Assail (Malazan Empire #6) (Final)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Assail
Series: Malazan Empire
Author: Ian Esslemont
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 544


Synopsis:
Gold! Gold has been found in the northern land of Assail and everyone, from scum to soldier to sorceress is making their way their to make their fortunes.
The remnant of the Crimson Guard, the descendants of the Jaghut, the remaining T'lan Imass and whole masses of various people converge into yet another, albeit hopefully the last, pointless Malazan Story.

My Thoughts:
Erikson lost me with his first Forge of Darkness series book and Esslemont has done the same for me with this book.

At some point, Existential Angst, Hints of Archaic Badness, Weapons and Spells that ALWAYS turn out to be Cursed & General Moping by Everyone, you just have to say no. No one is happy in these books, and I really mean no one.

It wears on you after a bit. Sure, the story can be cool and the action top notch and the epic can be big, but 17 books of between 500-900 pages each should not be ALL Grim Despair.

And for a book named Assail, the Forkrul Assail only appearing for about 3 pages tops in the last 5% of the book, well, that is Epic Fail to me. The Imass/Jaghut feud gets more time for goodness sake, and that was supposed to be OVER way back in Memories of Ice or so [the 3rd book  of 10 in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series].
I've gotten used to the fact that these books are all only loosely related,not a tight overall story but I don't like that either.

So what did I like? Well, the fighting and spell'ing were pretty good.

And that is why I'm done with Esslemont as well, He has turned into a clone of Erikson in his writing philosophy and I won't countenance it any more.

The Vastalimi Gambit (Cutter's 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.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: The Vastalimi Gambit
Series: Cutter's Wars
Author: Steve Perry
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 304


Synopsis:
Doc and Kay the Vastalimi, have returned to her home world to investigate a new plague that seems to be randomly killing various Vastalimi.
The rest of Cutter's Crew puts out a little brushfire of a situation and then heads to Vastalimi to help out Doc and Kay.
And the incorruptable Vastalimi police force is involved *eye roll*

My Thoughts:
After my initial rapture with the first book, I was all set to love this as well. However, either Perry's writing dropped a lot OR I used my brains and not my gun loving to read this one.

Sadly, this was just plain mediocre. Cutter's whole crew should have been involved from the get go, not 3/4 of the way through. There was a LOT of profanity [which I don't remember from the first book, but it might have been there] and I dropped a full star for interspecies sex [albeit non-graphic].

There was lots of skulking, posturing and the occasional chase/fight/shootout/whatever, but it seemed very blase to me. I'm not sure why but this book just didn't click with me like the first book did. If a 3rd book ever gets written I'll probably read it but I won't be waiting for it, counting the days, etc, etc.

The Jester (Riyria Chronicles #2.5) (Short Story)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: The Jester
Series: Riyria Chronicles
Author: Michael Sullivan
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 33


Synopsis:
A short story about Royce and Hadrian having an adventure with a Widow, a Pig Farmer and a whole mountain filled with traps to protect a mysterious treasure.

My Thoughts:
This drops you in right at the end of the story and with a few deft conversations fills you in on what is going on, but not to the point that I would have liked, ie, I wanted a full novel out of this story!

I like Riyria so this little tidbit helped feed the hunger until the next book comes out [whenever that may be]. It is a standalone story as any references to other adventures are explained but it makes for a fuller, more enjoyable read if you have already read the previous Revelations & then Chronicles series. That being said, if you want to check out the Riyria series with no commitment, this story allows just that very admirably.

I took 1 star off because I would have loved to see this expanded into a full length novel. The material is certainly there for that. So maybe that is actually a plus?

The Fox Run (Endworld #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.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: The Fox Run
Series: Endworld
Author: David Robbins
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 255


Synopsis:
World War III has taken place 100 years ago and one man had prepared for it.
Now the group of survivors must go forth into the world as their own homegrounds are having deleterious effect on their lifespans.

My Thoughts:
Post-Apocalypse fiction.  It could have been good, but unfortunately, this was cringeworthily eye rollingly bad.

100 years, got that? 100 years to train everybody in your compound to defend themselves at a basic level. 100 years for roads to be taken over by nature [10 years of non-use and most roads will be undrivable. 15-20 years and they aren't roads any more]. 100 years for other communities to either survive or completely fall apart.

The 3 main characters are always kidding about their being a "white man" and a "red man" as one of them is an Indian. The last Indian in North America. Because obviously of 15 couples at the beginning only the Indians married other Indians.

