Book Reviews

Writers learn their craft by absorbing the great works of others. With some critical thought - and a lot of study - we can learn to create better worlds by building on the stories that have come before.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

May 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

If you haven't read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by now, you are BLOWING IT! Sure, there've been radio plays, a BBC series in the 1980's, and a recent full-on movie with some excellent actors. The guide, however, is one of those books - or, rather, well, series of books - that absolutely demands to be read in dead-tree format. Preferrably with something alcoholic. In one sitting. On Sunday, in a hammock, with lots of tissue around to help because you often laugh too hard and expell something from an inconvenient orifice when you don'y intend to. Douglas Adams' classic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Science Fiction Tagged With: , , ,

Geomancer

May 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Geomancer - Vol.1 Well of Echoes - Ian Irvine

I wasn't at all fond of Ian Irvine's first quartet, the View from the Mirror, but Geomancer and it's subsequent  quartet won me over in a big way. Irvine is one of those authors who feels best when he's being mean to his characters. In the initial four books, this failed awfully, because the characters weren't the right kind to be abused. However, Tiaan, Nish and the other protagonists in the Well of Echoes series are immediately portrayed as flawed, weak humans (just like the rest of us). This humanity lends itself far better to humanizing the world Geomancer takes place in as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

Broken Angels

May 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Richard Morgan - Broken Angels

Following Altered Carbon, Richard Morgan's second Envoy book makes the jump from sci-fi noir detective novel to full on survival thriller, explains some of the world of the Envoys, and does a significant amount more world building. Here we find Takeshi Kovacs - a significant time beyond the events of Altered Carbon - in the midst of an archaeological espionage plot to harvest Martian technology from ruins discovered in the middle of a war zone. There should be no surprises here; this is a violent book, filled with rough language, graphic suffering, and a reasonable dose of sexual … [Read more...]

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The Sword of Shannara

May 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks

Where did I get the book? I picked up the first three Shannara books on the recommendation of a fellow writer. Why did I choose this book? The Sword of Shannara is a success story for writers, as much as it has become an archetype of fantasy fiction. The Story's Strengths: Brooks' narrative style is entrancing. It's easy to see why his writing became such an instant hit. From the moment you begin reading, the story draws you in and never lets go. The Story's Weaknesses: I found the book's ending a little muddy. Being a first effort, there was the chance that Brooks wouldn't get … [Read more...]

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American Gods

May 22, 2011 By 2 Comments
American Gods - A Novel by Neil Gaiman

Where did I get the book? Having read Neverwhere (review forthcoming) and seen it's production as a BBC short series, I picked up American Gods and a few other Gaiman stories. Why Did I Choose This Book? The struggle Gaiman depicts in American Gods, between the Gods of the old world (Europe), and the new things we worship here in the west, is very real to me as a person of belief.  Television, Celebrity, and other modern concerns are edging out the power of the old divinities - and, in this tale, they're having none of it. The Story's Strengths: The world Neil Gaiman portrays in … [Read more...]

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The Great Book of Amber

May 20, 2011 By 2 Comments
The Great Book of Amber - Roger Zelazny

Where Did I Get This Series?: Amber came to me from another collection - unexpectedly. Actually, I found it in my box, after a roommate and I parted presences. Why Did I Choose This Series?: Amber is one of those rare series which, when finished, you so wish it could be longer. More. It shouldn't end. The Story’s Strengths: The Great Book of Amber itself contains all ten of Roger Zelazny's original works - a great collection of writing. The themes of the Amber series is itself the tale's greatest strength; the principal characters move between perfect order (the City of Amber), and … [Read more...]

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The Coldfire Trilogy

May 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
C.S. Friedman - Black Sun Rising

Where Did I Get This Series?: This is another recommendation from fellow roleplayers. Why Did I Choose This Series?: Having read only the first fifteen pages of Black Sun Rising, I immediately sought out When True Night Falls and Crown of Shadows - I knew immediately I'd enjoy C.S. Friedman's writing style, and the major characters. The Story’s Strengths: The world Friedman builds in this trilogy has a lot of depth - and logic - behind it. As an example of great, powerful mechanism behind the characters moving through the story, the world is a phenomenon in and of itself. Much of the … [Read more...]

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The Fionavar Tapestry

May 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Fionavar Tapestry - Guy Gavriel Kay

Where Did I Get This Book?: One of my teachers in high school recommended The Fionavar Tapestry because Kay's writing style and mine are fairly similar (apparently). Having read the book, I agree - and it's something I aspire to improve upon. Why Did I Choose This Book?: Kay is a master of attention direction - his writing, whether fantastic fiction or historical revisionist fiction, draws the reader along eloquent paths of focus; Fionavar's a great example of this. The Story's Strengths: Fionavar is a perfect world, as far as Fantasy books are concerned; there's an enemy (Rakoth … [Read more...]

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Gardens of the Moon

April 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson

Where Did I Get This Book?: I picked this up at random based on the first paragraph, read at the shelf in the book store. With the kind of explosive beginning Gardens of the Moon has, I had no other option. Why Did I Choose This Book?: When I found Gardens of the Moon I had stopped reading for a number of years. I've been writing and gaming - mostly text-based roleplaying - for nearly eleven years at this point, but there was a gap, a significant one. So when I found the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, I wasn't expecting to dive back into books. In three weeks I had read the first six … [Read more...]

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The Belgariad

November 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Belgariad, Volume One - David Eddings

Where Did I Get This Book?: The Belgariad is one of those sempiternal classics of fantasy, I have no idea when I first heard of the series, nor who suggested I buy it. I found the two-volume Omnibus edition about eight years ago, and I've read it about four times since, front to back of both books. Why Did I Choose This Book?: Eddings is widely accepted as a seminal fantasy author. The Belgariad raised a number of the walls that the House of Fantasy is built on, and for good reason; the story is classical in its construction, the narrative is clear, and the character archetypes are very … [Read more...]

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