The RuneLords: the sum of all men by David Farland

This is one of those books that's kinda hard to sum up (no pun intended). Let's start with the basics: Farland, like Brandon Sanderson, creates a unique system of "magic" (in quotes for a reason to be explained shortly) with his titular Runelords. Basically it allows someone to make a "gift", ( Read more... )

Moving Targets and other tales of Valdemar edited by Mercedes LackeyLately, I find I can tolerate Valdemar in small doses. This makes these anthologies almost perfect--especially since most of the stories are by writers other than Lackey. Don't get me wrong, I like Lackey--but, like the world she created, she's at her best in small doses ( Read more... )

The Da-da-de-da-da Code by Robert Rankin

Johnny Hooker is completely mad, or at least somewhat schizophrenic. When we first meet him he's protesting a farmer's market in his upstairs loft--they woke him up with all their racket. Of course, there is no farmer's market in Johnny's loft. Johnny also has an imaginary friend named Mr. Giggles the ( Read more... )

Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti Taya is an Icarus--a flying courier in the clockpunk city of Ondinium. Lower-class but ambitious, she gets caught up against her will in the affairs of two ruling-class brothers, one of whom has moved out of the upper city to live among the poor. Terrorists are involved with one of the brothers . . . but which ( Read more... )

( The Edge Chronicles: Midnight over Sanctaphrax by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell )

( Catch a Fire: the Life of Bob Marley by Timothy White )

( Cast In Shadow by Michelle Sagara )

Rereading has been slowing me down. It looks like I only read 5 new books in July (only? The post that inspired this counting game stated that a study had shown the average american is considered "well-read" if s/he reads 6 books in a year; as my five in a month takes me up to 61 for the year, 16 of them non-fiction, I guess I'm well0read by that ( Read more... )