Feb. '14 Book List
Didn't get too many free-range short stories last month. Just Forsworn by Brian McCellan, another prequel story to his "Powder Mage" series. And the Price of Doing Business by D.B. Jackson, also a prequel story, for his "Thief-taker" series. I think the second of Jackson's books might be out and I should check on that. Though the first book for both writer's fantasy series are worth getting...
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu about the secret war throughout history between two alien factions was pretty good. The aliens have to live in a symbiotic relationship with a human host and the set-up has that most major historical figures were hosts. Given that, its a little disappointing how the setting world is basically identical to ours. Still if the roommate were to get the sequel I'd more than likely read it...
Broken Homes is the latest "Rivers of London" urban fantasy/police procedural from Ben Aaronovitch. These books are soooo good. And the character swerve at the end is a total gut puncher...
Finally, FINALLY, finished up the Vance-tribute Songs of the Dying Earth anthology, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. This took me months, not because it wasn't full of talented authors writing in the Vancian style. But because that style just started to wear down on me every three or four stories...
Harry Connelly's the Overlook was the last of a small pile of mystery & noir writers I was testing out. Not a terrible book, though it takes a bit to really get moving. Still I doubt I'll be binge buying on Connelly anytime soon...
Also in the been sitting at the bottom of the literal physical pile was the Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. I have no idea what prompted me to pick this up. I got it it YEARS ago thru the BOMC and I cannot think what about it originally made me choose it. The story involving someone severely maimed from a car crash and the love he finds with a mentally challenged artist and how maybe time travel or past lives or some combination of the two might be happening. Yeah. Nothing in that grabbed and I just skimmed thru entire chapters of characters that didn't hook me...
Deep Six by Ian Thomas Healy is another from their "Just Cause" supers series of e-books. This one focuses on a super-villain prison and of course a break out. I really liked the depth of the prison guards, many of whom were minor talent supers themselves. Plus a pretty bad-ass and chilling main villain...
Joey Comeau & Jess Fink's We Are Become Pals is an illustrated story about the friendship between two girls. It was originally a series of blog/journal posts by the pair, now collected and expanded in a physical book. Very sweet and funny...
Another from the back log of unread, this time off the Kindle, in Flora's Fury by Ysabeau Wilce. The third book in her YA alt-history fantasy set in California. Its listed as the "Flora Trilogy" but the ending doesn't feel like a final ending. Hopefully she's doing multiple trilogies maybe?
Like a Mighty Army is the latest "Safehold" book from David Weber. And all the criticisms you can find are true. Weber does a ton of info dump expositioning. And the series is more than a bit bloated. And the original plotline is getting partially side-lined by the details of the current conflict. Still, I enjoyed it more than a little. I'm a sucker for Weber's Honorverse and Safehold books no question...
Starpilot's Grave is the middle book of Debra Doyle & James McDonald's original "MageWorlds" trilogy. Which still has that sort-of but not-really Star Wars homage to it. Again, like someone writing fanfic for the series having never actually seen it, only having it described second or third hand. But its an enjoyable bit of space opera on its own merits...
Roadside Picnic by Russian brothers Arkady & Boris Strugatsky is an older scifi novel. With attempts by humans to explore, study and/or exploit bits of alien detritus left behind by a sort-of First Contact with some very unknowable aliens...
And finally Cecil Castellucci's YA scifi Tin Star. The young lead here has to struggle to survive aboard a space station in the intergalatic boonies after she's beaten and left behind for dead by the corrupt leader of her colony group. Pretty tight start for a series and always good to see some YA that isn't urban fantasy or post-apocalyptic at this point...
Total books: 13
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu about the secret war throughout history between two alien factions was pretty good. The aliens have to live in a symbiotic relationship with a human host and the set-up has that most major historical figures were hosts. Given that, its a little disappointing how the setting world is basically identical to ours. Still if the roommate were to get the sequel I'd more than likely read it...
Broken Homes is the latest "Rivers of London" urban fantasy/police procedural from Ben Aaronovitch. These books are soooo good. And the character swerve at the end is a total gut puncher...
Finally, FINALLY, finished up the Vance-tribute Songs of the Dying Earth anthology, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. This took me months, not because it wasn't full of talented authors writing in the Vancian style. But because that style just started to wear down on me every three or four stories...
Harry Connelly's the Overlook was the last of a small pile of mystery & noir writers I was testing out. Not a terrible book, though it takes a bit to really get moving. Still I doubt I'll be binge buying on Connelly anytime soon...
Also in the been sitting at the bottom of the literal physical pile was the Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. I have no idea what prompted me to pick this up. I got it it YEARS ago thru the BOMC and I cannot think what about it originally made me choose it. The story involving someone severely maimed from a car crash and the love he finds with a mentally challenged artist and how maybe time travel or past lives or some combination of the two might be happening. Yeah. Nothing in that grabbed and I just skimmed thru entire chapters of characters that didn't hook me...
Deep Six by Ian Thomas Healy is another from their "Just Cause" supers series of e-books. This one focuses on a super-villain prison and of course a break out. I really liked the depth of the prison guards, many of whom were minor talent supers themselves. Plus a pretty bad-ass and chilling main villain...
Joey Comeau & Jess Fink's We Are Become Pals is an illustrated story about the friendship between two girls. It was originally a series of blog/journal posts by the pair, now collected and expanded in a physical book. Very sweet and funny...
Another from the back log of unread, this time off the Kindle, in Flora's Fury by Ysabeau Wilce. The third book in her YA alt-history fantasy set in California. Its listed as the "Flora Trilogy" but the ending doesn't feel like a final ending. Hopefully she's doing multiple trilogies maybe?
Like a Mighty Army is the latest "Safehold" book from David Weber. And all the criticisms you can find are true. Weber does a ton of info dump expositioning. And the series is more than a bit bloated. And the original plotline is getting partially side-lined by the details of the current conflict. Still, I enjoyed it more than a little. I'm a sucker for Weber's Honorverse and Safehold books no question...
Starpilot's Grave is the middle book of Debra Doyle & James McDonald's original "MageWorlds" trilogy. Which still has that sort-of but not-really Star Wars homage to it. Again, like someone writing fanfic for the series having never actually seen it, only having it described second or third hand. But its an enjoyable bit of space opera on its own merits...
Roadside Picnic by Russian brothers Arkady & Boris Strugatsky is an older scifi novel. With attempts by humans to explore, study and/or exploit bits of alien detritus left behind by a sort-of First Contact with some very unknowable aliens...
And finally Cecil Castellucci's YA scifi Tin Star. The young lead here has to struggle to survive aboard a space station in the intergalatic boonies after she's beaten and left behind for dead by the corrupt leader of her colony group. Pretty tight start for a series and always good to see some YA that isn't urban fantasy or post-apocalyptic at this point...
Total books: 13