Calico's Dare: November 2011
Welcome to Calico's Dares! This is a new feature that sort of goes along with the 2011 Book Club, but you don't have to be signed up for the book club to participate. How does it work? Let me show you:
1) At the start of every month, I'm going to select a book I've already read and reviewed and dare you to read it. Don't worry: I'm not going to suggest something I hated. Rather, the books will come from my highest rated reviews, so you get a chance to read something I've loved and see if I'm on track or on crack. Every reader is different, after all!
2) There are NO LIMITS to the titles I choose, other than the fact I've read and reviewed them and given them a high rating. What does that mean? Well, I could pick a sequel of a book. Or I could select a book that's out of print. ANYTHING. The sky's the limit, and it'll be up to YOU to get your hands on the book to read it.
3) NO ONE IS REQUIRED to participate. This is meant to be fun, which is why I'm not worrying about sequels or out-of-print titles. I will warn you if said DARE is a sequel or out of print, don't worry. I won't let you find that out on your own.
4) I will try, but not always succeed, in selecting a book that balances the current book club selection. By balance, I mean if we're reading epic fantasy, I'm not going to give you another epic fantasy. If we're reading paranormal romance, I'm not gonna give you a paranormal romance.
5) I will give you the link to my original review. All discussion must be posted there. I will not send out reminder emails, nor will I post a separate discussion. The Weekend Update will list the current month's dare, but that's all the reminder you'll get.
6) Dares will be announced in the month they're due. If you can't read a dare in a given month, no big deal. You're not getting penalized or anything. Now, if you've signed up for the 2011 Book Club, you do get participation points for participating, but don't break your neck trying to do two books in one month for participation points, okay? If it's gonna be one or the other, I'd prefer you to read the current book club selection, not the dare.
Clear as mud? Do you have any questions? If not, let's announce the next Calico's Dare, to be read in November!
The Gaslight Dogs
by Karin Lowachee
Fantasy (2010)
Calico's Rating: Excellent***
*** = Under the old rating system, it was "Must Read."
We're getting close to the end of the year, and the end of the usually means insane busy-ness, so I thought I'd help out on the Dares for the next two months. For those of you who are participating in the Women of Fantasy book club, breathe a sigh of relief: Karin Lowachee's The Gaslight Dogs is November's pick. If you're not participating in that book club, you still get to participate in the Dare! I've been wanting to use Lowachee for a Dare for a long time, only my favorite book of hers is out-of-print/ridiculously expensive, and I don't want to do that to you. So that leaves her Fantasy debut, which is utterly different but still utterly compelling. However, I must warn you: while the immediate plot line is resolved, the ending of The Gaslight Dogs is clearly open for a sequel, and sequels depend on just how well The Gaslight Dogs sells. I can honestly say I don't know if Lowachee will be allowed to write the sequel or not, but despite that, it's an utterly unique fantasy that deserves more readers. Here's part of my original review:
For readers who want a fantasy that's nothing like the usual, this is something you should seriously consider. I mean, how many fantasies feature Inuit-based heroines and take place in the Arctic? It's kind of like historical fantasy in a secondary world, because there's so much in the world-building that can be translated to our own history. That's what gives the book its weight and gravitas, that and the strength of Lowachee's writing and characterization. The characters here are brutally human, flawed and sympathetic all at the same time. The world-building is excellent, and I loved the nature of magic in this world and how it works. I can only pray we get more books in the series, because this is good, solid fantasy. Lowachee isn't a writer you read for mindless escapism; rather, she's an author whose work you can savor, an author who creates characters you can easily see as real and tangible, people you could interact with. It's a solid fantasy that's both similar and different than her science fiction, and I can't wait to read more (of both).
TO DISCUSS: please click here and comment. :) Feel free to read my original review and people's previous comments, but don't be shy about starting up a new discussion either!
And if you've already read the book? Comment anyway! Let's hear what you think!
Happy Reading!
1) At the start of every month, I'm going to select a book I've already read and reviewed and dare you to read it. Don't worry: I'm not going to suggest something I hated. Rather, the books will come from my highest rated reviews, so you get a chance to read something I've loved and see if I'm on track or on crack. Every reader is different, after all!
2) There are NO LIMITS to the titles I choose, other than the fact I've read and reviewed them and given them a high rating. What does that mean? Well, I could pick a sequel of a book. Or I could select a book that's out of print. ANYTHING. The sky's the limit, and it'll be up to YOU to get your hands on the book to read it.
3) NO ONE IS REQUIRED to participate. This is meant to be fun, which is why I'm not worrying about sequels or out-of-print titles. I will warn you if said DARE is a sequel or out of print, don't worry. I won't let you find that out on your own.
4) I will try, but not always succeed, in selecting a book that balances the current book club selection. By balance, I mean if we're reading epic fantasy, I'm not going to give you another epic fantasy. If we're reading paranormal romance, I'm not gonna give you a paranormal romance.
5) I will give you the link to my original review. All discussion must be posted there. I will not send out reminder emails, nor will I post a separate discussion. The Weekend Update will list the current month's dare, but that's all the reminder you'll get.
6) Dares will be announced in the month they're due. If you can't read a dare in a given month, no big deal. You're not getting penalized or anything. Now, if you've signed up for the 2011 Book Club, you do get participation points for participating, but don't break your neck trying to do two books in one month for participation points, okay? If it's gonna be one or the other, I'd prefer you to read the current book club selection, not the dare.
Clear as mud? Do you have any questions? If not, let's announce the next Calico's Dare, to be read in November!
The Gaslight Dogs
by Karin Lowachee
Fantasy (2010)
Calico's Rating: Excellent***
*** = Under the old rating system, it was "Must Read."
We're getting close to the end of the year, and the end of the usually means insane busy-ness, so I thought I'd help out on the Dares for the next two months. For those of you who are participating in the Women of Fantasy book club, breathe a sigh of relief: Karin Lowachee's The Gaslight Dogs is November's pick. If you're not participating in that book club, you still get to participate in the Dare! I've been wanting to use Lowachee for a Dare for a long time, only my favorite book of hers is out-of-print/ridiculously expensive, and I don't want to do that to you. So that leaves her Fantasy debut, which is utterly different but still utterly compelling. However, I must warn you: while the immediate plot line is resolved, the ending of The Gaslight Dogs is clearly open for a sequel, and sequels depend on just how well The Gaslight Dogs sells. I can honestly say I don't know if Lowachee will be allowed to write the sequel or not, but despite that, it's an utterly unique fantasy that deserves more readers. Here's part of my original review:
For readers who want a fantasy that's nothing like the usual, this is something you should seriously consider. I mean, how many fantasies feature Inuit-based heroines and take place in the Arctic? It's kind of like historical fantasy in a secondary world, because there's so much in the world-building that can be translated to our own history. That's what gives the book its weight and gravitas, that and the strength of Lowachee's writing and characterization. The characters here are brutally human, flawed and sympathetic all at the same time. The world-building is excellent, and I loved the nature of magic in this world and how it works. I can only pray we get more books in the series, because this is good, solid fantasy. Lowachee isn't a writer you read for mindless escapism; rather, she's an author whose work you can savor, an author who creates characters you can easily see as real and tangible, people you could interact with. It's a solid fantasy that's both similar and different than her science fiction, and I can't wait to read more (of both).
TO DISCUSS: please click here and comment. :) Feel free to read my original review and people's previous comments, but don't be shy about starting up a new discussion either!
And if you've already read the book? Comment anyway! Let's hear what you think!
Happy Reading!