A true fantasy winner from my bookshelf

I am not sure how long I have owned Lynn Flewelling's Luck in the Shadows.  I entered it into my

LibraryThing account on December 18, 2006, which is quite early in my LibraryThing account history, so I've owned it for at least 8 years, if not more.  In the many shelf purges that have occurred since then, I never got rid of Flewelling's books because she is rated so highly by fantasy fans.  And, for me, winter is the perfect time for a quality epic fantasy novel.  I love to become immersed in the worlds and the cultures and the struggle of good vs. evil.  So when I saw that Luck in the Shadows was available for download as an audiobook, I decided it was finally time for me to read it.

I was nervous that my tastes had changed too much for me to enjoy this one still, but that was not true at all.  While I don't read epic fantasy as much as I used to, I still love authors who thoughtfully develop strong, multi-dimensional characters who live in rich, developed worlds.  Lynn Flewelling does both those things, and she reminded me of why I love fantasy writing so much.  The customs and cultures and religions and folklore that she brought to life here all pulled me completely into the story and kept my attention the whole way through.

The story centers on two characters, Alec and Seregil.  They meet in prison, escape together, and then get along so well that Seregil makes Alec his apprentice (though Alec is vague on the details of what exactly Seregil does).  The two set off for adventures in distant lands, steal something that looks pretty small but ends up causing them a lot of trouble (a la The Hobbit), and then spend a lot of time trying to understand why that thing is so important and trying to solve a big political mystery.

Along the way, readers meet many other wonderful characters, such as Micum and Nysander, two of Seregil's closest friends and advisors.  We also get to explore a beautiful, multi-faceted world.

One of my absolute favorite things about this story was the way Flewelling weaves so many things that are important to me.  For instance, Seregil's country is led by women, and this seems completely natural to him.  Women fill many roles, from military adviser to queen to innkeeper to wizard to traitor, and they fill all of those roles well.  This is so rare in fantasy novels, and I appreciated it so much.  While none of the main characters is female in this book (bummer), the world is very much one in which both sexes have power and respect.

I think it's due to that fact that the romantic relationships are also more fluid in Flewelling's world.  Alec and Seregil are great friends but you can see how that friendship will develop deeper into romance in the future.  The red light district in town appeals to people of all tastes equally.  I loved that Flewelling made a point of stating that the houses catered to both men and women, and to people who preferred both men and women.

I loved so many, many things about this book.  It truly is exactly the sort of fantasy novel that I've always loved and will continue to seek out.

To give fair warning, Luck in the Shadows is the first book in a duology and it ends rather abruptly.  Luckily, the book was published in the 1990s, so you need not be frustrated for long.  Enjoy!

Musings: Percepliquis

Percepliquis is the sixth and final book in Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria Chronicles. It is always bittersweet to begin the final book in a series, and this was no exception. While I haven’t enjoyed the later books in this series nearly as much as the very early ones, I do like Hadrian and Royce, and am sorry that I won’t be seeing any more of them.

This book seemed like more of a standalone than the two previous ones and I can’t help but wonder (as I wonder when reading every epic fantasy series that I commit to) if the previous five books were completely necessary to this final story arc. They were entertaining, yes, and I enjoyed reading them, but they were more background than anything else. 

This book seemed like a light version of The Lord of the Rings.  There are elves that are shiny beacons of beauty, with long lives, pointed ears and poetry. There are dwarfs that are gruff and angry about their treatment at the hands of humans.  There’s a wizard.  There are malevolent, sub-human creatures that try to kill everyone.  There is an inter-species group sent to the depths of an underground cave (complete with a magical, dangerous creature) to help avert a crisis of complete annihilation. There’s a piece of clothing (similar to a certain Ring to Rule them All) that, when worn, seems to put the wearer in danger.  This book has significantly more humor than The Lord of the Rings does.  It also has more female characters in substantive roles than The Lord of the Rings does, which is very refreshing.  I enjoyed reading the history of the world.  But the book, in my view, suffers from the same problems that I raised earlier in the series.

Musings: Wintertide

Wintertide is the fifth of six books in Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations series (see my review of the fourth book, with links to reviews of all previous books).  It gets harder and harder to do plot summaries of books that are further along in a series without giving away spoilers, so I'll just say that Royce and Hadrian are nearing the end of their quest to save the Heir of Novron and the Empress Modina is finally coming into her own and becoming a force to be reckoned with.  Hadrian enters a tourney, Royce debates settling down, and the intrigues of the palace continue.

I didn't love the fourth book in this series, The Emerald Storm, nearly as much as I liked the first three books.  Wintertide, too, disappointed me.  Royce and Hadrian don't spend much time together at all, which was disappointing.  There were a lot of characters with points of view telling the story, too, which I thought made it too muddled.  And, most distressing of all, the strong and resilient female characters all became loony with love.

Musings: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

N.K. Jemison's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the first book in her Inheritance Trilogy.  It revolves around Yeine, a young woman from the remote region of Darre who is summoned to court by her grandfather, the reigning ruler.  Yeine's mother had been an Arameri before she left the castle to marry Yeine's father, one of a very select group of people with the power to unleash the gods, and now Yeine must learn navigate the very complicated (and often sadistic) politics of the Arameri court, a task made more difficult by the fact that she has agreed to help the Enefadeh, the gods currently under Arameri control.  But who can trust a god, especially a group of them who hold onto thousands of years of resentment and anger?  Yeine must juggle these difficulties and more, hoping to save her own life.

This book was released to much fanfare, not least because it's an epic fantasy novel written by an African-American woman.  If you read epic fantasy at all, you know how very rarely that happens.  The book isn't written in some sort of revisionist structure, which seems to be the fear that many fans of epic fantasy have when the discussion around diversity in the genre arises.  "But the genre is based in Medieval Europe," they say.  "Having people of other races in that setting would just be jolting."  Or my personal favorite, 'If you want a fantasy book about X region/ethnicity/history written, then you should write it yourself."  Fascinating how people don't realize just how bigoted statements like that are, but I realize that on this page, I am probably preaching to the choir.

