ludicrous and blasphemous. So some of what happened in this book touched a nerve instead of just being fantasy to me.

Ok, now that that is stated...

Annja continues on her quest to discover what it means to be an agent of Light. A lot of this story was babbling about "Goodness" and how God is too big to be nailed down to one belief, and other such new age non-sense that might sound comforting and is easy on the mind, but when examined, is just so much rubbish. Philosophy-Lite I'd call it.

But, a lot of action happens. And that was all that saved this story. Annja is attacked. Everywhere she goes. By mercenaries. By rogue Israelis. By an Amazonion super Model [I kid you not!]. By a group of Earth First nutters who want to wipe out humanity. By a group of scared fishermen. And finally by a group who is working for Garin Braden, Roux's old apprentice. [Roux is currently a kind of hit or miss tutor for Annja when it fits into the story] The ending was kind of besides the point it seemed to me, but it wasn't disappointing or anything.

I can't wait to see what further adventures happen with Miss Creed in the later books. I just checked Wikipedia and the series is up to something like 45. So I've got plenty to read, as long as I don't get sick of it :-)

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Author: Alex Archer

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Kokoro (Classic)


Kokoro - Natsume Soseki, Edwin McClellan (Translator) This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
A young student in Tokyo finds a mentor, who happens to dislike humanity and promises that the student will only find disappointment in him. This happens during the time of the transition from the Meiji era to whatever the modern era is called.

My Thoughts
I have been wanting to expand my reading beyond my typical United States/England authors. Given, I read manga, and have read some European [Adrian Tchaikovsky is the main guy who springs to mind], and I've read the Russians and the French, but my Eastern reading was limited to half of The Art of War by Sun Tzu and some of Murakami's works [and those are just WEIRD!]

So I decided to read a Japanese author who was "acclaimed". Got a hold of Soseki's name and tracked down this book.

Basically, this was the fictional account of a young student growing up and having hero worship for someone who doesn't believe they deserve it. It is melancholic, dealing with death, the past, naivete.

I almost couldn't finish it when Sensei was telling his story, his fall from grace. I could totally relate to him as a young man. So full of self-righteousness, certainty & doubt, love & indecision, hope and despair.

And then Sensei's letter ends and so does the story. We never find out about the MC's father, or what he went on to do. It was almost like it was a cycle just waiting to repeat with small variations.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Author: Natsume Soseki

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Unicorn (Legend of the Five Rings: Clan War #2) DNF


The Unicorn (Legend of the Five Rings:  Clan War, Second Scroll) - A L LASSIEUR' 'ALLISON LASSIEUR This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Not even worth bothering with.

My Thoughts
The first book, Scorpion, was ok, even with it's purple prose.

Sadly, this wasn't even purple. It was the boring brown of wood. It seemed like Lassieur was told to write about "X" and so she did. Just like a 5th grader. Wooden beyond belief.

And then it was dealing with zombie. I am not a fan of zombies. The only zombies that I can remember liking was in the context of the Resident Evil movies. I liked the movies, a lot. But any other zombie movie or book has always struck me as puerile and stupid. And this was not the exception to the rule.

So between zombies, plague caused or otherwise, and horribly wooden writing, I decided to do myself a favor and stop reading, this book and this series. Because this author writes more in this series and I won't subject myself to that.

Rating: 1 of 5 Stars

Author: Allison Lassieur

Monday, January 27, 2014

Death Note #1-3 (Manga Monday)


Death Note, Vol. 1 - Tsugumi Ohba
Death Note, Vol. 2 - Tsugumi Ohba
Death Note, Vol. 3 - Tsugumi Ohba
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

I've got a couple of series of manga that I want to get through this year and the best way I can think of is to make it a regular weekly feature here on my blog. I've got enough to read for at least a year's worth of posts.
I'm aiming for 3 volumes a week and then reviewing them in one go.

For the next 4 weeks I'll be reviewing Death Note, a 12 volume Supernatural Mental Battle between 2 geniuses. One wants to kill as a god, the other wants to bring the killer in for justice.

