The Dragons of Dorcastle (Pillars of Reality #1)

Review:

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: The Dragons of Dorcastle

Series: Pillars of Reality

Author: Jack Campbell

Rating: of 5 Battle Axes

Genre: SFF

Pages: 336

Format: Kindle

 

 

 

Synopsis:

The Mechanics Guild and the Mages Guild have run of the known world. And they hate each other and teach their acolytes to act as if the other guild is nothing but a fraud.

So what happens when a young Mage and a young Mechanic have to rely on each other to survive? Why, this excellent story is what happens.

 

My Thoughts:

I really like Jack Campbell's SF. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I realized he'd started another series that was SF, Fantasy, Steampunk'ish and YA.  I went into this with almost zero expectations of enjoying it and not a little trepidation.

 

Thankfully, I enjoyed myself immensely.

 

A lot of adventure, a lot of action, lots of hints about big bad things in the Future and a nice little bit of teens falling in love for the first time. That can be real nice if handled with a deft hand and not with buckets of emotional slop.

 

I'd really like to write more because I had such a fun time reading this. But honestly, I don't feel the need to express WHY I enjoyed something. I simply note that I did enjoy it. Now, the opposite isn't true. If I don't enjoy something, there is a much better chance of me detailing the WHY of that.  I know part of it is that I don't need to remember why I liked a book, just that I did. I do like to know why I didn't like a book however, as in most cases in 10 or 15 years I forget what the book was about and if the premise sounds interesting, I need to know why not to try it again. Sometimes my mind is a funny place.

 

Looking forward to the already written sequel already.

Original post: Bookstooge.booklikes.com/post/1264003/the-dragons-of-dorcastle-pillars-of-reality-1

Ad Astra (Anthology)

Review:

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.





Title: Ad Astra
Series: -----
Author: John Hemry // Jack Campbell
Rating: of 5 Battle Axes
Genre: SFF
Pages: 198
Format: Kindle



Synopsis:
A collection of short stories from John Hemry, who uses the pseudonym Jack Campbell to write his Lost Fleet series.
All SF oriented and just how I like my short stories.

My Thoughts:
This was my "phone" book [I try to keep a book on my phone for those times that I forget my kindle and have 5 or 10 minutes of downtime at the dr's, or waiting for someone and stuff like that] and it worked out great. Short stories are perfect for little gaps of time one has.

I am a sucker for short story collections. I have been ever since I read Alan Dean Foster's paired collections With Friends Like These.... & ...Who Needs Enemies? Those are still some of my favorite books and I have them in very well read paperbacks.
And having read just about everything by Hemry/Campbell [alright, he's just Hemry from now on, even though he's more famous as Campbell. Sigh] I knew I would enjoy this.

These stories were just a lot of fun. Some were humorous, some serious and some thought provoking. All were excellently written and not a one bored me. I enjoyed this enough that I am seriously considering buying it in hardcover to add to my collection.

Not much more to say. Good stuff is good stuff and this book gets my stamp of approval.

Original post: Bookstooge.booklikes.com/post/1262276/ad-astra-anthology

Mitosis (The Reckoners #1.5)

Review:

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: Mitosis

Series: The Reckoners

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Rating: of 5 Battle Axes

Genre: Short Story

Pages: 35

Format: Kindle

 

 

 

Synopsis:

An Epic comes to Newcago. And the Prof is away so it is all up to David to be the hero.

 

My Thoughts:

Not a bad short story acting as an appetizer between Steelheart & Firefight. It is just as YA as Steelheart but being a short story, it kind of comes to the fore a bit more.

 

All I can say is that "The Power of Music" is cliched and it is cliched in this story as well.

Original post: Bookstooge.booklikes.com/post/1261969/mitosis-the-reckoners-1-5

The Lions of Lucerne (Scot Harvath #1)

Review:

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: The Lions of Lucerne

Series: Scot Harvath

Author: Brad Thor

Rating: of 5 Battle Axes

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 544

Format: Kindle

 

 

 

Synopsis: Spoilers Ahoy!

The President of the United States is kidnapped and the lone surviving Secret Service Agent, Scot Harvath, must rescue him all by himself to clear his name.

Hindering investigations left and right, going with his gut and ignoring all the SEAL Team Two training he has ever received, Scot globetrots based on a chocolate bar and a wine bottle.

I kid you not.

 

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this and it was closer to a 3 1/2 than just a 3, but Scot's lone wolf attitude just doesn't jive with everything we're told about him.

A SEAL wouldn't hide evidence because he thinks he knows better. A SEAL wouldn't randomly fire into store windows just to destroy them without knowing if there are civilians behind said windows. A SEAL wouldn't fire a gun into a civilian crowd just to keep his enemies heads down.

While SEALS are trained to be one man killing machines, they are trained to function as part of a group. Nothing about Scot in any way said "Team".

 

You get past that though and this was just a fun thriller. A ton of action, just the right amount of romance [a smidge, nothing more] and lots of room for tons of books to follow. It was a little long for the plot it was carrying, but as this was Thor's first book, it's not surprising. Hopefully the later books will be a bit tighter and leaner.

Original post: Bookstooge.booklikes.com/post/1261484/the-lions-of-lucerne-scot-harvath-1

The Empire Striketh Back (William Shakespeare's Star Wars #2)

Review:

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: The Empire Striketh Back

Series: William Shakespeare's Star Wars

Author: Ian Doescher

Rating: of 5 Battle Axes

Genre: SFF

Minutes: 205

Format: Audio book

 

 

 

Synopsis:

The Star Wars Saga continues, but in addition to iambec pentameter, we also get haiku (5-7-5) and prose. Prose from Boba Fett.

 

My Thoughts:

My first audio book. I listened to this going to and from work and it worked very well. Since I already knew the story, it was easy to just listen and go with the flow.

 

I have to say, this was a much BETTER version than just reading it. Shakespeare is meant to  be on the stage and since Doescher copies it all, this is meant to be read aloud too.

 

In regards to audio, I still don't think it is for me. I find it too easy to simply relegate what I am hearing as background noise and hence simply tune it out. After the next book in this trilogy, I'll probably look for some of Shakespeare's plays and simply listen to them as well. My commute is only about 20min, so that is a good amount of time for little chunks of audio.

Original post: Bookstooge.booklikes.com/post/1260725/the-empire-striketh-back-william-shakespeare-s-star-wars-2

The Sky Lords (Sky Lords #1) DNF@20%

Review:

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

 

Title: The Sky Lords

Series: Sky Lords

Author: John Brosnan

Rating:  of 5 Battle Axes

Genre: SFF

Pages: Abandoned

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

A sick twisted power hungry man plays with words with a lesbian amazonian slave woman about just what "rape" is.

 

No thank you.

Original post: Bookstooge.booklikes.com/post/1260189/the-sky-lords-sky-lords-1-dnf-20