Salvation's Reach (WH40K: Gaunt's Ghosts #13) ★★★☆☆

 

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Title: Salvation's Reach
Series: WH40K: Gaunt's Ghosts #13
Author: Dan Abnett
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 311
Words: 108K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia

Following the events of Blood Pact, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts are returned to active duty, and are given one of their most formidable assignments yet; a mysterious space hulk known as Salvation's Reach. According to the turncoat Mabbon Etogaur, the Sons of Sek, a breakaway faction within the Blood Pact commanded by the warlord Anakwanar Sek, have secretly been using Salvation's Reach as an R&D installation; concealing their activities there from all factions, even their overlord, Archon Gaur.

If Sek's covert operations are brought to light, it will shatter the uneasy alliance between Sek and Gaur, sparking an internal feud that will tip the balance of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade in the favour of the Imperium. The Tanith First – reinforced with additional troops drawn from Verghast and Belladon – and a trio of veteran Space Marines are sent to neutralise the facility at Salvation's Reach and gather as much intelligence as possible before they destroy it. However, Gaunt must also see to the protection of the incarcerated Mabbon, deal with the malcontents within the Tanith First, and cope with personal issues that he never anticipated.

A sub-plot in Salvation's Reach follows Doc Dorden's battle against terminal cancer, and his determination to serve the Tanith First until the very end. Another sub-plot explores the relationship between Captain Ban Daur and his new partner, Elodie. Through the latter, readers are granted an insight into the lives of the wives and other civilians that follow Imperial Guard regiments around the galaxy. The novel also features the appearance of Brother Kater Holofurnace of the Iron Snakes, a Chapter of Space Marines that previously appeared in Abnett's novel, Brotherhood of the Snake.

My Thoughts:

I knocked this down half a star because there were some space battle'y scenes and I just don't care for spaceships slugging it. It wasn't bad or anything, I just like groundpounder action.

There's a lot of “hinted at” threats that I sometimes wonder if anyone is going to survive. The rot within the Ghosts, which is typical for most of the armies of man, is really revealed here. It makes you realize WHY the Commissariat exists in the first place and that the Ghost's have been a pretty exemplary unit. The bad apples are starting to bob to the top though. With this being Warhmmer40k, I half suspect that the entire unit will die by betrayal and fail in a critical mission. That just seems like WH:40K flavor :-/

Dorden dying was no surprise given his cancer. However, it seemed like it was supposed to be poignant or something, like previous characters dying. The problem is, you know people are going to die because this is war and what's more, this is an ongoing, intergenerational war.The emotional punch has been removed because it is the ordinary, not the extraordinary.

The inclusion of 3 Space Marines (super beings from another age) didn't do it for me either. They talk a lot about past glory, blah, blah and then toss in how technology has been lost or something for making more of them? I'm not up on my lore, so I don't see why the Empire can't churn them out like candy. Even if “something” has been lost, fething find it or rediscover it again! There are hundreds or more of worlds not being assaulted by Chaos, use them for research and development. I am sure the people directing this franchise have taken care of that issue but it wasn't adequately explained to me at all in this book and just pissed me off with their defeatist attitude.

The fight scenes were what really saved this book for me. The infiltration of the base, finding and disarming boobytraps, then the retreat, it was all in the great groundpounder format that I like.

★★★☆☆

• All My "Gaunt's Ghosts" Reviews

Grumpy Monkey ★★★★★

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Title: Grumpy Monkey
Author: Suzanne & Max Lang
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Children
Pages: 32
Words: 0.5K

Synopsis:

From the Publishers & Me

Jim the chimpanzee is in a terrible mood for no good reason. His friends can’t understand it—how can he be in a bad mood when it’s SUCH a beautiful day? They encourage him not to hunch, to smile, and to do things that make THEM happy. But Jim can’t take all the advice…and has a BIT of a meltdown. Could it be that he just needs a day to feel grumpy? In the end Jim admits he's grumpy and chooses to ride it out, as he'll be happy tomorrow.

My Thoughts:

This was a cute little childrens book about a chimpanzee who was grumpy. Definitely for the pre-readers who like to look at the pictures or those who are just learning to read. I won't comment on how the content is supposed to teach children, as we don't have any and I'm not sure that I'd use this to teach anyone anything anyway. (Notice the anyanyany? I feel rather clever).

Mrs B bought me this for my birthday the other month as I have a collection of Grumpy Cat books and this fit in perfectly with that theme. She also got me a stuff monkey. He's no Mr Zip, but he'll do as a cousin who I wouldn't mind handing off to a niece or something so she could slobber all over it and make baby noises and chew on it without me worrying about her destroying a priceless, prized family heirloom. (well, that IS how Mr Zip thinks of himself. Jimbo on the other hand realizes he's destined for slobber and chewings and has resigned himself to such a fate. Look at those eyes, you can see the stoic resignation even in the picture!)

