China Miéville's book was an interesting twist on the grizzled cop who has to go to another country to solve a crime that involves both ( Read more... )

Poetry by Kyla Ward

A book of poetry ideally should be read like a box of chocolates should be eaten; one at a time, with time to savour between each.
Kyla's work is certainly rich enough to encourage this approach. Each poem is like a topiary of words, decorated in Christmas-tree-fashion with small carnivores, herbs, and white and black ribbon. ( ( Read more... )

Saw the second half last night. Not quite as engaging as the first half, but certainly exciting enough. Some great moments too, like the trio looking over the ruins in the aftermath in the bright daylight. Perhaps inevitably, some of the lesser character's beats were minimised. OTOH, I got a better idea of Snape's role in procedings.

Over all, well ( Read more... )

I've been reading some books by Joe Hill. In 20th Century Ghosts, dysfunctional father/son relationships feature prominently in many of the short stories. Overall there's a horror theme, so I think that it's safe to say those relationships don't directly reflect the author's experience, beyond the idea that the relationship is important, so ( Read more... )

Things that may be gods or demons or neither are starting to return to the world, acting sometimes openly, often behind the scenes, boding nothing good. Meanwhile, slavery has recently been legalised, and a new religion has gained power. Ringil is asked by his noble-woman mother to rescue a cousin from slavery, but it seems something other than ( Read more... )

I found it on the $5 table at an Angus & Robertson, I was attracted to it by the author names* and the price. It's actually a very good story with an unusual protagonist - a nasty Mexican killer. Now, I don't think I've known any killers, but I have known a couple of blokes who are prickly when sober and outright mean when drunk. It was ( Read more... )

Zoe's Tale is far more engaging than anything else Scalzi has written. The combination of the first person narrative, the young protagonist, and all she has been through makes for an immediacy that I find lacking in Scalzi's other books. He also takes up a point I think was missing from The Last Colony, the local sentients. Zoe is also thoroughly ( Read more... )

Well, that ended fairly satisfactorily. One aspect was somewhat out of left field, - how did she know what needed doing, and that she could do that? But overall, everything was wrapped up well. I think the writer has a religious philosophy, but don't think he pushes it too hard. A lot of the book seems to conclude that Hell is Other People - but so ( Read more... )

like Brent Week's Night Angel trilogy. Good characters, well-thought-out plots, interesting adventures. A writer who can describe the depths of despair and degradation, yet also humour and pure emotions. There's also a deliberate theme: a person can change. To change, a person adopts the manner and appearance of that the person wants or needs to be ( Read more... )

I've read two of the three books by Brent Weeks, and am quite impressed. Things never go quite as you'd expect, and the protagonist is pretty well-rounded. There's enough background to fill a dozen books, yet it's not belaboured, and it's reasonably well put together. There are many things we know we don't know, and Brent shows no signs of ( Read more... )