The Kalispell Run (Endworld #4)

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 Kalispell Run
Series: Endworld
Author: David Robbins
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 212



Synopsis:
Alpha Triad is split up. Beefcake Boy [the man on the cover] and Token Indian Guy take Chieftess Hot Chick back to her clan because she claims they have the equipment the Family needs.
Hickock heads out after a hotblooded young idiot who gets himself captured while trying to prove how capable he is.
Meanwhile, back at the Camp.... the Power Monger is revealed and not dealt with.

My Thoughts:
Around the halfway mark I was ready to put this down. It was racist all around, culturally illiterate [a japanese guy who wants to kill the leadership of the family because he couldn't win a sword? After 100 years, there shouldn't BE any ethnic'ness left, sigh] and just as stupid [rippling brawny muscles is despairing because he'd left his darling Jenny back at the compound] as the previous books.

Then a switch turned in me and I sat back and enjoyed the 80's badness of it. It was like a MST3K book, just without the funny commentary.

But lets be real, this is trash. I'm talking trailer living, twinky eating, beer chugging trash. How it continued for so many books [25+ I believe] is beyond me. I'm certainly not paying for these, even if I am continuing to borrow and read them.

And to continue my indie rants from before...

I believe this is some of the worst you can get from the 80's. And it is still better than 90% of the indie offerings I see today in the Kindle SFF section. As absolute PANTS [man, I love foreign curse words, as they aren't for me :-)] as this series is, as completely juvenile, mindless and cringeworthy as it continues to be, it is still BETTER.

Don't talk to me about the Big Publishing Houses stifling creativity or such drivel. They were some chikusho good Gatekeepers and I for one miss that function. And don't tell me that the Indie Cream will rise to the top through word of mouth, etc. A pound of Cream will still taste like crap if it is wrapped in 10 pounds of manure.
Hmm, lets see, what else can't you tell me? I'll get back to you on that.
Hopefully, this will be the last of my rants for a bit. Can't allow such useless idiots to drive even one aspect of my life.

Neversfall (The Citadels #1) (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.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

 Title: Neversfall
Series: The Citadels, Forgotten Realms
Author: Ed Gentry
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 274


Synopsis:
An Elite Military Force and a Mercenary Company investigate why a Fortress in the south has gone silent.
What ensues is a story of greed, betrayal and megalomania.

My Thoughts:
This "series" is linked only by an idea, much like the Rogue series I am also reading in the Forgotten Realms. Standalone novels really, but to be honest, I need that sometimes.

However, this is your atypical "write to pay the electric bill" kind of book. The 2 "main" characters [one from the Elites, one from the Mercenaries] are dumb as dirt, nearly spineless and shrug off near fatal wounds like they are paper cuts. I realize there is magical healing in the FR books, but you do NOT get shot in the thigh with a crossbow bolt and then just go tearing around the top of a fortress running down all the badguys.

I really liked the Fortress itself. Sadly, it falls to the writers ineptness and does not live up to its name of Neversfall. As far as I can tell, it falls to various factions at least 4-5 times.

A lot of complaining; but competently written in the grammar department and with all the indie crap floating in the Literary Toilet these days, that in and of itself sets it high enough. The general bar has been lowered sadly.

Tales of Dune DNF @10%

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: Tales of Dune
Series: Dune
Author: Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 90


My Thoughts:
I knew I wasn't going to finish this after I DNF'd Anderson's last book but since it was on my Kindle and not just in my  ebook collection, I knew that I at least needed to give it the old college try before consigning it to the pit.

6 short stories set in the Dune Universe. I read the first one. Wasn't bad but was just as Meh worthy as I was expecting.

Now that I have all of Anderson/Herbert's stuff off my kindle, my Don't Read Anymore by Them Policy can take full effect. First DNF of the year...