★★★★★

 

Innocence of Father Brown (Father Brown #1) ★★★✬☆

 

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Title: Innocence of Father Brown
Series: Father Brown #1
Author: G.K. Chesterton
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 269
Words: 78K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia

"The Blue Cross", The Story-Teller, September 1910; first published as "Valentin Follows a Curious Trail", The Saturday Evening Post, 23 July 1910

"The Secret Garden", The Story-Teller, October 1910. (The Saturday Evening Post, Sep 3, 1910

"The Queer Feet", The Story-Teller, November 1910. (The Saturday Evening Post, Oct 1, 1910)

"The Flying Stars", The Saturday Evening Post, 20 May 1911.

"The Invisible Man", The Saturday Evening Post, 28 January 1911. (Cassell's Magazine, Feb 1911)

The Honour of Israel Gow (as "The Strange Justice", The Saturday Evening Post, 25 March 1911.

"The Wrong Shape", The Saturday Evening Post, 10 December 1910.

"The Sins of Prince Saradine", The Saturday Evening Post, 22 April 1911.

The Hammer of God (as "The Bolt from the Blue", The Saturday Evening Post, 5 November 1910.

"The Eye of Apollo", The Saturday Evening Post, 25 February 1911.

"The Sign of the Broken Sword", The Saturday Evening Post, 7 January 1911.

"The Three Tools of Death", The Saturday Evening Post, 24 June 1911.

My Thoughts:

While this series is categorized as a mystery, it's not Sherlock or Wimsey or even Wolfe. Father Brown doesn't go around looking at a thread caught on a bush and extrapolate the life story of the perp and then reveal him to the authorities. No, Father Brown studies the nature of fallen humanity, discovers the culprit and tries to get them to do the right thing, whether repentance or turning themselves in.

Chesterton was a converted Catholic and as such, Father Brown is pretty strong on his catholic doctrine. At the same time, it really didn't come across as Chesterton trying to preach or convert his readers. He was trying to tell a great story first and for me, it worked.

The main thing that worked best for me though was the short story aspect. Chesterton wrote each story for a magazine back in the day and then had them collected later. I didn't have to power through a whole novel and I could stop between stories without losing anything. I appreciate that simplicity and lack of tangled complexity that a lot of modern books seem to deliberately aim for.

One interesting aspect that stood out to me was that in several of the stories the villain of the piece took poison rather than face public justice. That happened in one of the Lord Peter Wimsey books too and I wonder if it was a “sensibility of the times” thing? I don't think of the bad guys of today taking poison but either fighting or flight'ing or of readers caring one way or the other. I'll be keeping an eye out to see if it happens in any more stories.

A good addition to my reading rotation. Since I am also reading several other mystery series, I am going to be switch hitting the Complete Works of Chesterton with the Complete Works of the Sisters' Bronte. That way I don't Mystery myself out :-)

★★★✬☆

Every Sky A Grave (The Ascendance #1) ★★★☆☆

 

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Title: Every Sky A Grave
Series: The Ascendance #1
Author: Jay Posey
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 302
Words: 115K

Synopsis:

From Skybound.com & Me

Far in the future, human beings have seeded themselves amongst the stars. Since decoding the language of the universe 8,000 years ago, they have reached the very edges of their known galaxy and built a near-utopia across thousands of worlds, united and ruled by a powerful organization known as the Ascendance. The peaceful stability of their society relies solely on their use of this Deep Language of the cosmos.

But this knowledge is a valuable secret, and a holy order of monastics known as the First House are tasked with monitoring its use and “correcting” humanity’s further development. Elyth is one such mendicant, trained as a planetary assassin, capable of infiltrating and ultimately destroying worlds that have been corrupted, using nothing more than her words.

To this end, Elyth is sent to the world Qel in response to the appearance of a forbidden strain of the Deep Language that was supposed to have died out with its founder over seven hundred years prior. What she finds on the backwater planetoid will put her abilities to the test and challenge what she knows of the Deep Language, the First House, and the very nature of the universe.

Elyth can't kill Qel due to the work of a man known simply as eth ammuin. So her first task is to find and kill him. She fails. Then she finds out that the Great House given the responsibility of dealing with technology is using eth ammuin to gain the knowledge of the Deep Language. So now she has to rescue him. Then she finds out that the planet is under interdict and is going to be destroyed so she and eth ammuin team up. They save the planet, Elyth realizes how shallow the First House's knowledge really is and decides to go her own way.

My Thoughts:

I went into this book with some huge reservations. Posey had abandoned writing his Outriders series in favor of starting this. I also didn't realize this was a start of a new series and thought it was a standalone. It works well as a standalone but it isn't. I have to ask myself, why should I trust him to finish this series when he's already shown he's more than willing to stop writing a series just because he feels like it?

