Books read in the second half of June
Gosh, it seems so long ago already. Can I remember them?
Resistance is futile by Jenny T Colgan
Jenny Colgan mostly writes fluffy, light-hearted romances about cupcakes, but sometimes she puts a T in her name and writes Doctor Who novels and the like. This one has the T, so there are aliens instead of cupcakes. It centres on Connie, a brilliant young mathematician, who is recruited to join a team of other genius mathematicians, who are made to sign the Official Secrets Act, and then Do Maths. Secret maths. Connie finds herself drawn to one of the team, the mysterious Luke, despite his strange unfamiliarity with basic concepts of modern life and human interaction. Then there is a death, and a discovery, and Connie and Luke have to go on the run, pursued by various enemies.
I borrowed this from the library fairly at random, knowing nothing about it. It was quite fun, though not particularly memorable afterwards - a mix of humour, romance, thriller and light science fiction. I could have done without the torture scene that suddenly popped up near the end, though.
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
YA fantasy. The titular smoke is exuded by demons as they die. Caught at great risk by demon hunters, it's bottled and sold as an illegal drug. The book follows five main characters, spread across several small kingdoms. One is a young demon hunter, whose latest batch of demon smoke is an unusual colour and has some strange qualities. One is a princess with a tyrannical father, sold in marriage to a prince she has never seen. Along with the young guardsman who loves her, she begins to suspect that her father is plotting something terrible, something that seems to involve demon smoke in some way. Added to the mix is a servant plotting revenge for the death of his people, and a kleptomaniac Lost Heir. The storylines start separately, but eventually come together, as the characters get caught up in betrayal and war.
I found it all perfectly readable and fairly enjoyable, but nothing caused any great enthusing. It's only part one of an ongoing story (oh how I wish there were more standalone fantasy novels in the world!) and I may well read on, when the second book comes out. However, with my form, I will probably have forgotten every little thing about the story by that time.
Charmcaster by Sebastien de Castell
3rd book in the Spellslinger series, a YA fantasy series about Kellan, a outcast hunted by his former people, arrogant and power-hungry magic-users, who is wandering a largely desert world along with a mysterious mentor and a thieving, foul-mouthed squirrel-cat. The series is quite enjoyable, although my main problem with this one was that I had almost completely forgotten what happened in book 2. I do wish I could remember books better. Book 4 is coming out in two or three months, so hopefully I'll remember at least something by then.
Brief cases by Jim Butcher
Short stories set in the world of the Dresden Files. Most of these have already appeared in various anthologies, but they were all new to me. One of the things I really like about the Dresden Files is how the secondary characters have all developed over the series. It started as a sort of Philip Marlowe with magic, but has grown into very much a group effort, full of characters who are becoming powerful and awesome in their own right. So I really enjoyed this set of stories, about half of which are seen through the eyes of these other characters: Marcone, Molly, Butters, Maggie, even Mouse. (Yay! Mouse!) I often struggle to engage with first person narrative, since I find it easier to relate to a main character if I get to see them through other people's eyes as well as their own. The main novels are 100% Dresden's viewpoint, so I really like getting the chance to see him through other eyes.
It's just a shame that Jim Butcher has been doing a GRRM for the last few years, and there's still no sign of the next book in either of his series.
The Wonder Engines by T Kingfisher
Sequel to The Clockwork Boys, which I read and enjoyed in December. The first book covered the assembling of The Party - a ninja accountant, an assassin, a fallen but still very noble paladin, and a naive and priggish scholar - and their journey through a war zone to an enemy city. The second - and final - book deals with what they find there. Their task is to discover the secret of the unstoppable automata being sent against them in war, with the clear expectation that they will probably die trying. The whole is great fun, with lots of laugh out loud moments, many of them relating to the paladin's extreme, and often inconvenient, nobleness, which drives his more chaotic party members to distraction. On the train to London, I kept having to stop and read bits out loud to Pellinor. But it's not just humour. There's a lot of really nice character development, especially from the young scholar, and lots of plot and danger and action, too. And romance, too, but it can't be helped.
I'm sure I read something else, but if so, I can't remember what it was. Unless I'm thinking of the various bits of Dark is Rising sequence dipping that I did on the train journey to Cornwall. Maybe that's it.
