John Scalzi - Ghost Brigades

I've mentioned before that I love Scalzi right? So I don't need to say it again? Ok. You know what though, I think I will. I LOVE SCALZI. Before I started reading his books sci fi was something I dipped into occasionally when I was willing to put more time and effort into a book. That's changed, I am now devouring as much of the genre as I can as quickly as I can.

Anyway, the book. We are back in the Old Man's War universe, a couple of years after the events of that book. Naturally this one focus's on the Ghost Brigades, the warriors born straight into adult bodies and sent out to fight. Sagan plays a role in the book but it's not her story, it's Jared's. Jared Dirac is a special forces soldier who is not entirely himself and could be key to finding Charles Boutin who has turned traitor.

It's great, it's not as human as Old Man's War, dealing mostly with the special forces. The book gives us an insite into the prejudice between realborns and special forces, from both sides and the nature of choice and self. Scalzi writes brilliantly, keeping interest, tension and pace, I resented work and my husband for pulling me out of it. Zoe's Tale is still my runaway favourite, but I went into this one thinking that I wouldn't like it as much as the other two and was delighted to be blown away once again.

Also, I really love these retro sci fi covers!

I Kill Giants - Joe Kelly & J.M. Ken Niimura

Barbara Thorson is not your typical 5th grader. And it's not because she has a penchant for wearing bunny ears, talks back in class, has no friends, or has been in the Principal's office so many times their relationship has progressed to first names, although all those things are true.

No. It's her unwavering belief that she and she alone is the only one capable of standing against the evil giants that come to threaten her town. She even has a massive hammer named Coveleski that she hides in her small, hand-stitched purse.

If you think you know where Joe Kelly's beautiful I Kill Giants is going to go based on the above, then you're in for a shock. Because like John Scalzi did in Zoe's Tale, Joe Kelly sets out to write an unforgettable story about being a child, a real child, and the things you have to do in order to cope with all the things a child should never have to deal with, but do.

When we first come across Barbara she's hiding under a tent, stitching a sigil into her purse. She pricks her thumb, and uses the blood to mark the purse, all the while hiding from a secret, the secret that resides upstairs, and is the reason why she thinks she has to keep the Giants away. The art by J.M. Ken Niimura is breath-taking, a rough pencil mash-up of Japanese anime and something more Western, more identifiably American. Devoid of color, Niimura uses wonderful shading and empty space to perfectly capture Kelly's words. We see what Barbara sees (maybe others do, maybe they don't): a world of fairies and magic, of runes and floating spirits. Niimura uses different styles to pull the worlds together, and when he inevitably does get to the giants it's suitably awesome, still doesn't overtake the sharp, exquisite writing that lays Barbara's soul bare for a shattering confrontation that only can come after she deals with the monster.

I Kill Giants is one of those rare things: a comic book that makes full use of its unique storytelling devices to weave a tale of genuine human drama. There are monsters, fairies, war hammers and fights, and all of it goes toward exposing the hurt and eventual healing of one small, brave, girl, and leaves us with a message that anyone can take to heart:

"We are stronger than we think"

Whether you love comic books or not, this is one story you have to pick up.

A little bit of Romance in my life

Ok, you should all know by now that I have been harrassing the lovely folks at Ravenous Romance ever since the blog tour, and some of them have generously offered their time to provide a fortnightly column for Un:Bound.
It starts next Wednesday and confirmed contributors so far signed up are:

Inara LaVey aka Dana Fredsti

Neve Black

Sephera Giron

Lexi Ryan

C Margery Kempe

Lisa Lane

Isabel Roman

They are going to cover all sorts of subjects, whatever springs to mind and share the time out between them. If you want to know more you can visit the authors blog or to get your tee3th into some romance visit the publishers site.

Welcome to Un:Bound ladies, we are delighted to have you on board and I can't wait to see what you all have to say here. I will find a permenant place for all your links soon.

Blood Water - Dean Vincent Carter

Many thanks to Random House. This is being published in June as a Corgi title for Teens.

Blood Water is a children's horror story, that starts with an intriguing prologue. Dr Morrow found something odd in the water, a lifeform that has unusual properties. So it is then that while the rain pours down cutting the small town off, brothers Sean and James find themselves fighting something they believe could spell the end of the world.

The book moves quickly and racks up a good death toll. On the downside there is very little character depth and none of the subtlety that some authors add to their childrens novels, but not everyone can be Neil Gaiman. This one doesn't quite hit the spot for an ault reader.

The real strength of the book is that Carter manages to kill people off in horrible messy ways without turning my somewhat squeamish stomach too much, so it's a good balance for his target audience. I think this is a book that early teens will enjoy and it might lure them away from "House of the Dead" for a few hours. Shades of Resident Evil for early teens.

