Spiderlight

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Title: Spiderlight
Series: ------
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 304
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

A new dark lord has risen in the land and it is up to one intrepid group to fulfill the prophecy. Unfortunately for these said servants of the light, the means of their salvation is a servant of darkness, a spider transformed by arcane magics into a humanoid form.

Beset by fears and doubts within and without, what will this group do once they confront the dark lord and find out the secret of the ages.

My Thoughts: Spoilers

This was a greatly written book. If you want to try Tchaikovsky's writings without dipping into his Shadows of the Apt Decalogue, this would be a great way to experience what he has to offer.

This is a very biting satire on the "Righteous" & the "Evil" tropes in fantasy and Tchaikovsky really turns things on their heads.  More than that, he seems to be trying to advocate for a completely grey world, where there are no standards and no Law Giver. That might amuse, entertain and be in line with a lot of his reader's thoughts, but for me, I hew to a different line.

God exists. All standards are set by what He has revealed in the Bible. They are not arbitrary but aspects of His character.

Now, some might be thinking "Goodness, Bookstooge, it is JUST a book" and I concur. But ideas are where the battle for this world are fought and won or lost and as such when an idea sets itself against God, I take it very seriously.  This is obviously not some Theological Tome but neither is it just an Escapist piece of literature. I know I'm not conveying this very well and I'm struggling to quantify the "Why".  I think that it comes down to the Idea that there is No Perfect Being, not just in humanity, but in any Supernatural form either.  Which means that God is just a big meany with lots of power and THAT is what I take exception to. That debate is for another time and place and probably not on a post online. Face to face.

With all of that being said, I didn't hate this book. If I just took it as satire on some fantasy tropes I probably would have enjoyed this much more and rated it higher and not given it the Theological tag. But it pushed a wrong button for me. It has not dissuaded me from reading any more by him however and I look forward to see what other Ideas he puts on paper in his other books.

Heirs of Empire (The Scourwind Legacy #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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes(maybe) & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.}
Title: Heirs of Empire
Series: The Scourwind Legacy #1
Author: Evan Currie
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 352
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

The leading general of the Special Forces of the Empire commits a coup. The only survivors of the Scourwinds are the 2 youngest. With help from another rogue Special Forces agent and remnants of those loyal to the Scourwind name, the Scourwind youngsters must go from children to a man and woman in charge.

The general's reasons for the coup are only hinted at and much greater threats seem to be looming in the wings. This world is enclosed by the God Walls. But that only means that there are things OUTSIDE the walls that those within should be afraid of.

My Thoughts:

For whatever reason, this just hit ALL the right buttons for me. It is one of Currie's better books, as he seems to be getting better with more experience.  This wasn't deep, it wasn't emotionally moving, it isn't something that I plan on re-reading multiple times, if even once.  But as I was reading along, I just had a blast!

If you've read Card's Pathfinder trilogy, the whole God Wall thing is pretty transparent. However, since I loved that trilogy, that just boosted it up in my eyes. It was only mentioned in this book along with some vague mutterings about "threats" but it is patently obvious that things are just ramping up.

The special forces agents are pretty cool. Half jedi, half super-soldier, half wild cards. That is a lot of halfs :-) The rogue Agent that helps the Scourwind kids is a cliche for Currie, ie, a strong woman that takes no prisoners and gets the job done.  Several ideas from previous series are used as well but it didn't come as recycled, but just little pointings back. Kind of like how an artist will use the same color palette for certain subjects.

While this novel tells a particular story, ie,the Fall and Return of the Scourwinds and only takes a couple of months, it is still very much a setup book. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series.

The Servants of the Storm (Pillars of Reality #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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes(maybe) & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.}
Title: The Servants of the Storm
Series: Pillars of Reality #5
Author: Jack Campbell
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 320
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

The Great Guilds are trying harder than ever to get rid of Mari and have joined hands with the Empire, even though that will probably spell their demise. Guilds and Empire both realize that Mari has a source of hidden tech and they all want it for themselves. Mari, Alain and 3 others must make a daring journey back to Marandur to rescue the texts.