Resistance is futile by Jenny T Colgan
Jenny Colgan mostly writes fluffy, light-hearted romances about cupcakes, but sometimes she puts a T in her name and writes Doctor Who novels and the like. This one has the T, so there are aliens instead of cupcakes. It centres on Connie, a brilliant young mathematician, who is recruited to join a team of other genius mathematicians, who are made to sign the Official Secrets Act, and then Do Maths. Secret maths. Connie finds herself drawn to one of the team, the mysterious Luke, despite his strange unfamiliarity with basic concepts of modern life and human interaction. Then there is a death, and a discovery, and Connie and Luke have to go on the run, pursued by various enemies.
I borrowed this from the library fairly at random, knowing nothing about it. It was quite fun, though not particularly memorable afterwards - a mix of humour, romance, thriller and light science fiction. I could have done without the torture scene that suddenly popped up near the end, though.
The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
YA fantasy. The titular smoke is exuded by demons as they die. Caught at great risk by demon hunters, it's bottled and sold as an illegal drug. The book follows five main characters, spread across several small kingdoms. One is a young demon hunter, whose latest batch of demon smoke is an unusual colour and has some strange qualities. One is a princess with a tyrannical father, sold in marriage to a prince she has never seen. Along with the young guardsman who loves her, she begins to suspect that her father is plotting something terrible, something that seems to involve demon smoke in some way. Added to the mix is a servant plotting revenge for the death of his people, and a kleptomaniac Lost Heir. The storylines start separately, but eventually come together, as the characters get caught up in betrayal and war.
I found it all perfectly readable and fairly enjoyable, but nothing caused any great enthusing. It's only part one of an ongoing story (oh how I wish there were more standalone fantasy novels in the world!) and I may well read on, when the second book comes out. However, with my form, I will probably have forgotten every little thing about the story by that time.
Charmcaster by Sebastien de Castell
3rd book in the Spellslinger series, a YA fantasy series about Kellan, a outcast hunted by his former people, arrogant and power-hungry magic-users, who is wandering a largely desert world along with a mysterious mentor and a thieving, foul-mouthed squirrel-cat. The series is quite enjoyable, although my main problem with this one was that I had almost completely forgotten what happened in book 2. I do wish I could remember books better. Book 4 is coming out in two or three months, so hopefully I'll remember at least something by then.
Brief cases by Jim Butcher
Short stories set in the world of the Dresden Files. Most of these have already appeared in various anthologies, but they were all new to me. One of the things I really like about the Dresden Files is how the secondary characters have all developed over the series. It started as a sort of Philip Marlowe with magic, but has grown into very much a group effort, full of characters who are becoming powerful and awesome in their own right. So I really enjoyed this set of stories, about half of which are seen through the eyes of these other characters: Marcone, Molly, Butters, Maggie, even Mouse. (Yay! Mouse!) I often struggle to engage with first person narrative, since I find it easier to relate to a main character if I get to see them through other people's eyes as well as their own. The main novels are 100% Dresden's viewpoint, so I really like getting the chance to see him through other eyes.
It's just a shame that Jim Butcher has been doing a GRRM for the last few years, and there's still no sign of the next book in either of his series.
The Wonder Engines by T Kingfisher
Sequel to The Clockwork Boys, which I read and enjoyed in December. The first book covered the assembling of The Party - a ninja accountant, an assassin, a fallen but still very noble paladin, and a naive and priggish scholar - and their journey through a war zone to an enemy city. The second - and final - book deals with what they find there. Their task is to discover the secret of the unstoppable automata being sent against them in war, with the clear expectation that they will probably die trying. The whole is great fun, with lots of laugh out loud moments, many of them relating to the paladin's extreme, and often inconvenient, nobleness, which drives his more chaotic party members to distraction. On the train to London, I kept having to stop and read bits out loud to Pellinor. But it's not just humour. There's a lot of really nice character development, especially from the young scholar, and lots of plot and danger and action, too. And romance, too, but it can't be helped.
I'm sure I read something else, but if so, I can't remember what it was. Unless I'm thinking of the various bits of Dark is Rising sequence dipping that I did on the train journey to Cornwall. Maybe that's it.