July '16 Roundup & Ramblings

I was pretty satisfied with this month. No dnf's, which is always nice. Started my audio book adventures and while it was ok and I'll be continuing it with various random books, it is apparent to me that audio and I just don't quite hit it off.

My top reads this month were Talion: Revenant, part of my Project Reread and The New Watch, the latest in the Russian Night Watch series. Talion was a good re-re-re-read but I suspect this will be close to my final read of it. New Watch brought us full circle from new member to mature member and the writing has matured and mellowed.

There were no real stinkers this month, but some pretty Meh reads. Jupiter Theft and Nephilim: Genesis of Evil were both outstanding in their lack lustre'ness and mediocrity.

I am still working my way through Superman: Doomed, and by that I mean I keep thinking about getting back into it and just finishing it off in one fell swoop. I've got 125 books on my kindle so my Priority collection and Reread collection are both taking a place in the regular rotation as I need to get through some of the other books. My Misc collection is the only one that I'm keeping at the front of the queue. Read 8 other books, read a Misc book, rinse and repeat. That collection has grown to over 25, so I really need to work through it and get it under 15, otherwise the books are going to sit in that collection for at least another year.

Hope your July was a good one as well. August will be a slower month for me as I'm going to be helping various family members [some near, some far] move throughout the month. Cheers!

Yotsuba&! #13 (Manga)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Yotsuba&! #13
Series: Yotsuba&!
Author/Artist: Kiyohiko Azuma
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Slice of Life manga
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback edition

Synopsis:

Yotsuba decides what she wants to be when she grows up. A baker. Or maybe an Udon Noodle maker. Or maybe a housewife. It can be hard to make decisions sometimes.
Then Grandma comes to visit. Yotsuba has been a good girl [well, except for that time with the blue paint] so she knows Grandma is bringing her a souvenir. Grandma brought her kiwi's? That's not what Yotsuba wanted! Sometimes it is hard to have a Grandma.

My Thoughts:

It has been 2 YEARS since the last volume. I have to admit, I was expecting more. This was good, mind you, but it wasn't funny like the previous volumes. The Grandma, while very laid back, was drawn so severely that it kind of detracted from the overall feeling I was hoping to get.

I am wondering if Azuma, the artist, is letting this slide? It kind of felt like the fire had gone out in this volume.

Golden Son (Red Rising #2)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Golden Son
Series: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 466
Format: Kindle Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Darrow has survived and become a leader for a powerful Gold. His future, and his plans for the sons of Ares, seem assured. But Gold culture is hard and cruel. Your wins mean nothing if you lose. And Darrow loses.
At the same time, when he is about to be sold to the highest bidder, he finds out that Ares is dead and that the leaders now want mass Gold murder and give him a radium bomb to take to the auction.
Darrow overcomes all of the above to start a civil war in the Golds culture and avoid the shortsightedness of the new rebel leaders. He is truly a Golden Son on a meteoric rise.
But the Gold saying of Rise so high, in mud you lie always comes true and betrayal always comes from those closest to you.

My Thoughts:  Spoilers Ahead

A great addition to the Red Rising series. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book but most of that was because of dealing with spaceship battles. I'm much more of the mano-a-mano type of fighting. Guns, lightsabers, swords, whatever, just give me some ground pounders duking it out.

It was interesting to see Darrow struggling with the ethical dilemma of what he was doing. Is he trying to bring down the Golds? Is he trying to make all the colors equal? Is he trying to make people change? What is he supposed to be doing and at what point is something too much to justify it? That type of pressure would have broken me and I would have just set off the radium bomb and said 'to heck with you all'. And speaking of the radium bomb, I think it still has a part to play.

I kept waiting for the betrayal because that is what Gold's do. A continual culling process that lasts a lifetime. So when Darrow was able to actually attack the Sovereign even after having been betrayed by somebody, I figured that was it. I did not see the ending coming. When one of his friends finds out he is actually a Red and betrays him? And Ares truly dies and we see his head in a box? Blindsided. Completely and utterly blindsided.

Really wetted my appetite for the final book to see how he survives and what his goals become with Ares dead. Highly recommended.

The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage #2)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Crimson Campaign
Series: Powder Mage
Author: Brian McClellan
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 628
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis: Spoilers Ahead

Tamas is trapped behind enemy lines and must make his way back, all the while dodging the enemy and not knowing of Taniel is alive or not.
Adramat is desperately trying to find his missing wife and son. In the process, he uncovers an elite academy graduate who is wreaking havoc in Adopest. He must rescue one of the former Cabal, the only one powerful enough to face the graduate.
Taniel is on the front lines. But there is a traitor among the generals and that traitor wants Taniel dead. And Kresimir isn't dead.
And now he's not only pissed, but he's probably insane from the bullet in his head.

