Black Wolf (Sembia #4) (Forgotten Realms)

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:
Talbot Uskevren, a newly minted were-wolf, is trying to put his life back together after the battle his whole family faced in the last book.
At the same time, the Werewolf that turned him is in league with a family enemy. And if that isn't enough, a prophecy about The Black Wolf is coming into play.
Finally, a woman is involved.

My Thoughts:
Thamalon Uskevren is a great man, who made his house great. And if you ever wonder why Great Houses become Middle Houses, it is because the children.
Each of the Sembia books follow an Uskreven child. And lordy, are they all spoiled brats! They aren't hopeless, but their weaknesses are great enough that not one alone could keep their House great and they can't get along.

I'm not a big fan of were-wolves, but this worked. It was an adventure family revenge story that just happened to have were-wolves AND vampires. Oh yes, vampires. And they aren't the Dracula sexy vampires, but more like a sea leach. It was gross and I loved it.

Obviously, things turn out as you pretty much expect, it IS Forgotten Realms after all but that is part of the fun. A fun, comforting adventure read that doesn't push me mentally in any way. I need those sometimes.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Author: David Gross

Chasers of the Wind (Cycle of Wind and Sparks #1) (ARC)

I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com and that in no way has influenced my opinion in regards to this review.

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:
One kingdom of humans, who use not-bad magic [not to be confused with good, mind you!] are being invaded by a kingdom of renegades that use bad, necromantic, evil, etc, etc, etc magic.
Follows several pairings/groupings of people who were caught on the border of the conflict, who all have their own problems in addition to invading demon thingies, zombies and magicians who will eat you.

My Thoughts:
First off, this guy, Pehov, is Russian. So this is a translated work. Which is why I finished the book instead of DNF'ing it. I'm going to blame most of my issues on the translator, but my resolve to not read anything else by Pehov is on his shoulders alone.

This was choppy writing. Short sentences that should have been rewritten into one longer, well constructed sentence. I had saved a couple of particular egregious examples, but then by the end I didn't care enough to go back and copy them out. Maybe in Russian it made sense for sword choppingly short sentences, but certainly not in English. It made Pehov sound like an amateur [and yes, I know I used the word "sound" in regards to the written word *wink*].

However, what annoyed me the most, and was all the author, was that ONE character was written in the First person, while everybody else was in the Third. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, when you go from a limited "I" point of view to an Omniscient narrative "they" and back,  it is really jarring. And that was deliberate, nothing to do with the translator.

The plot was ok, with a good back story waiting to be explored and a good amount of magical and mundane fighting. In many ways it reminded me of Eddings and his love of groups, just without the humor.

But it "feels" like amateur writing and I refuse to numb my reading skills. Let's just say Pehov's no Dostoyevsky. That being said, you won't have wasted your time if you try this. Perhaps just not spent it as wisely as you "could have".


Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Alexey Pehov

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE #27 & 28 (Manga Monday)

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 series wraps up and to be honest, while I am satisfied with the ending, I am not wild about it. Nor do I understand much more than I did several books ago.


My Thoughts:
Well, things do wrap up and while I don't like the fact that Li must keep on journeying and Sakura must stay in Clowland, at least they are themselves and not clones, images or their own parents.
Yeah, you heard me right. Time travel and re-incarnation are only the beginning of the weirdness.

And while I don't understand what in the world Fei-Wang was all about [yep, another thing I don't understand, surprise!], there were enough hints to answer the questions I might have had.

The fact that part of the plot was dealing with Yuko the Time Witch and Watanuku suddenly made xxxHolic, or what I've read of it so far, make a lot more sense. I'm glad I'm reading it next as well.

Series Thoughts:
Overall, while I enjoyed this, the artwork at many times was so busy, so full of activity, that I couldn't figure out what was going on.
That was my only complaint however and for a 28 volume series, I guess that is pretty good.


Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Artist & Author: CLAMP

Scout's Progress (Liaden)

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:
Caylon, an abused middle child, now an abused adult, is a math genius. But it isn't enough to get her from under her domineering brother's thumb.
So she makes a bet, under her Delm's protection, that she can make her portfolio do better in a year than her brother can.
It is all a ruse to prepare her for running away and leaving her life behind and starting a fresh.
What she doesn't count on is running into Daav, head of Clan Korval.

My Thoughts:
With each Liaden novel, I enter with trepidation, wondering if "this" will be the book that falls flat for me.
Well, it wasn't this one! :-)

I absolutely love these books. Space Opera Romance, that while not of Jane Austen quality, are perfect for what they are.

A balance of light humor, dark emotions, people using their brains and some really good action.

Caylon was shown perfectly. An abused woman who was intelligent enough to know that she needed to run and made the plans accordingly. It was great to see her start out as a mouse and become warmer and stronger the more she interacted with her new friends and Daav.
We also get to see Daav move from a man who is jealous of his twin for his life mating while Daav must deal with contract marriages as the Clan leader to someone who finds his own lifemate. I love that type of thing.

Happy Endings and Justice for All, all around!

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Vengeance of Orion (Orion #2) DNF

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

Merriam Webster defines Blasphemy as:

Full Definition of BLASPHEMY

1

a :  the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God

b :  the act of claiming the attributes of deity

 

2: 

irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable

 

 

As a reader of SFF I encounter ideas and philosophies that I disagree with, sometimes quite deeply, and while it colors my enjoyment of that book, I don't usually stop.