On the other hand, this is the same author who wrote the Legends of the Duskwalker trilogy that absolutely blew me away.

Unfortunately, my reservations held more true than my cautious optimism. There was nothing “wrong” with this book but it was slow and I felt like I was reading about a space ninja experiencing satori for the first time. I'll get into that in the next paragraph. While I was reading this I kept having flashbacks to Way-Farer and not in a good way. Way-Farer was good rousing fun that has kept me entertained several times and every time I simply tear through it. This? This was not rousing fun. It was plodding and I didn't tear through anything. In fact, the 300 pages felt at least double that, if not a bit more. The philosophizing that was interesting but shallow in Way-Farer here is explored in depth and in all seriousness, like Posey felt he had some message to convey. It was ludicrous.

That exploring of transcendentalism'ish and satori and eastern thought wouldn't necessarily been a bad thing but the first thing after the book is done, in the author's afterward, is him thanking Jesus. Eastern thought and Christianity are utterly opposed at the basic level. While people continue to try to meld them in various ways, the only way it works is if you butcher what the Bible teaches about the very nature of God Himself and Jesus. It's not that I'm opposed to Christians writing about things they don't believe in, but the studied seriousness that Posey gave in this book, while proclaiming Christ, was disturbing.

I realize I've been pretty harsh and yet still given this 3 stars. I did enjoy reading the story, with all the issues mentioned continually impinging on me and I didn't think it was bad writing at all. It just wasn't up to the level of story telling that I fell in love with in Legends of the Duskwalker.

I think I'll be passing on any more of these Ascendance books and wait and hope that Posey eventually goes back and finishes up the Outriders. I can wait, I've got plenty of books in my tbr.

★★★☆☆

• All My “Jay Posey” Reviews

V-Wars (V-Wars #1) ★★★✬☆

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: V-Wars
Series: V-Wars #1
Editor: Jonathan Maberry
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 405
Words: 154.5K

Synopsis:

From Vwars.fandom.com

Conceived of and edited by Bram Stoker Award-winner Jonathan Maberry, V-Wars: is an anthology series of ‘eyewitness accounts’ and ‘frontline reports’ from the vampire apocalypse. After an ancient virus that causes vampire-like symptoms is accidentally released during an Antarctic expedition, humanity must scramble to survive. In this collection of interconnected but unique tales, contributing authors Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, James A. Moore, Gregory Frost, John Everson, Keith R. A. DeCandido, and Scott Nicholson offer gripping accounts of a world spinning towards war and destruction.

My Thoughts:

The “synopsis” was the best I could find without writing my own. A set of authors all write multiple short stories about a character and Maberry, the editor and one of the contributors, weaves the stories all together into one tapestry. So you'll get a chapter from Maberry about Character X, then a chapter by Navarro about Character A, etc. Most of the characters have no overlap and are written so as to give a broader view of the events happening.

Which basically is that vampires make a huge comeback and how humanity deals with it. This was what I want in a vampire story. Vamps kill humans in one way or another, bloody and violent and it's all kill or be killed. The thing is, one or two characters are perfectly slotted into the “Woke” side of things and bleat about vamps and it not being their fault and we just have to understand and try to get along with them. They were perfectly done and it took all of my mighty might to appreciate that instead of raging at a fictitional character.

The main reason this is getting only 3.5 instead of 4 is because along with the blood and violence associated with vamps, we also get the sexual side of things. There were too many near explicit scenes for me to be comfortable with. If this trend continues in the next book I'm afraid that it will be the last book in the series I read.

Right at the end there is a character who is revealed as an anti-vamp. She's a werewolf and transforms in the presence of vampires and kills them. It was awesome!

In many ways this reminded me of the Necroscope series in both good and bad ways. That was another vampire series I had to stop, so we'll see what happens with this one.

★★★✬☆

 

Separation of Power (Mitch Rapp #3) ★★★✬☆

 

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Title: Separation of Power
Series: Mitch Rapp #3
Author: Vince Flynn
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 378
Words: 133.5K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia

About a month after the events in the previous book, CIA Director Thomas Stansfield has succumbed to cancer and has chosen Dr. Irene Kennedy, The director of the CIA's counterterrorism center, to take his place as director. Meanwhile, Henry "Hank" Clark, a corrupt Republican senator and chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is making plans to prevent Kennedy from becoming the director of the CIA. His plan involves embarrassing her before she can be confirmed for the position, and handpick a new director and have them open up "ECHELON", a global surveillance program, and give its secrets to his investors in Silicon Valley, who will then help him get elected to become president. His original plan to kill Rapp and embarrass the CIA failed, so he begins the process of his new plan.