Mari must also balance her presence in Tiea by making it her base of operations but without taking over the monarchy. It doesn't help that another Heir to the Throne shows up and starts taking over.

But in the end, all roads will lead back to Dorcastle and Alain's visions.

My Thoughts:

My least favorite of the books so far. Not to say this was bad in any way, it just didn't keep me riveted like the previous books. I'd find myself putting the book down and checking my feed or something.

Part of that was the continued reiteration of Alain's "mage'ness". I get it, he doesn't show emotion. Or, he sees emotions in others that isn't easily visible to non-mages. There were a couple of other things as well that Campbell has repeated since book 1 that just started to bother me. I'm guessing part of it is that I've read this much closer to book 4 than book 4 was to book 3, etc. You follow me there?

The final "meh" was the cover. They changed the format. It used to be all brown with a square of the characters in the center. It was very striking. With this one, while keeping the same cover artist/style,  they've added that big blue swathe and "Jack Campbell" that just overpowers the other stuff.  Phracking publishers!

Ok, on to the good stuff.

The action continues strong. There is a fantastic submarine/gun/ship/crossbow/magic/river battle as they escape from Marandur that is as good as any of the battle scenes so far. There was also a memorable one on one fight scene between the royal siblings that really showed off their different upbringings since the fall of Tiea.

Overall, a good penultimate book in the series. Nothing here dissuaded me from wanting to read the final book or from highly recommending this to any lovers of SFF.

Who is the Real Eyeshield 21? (Eyeshield 21 #13) (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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Who is the Real Eyeshield 21?
Series: Eyeshield 21 #13
Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 216
Format: Digital Scan

Synopsis:

All the games from the second up until the semi-finals are shown, usually in 4 pages and just enough to show the strengths and weaknesses of various teams.
There is a lot of non-game stuff, which was just what I was looking for.

My Thoughts:

This was a great volume. There was a lot of emotional drama going on as teams lost and people watched their last chance at the Christmas Bowl go down the drains. There was one particular scene between Hiruma and the quarterback of the Chameleons that boiled down the hopes and dreams of all the 3rd Years. It was very touching.

It has been a tough day, so this is all I feel like writing.

Mission to Moulokin (Icerigger #2) (Project Reread #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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Mission to Moulokin
Series: Icerigger #2
Author: Alan Dean Foster
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 280
Format: Kindle digital edition

Project Reread:

I am attempting to reread 10+ books in 2016 that I have rated highly in the past. I am not attempting to second guess or denigrate my younger self in any way but am wanting to compare how my tastes have changed and possibly matured. I am certainly much more widely read now [both in the good and bad quality sadly] than then. 

I will hopefully be going into the reasons for any differences of opinions between then and now. If there is no difference of opinion, then it was a hellfire'd fine book!
Links may link to either Wordpress, Booklikes or Blogspot, depending on when the original review was.

Synopsis: Spoilers

Having survived Tran-ky-ky for a year, Ethan Fortune isn't that keen on going right back to his planet to planet sales job. He does refuse Collette DuKane's proposal of marriage but more because he realizes that he'll resent her power and constant on-the-go lifestyle than because she is fat.

 

This book is about Ethan, September, Milliken, Hunnar and the Slanderscree trying to put together a Trannish coalition so that Tran-Ky-Ky can be given membership into the Commonwealth. Unfortunately for them, greedy humans, self-serving tran and one particularly insane tran, stand in their way.

 

 

On their journey, they discover information that makes it imperative that Tran-Ky-Ky joins the commonwealth, for the good of all Tran the world over.

My Thoughts:

 

Well, this held up to my previous reading

[11 Year Old Review]

and stayed at 4 stars. 