So, to my point- Jemison didn't base this epic fantasy on Medieval Europe exactly, but she also didn't make it so overtly "African-American" in scope that epic fans wouldn't recognize their beloved genre in the book.  She just made the characters more diverse.  And for that, I thank her.  She did it and got nominated for a Nebula award.  So there.

Musings: Best Served Cold

Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold is a (very long) novel about, unsurprisingly, revenge.  It is a stand-alone book set in the same world as his First Law Trilogy that I read about a year ago.  One of my best friends gave me the book to borrow an unconscionably long time ago, and I never had the nerve to pick it up.  I wasn't ready for 600+ pages of massive hardcover in Joe Abercrombie's signature style, which is comprised of brutality, cynicism and a lot of regret.

I finally picked the book up and read through it almost without pause.  If you want to read this book, I would avoid this method because it is depressing.

Like pretty much every story about revenge, it starts with the Perceived Wrong.  Monza and her brother, Benna, are the generals of the largest mercenary force in the known world.  They're also very popular with the people- too popular for the grand duke's liking.  So one day, the king and six other people kill Monza's brother and attempt to kill Monza.  But she survives, with some severe physical scars (and a whole lotta Emotional Baggage), and vows revenge on all of them for doing such a dastardly, undeserved deed.

To accomplish this, she assembles a motley crew:  Shivers, a Northman who wants to turn over a new leaf and be a good man; Friendly, an obsessive-compulsive, highly efficient killer; Morveer and his assistant Day, two highly-skilled poisoners; and a few others, my favorite being the charismatic Nicomo Cosca, Monza's old boss.  Lured by promises of large payments, these people all agree to join Monza on her quest for vengeance.  And, as in most stories about revenge, things don't end quite as well as Monza hoped.

Musings: The Sword-Edged Blonde

The Sword-Edged Blonde is the first novel in a fantasy-detective series by Alex Bledsoe centering on Eddie LaCrosse,  a former mercenary who now makes a living by finding missing princesses and solving other complex mysteries while trying to hide from his past.  This time, his best friend in the world, King Philip, asks for Eddie's help.  The king's wife, Rhiannon, has been accused of murdering their only son.  Only King Philip doesn't think she did it and wants Eddie to prove her innocence.  Eddie accepts the case, knowing that doing so will require him to confront all the demons from his past.

I haven't read other books in the "fantasy-mystery" sphere, but if this is an indication of what the genre mash-up can do, I am excited to try more.  Eddie LaCrosse reminded me of a young Marcus Didius Falco from Lindsey Davis's mystery series set in Ancient Rome.  He describes his cutting-edge sword, uses modern slang, has a dark past and still listens to his conscience.  It was entertaining to spend the space of a book with him, and I wouldn't mind getting to know him better.

Review: The Red Wolf Conspiracy

The Red Wolf Conspiracy was the fantasy book that inspired me to finish a significant number of the outstanding series I had started so that I could get around to reading and enjoying this book.  The premise is complex.  The Chathrand is an ancient, massive warship, the last of its kind.  It is sent on a mission of peace from the Arquali empire to the Mzithrin, carrying on-board an ambassador, his mistress and his daughter, Thasha, who is promised in marriage to the Mzithrin ruler.  Also aboard is Pazel, a teenaged boy with a magical ability to understand every language he hears.  Sometimes.  The captain of the ship sees ghosts everywhere, there are 8-inch tall warriors stowing away and one rat who is shocked to realize that he has a mind of his own.  All these characters (and more!) come warily together on-board the Chathrand, unsure of who is friend and who is foe and what may really happen on a ship of such massive proportions and on such a difficult journey.

Review: The Emerald Storm

The Emerald Storm is the fourth book in The Riyria Revelations.  (See my reviews of books one, two and three.)  As you get further along in a fantasy series, it becomes impossible to write a plot summary that doesn't give away some sort of spoiler, so I'll just say...

Royce and Hadrian go off on another quest together.  Princess Arista embarks on her own, separate quest.  The Empress becomes lucid.  The plot thickens.

There we are!  No spoilers!

I must admit I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as the three that came before it.  There was a lot going on and I didn't find much of it interesting.  I had a feeling that would be the case because much of this book took place on a ship.

Review: Last Argument of Kings

Last Argument of Kings, by Joe Abercrombie, is the third and final book in The First Law trilogy.  (See my reviews of the first and second books.)  In this last, violent and dark story, we see characters drift apart, reunite, and then drift apart again.  Sometimes physically and sometimes emotionally.  Often both.  The Union is under great threat not only from Bethod in the north but also from the Gurkish in the south, and everyone is converging upon Adua.  We learn a great deal more about several characters in this book- their spotty histories, their many mistakes and their quests for power.  We see them struggle through their actions, face down their loud and clamoring consciences and try to survive to the end of the book.  It is a dark and deeply troubling novel, but one that lays bare all the difficulties and the trappings that come with power.

I am glad I read Joe Abercrombie's trilogy but I admit a sense of relief that I am now done.  It was hard, even as a reader, to be bogged down in so much corruption and two-timing and despair, and I'm glad to have come up now for a much-needed breath of fresh air.  This book is not a happy one.  That's not to say that there aren't happy moments, or funny ones.  But far fewer than in the last two books.  And it ends on such a teetering note- you aren't quite sure what happens next.  I am an optimist and hope for the best, for a happy continuation of the story, but from my knowledge of the books, I fear that Abercrombie would not provide a road to a weary but somewhat happy ending for me.

Review: Before They Are Hanged

Title:  Before They Are Hanged

Author:  Joe Abercrombie

Published by Pyr Books

This is book two in The First Law Trilogy.  See my review of book one, The Blade Itself, and book two, The Last Argument of Kings.