Good times for everyone.

My Thoughts:

While I enjoyed the first book, it has taken me over 2 years to work up the "oomph" to actually go through the trouble to borrow the next 2. This is flintlock fantasy, and as such, it is grim, dirty and violent. And just like the first book, it is excellently written.

I have to admit, I had a hard time dealing with the 3 different viewpoints of men all having lots of T's, D's and A's in their name. I found myself having to concentrate to make sure I knew who I was reading about.

I'd like to say more, but honestly, the same apathy that I felt after the first book is still in place. I liked the story, the writing was good, but it just didn't do it for me. I suspect that I'll feel the same about the next and final book, no matter how good it is.

Mr Monster (John Cleaver #2)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Mr Monster
Series: John Cleaver
Author: Dan Wells
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 320
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

John Cleaver can't get over the fact that he killed. He's not horrified, he's fascinated and he wants MORE. He knows this though and is doing everything in his power to stop Mr Monster [his mental disconnect that is his inner psychopath] who wants to bathe in the blood of everyone he knows.
But when another serial killer shows up, following in the footsteps of the demon from the first book, John knows another demon has shown up. So it's ok to unleash Mr Monster. But can John reconcile the fact that other people see him as a hero when he knows he's unleashing Mr Monster?

My Thoughts:

This was just as disturbing as the first book. Wells has done his research and seems to revel in showing the struggle that John is going through in trying to control his killer instincts. I guess what bothers me the most is that John is shown as not having any choice, so far, in the matter. He fights against wanting to kill but it is presented as if it is a futile fight. I'm hoping the next book changes that.

Everyone has Choice. Not necessarily easy choices, or even one time choices, but they have Free Will.

The mind of a psychopath is a sick mind. Those interested in such minds are either trying to help heal those minds, or like this author in writing for profit about it, sick bastards themselves. As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of Dan Wells.

There were just enough touches of humor to keep this from being completely dark and horrible. I've got the 3rd book on my tbr list and I'll read it, but after that, I'll be avoiding anything, no matter the subject, by Wells. I don't want to my mind contaminated by a mind like his.

Nephilim: Genesis of Evil

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Nephilim: Genesis of Evil
Series: -----
Author: Renee Pawlish
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: Horror
Pages: 345
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

The Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans, wiped out in the Biblical Flood thousands of years ago, survive as lost spirits, yearning to return to the spirit world.
Every century they have a chance to perform the Great Release in which they possess humans and ascend to a higher plane of existence.
Now a small town in Colorado is the focus and it is up to a small, disparate group of people to stop the Nephilim from wiping out the town.

My Thoughts:

First, this is Christian Horror. Lots of references to the Bible and off handed, sideways references to Grace and Salvation. Done right, it can be alright, although I haven't read any done right yet. Not even Frank Peretti with The Oath or House really did it for me.

However, this was something that needed to be edited by a professional story editor. Not a grammar editor, mind you. The technical aspects of the writing were just fine. But the actual story telling and the characters were lackluster at best. In Horror, you can't just write that something was "terrifying". You need to show how/why it was. Unfortunately Pawlish just doesn't have the writing skills to pull this off. This amounted to a great first draft but that was it. I can't tell someone how TO write "terrifying" but I sure can tell them how NOT TO write it. Don't tell me.
I was told, a lot.
The characters were also "almost there" but really lacked something. They weren't cardboard, but they weren't real people to me either.

It was obvious that Pawlish put a lot of thought into the plot, into the characters, into this book. But her ideas weren't written out well enough. She doesn't have the talent right now to write this book. Maybe in the future? But I'm not sticking around to find out. I really struggled to finish this, so I won't spend any more of my time on her stuff.

There is a bunch I could write on the theological level, but why bother? It won't make or break this book for anyone, trust me.

The Revenge of the Baby-Sat (Calvin and Hobbes #5)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Revenge of the Baby-Sat
Series: Calvin and Hobbes
Author/Artist: Bill Watterson
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 128
Format: Digital Scan

My Thoughts:

The 5th collection by Watterson. There aren't even themes tying the comics together, so you can't really "review" these books. Each strip is individual and stands on its own.

The New Watch (Night Watch #5)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The New Watch
Series: Night Watch
Author: Sergei Lukyanenko
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 420
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

Prophets and Tigers and Daughters, Oh My!
So it seem that the Twilight is an intelligent being and it does what it needs to to protect itself. The Mirrors are one such manifestation.
Tigers, a being that hunts down prophets, is another. At first blush it appears that Tigers want to prevent prophecies from being heard, hence, come into being. Come to find out, they are a goad to the prophets, making sure they DO prophesy and hence bringing about chaos, which the Twilight feeds on.
At the same time, Anton realizes WHY his daughter was brought into being. Anton must make a choice which will affect his daughter and all the Others that are and ever might be.