 

I used the link to my review at Booklikes because my original review on blogspot, which has been transferred to wordpress, was a Year by Month list. I wasn't keeping track online yet and was just using a paper notebook. Once I started online, I had to copy out everything since 2000 and it was easier to do a year at a time instead of each individual book. Just goes to show how my reviewing style has changed and grown over the years:

Original Review Post

 

This was much weaker than Icerigger both in terms of adventure and interesting characters. The already existing characters are pretty static and the new characters who show up are there to either cause problems, be killed off or act as allies, nothing more, nothing less.

 

On the adventure side of things, it just didn't grab me the same way. There is a battle at Moulokin that wasn't nearly as good as the battle between the Horde and the Settlement in Icerigger and the Slanderscree's overland journey didn't nearly match up to the journey to Brassmonkey from the previous book. There is still a lot of action, it just wasn't as good. I can't pin it down any further than that, sadly.

 

Overall, while I enjoyed this read and am glad I made it part of my Project Reread, I don't think I'll be reading it again. It is time to let this sit and relax with all the other books I've read.

Emperor of the Eight Islands (The Tale of Shikanoko #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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Emperor of the Eight Islands
Series: The Tale of Shikanoko #1
Author: Lian Hearn
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 274
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

A young man is driven from his rightful village, an emperor is deposed, his young son is on the run under the "protection" of a young woman, magicians plot and magic abounds. Clans, brothers and wives scheme and nobody knows the end of the matter.

My Thoughts:

This is a story of change, of life and death, of magic both kind and cruel. While not as brutally depressing as the Tales of the Otori series, it is about kingdoms falling and rising. Whole clans overthrown, killed, dispossessed.

In many ways this felt like a Japanese fairytale. In line with a fairytale, this was shorter and not complete. A good start and I hope it gets better.

The Blood Mirror (Lightbringer #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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Blood Mirror
Series: Lightbringer #4
Author: Brent Weeks
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 704
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

The Chromeria is under attack by the White King, the former Color Prince. Andross Guile and Kara, the Iron White, unite in the face of satrapies falling away. Kip is married and besides leading attacks on the White King and learning to be a leader, he is dealing with some serious marital issues.

Gavin/Dazin [I've given up by now trying to figure it all out, he's Gavin to me] is captured by Andross and kept in the same prison he kept his brother in. Lots of things about magic, and theology, are revealed.

Teia, now playing a triple role as Blackguard, the Iron White's assassin AND as a double agent in the Broken Eye group, comes ever closer to her breaking point.

And so much other stuff that a synopsis is pointless. Just read these books.

My Thoughts:

Much like the previous books, I had a hard time getting into this one. I didn't feel like I WANTED to read this book. That lasted for until about the 10% mark and then a switch flipped and wham, I was racing along again. This exact same thing has happened in all 3 other books, so something about how Week's writes is the culprit. When I do my re-read of his Night Angel trilogy next year I'll see if happens with that as well.

I was all over the place while reading this. So the good first.

This is epic fantasy with some hardcore action. Battles, invisible assassins, magic prisons, people growing up, people realizing that they're not done growing up, tying this into a Christian world view. If you aren't looking for that though, I don't know if one would see it. Weeks uses a Bible verse or two. He also ties Orholam, and mythical fallen creatures, to God and the devil in our world. I thought it was quite cleverly done and not all shoving preachiness down the readers' throats. Kip and Tisis growing together as a married couple. It was wicked nice to see them CHOOSE to love instead of letting their feelings set the tone. Feelings do follow, but they make that choice and it impressed me. You don't see that much nowadays, with all the teen/YA angst romance crap.

Unfortunately, that leads me into the less than good.

Tisis had some sort of condition that prevented her from having sex. Weeks actually addresses the condition in an afterward, but I didn't want to read about it. I'm a pretty private person about some things and intimate matters definitely falls into that area. So to read about those issues just made me very uncomfortable. It really added to the relationship but I didn't like it.

The other thing was the continued profanity. It has bugged me since Book 1 and it will until the end.

The final problem is that now I have to wait who knows how long until the next book. Thankfully, I've got a boatload of good books to keep me distracted. Weeks tells the kind of stories I like to read and I trust he'll keep putting out good stuff for years to come.