Mitch Rapp is called in to visit Kennedy to talk about Peter Cameron, the CIA officer who attempted to have him killed in Germany, but was killed by an assassin before Rapp could capture him. He and Kennedy watch surveillance footage that captured the face of the assassin. Rapp realizes that the assassin is Donatella Rahn, an Israeli assassin and Rapp's ex-girlfriend. Kennedy instructs him to take his girlfriend, Anna Rielley, to Milan and propose to her, and then go visit Donatella to learn who hired her to kill Peter Cameron. Meanwhile, Clark visits his accomplice, Mossad director Ben Freidman at the Israeli Embassy, who has been helping him become president in exchange for more aid to Israel. At the meeting, Clark orders Ben to assassinate Donatella, who he hired to kill Peter.

Later that day, Ben visits President Xavier Hayes, Kennedy, and General Flood, the chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of staff, at the White House. It is there he informs them that Saddam Hussein, with the help of North Korea, is only a few weeks away from acquiring three functioning nuclear weapons. He also informs them that the facility for making these weapons is hidden under a massive hospital in Baghdad, and that if the Americans won't take action, than they will do it themselves. Seeing as how an Israeli response could lead to nuclear war, The President and his team start to come up with ways to destroy the facility and the nukes.

At the same time, Mitch and Anna arrive in Milan, and after a day of touring the city, Rapp goes to visit Donatella. In Washington, Clark persuades his accomplice, Albert Rudin, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to investigate Kennedy for corruption and promises him evidence before her confirmation ceremony. In Milan, Rapp can't get Donatella to tell him who hired her, but realizes they are being followed. When they arrive at her apartment, Donatella is ambushed by awaiting Mossad operatives, but manages to kill them thanks to Rapp's warning. After Rapp promises her protection in America, Donatella confesses that Ben had hired her to kill Peter. Rapp brings Donatella to he and Anna's hotel room, where she accuses Rapp of having an affair,and she storms off before he can explain.

In Washington, D.C., General Flood concocts a plan to insert a Delta Force team into Baghdad, disguised as a presidential motorcade, and infiltrate the facility under the cover of a U.S bombing campaign across Iraq in order to steal the nukes. But Kennedy strongly recommends Rapp to lead the operation. Elsewhere in Washington, Jonathan Brown, deputy director of the CIA, meets with Norb Steveken, the head of an investigative firm hired by hank and Rudin to investigate Kennedy. Brown hands off classified information on Orion Team, a secret counterterrorism team led by Kennedy, who Rapp is a member of. Rapp returns to America and is read in on the plan to infiltrate Baghdad. He agrees to the mission and comes up with the idea of impersonating Uday Hussein, Saddam's favorite son, in order to gain access to the facility. As they prepare for the mission, Rudin reveals the existence of Mitch Rapp and the Orion Team on Meet The press and implicates Kennedy of violating international law, throwing the confirmation process into chaos.

President Hayes orders the bombing campaign against Iraq, which helps Rapp and the Delta team to successfully enters Baghdad. Rapp and the Delta team, disguised as SRG soldiers, are able to enter the facility and steal the nukes. As they fend off enemy fire, they destroy the facility, kidnap the head North Korean scientist, and escape Iraq with the nukes. After they return to the U.S safely, President Hayes reveals the success of the operation and confirms Rapp's existence by explaining Rapp's action in Iraq. Rapp returns to his home and apologizes to Anna, and after he does this, he retires from his role as an assassin and proposes to her. His plan having failed due to the fact Kennedy is looked at as a hero, Clark kills Rudin by pushing him off his balcony, making it look like a suicide.

When the Israeli prime minister comes to Washington with Ben Freidman and Yasser Arafat, Rapp and the president interrogate Ben and threaten to kill him. As a result of this, Ben reveals Clarks role in the week's events. Several weeks after this, Clark is killed by Rapp and Donatella at a bar in D.C, making it look like an apparent heart attack.

My Thoughts:

This was a good wrapup to the initial Mitch Rapp trilogy. Senator Clark (what's with bad senators? They make horrible presidents and should know better than to try to be president. A senator is a pack group animal, while a president is a lone wolf with the decisions resting squarely on his shoulders) and his plans to discredit the current administration no matter the cost fails and in the end Rapp takes care of him. Permanently. It was satisfying to read.