My Thoughts:

I think this was the best Night Watch book to date. Anton has come full circle, where he is now the mature Other who understands the whys and wherefores. In the first book he was the young new Other who wanted to change the world with magic. He has to deal with a situation where he has to explain the "facts of life" to a young Other who just wants to make everyone "good". Ahhh, the irony. It really allowed Lukyanenko to show off his writing chops.

The manipulation by both Zabulon and Gesar in the creation of Anton's daughter left me breathless. To have foreseen the threat posed by an intelligent Twilight and to have so cold heartedly mucked about with peoples' live and destinies was both awesome and scary.

It is hinted that Gesar will soon be getting bored in Russia and moving on. It would seem that Anton is the logical successor should this happen.

I started this Night Watch series almost a year ago. I have enjoyed each one and while I don't know if there will be any more, I certainly hope so. This is Urban Fantasy that I enjoy and can recommend. The style definitely won't appeal to everyone, but I like the Russian soul, as it is the same whether old or new.

Drysine Legacy (The Spiral Wars #2)

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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Drysine Legacy
Series: The Spiral Wars
Author: Joel Shepherd
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 471
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

The Federation starship Phoenix and her crew are on the run. But not on the run from just the Federation it seems. Various alien species are attacking them, for various reasons. Add in the apparent rise of an ancient machine race, and the discovery of their ancient foe on board the Phoenix and it is apparent that Erik Debogande and the rest of the crew are onto something much bigger than they ever thought.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this just as much as the previous book. Having to face a choice of resurrecting a monster machine race to fight another monster machine race is just "ugh". Possible subjugation of all biological life or certain subjugation.

The action was awesome. The huge battle at the end between the various Hacksaw forces with the Phoenix kind of dodging between was spectacular. Space Marines [always my favorite] versus horrible alien killing machines that ruled the Universe millennia ago.

I thought that this book wrapped up the series. All major issues were taken care of and while the whole "genocidal machine killers" wasn't, that aspect was big enough to have its own trilogy or even a series. When looking at the authors website though, it appears that this will be a trilogy. Not sure what the 3rd book will be about and still be a wrapping up point. Oh well, something to look forward to once it actually gets written.

I've enjoyed these 2 books enough that I'll be hunting down others by Shepherd and giving them a go.

The Paradise War (Song of Albion #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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Paradise War
Series: Song of Albion
Author/Narrator: Stephen Lawhead, Stuart Langston
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars


Genre: Fantasy
Minutes: 795
Format: Audible audio edition

Synopsis:

Lewis and Simon, 2 graduate students at Oxford, stumble upon a portal to another world. Simon goes through and Lewis stays behind. Upon investigation, Lewis finds out that the veil between the worlds is thinning and that passage between and our presence over there, could irreparably damage both worlds.
So Lewis crosses over to rescue Simon and to save both worlds.
Only to discover that the other world is everything our world is but bigger, brighter, better. Lewis is seduced into staying and becomes a warrior. Upon his finishing Warrior School, bad things begin to happen and it appears that it is up to him to set things right.
But how does one fight against the lord of the underworld, his undead and demonic forces while your allies are filled with jealously, greed and self?
And when betrayal of the ultimate kind happens, Lewis realizes that he and Simon MUST go back to their own world.

My Thoughts:

Read and bought these as they came out in the 90's. Re-read them in 2000 and then they've sat on my shelf, looking awesome. I thought about using these in my Project Re-read, but I have been wanting to explore the "Audio" side of books and figured that this trilogy would be a good experiment for that.

I enjoyed this just as much as I did almost 25 years ago. The story, the action, the magic were all still there. I listened to this on my drive to and from work and there were several times where, once I got home, that I just left my bluetooth connected and kept it playing from my phone until I forced myself to stop. If I had been reading this, I suspect it would have been demolished in a day or 3 at most.  I did notice how whiny Lewis was and that he was pretty much a wish-fulfillment of Lawhead's.

As for Audio. I found that it took very little to distract me while listening and that I would then miss some of the book. I tried to go into a grocery store on my way home once and I ended up just stopping the book because I couldn't pay attention.  It also took me quite a while to get used to the narrator. I didn't really like him but by the end I had gotten to the point where he didn't bother me. I think he does the next 2 books as well, so it is just as well that I'm resigned to him.