Plot Summary:

Bethod's armies are advancing on the Union from the north, aided by a massive giant and thousands of Shanka.  From the south, the Prophet Khalul's forces creep upwards to retake Dagoska, expand their empire, and cleanse the world.  Glokta, the cripped torturer for the Union's Inquisition, is sent to weed out traitors in Dagoska and save the city from attack.  Meanwhile, Colonel West is baby-sitting the utterly useless Crown Prince in his first, brutal battle.  And another motley crew of Bayaz the Mage, Logen the Northman, Jezal the pretty boy and Ferro the intriguing southerner travel on a quest none truly understands to find the one weapon that can end the war.

This book sparked my post on racism in epic fantasy, but I hope that does not detract from my review of the book itself.  This book is great, and I think I pointed out my reservations on it enough in my other post that I can just talk about the book (without "racial baggage") in this one.  Before They Are Hanged is the second book in a trilogy, and so nothing is really "resolved" in a conclusive way.  Didn't matter to me because I was completely engaged through the whole story.  Even more than I was during The Blade Itself.  There is a lot of traveling in this book, and a lot of waiting for enemy forces to attack.  This gives the characters (and there are many of them) time and room to develop, and I was very pleased with the results.

In my review of The Blade Itself, I mentioned how fascinated I was by the character of Glokta.  In this book, I am still more fascinated.  He is such a complex and deeply flawed man, but with so many redeeming characteristics that come out in this book.  I think that, if things had gone differently in his past, he would have been a hero to everyone.  As things stand now, he is only a hero (sometimes) to me and other readers of this book.

He is only one of the characters who grew into his skin in this outing, though.  We learn so much more about Ferro, the terrifying southern woman with a chip on her shoulder, and about Jezal, who reminds me of the very intriguing Jamie Lannister in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.  And I fell a little bit in love with the Dogman from the north, too.  Not to mention Colonel West.  So many crushes, so little time!

But these character references mean nothing to you, of course, if you have not read the book and so I will just say that if you enjoy epic fantasy, I think you'll enjoy this series.  It's detailed, it's well-written, it's populated by varied and flawed characters who all speak with their own distinct voices.  I really like how Abercrombie gives us detail on the world, but makes it clear that the main focus is on the characters.  It's not about the magic and power and politics; it's about the effect of the magic and power and politics on the people.

My only wish is for a map to peruse, but apparently Abercrombie is very anti-map.  Sigh.

For Discussion: Racism in Fantasy & Its Effects on People of Color

Note:  I apologize for the length of this post.  I know there are a lot of posts on the topic, but I just wanted to show my support for the cause.  This is a complex topic.  You do not have to read the post, obviously, but I hope you will.  If you don't, I hope that you at least click on the links I post within it.  They are excellent, particularly the link to the post I Didn't Dream of Dragons and to the video about being black in America.

There has been a great deal of talk recently on blogosphere about the book Magic Under Glass which features a dark-skinned protagonist in the story but a white-skinned model on the cover.  This has led to a lot of very interesting and useful discussion, in my opinion, but also to a lot of defensiveness and anger.

I have also just finished reading the book Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, the second book in his First Law trilogy of epic fantasy.  And while I love this series, I think it's prejudiced.  Actually, I think all epic fantasy is deeply prejudiced, but I am using Abercrombie's work as an example.  So, just to make clear- as a fantasy fan, I love The First Law trilogy (or the two books of it I have read thus far).  As a person of color, I am disappointed and somewhat offended by it.

Abercrombie's story revolves around a Union that is under attack from the north and from the south.  The northerners have names like "Logen Ninefingers," "the Dogman," and "Threetrees."  They have a tribal culture with a strict hierarchy of Named Men, down to Carls and then to the Thralls.  They are hardened warriors who are used to a cold and bitter climate and used to traveling under austere conditions.

In fact, they sound exactly like the Saxons, particularly those that took over Britain (from the north) after the fall of Rome.  Eventually, some of the Northmen come down to the Union to help their forces defeat the person who is true evil, a northman named Bethod who wants to expand his empire.  The Unionists eventually let these men help them, and they all (to paraphrase) become fast friends and work together to a greater cause.

Review: Nyphron Rising

Title:  Nyphron Rising

Author:  Michael J. Sullivan

Published by Ridan Publishing, 2009

This is the third book in the Riyria Revelations.  See my reviews of books one and two.

I received this book for free to review.

Plot Summary:

As this is the third book in a six book fantasy series, I am not going to do much in the way of plot summary.  Let's just say that the two main characters are on the move with a royal princess, and the other side is consolidating power.  Sorry, but I don't want to give away any spoilers!

Nyphron Rising is, of the three books I've read so far in this series, my least favorite.  That's not to say I didn't like it.  I did really enjoy it, but now I hold Michael Sullivan up to a high standard.  And I don't think this book was quite as strong as his previous efforts.  This is more a result of the book being in the middle of the series than anything else.  Stuff happens, yes, but it takes some time to get there and then at the end, there is a great deal still left unfinished.  New characters are still being introduced, but you don't get closure on the previous ones.  In my opinion, you can't read and fully understand/appreciate this book without reading the two before it.  So don't read out of order!  And besides, if you miss the first book in this series, you'd miss Myron, and that's really just unacceptable.

Review: Avempartha

Title:  Avempartha

Author:  Michael J. Sullivan

Published by:  Ridan Books

This is Book 2 of the Riyria Revelations.  See my review of Book 1 here and Book 3 here.

I received this book for free to review.

Plot Summary:

Avempartha picks up two years after The Crown Conspiracy ends and readers once again travel with Royce and Hadrian.  This time, it's off to a tiny village situated close to a massive waterfall and Elvish tower (called, as you might guess, Avempartha) where they have agreed to help a girl's father defeat a massive flying demon that is attacking the village.  There they meet some old friends and make some new ones and learn a great deal more about the history of their world and what may be coming to pass soon.