White Witch, Black Curse - Kim Harrison

Ok first of all, I am disappointed in this cover. I love the UK covers of these books, they are what drew me to them in the first place, so unusual, and the previous model, cover style and Clint Eastwood style titles all made me fall in love with these books before I ever picked one up. So, given that this follows the same principles why am I upset?
They changed the model. I loved the old model, she rocked it. They also made this one more prominent, I liked the faded into the background look. So all in all, Humph. I've included an older one for comparison. The new model looks a little mental too I think.

All that said, I do love this series. I love the world of the Hollows, I love Rachel and Ivy and their weird friendship/relationship with each other. I love Jenks (a Lot) and the way Rachel seems to just get in deeper and deeper all the time. White Witch lived up to all the expectations that are now attached to this series. It was fun, unfair, suspicious, emotional, wonderful and as always well written. The characters develop and grow, their relationships shifting over time through patterns that many of us will find familiar in some way.

In this book Rachel fully takes centre stage and the roles of Ivy and Jenks are somewhat reduced from previous novels, although all the usual suspects appear. Rachel is still studying with Al the demon, she is still trying to remember what happened the night Kist died (sob) and she is also dealing with a ghost at the church and the possibility of a relationship with Marshall. She has a pretty full plate without being dragged into a run where she knows she is way over her head and being labelled a black witch. Oh and her brother has come home and he still doesn't approve of her career choice.

This book moves so fast and pulls you around in circles so it is a very fast read, I settled in and didn't emerge until I was done. I love that in a book. Given it followed on the heels of Zoe's Tale I was not expecting to fall so thoroughly into it either. I would not jump into the series at this point, it's a book that makes assumptions of it's readers (it would have to be another 200 pages if it didn't) but if you are reading the series it's another excellent installment. If oyu have never read them, you might enjoy them, there is less of a chicks with guns feel to it than a lot of urban fantasy.

AMP Mills Interview and The Romance invasion

Ok first of all, the audio of the part interview part general silliness with AMP Mills author of Hell Bent on Success is now, to your right, just under the updates. As I understand it podbean will always put the most recent item there so if you pop to our homepage you will find a permanent link to the podcasts.




Also, we are now only 7 days away from the start of a regular slot by some of the Ravenous Romance Authors. They will be posting an article every other wednesday from next week and I am very excited to have them joining the team. More on that later this week, along with details of who from RR we have lured in to be a part of Un:Bound. The reason it's once a fortnight between several authors? Well they do have other commitments and we wanted to make sure that this didn't end up not being fun.

John Scalzi - Zoe's Tale (Take 2)

Part 3 in a perhaps faulty quest to review the current crop of this year's Hugo nominees for Best Novel. Check out Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book here and Cory Doctorow's Little Brother here.

Double Note: There may be slight spoilers here. Forewarned.

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Sorry for the wacky double-posting about John Scalzi's latest offering in the Old Man's World universe. Hagelrat and I don't talk about the books we're reviewing in advance, so while we can all chalk this up to a bout of quirky coincidence, the double-review does serve to tell you a couple somethings about Zoe's Tale:

1. It's so good it warrants two consecutive reviews on the site.
2. Did I mention it was good? Oh yeah...it's good.
3. This book definitely doesn't suck. Not even close.

Okay. Now that my inner fanboy has settled down, we can talk a little more about the book itself. Zoe's Tale takes the action of Scalzi's The Last Colony and spins it through another's perspective, filtering the story through the unique voice of Zoë Boutin Perry, the adopted daughter of John Perry and Jane Sagan, the "stars" of the previous novels that take place in this universe (and if you haven't read Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, or The Last Colony you're missing out on some great stories, my friends). Zoë isn't just your typical 16 year-old girl - she's the last link between the mysterious alien race the Obin, and the person who imbued the Obin with consciousness, Charles Boutin, Zoë 's deceased father. The Obin hold Zoë up as a sort of goddess - she is a key piece of a treaty that was later hammered out between the Obin and the Colonial Union, the humanity's galactic government. What begins as a mission to colonize a new world turns into something decidedly more, Zoë's world is completely changed, and her role in saving not only her parents but the planet takes on a much larger scope that the previous novels only hinted at.

Scalzi manages that rare trick, particularly in science fiction in particular: he writes a young character that is completely believable with regards to age (something nominee Cory Doctorow does as well in Little Brother). His Zoë displays all the requisite attributes your typical heroine needs: witty banter, near superhuman resolve and luck...but he wraps that package up in a character that is full of doubts and fear, prone to blow up and not listen, and care about the things it seems only children care about. In other words, all the things a normal 16 year old does. The fact that Zoë is also a girl, something Scalzi freely admits to not being, nor even understanding when he was that age, makes the trick even more beautiful.