The thing that I enjoyed that I didn't think I would was the relational drama between Rapp and his girlfriend. She's a big time reporter and has to stick her nose into everything and Rapp is beyond secretive about everything on general principle. It comes to a head here and they have a stormy stomp off the stage I'm not going to marry you scene. I really liked how the author brought these conflicting personality types and responsibilities against each other. They are real issues these 2 are going to have to deal with if they want their marriage to last. What I didn't like was how feelingz and wuv, true wuv overcame all in the end as they get engaged. What these 2 characters need is some serious marriage counseling, as their life paths are going to continue to clash if they can't figure out how to make it work. I wanted to shake both of them by the scruff of their necks and tell them to go to Pastor Peckham. Here's to hoping the author uses this dustup to make them examine the issues in their lives and not just as fodder. * fingers crossed *

If the series had ended right here, I would have been satisfied. However, I am very glad that the adventures continue. I need some macho man reading without asshattery arrogance and Mitch Rapp fits the bill perfectly.

There is a movie called American Assassin but it appears to be based on book 10 or 11 of the series, so I'm not even tempted to watch it yet. Who know what kind of spoilers, and probably WRONG spoilers to boot, it contains? I'll wait til I've read the book and then see if my library or Prime has it.

★★★✬☆

• Transfer of Power (Book 1)

• The Third Option (Book 2)

Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time #10) ★★★★☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Crossroads of Twilight
Series: The Wheel of Time #10
Author: Robert Jordan
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 651
Words: 273.5K

Synopsis:

From Tarvalon.net & authored by Toral Delvar

<details>In Arad Doman, Rodel Ituralde hatches a plot to defeat Seanchan invaders. This plan involves using Taraboners to draw them out. Rhadam Asunawa realizes the Whitecloaks are united with the Seanchan by their hatred of Aes Sedai. He is willing to sacrifice the Whitecloaks if it will lead to the destruction of the Tower. He tries to convince Valda to support this course of action, even going as far as to suggest the use of damane to bring it about.

Deira Bashere and Dobraine are both attacked, presumably by men looking for the remaining seals. Dobraine is almost killed. Loial and Karldin arrive, looking for Rand. Samitsu is surprised that Karldin doesn't submit to her. Logain decides to do something about Taim and takes men and Aes Sedai to the Sun Palace to try and find Rand. From there he Travels with Samitsu, who feels discontent at having her authority usurped by Sashalle, to meet Rand, who isn't pleased by Logain's bonding Aes Sedai and says it must stop. Logain tells Rand that Taim is a traitor and has named several of those loyal to Rand as traitors, but Rand decides that Taim must wait. He sends Logain with Bashere and Loial to arrange a truce with the Seanchan. Min sees Logain's aura of glory more strongly than ever. Bashere returns to say the Seanchan are willing, but only if Rand is there in person to meet Suroth and the Daughter of the Nine Moons.

The Black Ajah hunters in the White Tower are forced to go slowly, until they can get the only known Black sister on her own. They are puzzled by the premature raising of many of the replacement Sitters and the fact that it seems the Ajah heads conspired in it. Katerine arrives outside Tar Valon at the same time as Tarna and both demand passage into the city. Gawyn no longer feels obligated to the Tower as they tried to have him and the Younglings killed and then abandoned them. However, not all the Younglings share his views. He learns from Tarna that Elayne supports the rebels. Alviarin returns from Tremalking and sees rats about the Tower, a sign of wards failing. She learns that Elaida has survived the knowledge of the debacle at Dumai's Wells, as well as the loss of sisters sent to destroy the Black Tower, going public. Alviarin is told she is no longer Keeper. She notices Talene look to Yukiri and Doesine before keeping silent when the Green is asked a question. Elaida tells her how much she looks forward to her execution when sufficient proof has been found of her treachery. Alviarin uses a device to contact Mesaana to tell her this. Mesaana is unimpressed and decides to punish her before Shaidar Haran arrives and puts a stop to all channeling, showing Mesaana's true face. She announces she will kill Alviarin for this, but Shaidar Haran forbids it, announcing he is the Dark One and briefly casting off his Myrddraal form. He puts a mark of protection on Alviarin and tells her to find those who threaten the Black Ajah. She decides to start with Talene.

Tarna visits Pevara and, after mentioning Pevara's unusual views, suggests that the only way to control Asha'man is to bond them and that the Reds will be the only ones willing to do it. Pevara reveals to her that Asha'man have already bonded those sent to destroy them, saying this will change the world

Perrin learns that Masuri and Annoura have being meeting with Masema, though he doesn't know why. Berelain stops hunting Perrin, but is content to let everyone else believe that she still is. She tells him of a letter Masema had from Suroth and that her thief-takers, who obtained it, are missing. They discover the Shaido camp. However, it is too large to attack and might have as many as five hundred Wise Ones in it. Masema suggests they restock in a town where the dead are walking and corruption and decay are rife. Perrin discovers a large pack of Darkhounds, though they are not hunting him. He stops the futile torture of a captured Shaido and instead chops off his hand, then threatens to do the same to his other limbs and leave him behind to beg on the streets, in order to get him to talk, but learns little. Tallanvor informs Perrin that the Seanchan are also hunting the Shaido and he decides to align with them to get Faile back.