It is very difficult to write a plot summary for a book that is in the middle of a series, and even harder to then review the book without giving away spoilers.  So I'll try to keep this general and simple.

In my review of The Crown Conspiracy, I mentioned that this series uses modern language, which I find a bit odd in a fantasy novel.  I then felt bad as it seemed like most people focused on the language instead of my comments on how much I enjoyed the book.  Here, it's the same.  Yes, there is modern language, but now I am used to it and it did not detract from the story.  There are elves and dwarves and wizards in this book and each race has its own language, much like in The Lord of the Rings.  So making comparisons is pretty easy.  But I think if you read this book, you'll get over the language pretty quickly and focus on the story.

The author, Michael Sullivan, states that each book can be read on its own without needing any of the other books to understand it, but I am not sure how that could possibly be the case going forward.  This book ends with the book's plotline cleared, true, but also with a lot of other plots wide open.  I don't see how anyone could read it and not think that there was a sequel to be written.  And going forward in the coming books, I imagine that will be more and more the case.  But I'm willing to go along for the ride.

I can't even say what about this book I enjoyed so much, but I was completely absorbed by it.  When I describe the plot above, it seems straightforward.  And I guess it is.  But it's told in a very compelling way.  It's so refreshing to read a fantasy novel without all the gloom-and-doom, that takes time for humor.  This series of books does just that.  It has easy-to-like characters, satisfying "in-book" plots, and a compelling over-reaching plot.  There is also a good amount of information provided and hinted at to the reader about the world's past.  I love that in epic fantasy.  I like an author who writes out his world's entire history and mythology before writing his books, so that the reader can become steeped in the world.

One scene that made me slightly roll my eyes was near the beginning, when one female character was being more dramatic, in my opinion, than necessary.  Another small quibble I had was the level of insight some characters would have into other people that they didn't know very well.  It was almost like someone would say, "Hello, my name is Joe," and the character being spoken to would say, "I know you want to ask me about my knowledge of your long-lost second cousin once removed, so go to it."  I exaggerate, but it seemed to happen a couple of times to move the plot in a slightly forced way. 

If you don't read much epic fantasy but want to give the genre a try, I think this would be a great series to start with because of the language and the humor.  While I thoroughly enjoyed The Blade Itself, I'd say that's not the sort of book to start for a foray into fantasy.  This series is.  It's fun, the books aren't obscenely long, and supposedly the entire series (though we have been promised this before!) is written and ready to be published.  Often with epic fantasy, the problem is the years of waiting between books in a series (see Scott Lynch or George R. R. Martin).  These books won't have that problem.

This series has really inspired me to look more closely into small press publishers, too; there are so many books out there that don't have the marketing pull to get a wide audience, but that really, really deserve the attention.  This is one of those books.  If you enjoy fantasy, you'll probably enjoy this series.  I highly recommend checking it out.  The third book is already out, and the fourth should be available in April.  The fifth is scheduled to be released before the end of 2010 and the last installment early in 2011.

Also, there will be more on the small press front from me and a few others in 2010!  Be on the lookout :-)

Review: The Blade Itself

Title:  The Blade Itself

Author:  Joe Abercrombie

Publisher:  Pyr, 2007

This is the first book in The First Law trilogy.  See my reviews of books two and three.

Plot Summary:
The Union has existed as the major power in the world for centuries, made safe by the First of the Magi, Bayaz.  Now the Union is threatened by barbarians from the north and a newly consolidated power in the south and Bayaz is back.  This time, he is accompanied by his apprentine, Malacus Quai and a northman, Logen Ninefingers. 

But there are all sorts of intrigues already occurring in Adua, the Union's capital, and Bayaz is not always welcome.  Glokta, the chief inquisitor and torturer, is at work trying to unearth corruption.  Major West seems to be the only one properly preparing for war with the north.  Jezal dan Luthar wants to win the Contest to impress a lady and gain fame and glory.  And then there is the mysterious Ferro from the south who can't see colors and seems not to feel any pain.  They all meet in Adua, and set course on a mission that no one seems to understand except, perhaps, Bayaz.

I borrowed this book from my friend Sudha recently because I was intrigued by one of the female characters; my friend chose to spotlight Ardee West from this trilogy in her Rosie's Riveters post.  She warned me that it was full of violence and that it was very, very dark.  She was not exaggerating.  My goodness.  It seems like there is a pitched battle sequence or knife fight in this book every five pages or so.  There is a lot of blood.  I don't know just how violent and bloody those passages were because, I admit, I skimmed most of the fights.  I must confess that I do this in all fantasy novels.  I just don't really care about fight scenes.  I can't visualize them, I don't want to visualize them, and I feel as long as I know who is alive and who is dead by the end of them, I'm not missing too much.  Battle sequences are not my motivation for reading fantasy novels at all.

This led to me skimming more of this book than I'd like, but I still think I got the gist of it.  Thank goodness this is the first book in the series because when I finished it, I felt thoroughly out of my depths.  Sudha mentioned to me that she was annoyed that this series does not come with a map; I agree with her.  I am one of those people who couldn't find her way out of a paper bag, so hearing about Northmen and southerners and people on what may have been an island... I had absolutely no sense of the distance of things, and I think a map would have helped with that.  As to my general confusion as to what was happening, I like to think I am in good company in that.  Most of the characters, from what I could tell, were just as lost as I was.  I assume there will be a gradual lifting of the fog as the series continues so that I can say "Oh, now I get it!"

Since I didn't quite know everything happening with the plot, it really was the characters that made this book for me.  I have a soft spot for a certain nine-fingered barbarian and his kind-hearted commoner-who-rose-to-fame-in-the-military-by-determination-and-hard-work counterpart.  Even the characters I didn't like, though, were drawn so well.  Jezal, for example, is an upper-class brat who thinks the world should be handed to him on a platter.  And when you see the world through his eyes, you can see that he truly does believe that.  He doesn't think he's being a snob or a complete jerk; he just truly believes that he is better than everyone else.  It is fascinating to see, and I think Abercrombie does very well with the inner voices of his characters.