The Broken Eye (Lightbringer #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: The Broken Eye
Series: Lightbringer
Author: Brent Weeks
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 972


Synopsis:
Gavin loses his power, is kidnapped by pirates, loses his eye and comes back to the Chromeria.
Kip continues his duel with Andross and ends up fleeing the Chromeria with his ex-blackguard group.
Kariss becomes the next White in spite of Andross's schemes.
The Color Prince uses Black Luxin and we find out that Gavin can use it at will, as the Lightbringer. We also find out what Black Luxin is capable of.
Lots of other things happen to lots of other people as well.

My Thoughts:
I no longer give out 5 Stars on an initial read. Those are saved for books that upon a re-read are just as good as the first time.
However, some books are so close that they deserve the 4.5 Stars. And this book deserves that.

I was worried going into this book, as I really enjoyed The Blinding Knife and was afraid my expectations might be a tad high. That is one thing I have found, my expectations can effect my reading quite a bit.

However, this was pretty solid for the first 75%. Good stuff. A great continuation of the story started in the previous two books.
Then things ramped up right until the end and I was left almost breathless. Intrigue, violence, battles, rescues, escapes, chases, corrupted magic users.

Books like this are why I like and continue to like, Fantasy. It makes me glad I bought this in hardcover. And a really good start to 2015. Booyah!

Shadowrealm (Twilight War #3) (Erevis Cale) (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.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Shadowrealm
Series: Twilight War, Forgotten Realms
Author: Paul Kemp
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 327


Synopsis:
Cale and Riven hook up with Rivalen, Prince of the Netharese, to stop the Shadow Storm from destroying all of Sembia. Revelations abound about Shar, Mask and Magadon's demon Father, Lord of the 8th Hell.

My Thoughts:
The end of Erevis Cale. He works with anyone he has to to recover Mask's missing piece of divinity and save Magadon's half soul.

Lots of fighting goes on, the End of the World Is Nigh goes on, Cale sacrifices himself for Magadon and general Forgotten Realm'ness goes on. Not a bad book to write a final review for 2014.

Of course, we never know for sure if Cale is really dead or just mostly dead [ha], but considering that his son has had an adventure in the last year or so with Riven and it's been 6 years since this book came out, I do think it is pretty safe to say that Erevis Cale is safely packed away :-)

Steadfast (Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier #4)

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: Steadfast
Series: The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier
Author: Jack Campbell
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 417


Synopsis:
Geary is being given the run-around by the Political Leaders, sent to put out one brushfire after another, in hopes to wear down his fleet and destroy him as a threat.
And Black Jack gets the job done but in the process discovers that Responsibility has been completely abrogated and a worse threat than the Enigma's maybe right in the midst of the both the Alliance and the former Syndic worlds.

My Thoughts:
I gave the previous book, Guardian, 3 stars because it felt kind of wishy washy to me.
Well, this book cleansed that feeling away in a wave of hell lance fire and pure awesome intrigue!

Geary continues to do his job while being actively worked against by his own government, even those friendly to him. The fact that he has not become Supreme Leader is a testament to Campbell's writing skills, as that would be the easy path and solve a LOT of problems.

Lack of overly detailed space  battles [like in the first 6 original Lost Fleet books] made this much more readable. It flowed easier, felt more polished and along with Imperfect Sword, really feels like Campbell [aka John Hemry] has come into his own as an author, almost like he's found his footing for his audience.

The ending. It was awesome! I'm sure more astute readers will pick up the foreshadowing, but it completely went over my head and so I was punching the air, almost yelling, when we find out about the new threat. I was just plain excited. Because Aliens are cool and all, but autonomous rogue A.I.'s have always had a soft place in my heart as being the best bad guys :-)

Crystal Soldier (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.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Crystal Soldier
Series: Liaden Universe
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 400


Synopsis:
If you ever wondered HOW the Liaden Universe came about, what with the vague and cryptic hints we've received so far, this book begins to answer those questions.