In the Shaido camp, Faile plots her escape and continues to spy on Sevanna. Galina informs Sevanna that Faile has kept a weapon. Lacile and Arrela, two members of Cha Faile, who escaped with the help of Bain and Chiad, are retaken. Aravine pledges fealty to Faile. Rolan takes a liking to Faile. She believes he may help her escape.

Elayne Travels to several locations in Andor, gathering support from minor Houses. Dyelin brings the High Seats of four of the larger Houses, whose pledges of allegiance Elayne needs to take the throne. Careane and Merilille talk of their disapproval of Hanlon, whereas Sareitha talks of how wonderful he is. Elayne makes a bargain with Zaida, giving her a square mile of Andor in return for fourteen Windfinders to open gateways and keep Caemlyn supplied while the siege goes on. Merilille is to go with the Sea Folk, but she flees first, taking one of the Windfinder apprentices with her.

Arymilla keeps Elenia, Naean and Nasin hostage to force their support, though Elenia plans her escape and revenge. Hanlon plots the murder of everyone.

Mat and Tuon get to know each other. She asks if he remembers Artur Hawkwing’s face and he denies it. He learns the Windfinder he freed had freed others and many people died for it, and also that Tylin is dead. He struggles with Egeanin for control until Tuon strips her of her nobility. Tuon then promises Mat that she will not try and escape. Rendra is keen to use the a'dam again on the Aes Sedai travelling with them, but Bethamin is resigned to the fact that they will not. Mat forbids it. Rendra tries to kill Egeanin before fleeing, in order to keep the secret that she can be made damane, a fact that Egeanin is forced to reveal. Rendra is killed to prevent her from contacting a Seanchan patrol. Tuon forbids Mat from mourning. Mat learns that by claiming that Tuon is his wife three times, he has completed his half of the Seanchan marriage ceremony. Mat and Tuon play a game where he buys her gifts but doesn't give them to her. Setalle takes a liking to Tuon, who herself takes a liking to Olver. Tuon gives Luca a guarantee of safety and a list offering protection to most of the people she has been with, except Mat.

Back with the rebel Aes Sedai besieging the Tower, Egwene has people turning iron into cuendillar, both for practice and to provide funds. She is exerting more authority over the Hall. Delana is trying to cause trouble and insisting Elaida should be named Black. Keepings have been failing and food has been rotting. The sisters sworn to Egwene have become her official council. Most of the Sitters who were Sitters when they fled are pressing to negotiate. Egwene allows this, on the condition they insist on Elaida's resignation and exile. Elaida meanwhile is insisting that the Blue is disbanded and all the rebels are no longer members of any Ajah. Sitters return from where the taint was cleansed and report that Shadar Logoth is no longer there and that saidin was used, which leads them to assume it was the Forsaken. An alliance with the Asha'man is approved, much to the disgust of the original Sitters. Lelaine later suggests bonding the Asha'man, modifying the bond to allow them to be compelled. Egwene believes Rand is doing similar but still refuses. She tells Romanda of her plans for the Kin, but Romanda is not interested, insisting she will die as Aes Sedai. Sharina takes on much of the responsibility of ensuring the novices do as they should, to the bemusement and annoyance of various Aes Sedai. Nicola disappears and Anaiya and Kairen are murdered by Aran'gar, who is continuing to give Egwene headaches with the Power. Egwene converts the harbor chain to cuendillar before being betrayed and caught by Tower Aes Sedai.</details>

My Thoughts:

I felt like this was really a 3.51 rating and so I rounded up to 4. This was my first time re-reading this and it has been 10 years since I originally read it so beyond the whole Perrin/Faile thing, this felt very brand new. It also made me realize how much detail Jordan shoves into these books, important details that are easy to overlook because of the all the other crap he sticks in. This was the book where Jordan reveals just what the super Myrddraal, Shaidar Haran, actually is. I'd completely skipped over that in my previous read.

I don't see how one can take this series in without at least one re-read. That being said, I'm never going to be reading this series again once I finish it up. I was talking with Mrs B about it and I was able to finally articulate why. There are no positive relationships anywhere in this book or series. None. Even the good guys think nothing but criticisms or cattiness about each other. Every single character is trying to control things to their satisfaction and will do what ever they need to to accomplish that and we get to hear their inner thoughts throughout it all. Characters might “say” they are friends but their actions, words and thoughts say otherwise. It was a very unpleasant realization for me.

I realized this near the beginning of the book and it simply overshadowed everything. It's not that this type of thing hasn't been present before, as that is how Jordan has been writing for the whole series, it's just that I truly noticed it for what it was and I couldn't un-see it.