The writing is vintage Scalzi - full of fast action, great dialog and ideas that hover around the crazy without ever once stepping over. There's a lot of focus on Zoe's Tale being written with Young Adults in mind, and in that regard it's an outstanding success, but don't let that negatively impact your decision to read it. The biggest compliment I can pay John Scalzi and all his books is that while I'm reading them I never feel like I'm looking at words on a page: I'm living inside the world he creates, and I'm swept along the tides of story with everyone else.

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Postscript: Am I the only one bothered that throughout the book it's spelled "Zoë" but the cover of the book omits the umlaut? Does it cost more or something? Just sayin...

Zoe's Tale - John Scalzi

This one came from Tor (thank you thank you thank you) and just to get it out of the way now..
I love Scalzi!!

Ok, done, right now you want to know about the book. Zoe's Tale takes place in the same world as Old Man's War, in this John Perry, Jane Saga and their adopted daughter Zoe are on their way to be colonists on a whole new world. John and Jane are to lead the colony.

Zoe is a bright and snarky normal teen, Scalzi really gets the tone right for the teenagers in this book, which is worth reading the book for all on its own. Anyway Zoe, by merit of her natural father, is of particular interest to the Obin who supplied her lifelong body guards Hickory and Dickory. John, Jane and Zoe are also caught up in a treacherous plot involving all the Roanoakers courtesy of their own people. Add this to the hardships of trying to get a colony going and the mysterious and potentially dangerous inhabitants of the world the group are settling and the daily traumas of being a teenager there is plenty for Zoe to deal with.

Scalzi is a brilliant writer and I love these characters, this world and this series of books. There is a wonderful play between thoughtful emotional moments and all out action. At one point I had to put the book down while I wiped my eyes and stopped crying, at others I laughed out loud or cringed for a teenage me of years ago. I believe it's going to be sold as Young Adult but it's suitable for younger readers lacking any really graphic violence and generally avoiding the whole sex issue, it's also so beautifully written, exciting and entertaining that it will definitely live up to the expectations of any adult readers.

Winterstrike - Liz Williams - Giveaway

Many thanks to Tor for supplying this book.
Release due in June. See the end of the post for giveaway details (open worldwide).

Mars is a martiarchy, men a thing of legend and superstition. Hestia Mar is a spy, her mother a powerful member of the Winterstrike council. She is sent to Caud to recover information about an ancient weapon.

Hestia's cousin Shorn has been imprisoned in her room by her family, but she escapes and her sister (almost a mirror image of Hestia) Essegui is under a geis to find Shorn.

Their seperate journeys take them into the mountains where the legend Mantis lives among the man remnants, and to earth at the request of the centipede Queen.

Broken into three main sets of narrative, we get first person from Hestia and Essegui and third person occasionally on Shorn. At first this makes it a little harder to follow, especially with the girls being so similar and having similar voices, as the book progresses the characters become easier to seperate and their adventures criss cross each other. It's not flawless and the characters are not as deeply developed and consistant as they might be, however there is enough to carry you along with them. The originality and adventure is excellent, the worlds well imagined and easy to be absorbed by.

It's a very enjoyable, pacey read with plenty happening. There are one or two slightly unlikely moments (conveniant aides to escape) but it's not enough to shake you out of the books reality so totally forgivable.

Giveaway - OK, I enjoyed this one but I can't keep everything or my house will have no room for me so i'm giving it away. All you have to do is leave a comment in this post and randomizer will pick us a winner.
Edit - Mulluane pointed out I forgot the end date. I will close this officially at the end of may so any comments added before I get up on the morning of 1st June will be included.

Two trashy blonds and an interview

Ok first of all this is a trashy blond. It's a nice beer.

I went to London yesterday to meet and interview author AMP Mills. Andrew's first novel "Hell Bent On Success" came out this year and we loved it. Also with us was Marc who supplied the photos and his own views on many subjects and who is an old web friend of mine I was delighted to finally meet in person.

In addition to this typed (not strictly speaking) interview I will be posting the audio file so you can join us at the bar for the whole conversation. That should be up in a couple of days and I hope you will listen to at least some of it, we had a lot of fun and I think it comes across. Andrew is a delightful interviewee and there is a strong, casual chat in the pub feel to the whole thing that I can't possibly do justice to in type.

Anyway on with things.