As a Christian, I can take mockings, I can take my faith being belittled and I can take being told that I'm just plain wrong.

But one line I won't cross in my reading is Blasphemy.

 

In this book Bova makes a future humanity, amped up and greekgod like. One of those humans comes back and pretends to be the God of the Old Testament to the Israelites in the desert. Not taking His place, but being the reality and the God of the Bible a myth based on him.

 

That I won't countenance. I'm not going to riot, or ask for a death squad to go after Bova or put out a price on his head; but what I am going to do is never read any of Bova's books again nor support him financially.

 

Rating:1 of 5 Stars

Author:Ben Bova

The First Casualty (Jump Universe #1)

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 sequel series to Mike Shepherd's [aka Mike Moscoe, or vice versa] Kris Longknife series. Takes place during her Grandpa Troubles time and before humanity encounters the aliens.
This is the battle between the inner planets and the diaspora.

My Thoughts:
This was pretty much like the Kris Longknife series, just without all the whining. However, the sexual side of things was a bit more blatant.

On the positive side, the action was a bit more, the self-indulgent rants didn't exist and there were no references to non-existent boobs or hips. Lord, that last one alone made this one book better than the whole KL series.

Looking forward to the rest of the books in this trilogy.
ps,
Leafmarks didn't have this book in their system, period. I tried title, author, isbn and asin. So I'm done with them for a couple of months or a year, if they survive that long.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Mike Moscoe

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE #25 & 26 (Manga Monday)

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.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
We get the whole back story of Li and Sakura and what is driving Li in the present. We also find out how Watanuki [from xxxHolic] came to be the way he is.
We also get a climactic battle between Wang-Fei, Li-clone and Li, Fai and Kurogane.

My Thoughts:
Oh my goodness! I know these volumes were supposed to be tear-jerkers, but my goodness, it really got to me.   Love, duty, sacrifice, destiny, free will. Li has it in spades. And he's got a fantastic gang backing him up.

Things are still working out, what with Li's wish and Wang-Fei's [I go back and forth between Fei-Wang and Wang-Fei without really caring. Kind of like John or Jon. Big whoop, right?] somehow being opposite, the same and feeding off of each other. I really don't understand what is going on and I just hope I do by the end of the series in 2 books.

I am REALLY looking forward to the final 2 volumes just to see exactly what is going on and how it all wraps up.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Artist & Author: CLAMP

Eifelheim

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.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:

A physicist and her historic loving partner try to figure out why a village was abandoned and never repopulated.
Then we get the history part, about the village of Eifelheim and the aliens that pretty much crash land there.

My Thoughts:

I honestly don't know why this book came across my radar. That is the problem with having a long TBR list.

Anyway, I found this very meh. Lots of the historical story about the aliens trying to survive in a medieval village and the local priest trying to figure it all out.

Then you had the modern story  about the man and woman who, in the process of figuring out the mystery of Eifelheim end up figuring out interdimensional space travel.

I guess this was originally a short story and to be honest, it should have stayed a short story. Sometimes authors shouldn't mess with their past.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Michael Flynn

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, a Pure Woman (Classic)

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.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

I hated this book.

From the beginning where Hardy mocks, needles and jabs Christianity at every turn, to the middle where the "humanist" husband shows his utter hypocrisy, to the end where Alec Durberville  shows his change of heart for the sham it is.
And through it all, poor Tess. Alone, unprotected by those who should have protected her, abandoned by her husband, used and at the end, forced to pay for her crime of murder that was brought about by her complete and utter abandonment by any and all.

While some take the view that Hardy was showing up Victorian life [and don't get me wrong, this is a perfect example of what was wrong in the era], it was simply too vicious, cutting and plain antagonistic for me to cool-headedly read it and analyze it.

Hardy had an axe to grind and he gave it all he could in this book. I certainly won't be reading any more by this ass.

Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Author: Thomas Hardy

The Jungle Book (Classic) - Group Blog Review

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.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Several short stories about India and animals. 3 stories about Mowgli the mancub, 1 about a white seal, 1 about the elephant dances, 1 about the mongoose Ricki-tikki-tavvi and 1 about some camp animals chatting it up one night.
Plus several songs and poems.

My Thoughts
Last time I read The Jungle Book it was actually The TWO Jungle Books and I was not very impressed. There was stuff about Eskimoes and a LOT more poems and songs and short stories that didn't seem to fit. It did have some additional stories about Mowgli however, so it might be worth reading if you really like him.

This time I read the first Jungle book and it was great. We all know Mowgli, but this is the real one, not the disneyfied cartoon doofus. Nor is he the young strapping lad of mighty pectorals seen in the live action movie with Jason Scott Lee.

Overall, this was just a bunch of stories about the animals of India. Funny, sad, courageous and heartwarming. Perfect for a child's introduction to Kipling and to a wider range of the world's Literature than they might have experienced to date.

As for comparing this to the movie, I'll leave that for the movie review later this evening. But the movie has almost NOTHING to do with the short stories about Mowgli from this book.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Rudyard Kipling

Group Blog Info:
For the main event, please head over to:
Jungle Book Discussion Central
and follow the instructions :-)

The movie can be watched here at my blog at the following post:
Jungle Book Movie