It also made me question just what it was that made Rand, Matt and Perrin the “good guys”. My answer? They aren't. They are simply less worse than having the Dark One rule the world. That was the point where I decided that once I'm done this read through I'll be getting rid of my hardcover copies and never reading this again.

My mind kept turning to Corinthians I, chapter 13, which is known as the Love chapter of the Bible. In it, Love is described both by positive and negative things.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I just kept waiting for some of these characteristics to show up and I never saw them.

I realize I've done nothing but complain about this book and yet I gave it 4 stars. The thing is, the story itself is still awesome. While the plot has ground to a halt, Jordan is using this time to setup his playing pieces just where he wants them to be. I like what is happening, where things are going and what the characters are doing. I just don't like anybody.

★★★★☆

• Crossroads of Twilight (2011 Review)

• Winter's Heart (Book 9)

• Path of Dagger (Book 8)

• Crown of Swords (Book 7)

• Lord of Chaos (Book 6)

• New Spring (Book 0)

• The Fires of Heaven (Book 5)

• The Shadow Rising (Book 4)

• The Dragon Reborn (Book 3)

• The Great Hunt (Book 2)

• The Eye of the World (Book 1)

Periodic Table (A Very Short Introduction) ★★★☆☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Periodic Table
Series: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Eric Scerri
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 145
Words: 41.5K

Synopsis:

From the Publisher

The periodic table of elements, first encountered by many of us at school, provides an arrangement of the chemical elements, ordered by their atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties, and divided into periodic trends. In this Very Short Introduction Eric R. Scerri looks at the trends in properties of elements that led to the construction of the table, and shows how the deeper meaning of the table's structure gradually became apparent with the development of atomic theory and, in particular, quantum mechanics, which underlies the behaviour of all of the elements and their compounds. This new edition, publishing in the International Year of the Periodic Table, celebrates the completion of the seventh period of the table, with the ratification and naming of elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 as nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson. Eric R. Scerri also incorporates new material on recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the elements, as well as developments concerning group three of the periodic table.

My Thoughts:

Sigh. Another mediocre at best book in this extremely topsy turvy series. After that little quote I posted in the CR&Q Post, which was from chapter one, my expectations were at about zero, maybe a one.

While things didn't stay at the level of the fanboyishness exhibited in that quote post, it definitely stayed in the “written by someone who is fascinated by the Periodic Table”. Scerri started out with a history of the table and how it came into being, how it has been refined and even how today there is question about the best way to present it. Knowledgeable, engaging and interesting. I'm talking 4 star material here.

Then he starts talking about the elements themselves. Oh my goodness. He uses mathematical equations and chemical notations. Here's a pro-tip from me to any of you thinking about writing an Introduction book on any subject: if you have to include equations and notations, you are doing it wrong. Period. What part of “Introduction” does this series simply not understand? I know I rail against this thing for every single book but it really bothers me for every single book. Not enough to quit reading these (for free after all) but if the library runs out of these (which they will) I'll not be buying any of these.

Now, learning about how the periodic table came into being and how even today it is still up in the air was totally worth reading this book for. Learning bits and pieces is always worth it, but that doesn't mean it can't be a frustrating experience.

★★★☆☆

• All My "A Very Short Introduction" Reviews

Crusade (Saint Tommy, NYPD #5) ★★★✬☆

 

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Title: Crusade
Series: Saint Tommy, NYPD #5
Author: Declan Finn
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 171
Words: 53.5K

Synopsis:

From the Publishers & Me

Still working abroad, Detective Tommy Nolan has a hot tip that leads him to Germany. Women and children are disappearing from Catholic Bavaria. The local police have their hands tied. Tommy is the last hope for answers.

Yet again, Tommy is in over his head. What starts as a sex trafficking ring turns into a terrorist conspiracy to unleash Hell on Europe. To stop it, Tommy must fight Nazi vampires, terrorists, and a swarm of succubi who want him as their next meal.

With the help of a local german police officer, a jewish rabbi with the secret of the golem at his fingertips and a group of bavarian special forces armed with paintball guns filled with holy water, it's up to Tommy to put a stop to the rite that will raise Asmodeous the demon. Unfortunately, Tommy doesn't get there in time and a hell gate is opened. This allows Jade, the succubus who ran the sex trafficking ring to gain incredible amounts of power and become a low level demon herself. She and Tommy duke it out, Tommy wins and they find Asmodeous trapped within a circle. The battle exorcist from the previous book is left to deal with him.

Tommy adopts one of the girls rescued from the sex ring and it turns out she has some sort of psychic powers. With his wife just having given birth to his own biological daughter, Tommy's family is growing by leaps and bounds,

My Thoughts:

I think the first thing I need to say is that this book doesn't shy away from some very tough subjects. Sex trafficking is not only happening in Africa or the Middle East or South America. It is happening here in the United States and in all of Europe as well. It is pervasive and evil and Finn doesn't sugar coat it. He's not graphic nor describing the horrors in detail, but one woman is raped to death off page as an object lesson to the other prisoners. With that said, lets talk about the more pleasant aspects of the book.