My Thoughts:
Lee & Miller obviously have a thing for coupling tall women with shorter men. Makes me wonder if they've based their characters on themselves?

Anyway, I enjoyed this Liad book, just like all the others. Hint of romance, large dash of action, mix with some space & ground adventures, throw in some vagueness and slightly ominous hints and BAM, you have this book.

I was kind of hoping for a sequel to Balance of Trade, but this works. And I know that the next book will finish this duology and show the beginnings of the Liaden Universe.
Something to look forward to.

By Other Means (Hayden War Cycle #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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: By Other Means
Series: Hayden War Cycle/On Silver Wings
Author: Evan Currie
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 223


Synopsis:
The 'War' is over, Long Live the Cold War.
SOLCOMM is sending a ship and Diplomat to the Alliance, to hammer out the details of a cease-fire and to hopefully work towards a Peace.
Aida is sent along as Protection and to figure out how to exploit weaknesses in the Alliance so it doesn't turn its attention towards Sol and her children.
So how is Aida supposed to protect the Peace while at the same time trying to figure out how to get around said Peace?

My Thoughts:
First off, Currie has gone and officially changed the series name to On Silver Wings, and made the change retroactively to all the books.
Phrack Me! and gold-darn those Indies...

Second, the writing was MUCH improved and the run on sentences strung together by commas, while still present, were not in force like earlier books. However, sometimes Currie got a little too carried away and completely lost me in what he was trying to convey. He probably knew exactly what he was saying, but it sure didn't come across to me.

Thirdly, I liked the story. Not a lot of action, just like in previous books but enough to keep you reading. A bit of existential angst from Aida as she wonders how she will go on with all the death on her conscience, but it isn't to much and feels tacked on to give her 'character' or 'depth'.

Finally, I did enjoy this and do plan on reading more in the series as they come out. Wish Currie would release in other venues than just Amazon but I supposed that is where he's getting most of his money.

Sweet Myth-tery of Life [Myth Adventures #10)

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: Sweet Myth-tery of Life
Series: Myth Adventures
Author: Robert Asprin
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 136


Synopsis:
Skeeve must decide whether to marry the Queen of Possilton or take over the Kingdom. Goes on several dates to find out about women, brings the kingdom's finances up to snuff [with Bunny's help] and is generally very Skeeve-like.

My Thoughts:
Not as amusing as I'd hoped. Skeeve is really an idiot and sometimes that translates into "Hilarious" but other times it translates into "Skeeve is an idiot".
This was one of those Idiot times.

Skeeve is a great apprentice archetype, but he doesn't do well as the Leader. It is obvious that Bunny has a thing for him and somewhere in that tiny brain of his it seems that Skeeve has a thing for Bunny.  But to drag the series out, nothing gets resolved, of course.

Skeeve keeps getting limited by the choices presented to him.  He forgets, doesn't realize, etc just how powerful he is and that he can make his own mold instead of conforming to the mold others have cast for him. He needs a stiffer backbone and some self-confidence.

Asprin does write a funny story and parts of this were pretty good [the date with a vampire for one] and the whole thing with Gleep is good as long as you don't mind getting smacked across the chops with a foreshadowing glove [and for the most part, I don't. Smack away, sir, smack away].

I will be reading the next book very soon, as this one ends with Gleep apparently dead or dying with an arrow in him. Spoilered! [kind of like 'Arrowed!!!', for you Homestar Runner fans]

Scattered Suns (Saga of the Seven Suns #4) DNF @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: Scattered Suns
Series: Saga of the Seven Suns
Author: Kevin Anderson
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: ---


My Thoughts:
I am done with Anderson. Nothing in the first chapters of this book drew me on and given the track records of the previous 3 books, I thought it best to simply Abandon this book, this series and Anderson as an author.

Wanted to clear out my Currently Reading list and get all the reviews out of the way before the New Years.  Not a review really, but everything by Anderson just bores me.