The character who really won me over was Glokta, the former hero turned government torturer.  He is such a complex character and I was so absorbed by him.  He tortures people for a living, but his every movement is pure torture for him.  He growls at people and taunts them, but when someone shows him true kindness or friendship, he is so sincerely moved and grateful for that contact that it almost makes me cry.  I am both repelled by and utterly drawn towards him.

I guess I would say that The First Law trilogy is probably a "man's" fantasy, full as it is of battles and violence and a plethora of male characters (and only two major females through book one).  It also has fully-realized characters, a setting with a deep history and a plot that promises to become majestic as the series continues.  I would definitely recommend it to the epic fantasy fans out there, with the caveat that there is a lot of violence in it.

I read this book as part of Galleysmith's Seriespalooza week.

Review: The Crown Conspiracy

Title:  The Crown Conspiracy

Author:  Michael J. Sullivan

Publisher:  Aspirations Media

# of Pages:  296

I received this book for free to review.

This book is the first in a series of six books called the Riyria Revelations.  See my review of book two here.  My review of book three is here.

 
Plot Summary:
Hadrian and Royce are two thieves operating in the kingdom of Melengar.  They do the big jobs- nobles blackmailing rivals, stealing jewels, avenging affairs.  One day, they are approached by a stranger to retrieve a sword in the royal residence.  They do so, and are framed for the murder of the king.  The princess Arista helps them escape from prison with the caveat that they take her brother, the new king, to an obscure prison to meet with a man named Esrahaddon.  What follows is an entertaining plot that includes daring escapes, millennia-old wizards, dark magic, a religious conspiracy, elves, dwarves and much more.

The Crown Conspiracy is Michael Sullivan’s first book, and the first in a series of six in the Riyria Series (all books already written and ready to be published, I am assured).  The book is less than 300 pages long, but packs a lot of character development and hints of plots to come.  Because it’s the first in such a long series, it suffers somewhat from introducing characters that disappear and hinting at larger themes that we don’t get to see, but I feel like all fantasy  series do that.  I found the language a bit jarring.  Epic fantasy tends to use a certain level of formality in its language.  This book, though set in what seems to be a Medieval-ish kingdom, has characters saying things like, “yeah,” “no kidding,” and “kid.”  And then there was one character who spoke in thous and these and ‘tises.  It made sense for that character to do so, and the language used did not impede my enjoyment of the book, but I found it a bit odd.  Just goes to show how much of a fantasy nerd I am, if I get weirded out by characters using the same language I do!

I enjoyed the characters in this book, particularly Hadrian, Royce & the sweetest monk ever.   I suspect those are three we will learn many more secrets about as the series continues, and I am eager to know more about them.  They seem fascinating, but also a lot of fun- Hadrian particularly.  What’s refreshing about this book is that none of the characters really has the fantasy character prototypes working- They aren’t excessively arrogant or brooding over their pasts.  They don’t go around committing vile acts or double-crossing everyone.  They’re refreshing.

The plot, too, was interesting and fast-paced.  I only wish I had more of a hint on the series’ over-reaching plot, but perhaps more of that will become clear in book 2.  I don’t think the plot was ground-breakingly inventive, but the world created is interesting and will over time, I think, become more and more complex with political and religious intrigue.  Overall, a fun and interesting read.  I hope this author gets attention from the fantasy-reading public as he is published by a small press.  Props to the publisher for taking a chance on a six-book series by a new author!  Sometimes I think one of the best things a book blogger can do is to bring attention to these smaller publishers and the books they publish that never get a lot of hype but that are good reads.  So here’s my plug!

Review: Curse of the Tahiera

Title:  Curse of the Tahiera

Author:  Wendy Gillissen

Publisher:  Agueri

# of Pages:  419

I received this book for free to review.  

Plot Summary:

Rom has had bad luck his whole life.  He was born illegitimate to a mother who did not want him, and then sent away to be a page at the home of a cruel and ruthless lord.  His whole life, he has been feared and reviled due to his appearance; he is half-Tzanatzi, and those people are hated for invading and destroying an entire way of life.  He ran away from that existence, and hasn't looked back since.  One day, at a bar, he meets an older gentleman, Yldich, who says he will accompany him on his travels north.  The two travel together, and Yldich teaches Rom how to confront his past and his fears, and slowly reveals to Rom that he has an important purpose in life.

The two continue on their travels northward, picking up some friends along the way, until they reach Yldich's home, The House of Deer.  There, Rom must come to terms with who he is, his Tzanatzi past and use his power to try to save a whole population of people from destruction.

This is much more in the traditional "quest and war" fantasy tradition than most fantasy novels I've read recently.  It begins with a young man who sets out on a quest with the help of an older, wiser mentor and a few friends.  He finds that a Greater Destiny is in store for him, and also manages to fall in love along the way.  Really, I have nothing against the traditional fantasy format.  I enjoy quests.  I like magic.  I like the way fantasy is evolving these days, but I also appreciate where the genre came from.  And Gillissen is a traditionalist.  She creates characters with problems and has them solve them.  She creates languages that seem pretty Tolkein-esque and provides a glossary for words at the end of the story.  She has respect for fantasy novels and is pretty good at writing them herself.

I enjoyed Curse of the Tahiera, as most readers did.  However, I did think it moved a bit slow and got fairly repetitious.  We don't even see the word "Tahiera" in the book until more than halfway through the story.  I thought the story would center around the quest to get north, but instead, the first half was focused on the northward journey and the second half focused on the impending battle.  I actually enjoyed the first half more, as there was more of a sense of anticipation.