Synopsis
Light Yagami is a bored genius of a highschooler. He finds a Death Note which allows him to kill off people in a variety of ways. Light decides to start killing criminals worldwide in an effort to change the world. After several weeks Interpol realizes something is going on and hires the mysterious L to find out what is going on.

What ensues is one of the best Logic battles I've seen in a long time.

My Thoughts
Light is given a Death Note by a Shinigami. Light decides that he has been given a gift to clean up the world and remake it in the image of his own idea. All he has to do is write a name down in the notebook and visualize the person's face and they will die of a heart attack. There are also a whole host of rules that allow the owner of the notebook to kill in a variety of ways.
Light goes on a killing spree to test the notebook. Which attracts the attention of L, a genius investigator who figures out what is going on with a fantastic logic trap on live tv.

And that is what this is about. Light and L battling it out on the mental plane, trying to outwit each other. While Logic is the basis for the fights, a lot of gut instinct happens. And since this is a manga, those gut instincts are correct.

And at the end of volume 3, we are introduced to another Kira [what the public calls the Mysterious Killer, who is Light Yagami] and the complications begin to seriously ramp up.

I enjoyed this the first time I read through it and I'm enjoying it now. Of course, Light's megalomania shows up right from the first, which I missed on my initial go-around. And L's arrogance is just staggering.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist:Takeshi Obata

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Jewel of Seven Stars (Classic)


The Jewel of Seven Stars - Bram Stoker This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
The main character is in love with a young lady, whose father happens to be an egyptologist. And surprise, he's brought home a new Mummy. And as we all know, there's always tension in the family when Daddy brings home a new Mummy.

My Thoughts
If it wasn't for Dracula, Bram Stoker wouldn't be nearly as famous, and this book would have been left forgotten on the dust heaps of history.

Let's be honest, this was boring. The first 1/3rd of the book was taken up with the Main Character and Dutiful Daughter taking care of the her father, as he had collapsed into a coma.

Then you get a little action with the flashbacks about finding the mummy and the search for all the items.

Then it comes back to "today" and the group trying to raise the mummy. Without coffee. Can you imagine sleeping for 5000 years and then being woken up, without coffee?
Needless to say, that is not cool.

Which leads to the final point. This book has 2 endings. The original by Stoker, where the Mummy is revealed for the dastardly evil it is and everything goes horribly wrong. Stoker creates more horror and "hand to mouth" moments in about 3 paragraphs than in the previous whole book. Then there is the publisher forced ending. Where everything ends up sweetness and light and MC and Dutiful Daughter get happily married.

I wouldn't recommend this as a casual read. But if you want to read a "Classic" and you enjoyed Dracula, then I highly recommend this just for the experience. However, Dracula does stand head and shoulders above this.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars

Author: Bram Stoker

Friday, January 24, 2014

Going Shogun


Going Shogun - Ernie Lindsey This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Chris, or Brick [I think that's his nickname anyway], is a socio-economic climber in a cyberpunk world. All he has to do is steal some super secret recipes, hack into the completely controlled internetz AND avoid super agents.
But with a friend like Forklift, how can Brick fail?

My Thoughts
I started this book knowing NOTHING about it, not even a plot synopsis. So I was flying blind. And I couldn't tell what was going on, what was supposed to be going on or where the eventual destination was supposed to be.

I enjoy the occasional cyberpunk novel, as I enjoy the over the top techtalk, the swords and the darky gloomy grit. But this? It was all funny dark. Everything is gloomy and horrible, but Forklift is this irrepressible character who the MC gets swept along with. Jokes are cracked, violence is slapstick and the non-graphic sex was totally "first time".
Also, Japan does not appear to be ruling the world.

So what kind of cyberpunk book was this? Halfway through I recognized this was a parody, not a real cyberpunk novel that just sucked. And it all clicked.
And then the ending. Forklift changes so drastically that you have to wonder. If that society could produce him, how come it is still so monolithically stable?