Asked to explain the book Andrew described it as "absurdist fiction" based in London just before the collapse of the global markets and with a cast that includes "an ordinary accountant" a long dead king and the devil. The book is humorous and "targeting people who work in London". One of the more unique aspects of the book n the deliberate "tube style" chapter lengths intended to be completable in the average tube trip.

I pointed out the similarity between the cover and the Financial Times (and marc backs me up on this) but Andrew wryly pointed out that he hadn't noticed/doesn't wanted to be sued/ ok yes it's salmon pink.

Asked about the incredible timing of the book Andrew admitted it worked in his favour but felt that "anybody who works in financial serivces knew this was coming" and he's benfitted from a fluke in the when. Of course when he first pitched the idea everyone thought is was complete fantasy and the collapse wouldn't happen.

I asked whether he felt the book would appeal to everyone (I think anyone who has ever dealt with red tape and filing will get it) and Andrew confessed that his editor has made him take out a lot of the jargon, which made it much more accessable. Some of the jokes are funnier if you are familar with the industry but there is plenty in there for anyone who likes fantasy.
The three of us got distracted sharing favourite aspects, lawyers in hell, vanishing file cabinets and so on.

I then put Andrew on the spot asking him to explain hedge funds. At the end of the explanation and tangents about short selling I think we all agreed on Really Nasty and involving large amounts of money (although not alwyas real money).

We moved on to discuss the publishing process, this being Andrew's first novel. He talked a little about the differences of being with a small publisher and the need for self promoting (incidentally according to Google there are 303 Waterstones stores in the UK in 2009). Bigger publishers have bigger marketing budgets and can provide more support, in this case Andrew has been left to do a fair amount himself, on top of his day job. I thin kthis has been particularly difficult because there is not a similar support network among the authors themselves as can be found in some places at the moment (New Macmillan Writers and The League of Reluctant Adults for example).

Andrew has ideas for two more books, one a companion book for HBoS focussing on the lawyer Gordon, the other he wouldn't be drawn on but he's finding it quite distracting at the moment and is focussed on turning out first drafts.

If you listen to the audio file this is where we start to drift of on some very random tangents and my phone goes off (oops). Andrew explains why he believes his wife is trying to kill him (i'm convinced) and we then try to get things back on track. It's probably a good time to point out that Andrew and Marc know each other quite well, working together and enjoy some friendly banter and abuse. If you are particularly humourless or sensitive about international relations you might want to stop listening at this point (I promise it will be up soon and all this will make sense).

Ok, so back to the interview. I asked Andrew about the day job, he's in IT and that very neatly brought us onto the role of the internet in publishing.
Andrew talked about his surprise that only 20% of books sold in the UK are sold on line and the reast still through "Bricks and mortar" stores, who he believes will always play a large part in book selling because people like to go in and browse, an experience which can't really be replicated online. He does however want a kindle because he loves his gadgets. Marc on the other hand has had his mobile phone for 11 years which lead us to a stunned silence followed by cries of Luddite.

At this point we are all starting to forget it's meant to be an interview and it turns into a debate on the relative benefits of a calculator over an abacus and Andrew confuses the streotype by claiming he "can't drink beer outside", although that's not quite what he meant.

Andrew also talked about the benefit of the interenet in marketing, bloggers and the like being able ot focus on "ncihe audiences" where newspapers have a small amount of space to appeal to the maximum number of people. There is a bit of google bashing i think the term was "hell incarnated" and some general discussion about self publishing. At this point on the audio file the other people in the pub started being very loud so it gets kind of fuzzy.

We talked about blogging and reviewing and whether it's ok to be rude to authors with naturally differing views around the table.Honestly by now we have had a few beers are throughly enjoying ourselves and trying to draw anything sensible to put here out of it is a hopeless task. Really you have to listen to it.

We may have created a new character in trying to explain the term "friendly bearded man" to Andrew, I shall explain again now for the benfit of the non brits. We have an organisation for Real Ale called CAMRA, among the people who belong to it are people known as "Tickers" they record and grade each beer they drink. In extreme cases they can be seen out with small plastic bottles, into which they pour part of a beer they think is particularly good and take it away for when they meet up with the others so they can all have a try and tick and grade it in their note books. It's train spotting for beer drinkers. Traditionally these are the kinds of people who are very pleasant and sport beards hence the term coined I believe by Jeremy Clarkson "Freindly Bearded Man".

Andrew explained a bit of how he came to be in England (apart from obviously his wife is English) and it turns out his grandfather is from Jersey, which he dared to suggest is really part of France by merit of location. From there you have a reasonable period of tangets and digressions and silliness finally wrapping up with a plug for the book which is very entertaining (Andrew promises he wouldn't recommend it if it was rubbish) and a few comments on the anxieties that come with the book going out and the first reviews coming in, but he's delighted that so far no one has said they hate it, even Marc who isn't it's target demographic.