Once they got north and settled into the routine of being home, the same thing happened a few times.  Rom would fall asleep, or have some sort of emotional issue, and then escape into the dream-world where he would see into the past.  Then he'd wake up scared and sweaty and attempt to leave Yldich and his friends to "keep them safe from him."  This is fine the first few times, but really... how often does Rom need to be told that he is welcome and safe?  It got a little old after a while.

However, the more you learn about Rom and his complicated life, you can see why he'd have so much drama.  I just wish some of it was dealt with off-screen, as it were, instead of always being confronted by his emotional breakdowns and introspection.

The story is interesting because the struggles that Rom faces are much more internal than external.  Just as important as winning the war and defeating evil are the battles that Rom must deal with himself.  His mastery of his sword is only as important as his ability to trust his friends and their faith in him.  A lot of what he faces, he must face on his own.  He has the support of his friends, but it's ultimately up to him to forgive and move on.  I liked this part of the story a lot.  Gillissen drew Rom well as a character.  There were also ample light-hearted and touching moments in the story, to contrast against the more serious ones.

I also liked how Gillissen highlighted how much of conflict is due to misunderstandings or miscommunication.  People can get angry over some things, and then their perceptions can be skewed.  And one thing can easily lead to another to another, until all snowballs into chaos.  I liked how she showed things as not being black and white, and gave everyone a reason for behaving the way that they do.

Overall, I really liked this book.  It dragged a little bit and the second half, especially, was littered with typos.  But it was an absorbing read, and I liked being back in an epic fantasy setting.  Also, props to any fantasy author who tells the entire story in one volume, and not three or more.  There is a preview of a related sequel at the end of this book, but Curse of the Tahiera ends with all stories knotted up, so there's no cliff-hanger feeling.  I look forward to the next book.

Review: The Name of the Wind

Title: The Name of the Wind

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Publisher: DAW

# of Pages: 662

Rating: 7/10

Favorite Line: "You've both acted understandably, but that does not by any means mean that either of you has behaved well."


From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The originality of Rothfuss's outstanding debut fantasy, the first of a trilogy, lies less in its unnamed imaginary world than in its precise execution. Kvothe ("pronounced nearly the same as 'Quothe' "), the hero and villain of a thousand tales who's presumed dead, lives as the simple proprietor of the Waystone Inn under an assumed name. Prompted by a biographer called Chronicler who realizes his true identity, Kvothe starts to tell his life story. From his upbringing as an actor in his family's traveling troupe of magicians, jugglers and jesters, the Edema Ruh, to feral child on the streets of the vast port city of Tarbean, then his education at "the University," Kvothe is driven by twin imperatives—his desire to learn the higher magic of naming and his need to discover as much as possible about the Chandrian, the demons of legend who murdered his family. As absorbing on a second reading as it is on the first, this is the type of assured, rich first novel most writers can only dream of producing. The fantasy world has a new star.

It is always hard for me to pick a book to read after one that I really enjoyed. It is really probably unfair to the next book as I'm usually just disappointed in it, when compared to the one that came before. I was not disappointed in The Name of the Wind, though. This book has gotten so much hype in the fantasy book-reading world that I had to buy it. This actually says a lot, considering the significant decrease in the number of books I have purchased over the past year. This says a lot about how well marketing works on people like me. I also bought Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (which I enjoyed), The Historian (which I did not) and The Lies of Locke Lamora (which, again, I did), all of which were hyped up beyond belief as well. It seems like there has to be The Next Big Book in Fantasy introduced every year or so. Which is fine, but inevitably can lead to disappointment on the part of the reader.

Before I get to anything else about this book, I'd just like to take a moment to air a grievance, Festivus-style. I purchased the third edition of the hardcover a few months ago. I cannot believe (really, cannot believe) the number of typographical errors there were. It wasn't as though they littered every page, but there were enough for me to notice several and I think that is ridiculous. Publishers should edit their books closely in general, and by the third printing, those errors should be found and fixed. It is very disturbing to me that there were still a handful of typos in the edition of this book that I purchased. As I generally really enjoy Daw's books, I hope they are not becoming less careful about this.

In any case, The Name of the Wind is a very good story. It is not by any means ground-breaking fantasy, however. The book is the first in a projected trilogy (really, how many fantasy novels are not the first in a projected trilogy?), and tells the story of an extraordinarily precocious boy whose family is killed and then goes out to seek the wrongdoers. Pretty standard. Any fan of fantasy knows, though, that plot is only one small part of the magic. Most of the artistry lies in characters and in world-building.

The Name of the Wind is told mainly in the first person, which is a departure from the norm for the genre. Through this narrative format, we learn a great deal about the main character, Kvothe- the way his mind works, his feelings and his reasoning- but we get very little insight into very many of the other characters. For example, Kvothe's two closest friends at University are named Sim and Wilem. They seem good sorts, in general, but I don't think I could say I knew much about them at all. Maybe that's because they aren't central to the story, though, as some of the other characters- Abenthy, Kvothe's first teacher, and Denna, his love interest- get spotlighted quite a bit. I like the first person narrative as future-Kvothe seems to be a pretty fascinating person. However, teenage-Kvothe is the main character in the story, and he can get a bit tiring. Hopefully he does some quick maturing in the next couple of books. It wasn't that he was unlikable at all. He was just such a teenager- sometimes so cocky and arrogant and rude for no purpose, and sometimes so completely the opposite that you'd think he was a different person. But it says a lot about Rothfuss that he captured the age of his character so well!

The world-building aspect of the novel is where it fell just a little short for me, and I think this is due to the first-person narrative. We are limited to knowing only what Kvothe knows and sees and hears, and so we have no real scope of how large the world he lives in is or who the major players in it are. I only know what Kvothe decides to tell me. This can be extremely frustrating, but it also means that there may be many more interesting stories and folklore shared in the coming books- I hope so! What I have seen and heard of Kvothe's world is intriguing so far, but it is impossible to put together any of the parts into a cohesive structure. Meaning- I read the story and was interested by it, but I am not entirely certain that I know what it is even about.