Basically, I got a comedy when I wasn't expecting it. That'll teach me to read blindly ;-)

Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars

Author: Ernie Lindsey

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Royal Ranger (Ranger's Apprentice #12)


The Royal Ranger (Ranger's Apprentice) - John A. Flanagan This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 Synopsis
15 to 20 years after The Lost Stories, Will is dealing with one of life's most grievous blows. At the same time Horace and Evanlyn are dealing with their rebellious daughter.

My Thoughts
First off, Will's wife is dead. Once you get past that, then the story moves on.


Will is turning into a shell and Maddy is running so wild that she is in danger of becoming a danger to the Royal Family.

Everybody else gets together and comes up with a plan to force them together. It works. Will gets happy, Maddy grows up and they rescue a bunch of stolen children and give justice to the killer of Will's wife.

I found this slightly disgusting to be honest. I thought that Will's story should have ended back in The Lost Stories and this just smacked of something slightly off. I don't have a problem with more stories about the Rangers or this land, but either go with a different ranger, or skip a generation and start a new sub-series.

Also, this smacked of trying to get the girl "vote". Keep your "girl power" story in another time line. Don't force into characters that I've already spent 11 books worth of time with. Like I wrote before, write this story. Tell this "girl growing up" story. It is a good story. But it isn't a Will Treaty story.

I guess it came down to that I didn't want to read a new Will Treaty story, but was willing to read a Will Treaty story and this was NOT about him. He was ancillary.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Author: John Flanagan

Monday, January 20, 2014

Three (Legends of the Duskwalker #1)


Three (Legends of the Duskwalker) - Jay Posey This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Three, a mysterious bounty hunter, ends up protecting a drugged out amped up mother and her potentially special son.

My Thoughts
This obviously takes place in a dystopian, post-apocolyptic world, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like this.

The further I read, the more I liked. This had it all. A damsel in distress. A talented cute kid. A reluctant yet willing Hero. An evil villain who is practically insane. A host of monsters that are futuristic and yet also atavistic. And even better, the Damsel and the Child are saved in the end by the heroic sacrifice of the Reluctant Hero.

This just pushed all the right buttons for me. Fast paced action, mystery, techno-thriller, romance. All these describe this book to a T. However, I can see it not being everyone's cup of coffee. Drug abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, plain old general violence, none of it in graphic detail thankfully, but they aren't danced around and euphemistically referred to either.

Jay Posey is now on my radar and I'm going to keep him on my short list.

Rating: Strong 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Jay Posey

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Heidi {Classic}


Heidi - Johanna Spyri This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Orphan Heidi is abandoned by her cousin and foisted onto her mean Grandfather who lives all alone on a mountain. Her various adventures as she betters everybody who comes into contact with her.

My Thoughts
I actually read this because I didn't have any other paper books that I wanted to read at the time.

It is the classic story (Spyri lived back in the mid 1800's] about a young orphan girl who simply transforms everyone she comes into contact with. Think Swiss Pollyana.

My first reaction was "oh boy, saccharine out the wazoo!", but as I kept reading, I found Heidi not to be saccharine, but an agent of change. In many ways, she is in the background while the side characters stand out for a couple of chapters. But her presence is always there, making their life better, if even in ways that they are not aware of.

I also liked the acknowledgement that "good" doesn't simply happen. It has an Author.

I could see reading this book to a younger child, a chapter or two a night until it was done. None of the plot points are overly drawn out or tedious and everything seems to be "chunked up" into just the right size for someone with a smaller attention span, ie kids.

But it is a sweet story for adults too. After the grime and grit of a lot of modern SFF [which is what I mainly read], or even the hard realities presented by authors like Austen or Dickens, this was like eating an orange: sweet and yummy and good for you.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Johanna Spyri

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Fortress Frontier (Shadow Ops #2)


Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier - Myke Cole This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Alan Bookbinder, newly awakened Latent, is sent to the FOB and ends up dealing with the HUGE mess that Oscar Britton made in the first book.

My Thoughts
Ok, I hated the first book Control Point, so much so that I just had to give Myke Cole another chance. This book was twice as good as the previous, and I still hated it, so Myke and I are done.