Then the women. Now, I am NOT a fan of women in the military but if you have a group of 70 people, in a completely hostile world, you train EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM to take care of themselves, from their childhood. However, the women presented here are full breasted lovelies just waiting to have babies. I'm all for that! But it isn't realistic, nor even probable.

Finally,  guns and food. You CANNOT store enough guns, ammo and food stuffs for 70 people for 100 years. Logistically, it simply isn't feasible. And your gene pool is too small.

So with those problems and some really stupid decisions all around and some poor writing, I found this lackluster. However, because I am such a generous guy, I am going to try the next book and hope beyond hope that this book was a fluke in this finely written epic series. *sarcasm*

Akira #5 (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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Akira #5
Series: Akira
Author & Artist: Katsuhiro Otomo
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 416


Synopsis:
America prepares to invade Japan to kill off Akira and Tetsuo.

Kei, Lady Miyako and the remaining 3 Special Children prepare to take Tetsuo over and use his power to kill Akira.

Kaneda gathers the last of the biker gangs, gets some serious hardware [another laser gun] and prepares to kill Tetsuo to spare Kei from harm in her attempt.

Tetsuo, clean from drugs, has his power soar. He goes nuts and puts a hole in the moon, takes over an American aircraft carrier and sets off some nuclear warheads. And he's losing control of his body to the power, which simply wants to use him as a conduit.

And Akira. A silent young child who is totally enigmatic and who we still don't understand a thing about.

My Thoughts:
I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the previous one, not sure why though.

This had more focused action, more plot advancement and Kaneda was back. I like Kaneda :-)

Part of it was this was lots of setup for the final volume and I wasn't expecting setup. That's what Volume 4 was for. This was like a 3rd down in football where the ball is handed off and advanced 1 yard. Strategic, but not that exciting run down the field or the unexpectedly clever long throw.

I will say that Tetsuo taking a chunk out of the moon was pretty exciting though! and seeing how using the power is affecting his body is just plain creepy. Speaking of creepy though, Akira, just sitting there looking through his almost slitted eyes.
For a young boy who has said nothing in 5 volumes, he gives me the shivers. I felt sorry for him at first but after the revelations by the group of scientists on the aircraft carrier that he is simply a pure conduit for the Power, I wanted him destroyed as much as the Colonel wants him destroyed.

Lordy, I want to read the final volume NOW! But delayed gratification, it is good too...

Rogue Squadron (X-Wing #1) (Star Wars)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Rogue Squadron
Series: X-Wing, Star Wars
Author: Michael Stackpole
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 388


Synopsis:
When the Emperor died, the Empire did not. It was up to the Rebellion, now the newly minted New Republic, to continue the fight. One of the most notable parts of their military was Rogue Squadron, the X-Wing group that had helped take out 2!! Deathstars.
Now Rogue Squadron must build itself up with new members and go on missions that are so high profile that the mere mention of Rogue Squadron will send the enemy fleeing.
The first 4 books of this series center around Corran Horn, former Correllian Security [CorSec] agent and his integration into the New Republic.

My Thoughts:
You want Star Wars that is tight, exciting, full of intrigue, suspense and action? Well, this book delivers.
I originally read this back in 2000 and all I put was the genre, as Science Fiction. I was on quite the Michael Stackpole kick back then and this book fit in perfectly, as it combined him and Star Wars.

No jedi, no sith, no philosophical ramblings about grey areas and crap like that. This was action and a man coming to grips that his beliefs might not be the be all and end all he thought they were.
Really good space battles, some romance [just a smidge, mind you. enough to leaven the loaf] and a bad guy who has a case of the "I hate you personally" really bad for Horn and Rogue Squadron.

This book takes place before Coruscant is in the hands of the New Republic and you really get the sense that the NR is just being birthed and could truly be snuffed out without too much effort. Good stuff!

Deadly Shores (Destroyermen #9)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Deadly Shores
Series: Destroyermen
Author: Taylor Anderson
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 465

Synopsis:
The Alliance makes a big push to raid Madagascar, ancestral home of the Lemurians and now the home of the Grik queen.
During this time Matt Reddy realizes that he needs to truly become the military leader of the Alliance while staying out of the political arena.
A theory is put forth that this world is the dumping ground for multiple worlds and that is why you get all the differences. And we meet French nazis with submarines.