Devil Bat Ghosts (Eyeshield 21 #12) (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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Devil Bat Ghosts
Series: Eyeshield 21 #12
Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 208
Format: Digital Scan

Synopsis:

The Devil Bats finish their game against the Amino Cyborgs.  With Sena back in the game, the whole team is re-energized and they crush the Cyborgs.
The Tournament is going well and various teams are competing for the Glory of the Christmas Bowl. We see several games and the outcomes go from the silly to the serious. They were all a bit short, just enough to showcase some of the players for future games.
The Devil Bats play a final game against the Yuhi Guts, a weak team. The Guts have several 3rd year players, so this is their final chance at the Christmas Bowl as well. With pressure from above, most of the regular Guts are benched and top athletes from other sports are brought in. That goes "well" and the Devil Bats just trounce the newbies. In desperation, the coach brings back the regular players, who make a valiant effort to fight back. Unfortunately, one team must lose and the Guts just don't have enough skill.
With this game the Devil Bats truly realize just how many players' dreams are on the  line and that it is not only their team who is striving.

My Thoughts:

This showcased so many different games that they tended to blur together or be so short that I couldn't get a good feel for things. It felt VERY full and not in a good way.

I am certain that future games will span full volumes, if not more but I do hope that there will be storylines outside of the games. These boys need to be more well rounded and while playing football is a great start, I want more than JUST that.

Alternate: Complete Omnibus

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 Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Alternate
Series: -----
Author: Ernie Luis
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 206
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:

Time Travel Exists. And there is a company self-tasked with keeping the Time Line on track. But when one man is sent back in the past to stop a rogue agent and sees his daughter saved, he will do whatever is necessary to keep her alive this time.
Unfortunately for Grey, he is a newcomer and a pawn in a much larger game that will determine if Humanity has a future, or not.

My Thoughts:

Whoooowheeee!!!! This was one wild ride. We follow several viewpoints throughout the story but Grey is the main character and the death of his daughter is THE defining moment in his life. It is the point around which everything, past, present and future, revolves for Grey. That aspect came through beautifully. His love for Hanna, even to the point of giving her up to her alternate "him" so that his alternate wouldn't have to go through the pain of losing Hanna like Grey did, was perfect.

Even while that was the main story, the Real Story was about the man who invented Time Travel, Rickman, and his search for Redemption for allowing his friend to die in the first time travel incident. The book takes place in 2030, with 2020 being the second line and 2010 where everything starts. It gets messy and complicated and hit things just right for me. Rickman's long game is to stop time travel altogether. I thought how the author dealt with alternates/paradoxes/etc was masterfully done and he'd obviously put some thought into how things might work.

Now, with all that praise, this book still lacked some polish and that special "something" that just makes a book great. I don't have any complaints about the book except that it could have been better. This was Luis's debut novel and while it showed, it also showed GREAT promise for any future writing. He does have several short stories under his belt, but I'll be waiting for his next novel.

The Tropic of Serpents (A Memoir by Lady Trent #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 & librarything.com/catalog/BookstoogeLT by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Tropic of Serpents
Series: A Memoir by Lady Trent #2
Author: Marie Brennan
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 332
Format: Kindle digital edition




Thus proclaimed Bookstooge, the Sage of the Diet of Sohdah and Utterer of Deep Mysteries, whilst traveling upon the highways and byways.


3 Dooms I pronounce against thee! Let all hear and tremble at my words.


DooM

21st Century Cant spewed, out of Time and Place
My soul loathes such an abomination


DoOoM

Where 10 words would do, yay 5 would suffice, 30 were squandered
Garner not my attention with vain repetitions and overly long descriptive paragraphs, for such things the Indies do, thinking to make their books be read on high
In the end, I cast them down into the pit, into the mire, to languish and such shall be done to thee


DoOoOoM

Bore. Me. Not.
Am I a god? Am I not mortal, like thee, with a mortal's lifespan?
Waste not my time, thou wretch, lest thou be consigned to the Dust Heaps of History


Here ends the 3 Dooms of Bookstooge