Thankfully, Bookbinder isn't a complete and utter selfish douchebag like Oscar Britton. He starts out a spineless wimp, but soon is forced to grow one just to survive. I like that, a lot.

But the mess Oscar created when he released the witch ends up in the total destruction of the base and an untold number of deaths of the soldiers based there. Oscar, and Bookbinder, are right that the system needs changing, quickly. But Oscar isn't the one to do it. He's an unreliable dick. And worse, he's so gullible that he puts everyone who trusts him in danger.

If this had been the first book in the series, I might have stuck around, as I found Bookbinder to be the responsible kind even if not confident. I like the idea, which to be honest is really just "X-Men: In Real Life", but not the characters. So I'm not going to spend any more time on this. I gave Cole his second chance and I didn't find it compelling enough. Too little too late.

Rating: 2 of 5 Stars

Author: Myke Cole

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Legion (Novella)


Legion - Brandon Sanderson This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
A genius is hired to recover a camera that can take pictures of the past.

My Thoughts
The MC is a genius, but he can't handle it. So instead of taking responsibility, he makes up imaginary people who CAN do the things he won't.

Some character has created a camera that can take pictures of the past and is trying to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ happened. Sadly, Sanderson takes the tack of pitting Faith against Reason instead of the reality of a blending of the two.

I am really sick of people saying that Faith is baseless and is just about a feeling, blah, blah, blah. I wish Sanderson and others of such ilk would go read some C.S.Lewis. But then, they wouldn't accept what he has to say anyway I suspect, as their minds are already made up in what they want to believe. The very charge they claim to bring against others.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Book of Enchantments


Book of Enchantments - Patricia C. Wrede This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
A collection of 10 short stories by Patricia Wrede. Most were written for other anthologies but she gathered them all together and added 1 or 2 new ones and made them into a book.

My Thoughts
I have a real awkward relationship with books of short stories. On one hand, I love the idea. A whole book of boiled down, stripped to the raw, quintessence of ideas.
On the other hand, it rarely seems to be done right and most authors seem to throw their favorite ideas into it without the work.  And then you get the dreaded "loved 1 or 2 of them, but the rest were trash" syndrome.

Thankfully, I loved this collection and didn't have any problems with it. To be honest too, I've enjoyed just about anything from Wrede [except her Lyra books], so I am not an unbiased reader.

This ran the gamut from silly fantasy of The Frying Pan of Doom to the sad story about an older sister who is going to start living her life, tomorrow.  One thing I really did like was that Wrede wrote an appendice like thing where she explains where each of the stories came from. I find things like that fascinating for some reason.

Highly recommended to anyone who loves Wrede's works already.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Patricia Wrede

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Destiny (Rogue Angel #1)


Destiny (Rogue Angel Series #1) - Alex Archer This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
A Lara Croft clone, down to the shorts, twin pistols and twin "guns" (if you know what I mean) finds the missing piece Joan of Arc's sword and becomes an agent for Light with some supernatural powers.

My Thoughts
This was published by Gold Eagle, the imprint that did/does the Mack Bolan books, so I knew I was in for action and kickass'ness. It's like Harlequin, for men. However, I've never been a fan of Tombraider, as I don't really prefer busty babes as action heroes. So I wasn't sure how this was going to work.

Thankfully, it was a lot of fun. The supernatural side of things was very limited and I'm hoping it ramps up in further books. Having an older "mage" mentor worked well, especially since he's a dick. He's the perfect cranky old man. And his former apprentice does a good job of coming across as the deadly playboy who'd kill you as soon as look at you.

The plot was more setup than anything. It worked in finding the final piece of the sword, getting the sword and dealing with another adventurer who wanted the piece of the sword. Lots of introductions that WERE the plot.

Overall, I enjoyed this for the light fluff it was and am looking forward to the next couple in the series. I believe there are 30+ novels, but I'm not promising to hang around THAT long. But who knows, maybe it will keep my attention :-)

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Author: "Alex Archer"

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Yotsuba&! 12 (Manga)


Yotsuba&!, Vol. 12 - This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer


Ahhh, Yotsuba. The cute factor of a little girl who has no inhibitions, isn't afraid of people and IS afraid of silly things.