That said, I'm very happy to hear that the next installment in the series will be published in April so that I can continue learning about Kvothe and his world and his friends. I have a feeling the series will be one that holds my interest while I read it, though I am not quite sure if it is destined for my keeper shelf. It takes a lot to keep company with the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, George R. R. Martin, Diana Wynne Jones and Teresa Edgerton!

Review: The Mahabharata, Volume 1

Title: The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering, Volume I
(Book One)

Author: Ramesh Menon

Publisher: iUniverse

# of Pages: 820 (without appendices)

See my review of Volume 2 of this edition here.

Rating: 10/10

Favorite Line: "[Love in Heaven] is a brief love, Chitrasena, with no bond of any kind as comes from sharing a mortal life together, its joy and grief, its trials, its long, uncertain years... Surely, love on earth is quieter; but it is a deeper, longer thing, touched with more sorrow than ever comes to this place."

(From Amazon.com) Book Description The Mahabharata is the more recent of India's two great epics, and by far the longer. First composed by the Maharishi Vyasa in verse, it has come down the centuries in the timeless oral tradition of guru and sishya, profoundly influencing the history, culture, and art of not only the Indian subcontinent but most of south-east Asia. At 100,000 couplets, it is seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey combined: far and away the greatest recorded epic known to man. The Mahabharata is the very Book of Life: in its variety, majesty and, also, in its violence and tragedy. It has been said that nothing exists that cannot be found within the pages of this awesome legend. The epic describes a great war of some 5000 years ago, and the events that led to it. The war on Kurukshetra sees ten million warriors slain, brings the dwapara yuga to an end, and ushers in a new and sinister age: this present kali yuga, modern times. At the heart of the Mahabharata nestles the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of God. Senayor ubhayor madhye, between two teeming armies, Krishna expounds the eternal dharma to his warrior of light, Arjuna. At one level, all the restless action of the Mahabharata is a quest for the Gita and its sacred stillness. After the carnage, it is the Gita that survives, immortal lotus floating upon the dark waters of desolation: the final secret! With its magnificent cast of characters, human, demonic, and divine, and its riveting narrative, the Mahabharata continues to enchant readers and scholars the world over. This new rendering brings the epic to the contemporary reader in sparkling modern prose. It brings alive all the excitement, magic, and grandeur of the original - for our times.

I LOVED this book. It is amazing. I have read translations of the Mahabharata before, but none that are as long as this one (the first volume with the appendices, weighs in at about 900 pages). And I haven't even gotten to the main event yet. This entire first volume is build-up to the great war on Kurukshetra. But what a build-up it is!

I do not consider myself a religious person, but I think that Hinduism is so thoroughly ingrained in India that it is impossible for me to separate the two. The superstitions, the myths, the temples, the grandeur- it surrounds you. Indians still wear the same clothes today that they wore 5,000 years ago, when the epic was written. We still worship the same gods, perform the same ceremonies, and have the same biases. The caste system, in all its crippling glory, still exists. We eat the same food, celebrate the same holidays, go to temples that are built in the same architectural style. It's really kind of amazing.

The Mahabharata is supposed to be a religious book. And, certainly, once you get to the Bhagavad-Gita, it becomes much more religious theory-based. But this first volume is more of a story (and a really good one, at that), and it centers around behaving well and staying on the right path even when you really, really don't want to. The story is more like the Odyssey or the Iliad than the Bible, as it tells the story of so many people, and the gods (all of whom have distinct and very human personalities) are just as involved in the story as the mortals are.

I think Menon's translation is great- it doesn't leave out any of the less flattering parts, or the more "R-rated" parts (which, considering the way Hindus have steered towards conservatism over the past few hundred years, says a lot about how the religion was originally practiced). It just tells the story in an interesting and readable way. Yes, all the men are heroic and manly and perfect. Yes, all the women are gorgeous and slender and chaste. But the book is action-packed and a great way to learn about Indian history in an entertaining way. I will definitely be snatching up Volume 2 of this re-telling, and I can't wait to do so. Highly recommended, for anyone with an interest in India, its history and its traditions.

If, however, you are looking for a slightly shorter version just to get your feet wet, I recommend Kamala Subramaniam's version (also called The Mahabharata). Here is the Amazon.com page for it.

And if you just want to read the Bhagavad-Gita, that portion of the Mahabharata is available in many formats, as well.

Edited to add: This book would be improved by a family tree.

Review: A Dark Sacrifice

Title: A Dark Sacrifice - Book Two of the Rune of Unmaking

Author: Madeline Howard

Publisher: Eos

# of Pages: 387

Rating: 6/10

Favorite Line: My life is done. What yours will be I do not know... But short or long, joyous or agonizing, I ask you to choose life.

Book Description

More than a century has passed since the mighty struggle between the wizards and the mages ended in their mutual destruction, and more than forty years since the Empress Ouriána became the Divine Incarnation of the Devouring Moon. Appointing twelve deadly sorcerers as her priests, she rules the land in darkness unending.

Yet there is a small chance for hope, if one foreordained princess can survive. But she has vanished behind enemy lines, and even a brave band of heroes may not be able to reach her in time. For Ouriána's dark reign has woken the ancient terrors of legend, and their vengeance will be swift and all-consuming. . . .

Wow, two book reviews in one week! I'm quite proud of myself. A Dark Sacrifice is the second book in the Rune of Unmaking series, following The Hidden Stars. The third book in the series has not been finished yet.

Madeline Howard is a pen name for the author Teresa Edgerton, who has the honor of having created one of the characters on my Heroines Who Don't Annoy Me list to the right (Sera, from Goblin Moon). I also LOVE her Goblin Moon duology, and highly recommend it to everyone who likes Regency era and fantasy fiction. She can write a very, very good story.

I also really liked the first book in this series, The Hidden Stars. I thought she did a very good job of creating a world for her characters to populate, and she also gave her characters depth.