My Thoughts:
I wasn't sure I was going to finish this book because it started with so much military/navy/ship porn that my eyes were glazing over and I was literally skimming pages of material.
It also doesn't help that each book solves one problem and introduces 2 more, thus allowing Taylor to keep this series open indefinitely. I am not a fan of open series. I like it when the author knows the destination, even if they're not sure how they are going to get there.

However, Taylor can write some of the best battle scenes I have ever come across. I was convinced I wouldn't read any more in this series but the battle for Madagascar sucked me in so hard, so fast, so completely that if this book had just been that, it would have gotten 5 stars. So I'll read the next book and complain about it too *smiles*

One of my other main issues is that Taylor is opening up the whole world and thus has too much material to work with. We have the Grik, the New Great Britain people, the twisted Catholic Dominion people, the unnamed People from the "south" I think and now French Nazis. Just how many "new" groups can Taylor stuff into this series? I find it ridiculous to be honest. Ridiculous and distracting. Each group is ancillary to the main Destroyermen and so we only get a little or no action from some groups in each book.

So while I enjoy this series, I can't recommend it because of the ship porn [worse than Tom Clancy and his descriptions of missiles and such] and it's ever growing scope. I wish I could recommend it however, as Taylor does some mighty fine writing.

God of Thunder (Rogue Angel #7)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: God of Thunder
Series: Rogue Angel
Author: Alex Archer
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 352

Synopsis:
Thor supposedly came to earth and left a great treasure as well as his hammer Mjolnir.
One of Annja's former acquaintances wants to make his mark by finding the hammer.
At the same time, a family of nobility that is skirting bankruptcy is seeking the treasure.
Leroux and Garin get involved, one on each side.

My Thoughts:
Forget any thoughts of Mjolnir. This story doesn't actually have anything to do with that, even though it should.
Lots of parenting issues between Annja, Leroux and Garin.

Some shooting and chases, an obligatory badguy who is "really" bad because he does torture and stuff [oh lordy, like that makes someone worse than the guy who embezzles and ruins 1000's of families lives? phhhh] and of course everything is solved in the last 5% of the book.

Too much about the treasure and not enough about the Hammer. That would have been cool but I guess the ghost author doesn't have an imagination? Wouldn't surprise me. I never liked Mel Odom, even if he wasn't the particular ghost writer for this book.

Ghostbusters: The Return

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Ghostbusters: The Return
Series: -----
Author: Sholly Fisch
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 304


Synopsis:
5 Years after GBII, the boys are kind of making things work. Emphasis on "kind of". Until a group decides that Peter V should be the next mayor of New York. At the same time an old has-been of a spirit, the spirit of Fear that wiped out Roanoke back in the day, decides that his time has come and he needs to instill fear in people so he can emerge and walk the earth again, with the requisite blood and sacrifices, etc, etc.

My Thoughts:
I actually only read this because of the authors name. I mean, is that name for real? I kept wanting to call him Folly Sh*t for some reason.

This book was mediocre at best. It felt like a real rehash of GBII as far as the villain went. The whole Peter for Mayor distracted from the story without adding anything except to give Morris[the black dude] a semi-happy ending. Peter and Girlfriend went over the exact same issues as they did in GBII and if it weren't for a couple of throw-away references I'd say this author wrote this book BEFORE GBII came out.

I was left with absolutely NO desire to seek out or read any other Ghostbuster books, whether by this author or not. Which is to bad, because the original Ghostbusters movie is one of the best ever, cheese effects and all.

They Also Serve (Jump Universe #3)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: They Also Serve
Series: Jump Universe
Author: Mike Moscoe
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 357


Synopsis:
Trouble and Crew get their ship sabotaged and in jumping end up at a Lost colony from the first lost jump ship.
The world is being run, in the background, by an ancient supercomputer. Only problem is, it appears to have gone insane and is now splitting part into separate entries. So the crew must figure out a way home, solve the domestic squabbles their presence has created AND fight a super computer that wants to kill every human on the planet.

My Thoughts:
I think I've had enough of Mike Moscoe/Shepherd. There has never been 1 big thing that has annoyed me, but just a series of little pinpricks and this book pushed me over the edge.

False guilt, internal melodrama, people acting like idiots for apparent reason, are among some of the reasons I won't continuing with this author. Another big one is characters who deny they are good at something so that others are forced to say so. I HATE it when people fish for compliments or pretend to be modest.

Au revoir Mike. You always rubbed me the wrong way and now I don't have to deal with it any more. Ahhh, it feels good.