One of the things that I am really enjoying about Yotsuba&! [each chapter is called Yotsuba and "X"!, because everything is new to her] is the lack of some sort of overarching plot.

I don't have to worry about the end of the world, saving the world, falling in love, finding "the one", battling aliens, driving a giant robot, having my relatives kidnapped or killed, going to other planets, having magic invade every part of my life. Nope,none of that!

Instead, I get to experience the joy of blue paint.  the deliciousness of s'mores, the sheer wonder of life itself. While I don't normally subscribe to the "cute little girl charms everyone" thought process, Yotsuba HAS completely charmed me.

12 volumes and I'm still not tired of her. The mangaka is doing an awesome job of looking at life without any of the jadedness of adulthood. Part of me wishes that it would be written faster, but another part of me is willing to let it just flow at its own pace.

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Trial by Fire (Terminator Salvation Sequel) (Terminator)


Terminator Salvation: Trial by Fire - Timothy Zahn This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Terminator: Salvation was NOT the end. It was merely the beginning of the end. And Marcus was not alone.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed the movie and really thought it was the end. Instead, this book shows that the AI that was destroyed was just a branch version, not the main one.

I recently read another Terminator book, Cold War, and man, Zahn shows with this book what a great author he is. There is no comparing the two. The writing was tight, the overarching plot suspenseful and the different storylines were all blended together just right.

It was nice to read something that I felt was crafted well even while being about something as non-serious as a movie spinoff. With all the crap floating around nowadays, coming across a well crafted gem makes it even more precious. Even if it is a fools gold gem :-D

The advent of the Theta Terminators opens up the whole future of the Terminator world. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening, much like I was hoping the T2 trilogy would give things a kick and they didn't. Highly recommended to Terminator fans but not to anyone else. Too much backstory is needed, or at least the first 2 and 4th Terminator movie.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Author: Timothy Zahn

Monday, January 06, 2014

Widowmaker (Widowmaker #1)


The Widowmaker (The Widowmaker #1) - Mike Resnick This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Jefferson Nighthawk, also known as the Widowmaker, is in deepfreeze for an incurable disease. Unfortunately, that is expensive and even the Widowmaker runs out of money now and then. So to procure more money to keep him on ice until a cure is found, a clone is made and sent on an assignment.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed Resnick's Santiago duology and his Starship series was ok as well. Thankfully, I enjoyed this just as much.

Resnick's Outer Rim is a wonderful place to read about. Characters bigger than fiction, huger than real life. Battles and circumstances so outrageous, so unbelievable that you are sucked in. And you love it, all of it.

This is about a clone, Jeff Nighthawk, who has all the skills of Widowmaker, but not his experience of life, and Jeff resents Widowmaker. So while on assignment, he plans to kill his employer, who has already doublecrossed him and also Widowmaker, so that he, Jeff, will BE the Widowmaker.

Sadly, Jeff falls in love. With a lowclass gold-digger. And you know things never work out well when one of those are involved. So you know the ending from at least halfway through the book, if not sooner.

Simplistic, stylized, pulpy. But oh so fun. I look forward to the rest of this trilogy.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Mike Resnick

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Witches Incorporated (Rogue Agent #2)


Witches Incorporated (Rogue Agent) - K.E. Mills This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Princess Melissande and her friend Bibbie, along with Reg, start their own Witches business and are hired to investigate some petty thieving at a large company. At the same time, Gerald is investigating a series of Portal Accidents and possibly something more sinister.

My Thoughts
I was really enjoying this book. One liners were abounding in every chapter. There was a great mix of humor, adventure and magic.

Things were going great, this was headed for 4stars easily, then the characters started fighting. About really stupid things.  And it wasn't amusing. It was annoying and ruined it all for me.The girls started acting like real bitches and the guys suddenly lost their spines and whined like 5 year olds.

I almost felt like I was reading the writings of 2 authors.  It was a very schizophrenic experience and almost made me want to stop reading. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end. I just hope the next book doesn't devolve into the kind of whining, moaning, bitch slapping and general childish'ness shown in part here.