I hope that has whetted your appetite for the upcoming audio file and if you want to know more check out our review or the press release or indeed the companion website for the book.
Marc's review is also available online.

Peter V Brett - The Painted Man

It's been a long time since I have found myself wondering whether I could get away with reading a book under my desk at work. I decided probably not, but I was very tempted.
This is obviously the first book of a trilogy and it's a scene setting book in many ways, ending at the beginning of a bigger story. So what does Brett do with the 500+ pages? He makes you care.
The book follows the key moments in the lives of Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, growing up in different parts of the kingdom. We first meet them as children in their parents home and discover how they come to leave, we then check in with each of them for formative events. We learn how they come to be who they are and get an inkling of their role in the coming battle (trad fasntasy, it's alsways a coming battle).
Brett knows his audience and he crafts the story beautifully. There is enough happening to be exciting, but mostly I found I really cared about the characters, about what would happen to them, even some of the more minor ones. We are drawn in deeply into the lives and motivations of the characters and putting the book down just becomes an impossible task.
I like the style of world building where there are occasional snippets of information but rather than break the flow of the story or make the book unneccessarily long, the author trusts his readers to fill in the blanks with their own imagination. It makes it much easier to lose yourself in the world and accept things as they are offered.
Peter V Brett is one of the top class of trad fantasy writers who can draw you in and deliver a satisfying set up episode in the first book of a trilogy, making you want more, but still feeling you have has a complete story.

A couple of announcements.

"Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that theyre
Giving none away."
- Pink Floyd, Money

First of all this thursday I am catching a train up to London to interview AMP Mills, author of Hell Bent on Success which looks at the issue of what happens when the boom goes bust and how the Devil made it happen. It's humorous fantasy. I reviewed it here and I liked it so much I bought a copy for my sister.
This interview is a little unusual for me, not only is it face to face but i'm hoping we can turn it into a podcast.

"If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
'We'd have it all"
Plain White Tees, Hey there Delilah

Second treat. Inara LaVey (Dana Fredsti) has agreed to put together a small crack team of Ravnous Romance writers whoo between them will give us a post every two weeks. This way we get regular posts from the world of Romance and no one has to fit another massive time commitment into their individual schedules. We are still working on the details, but watch this space.

"There's a body on the railings
That I can't identify
And I'd like to reassure you but
I'm not that kind of guy"
Robyn Hitchcock, Raymond Chandler Evening

Ok and just because I love you all so much I thought i'd mention Kat Richardson has created some really cute writing icons for use on live journal.

Ok that really is your lot for today.

The Laurentine Spy - Emily Gee

First of all I have to say, I have not finished this book, i'm almost exactly halfway through, so feel free to disregard this as a review. All I really want to do is tell you why I have put it back on the shelf for now.

The writing isn't bad, the story isn't bad, the delivery does not excite me though. By the halfway mark I have become frustrated with Saliel getting up, eating cake, sewing, speaking to the consort, meeting with the guardian, rinse and repeat ad nauseam. Similarly with Athan's whorehouse, report to guardian, bump into spycatcher, rinse repeat routine. I kind of like them both, but i'm not that interested at the moment. The one event that has actually taken place so far (the capture of the other spy, his torture and subsequant death) was barely touched on.

I've read enough of this sort of fantasy now to be at least a little bit demanding and I have never believed in this world and this court. Ok the Prince sits bored and watched his courtiers dance everynight, there is continual mention of cake eating but nothing else. We have no idea of the poilitical motivations the roles people play, it's spying contained within it's own little bubble and the rest of the world is thin.

I will return to the book at some point and finish it, but with a TBR list as long as my lanky husbands arm I don't want to put any more time into it at this point.

I'd be interested to know what other people thought after finishing the book, and if anyone else has put it on hold for now.

Sprout - Dale Peck

Courtesy of Bloomsbury

"I have a secret that everyone knows but no one mentions".

Sprout's father wakes him one morning and drags him off to live in a trailer in Kansas.
Sprout's mother has died and he is starting at a new school, in a new place while his father descends into alcoholism and eccentricity. Sprout is also gay.
In a way being gay is a key aspect of the book, but in other ways it's not really important, which may be why it matters so much. It's a distraction, there are a number of issues for Sprout to deal with while he figures out who he is and what he wants from life, the book is a keen reminder of exactly how stressful being a teenager is. Anyway dealing with his sexuality is only a little more complicated than dealing with sexuality generally at that age so although it is key to how events unfold it's also not the only and perhaps not the most important thing.