Tommy gets to fight nazi vampire muslim terrorists. No joke. Vampires, unfortunately, play a very small part. They simply crumble to dust when touched by Saint Tommy. The author does go into speculation about pre-history, much as he did in the previous book about the stone and vampires are grouped into that era of lore. There are some seriously cool fight scenes but that leads into the one thing that made me knock half a star off the rating.

Finn is constantly making pop-culture references throughout this book. It was apropos and funny but those things have a very limited shelf life and I don't like them in the books I read. I find it cheapens them. Most of it was John Wick related this time. I love the movie John Wick and got it all, but in several years, even if the movie has cult status sticking power, people simply aren't going to know what Finn is referencing. Then there was the golem mecha vs the dragon succubi and I had to roll my eyes at that fight. It was just to over the top for my taste.

I've got one more book available to me in this series then I have to decide if I want to continue or not. Finn is up to book 8 and from the reviews I've seen he does have an end game plan, but it won't be for several books after 8. Upon reflection it would seem that my best option is to stop after book 6 and let him finish the series. Good thing I had this little conversation with myself!

★★★✬☆

• All My "Saint Tommy, NYPD" Reviews

[Manga Monday] Yotsuba&! Vol. 14 ★★★★★

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 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 WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Yotsuba&! Vol. 14
Series: Yotsuba&! #14
Author: Kiyohiko Azuma
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 224
Words: 8K

Synopsis:

Chapter List:

Yotsuba & Work

Yotsuba & Yoga

Yotsuba & Princess

Yotsuba & The Day Before

Yotsuba & Harajuku

Yotsuba & Yoyogi Park

Yotsuba & Lunch

From Wikipedia

After helping Koiwai move a new table upstairs, Jumbo presents Yotsuba with a set of beads; an intense necklace-making session ensues for the trio. Miss Stake invites Fuuka and Yotsuba to join her for a free trial session of yoga; as the older girls struggle, Yotsuba exhibits astonishing flexibility. Yotsuba reads the story of Cinderella; inspired, she ties ribbons to her hair and is infuriated when Koiwai fails to see her fancy long hair. Going next door, Asagi immediately recognizes her as a princess and makes a fancy dress for Yotsuba using plastic trash bags; after she returns home for her bead necklace, Koiwai makes up for his earlier faux pas by asking the self-proclaimed Princess Zapunzel for a dance. The day before their trip to Tokyo, Yotsuba asks her neighbors and friends for places to go; Mother Ayase suggests Ginza, Asagi suggests Shibuya and Shinjuku, Ena suggests Tokyo Tower, and Fuuka suggests Harajuku specifically to eat crepes, which she calls stylish. Torako suggests Daikanyama but then gloomily asserts there are no fun places for kids in Tokyo. To prepare for their trip, Koiwai buys a smartphone and Yotsuba accompanies him to buy a sushi dinner at the market. Jumbo and Yanda visit later that evening to help Koiwai with his new phone and ask Yotsuba where she would like to visit when they arrive in Tokyo. At the train station, Yotsuba helps Koiwai buy a ticket and they board a train to Ikebukuro Station, where they transfer to the JR East Yamanote Line. The pair stop in Harajuku for cotton candy and crepes, and then Koiwai gets a text message from his sister Koharuko suggesting they all meet in Yoyogi Park. At the park, Yotsuba spies on three women dressed as aliens, who she successfully convinces to not destroy the earth. Koharuko reminds Yotsuba they traveled to Tokyo to pick up Koiwai's new car, a Mini convertible, and takes them to a buffet at a luxury hotel restaurant for lunch. After a filling meal, Yotsuba and Koiwai set off for the highway in their new car.

My Thoughts:

When I read this a year and a half ago, I went into it with the expectations of it being funny. With this re-read of the whole series, I think that “cute” is much more fitting than any humorous description.

The backstory of the following scene is that Yotsuba and her dad have gone to Tokyo to pick up a car from Yotsuba's aunt and they meet in a park. Yotsuba sees some women dressed up as aliens and stares at them from behind a tree. One of the girls decides it would be fun to chase Yotsuba and she runs back to her dad and aunt, where her aunt tells her that she needs to ask the aliens to not destroy the earth.

There is another volume after this one, but it won't be coming to american audiences until September of this year. That's according to Yen Press, the publishers of the english version:

https://yenpress.com/9781975336097/yotsuba-and-vol-15/

★★★★★

• All of My "Yotsuba&!" Reviews