But, the idea here, the general plot, is just totally awesome! Which is why I'll read the next book. A self-effacing super-powered magician, working secretly for the government. How does it get better than that!?

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Author: K.E. Mills [also known as Karen Miller]

Friday, January 03, 2014

The Air War (Shadows of the Apt #8)


The Air War (Shadows of the Apt) - Adrian Tchaikovsky This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer


Synopsis

All is in turmoil as the world moves towards war. In Solarno, the spies watch each other and ready their knives, while Myna sees the troops muster at its border and emotions run high as it vows never to be enslaved again. In Collegium, the students argue politics, too late to turn the tide. In the heart of the Empire, new pilots have completed their secretive training, generals are being recalled to service and armies are ready to march. Their Empress, the heir to two worlds, intends to claim her birthright.


My Thoughts
To date, Shadows of the Apt has been an 1800's magic warfare. In this book, things went all World War I, possibly even World War II level of tech. Airplanes, tanks and mechanized warfare.
I signed up for Swords and Sorcery. And this series started that way.

The characters from the earlier books are dying, getting old, being pushed aside. New characters are being introduced, then either killed or sent on their own little side adventure, thus fracturing the overall storyline even more.

Stenwald is an old doddering man. Tisamon is a ghost working for the Wasp Empress. Stenwald's niece is not even in this story, she's somewhere else, doing something "magic'y". Her moth lover is dead, Thalric is not part of the story, many of Stenwald's apprentices are dead.

A lot of the things that I liked in the first 5 books are gone. I just hope the next couple of books improve things.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Thursday, January 02, 2014

The Outlanders (Lon Tobyn Chronicles #2)


The Outlanders (The Lon Tobyn Chronicle, Book 2) - David B. Coe This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
The Children of Amarid now know that invaders from Tobyn-Ser's sister land of Lon-Ser are responsible for the deadly attacks on their people. But their Order is paralyzed by infighting and indecision, and it is only a matter of time before the next invasion begins.

My Thoughts
It's been 3 1/2 years since I read the previous book, Children of Amarid, and I remember really liking it. But the library didn't have the other books and I wasn't in a position to buy them. Well, thankfully, the library keeps expanding the selection of books it has to lend out.

Let's hear it for Libraries!!!!!!!!!!

This was a good solid read. Nothing spectacular, no super de duper martial arts gorefest, no displays of magic that lit up half the world, but the characters were solid, believable and I felt like rooting for them. I always enjoy a book where I can root for the heroes.

The villains were great as well. Self-righteous mages, power hungry thugs with guns. This book had them BOTH! At one point, where one of the Mages is out to discredit another, I thought some really nasty political stuff was going to happen. Thankfully, the Mage Order simply split. That should show how much I dislike politics :-)

Looking forward to the next book in the series. And if that pans out, exploring even more of Coe's writings.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: David Coe

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

A Grumpy Book by Grumpy Cat


Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book - Grumpy Cat This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer


Synopsis
Internet sensation Grumpy Cat's epic feline frown has inspired legions of devoted fans. Celebrating the grouch in everyone, the Grumpy Cat book teaches the fine art of grumpiness and includes enough bad attitude to cast a dark cloud over the whole world.

My Thoughts
Well, my wife got me this book for Christmas, as I have several photos of Grumpy Cat in my "humor" picture folder on Facebook. And this book did not fail to make me laugh. There was everything from the typical Grumpy Cat picture with snide captions to a crossword puzzle where every answer was "no". How great is that?!?

Definitely a gag gift book and only meant for those who appreciate Grumpy Cat and his brand of humor. Others, the unwashed hoi polio, will find this creative gem going straight over their little heads and they will complain about how mean it is.

Grumpy Cat, and I, only have this to say in reply:
A, B, C, D, E, F, U.

Yep folks, another win for common sense, pessimism and dark macabre humor.

I deliberately chose to review this book first this year, as I knew it would make me laugh and set just the right tone for the rest of the year.

If the following picture doesn't make you laugh, this book is NOT for you:



Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Author: Grumpy Cat