It's a successful book, I sat at times with my knuckles in my mouth and it's easy to empathize with Sprout. I can't tell you much more without moving into spoiler territory, except to say that the writing is gorgeous, which is to be expected given Sprout's dictionary
obsession and the characters are all a little odd, dealing with their own bruises so to speak.

Beauty - Robin McKinley

"A retelling of Beauty and The Beast".
It's a nice story in many ways, always has been one of my favourites, except for the ending (I always sort of thought that the point of seeing beyond his beastiness should have stood, so where was the need to change him back to a man?). Anyway, Robn McKinley retells the fairy tale very prettily with some new interest in the family of Beauty in the first part of the book, however unline Andrzej Sapkowski she doesn't really bring anything new to a classic fairy tale. If anything it's all a bit Disney. The book is gorgeous to look at though and easy to read and I did enjoy it, I was just a little dissapointed that such a superb writer didn't bring a little something extra to the table as she did in Sunshine.

This book is a pleasant way to pass the time with an old friend, a familiar tale told well but calling it a "retelling" perhaps creates unfulfilled expectation which is unfair on author and reader alike.
If you are thinking of getting a classic fairy tale for a friendthis is a lovely version to get.

The Stepsister Scheme - Jim C Hines

I am not going to do much in the way of reviewing this one. I thought it was fantastic, this is the story those of us who grew up wanting to be Han Solo rather than Princess Leia wanted to read. Hines delivers and it's a delight. Sooo glad I finally committed.

Grasping for the Wind thought it was flawed but excellent, in the interest of balance Fantasy Book Critic had the following to say "“The Stepsister Scheme” is one of those books that both impressed me and left me feeling disappointed."
Scalzi has Hines speak about his Big Idea and the secret war with Shrek.
Curled Up likes it a lot.

Yeah I know, it's lazy, but it's been a long week and it's only Wednesday.

Fish Out of Water - Mary Janice Davidson

As with the Queen Betsy books, I wasn't looking for this, I am not following the series in order, but I am picking up anything by this author when I spot it because I rather enjoy them.
This is the second Fred the Mermaid book and just before it starts you get a two page catch up, which is completely necessary.
It's a similar tone to the Betsy books although rather than being a shallow, shoe obsessed airheaded admin assistant Fred is a successful marine biologist. She is also half mermaid.

It's cute and charming and Davidson's real talent is giving depth of character and creating an emotional response from the reader in spite of the slenderness of the volume and the apparent frivolousness of the book.
I still like Betsy better, but I could definately live with seeing more of Fred.

Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn

Thanks to Tor for a copy of the book. Part III of the trilogy, The Hero of Ages, was reviewed by Hagel Rat here.

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Like his previous stand-alone novel Elantris, Brandon Sanderson goes to great lengths to set apart the way magic works in Mistborn, the first novel in his recently completed Mistborn trilogy. The art of Allomancy, passed down through the pure, noble (in name if not in deed) bloodlines, allows the ingestion and "burning" of particular metals that bestow upon those that can wield them powers of strength and endurance...the ability to "see" the future, or the past - either how it was or how it could have been. Those who can only control one of these many powers are called Mistings. The rare person who can utilize all the mystical metals are the Mistborn.

Mistborn the novel has carries over all of the great bits of Elantris, but improves upon the former by giving all Sanderson's characters more room to breathe, to develop at a natural pace. Perhaps it's the knowledge that it's not hampered by the limitations of being confined to one novel, but Sanderson's pace of doling out knowledge, character embellishments, and plot points never feels rushed or unnatural. Although the story mainly focuses on the perspective of two main characters (with a brief excerpt devoted to a minor character), the supporting cast all are given choice moments to come to life.

A thousand years ago, a Hero was chosen to vanquish the Deepness, an unnamed evil presence that threatened the world. The Hero failed, and though the Deepness has been kept at bay, the evil and seemingly immortal Lord Ruler has reigned ever since, keeping the general populace enslaved by the nobles, who in turn are monitored by the Obligators and Inquisitors.

A quick word about the Inquisitors. There are very few times when I wish, while reading a book, that I could see what's being derscribed in a film immediately. I'm usually content to imagine it in my head. One exception was a brief passage in China Mieville's awesome (used in this context as "full of awe") Perdido Street Station, when the main character enters a bar guarded by a steampunk door man.

That's now been replaced by Sanderson's description of the Inquisitors, and the battles they have in Mistborn. Someone needs to get on this now, and get it right, because it is unbelievable.