So I'm not entirely sure what I found missing in this second book of the series. I read it and enjoyed it, but I didn't fall in love with it. And I feel certain that by the time the next book comes out, I'll have completely forgotten everything that happened in this one.

Granted, the second book in a trilogy is usually the weakest, as the least happens in it. The storyline has basically been set up, and we haven't yet arrived at the climax. I think "middle book syndrome" especially applies to those fantasy series (such as this one) which are epic in nature and involve quests of some type. Because really- who wants to read an entire book about one set of characters following a different set of characters and never quite catching up? It's depressing. And often makes me wonder why authors can't just condense that whole "Oh, we almost caught them but we missed them again, so let's just keep going!" feeling into the other two books of the series.

That's not to say that nothing happens in the book- and who's to say that the events of this novel do not heavily influence the next one? Maybe everything will become clear at that time. There is some character development, especially in a certain female character who appears to have Stockholm Syndrome by the end of the book. And one of the side characters gets his memory back, which is sure to be a big feature in the next book.

I think I can't fully judge this book until I read the third one. Because the second book in a trilogy, as I said, is often its weakest, but if the whole series is good, then it's worth getting through the second one :-) And I have full faith in Madeline Howard (and Teresa Edgerton) to tell a good story- she has done it many times before. So... here's hoping the next book comes out soon enough for me to remember the first two when I read it!

Review: Deadhouse Gates

Title: Deadhouse Gates
Author: Steven Erikson
Publisher: Tor Books
# of Pages: 598

Book Two of the Malazan Book of the Fallen Series

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Line:
"This is what we are. The endless struggle laid bare. Gone is the idyllic, the deceit of self-import as well as the false humility of insignificance. Even as we battle wholly personal battles, we are unified. This is the place of level earth, Corporal."

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The second of the projected 10 volumes of the Malazan Book of the Fallen raises the stakes set by Gardens of the Moon [BKL My 15 04]. From the Holy Desert Raraku, in the land of the Seven Cities, the seer Sha'ik sends her followers out on a holy war known as the Whirlwind. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the current violent Islamic jihad, but Erikson's scholarship is sufficiently thorough to enable him to avoid simpleminded likeness making. His imagination is also sufficient to bring the setting of the Seven Cities vividly to life, although his realism is rather literally gritty, including a great deal of sand and gravel that will inevitably recall for some readers a country in which American troops are now fighting. The opposition to the Whirlwind is varied but includes the inevitable mercenaries, limned in the manner that stems from David Drake's sf and in fantasy is practiced particular skillfully by Glen Cook. Erikson is making his dark characters and grisly battles very much his own, however, and fantasy readers with a strong appetite for world building and action ought to enjoy his efforts. Whether they'll stay for all 10 volumes is another matter, but so far, so good. Roland Green

I read this book immediately after Gardens of the Moon, the first book in this series. (See my review here.) I have almost exactly the same gripes and compliments for the second book as I had for the first.

I don't think I "get" the magic in this series. Actually, I'm giving myself way too much credit. The magic is only one of many, many things I do not "get" in this series. I have trouble, with so many characters, keeping track of who is on what side of this war. And the very Greco-Roman epic way Erikson has of involving gods everywhere also causes me confusion.

It's quite possible that I'm just really easily confused. In fact, that's probably what it is. Because there is a huge fanbase for the Malazan books (check out The Malazan Empire). And none of those fans seem to have any trouble at all following what's going on!

So I guess it's just me.

I don't mean to imply in any way that Erikson's work is not absolutely awe-inspiring in its breadth and depth. At a projected ten books all of doorstopper length, he must have an absolutely amazing imagination. And an even more envious method of organization.

From what I understand, Erikson has three main arcs to his epic- the first one was introduced in Gardens of the Moon, the second one in Deadhouse Gates, and the third one is introduced in the fifth volume of the series (not yet released in the United States), Midnight Tides. The books do not, therefore, follow a linear sequence. Deadhouse Gates and its sequel, Memories of Ice, take place at the same time. Midnight Tides- the fifth book of the series- hearkens back in time to, I believe, before Gardens of the Moon even begins.

Deadhouse Gates features some of the characters from Gardens of the Moon, but not all. Those that aren't in this book, though, are certain to be in the next one.

As I stated in my review of Gardens of the Moon, it takes me a lot of time and effort to get into these books. Again, the first half of this book was a struggle for me. I don't generally like following war parties through deserts, and that happened a lot. Also, it took me a while to grasp hold of an entirely new cast of characters.

Really, if Erikson's books read for me the way the last 200 pages of his books read, then I think I'd be a drooling fan of his work as much as anyone else. Several people told me that Deadhouse Gates ends brilliantly- that it is breath-taking and heart-wrenching. So, of course, I struggled through about 400 pages of text to get to the end.

And it really *was* breath-taking. Heart-wrenching. Brilliant. But really- why didn't I feel gripped to that extent for the preceding 400 pages?

I do believe getting to the end was worthwhile. I am certain that I will continue with this series for at least one more book (after all, it's already on my shelf). I think that I am becoming very invested in the lives of these characters, and that I'm really starting to care about the people and the world they live in. I continue to hope that I will eventually understand exactly what a "warren" of magic is. And I am, really, quite in awe of Erikson's ability to write, and to write well. There were many quotes in this book that I noted down, and it was difficult for me to choose one for this blog.

I don't know what I think of comparisons to George R. R. Martin right now. The two authors write in very different veins. Martin writes a great deal about his characters, and their actions and how those affect the world they live in. I think Erikson is much more wrapped up in his world itself- it is the most powerful and dominant character in the work (though he has dozens of other characters vying for reader attention). So for those fantasy fans who enjoy world-building on a grand, epic scale- I would recommend this book. And for those who find it difficult to struggle through a book that dumps them into a world they can't quite understand- you might still try the first book, and see how it goes.