Okay, sorry about that. Anyway, the Lord Ruler's oppressing everyone, no one remembers a time when ash wasn't falling from the sky, the plants were green, and the skaa, the serfs of the world, weren't treated like they were less than human. Kelsier, a master thieving crew leader and Mistborn, decides that he and his crew are once and for all going to end the reign of terror. Into the mix he recruits Vin, a young thief who's been abused and abandoned time and again, until she no longer understands the meaning of the word "trust." It's their relationship, as Vin comes to realize that not only is she a Mistborn, but possibly something even greater, that propels the story along at a fantastic pace.

The story has a lot of focus on relationships: between thieving crews, friends, and family. The nature and meaning of religion is addressed, slavery and servitude are not overlooked, but never do the social concerns Mistborn tackles feel like they're overshadowing what is at heart a terrific first chapter of an epic fantasy series. Can't recommend this enough!

Twisted Metal - Tony Ballantyne

Thanks to Tor and PanMacmillan for this one.

I've never read anything like this before. Ballantyne has created a world where robots evolved, at least that's what most of them believe, some of them believe in the Book of Robots and that they were created.

Producing parallels to a number of human issues and societies this book non the less never loses its sense of otherness. The robots consider themselves people, they give birth through twisting metal minds and fitting them into tiny bodies. As the minds gain greater lifeforce they can build themselves bigger bodies, giving rise to children, then eventually adults.

The book is cohesive and ingenious, flows smoothly and has a number of fully formed, fascinating characters. It also caught me by surprise at the end.

The book centers around events similar to the Roman empire or the Borg, moving forward taking over, forcing all the remaining minds to adopt the Artemisian principles.

I was dubious about this book, robot wars are not really my thing but I got sucked in and am blown away.

Weekly Geeks - Bookmarks

"For this week's edition of Weekly Geeks, I'd like to focus on one of the most useful tools for a bibliophile: Bookmarks.

Do you use bookmarks or just grab whatever is handy to mark your page? Do you collect lots of different bookmarks or do you have a favorite one that you use exclusively? If you're not someone who uses bookmarks on a regular basis, have you ever used anything odd to mark your place?

If you make your own bookmarks or have a bookmark collection, please feel free to share some pictures with the rest of us."

Well how can I resist this one!

Ok well I am fairly eclectic. I have beautiful bookmarks people have given me which are utterly impractical, I have book thongs I made myself which are great for books in handbags. I will use any bookmark that happens to be near and I will use anything else too. I have used scraps of paper, reciepts, post its, plasters (cleaan and sealed) a feather, postcards, photos, a picture of what I believe is a Michaelangelo that I found in a library book now lives in my copy of Weaveworld since I re read it regularly.
I also had some Un:Bound bookmarks made up (which are available on request).






and here are a few of my bookmarks tha tI don't use regularly but still treasure.

At the end of the day I will use anything that is to hand to mark my place, it's all about the book. I have found though that the fancier the bookmark the less likely it is to stay put and the cheap, flat cardboard ones are best for marking. The two beautiful beaded ones are grgeous things to have but are only useable in hardback books that you are laying flat on a table. The tartan ribbon is from a freidns wedding and works very well, the leather and wood ones are a bit thick.

Kate Griffin - A Madness of Angels

"We be light, we be life, we be fire".

Matthew Swift is a sorcerer, he's been dead recently but then someone pulled him out of the phonelines and brought the angels with him.

Griffin writes brilliantly and gradually builds up the layers of trust and betrayal. Matthew wants revenge and to stop the thing he calls Hunger, the angels are confused by suddenly being alive. No one seems to be able to grasp that Swift and the angels are not a standard possession and there are plenty of people who want Swift dead for a variety of reasons.

It's an interesting, exciting, well-paced novel with a fascinating premise. Griffin and handled her plot and characters beautifully and I could cheerfully ramble on about ho much I enjoyed it for ages, but you get the point, it's original, fresh and very very good. The personification of concepts like Bag Lady and Beggar King are a little Gaimanesque (a few small reminders of Neverwhere) but that is no detriment to the book.

I was thoroughly enchanted by Griffins descriptions of sorcery and the rythms of the city and I hope we will see more of Matthew Swift.

Richard Stark - The Man With the Getaway Face

A week's vacation before kids is a luxuriously long span of time, where I could dedicate myself to a myriad of decadent pursuits, most of which entailed sleeping, reading, sleeping, going to the movies, sleeping, and maybe getting some chores done around the house.

A week's vacation with kids is basically the same, except I cram it all into the span of 9 hours, which is roughly the amount of time I have the entire week that the Boy's (aka my son) away.

Why do I bring this up? Because I don't have a heck of a lot of time to write up a review of Richard Stark's second book in the Parker series, The Man With the Getaway Face, and I like my reviews to at least have the appearance of being somewhat substantial. Anyway, now that the cat's out of the bag I just wanted to say that once again Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake) delivers a great suckerpunch of a crime story, taking place three months after The Hunter, with Parker's troubles piling up despite the fact he's got a new face. An armored car robbery, double-crosses, and a threat to expose to the Syndicate his new face and identity are just some of the problems dealt with in the book.

I love me a good crime novel. I tend to stockpile a bunch of them for those times when you need a break from the grind of the day, but with the way the Parker novels are reading, they may be gone before I know it.

Fair(y) Thinking

"Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep
It's such a bitter form of refuge
Well don't you know the kingdom's under siege
And everybody needs you"
The Killers

I love fairy tales. I love Hans Christian Anderson where poor Ariel meets a much more likely fate for a silly romantic mermaid who messes with witches, I love Red Riding Hood where grandma gets eaten and a woodcutter slaughters the monster with a axe. I wonder about the original Beauty and the Beast, I love the darker more authentic versions of Cinderella.

That in mind I have been noticing a lot of really wonderful retellings and twists seem to have been doing the rounds the last few years and here are some I have my eye on to purchase and read at some point.

The Gates of Sleep: I have had Mercedes Lackey recommended to me a number of times and she sits on the list for future reference. This retelling of Sleeping Beauty appeals. It's described as Dark Edwardian Fantasy, seriously, you can't argue with stuff like that!


Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister: A retelling of Cinderella from a stepsisters point of view. I loved the movie of this, really delightful. The one stepsister is actually a very sweet would be artist and Cinders is a bit spoilt and sulky. The other stepsister and stepmum are of course utterly vile but much more subtle than the disney version. I want to read the book since the movie enchanted me.



Beauty: I fell for Sunshine in a big way and was wodnering where to go next with Robin McKinley, seeing this answered that question. I only hope I can get a copy with this gorgeous cover!!

Godmother: Carolyn Turgeon's book was recently reviewed on Critical Mass and sounds fab. Fairy Godmother tool Cinders place at the ball and had the prince for herself, as punishment she was exciled and then her story really beings. I have to read this, it appeals to me on so many levels!


The Stepsister Scheme: If you haven't seen anything about Jim Hines fairy princess's kick butt book then you have probably spent the last three years sleeping in a magic kingdom. It looks fab and I think it was Hines who was grumbling about Shrek constantly nbeating him to the punch, I reckon this book will probably have a little more about it than Shrek though.


So, any here you like the look of? Any you've read? Any you are dying to read that I haven't spotted yet? Talk to me dah'links.

Ravenous Romance Blog Tour

Hi folks, the RR blog tour comes to an end today and I think it has been a success. I hope some of you followed it, but if you want to visit any of the posts or any of the posts you can do so below.
Links are to the website, you will need to look out the post when you get there.

4/18 - Zhadi's Den - Intro Stop
4/19 - Jennifer's Random Musings - Elle Amery
4/20 - Unbound - Lisa Lane
4/21 - Talk About My Favorite Authors - Angela Cameron
4/22 - Kissa Starling - Em Lynley
4/23 - The Countess - Jamaica Layne
4/24 - PNR Inklings Blog at ParaNormal Romance - Sephera Giron
4/25 - Wicked Thorn and Roses - Isabel Roman
4/27 - Sia's Thoughts on... - Neve Black
4/29 - Bryn Greenwood - C. Margery Kempe
4/30 - Bookwenches - Savannah Chase
5/1 - Neve Black - Inara LaVey
5/2 - NIght Owl Romances - Final Stop

Authors Sites

• Inara LaVey
• Jamaica Layne
• C. Margery Kempe
• Lisa Lane
• Elle Amery
• Isabel Roman
  
• Savannah Chase
  
• Neve Black
  
• Sèphera Girón
• Angela Cameron
• EM Lynley
  

New Ravenous Author blog
Ravenous Romance

Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep

I love an old fashioned noir and Raymond Chandler is a classic. The Big Sleep is a Phillip Marlowe mystery with all the standards of a good noir, hard boiled private detective, organised crime, murder, deadly dames, secrets and scandal. If you look beyond the noir genre and the cheesy but oh so entertaining language that Chandler is a master of, there is actually a pretty decent plot and some interesting characters.

I've never read Raymond Chandler before (although i'm a big fan of the Robyn Hitchcock song) but I will be revisiting Marlowe and of course I am going to have to indulge in some old noir movies now.