Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
By Roger Zelazny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For me, The Amber Chronicles started getting really good with the third novel, Sign of the Unicorn. The Hand of Oberon was easily just as good.
The story to this point has been full of deception and misdirection, but that didn’t become apparent until the previous book. Now, with more (but definitely not all) of the cards on the table, it’s interesting to see how Corwin handles an ever degrading situation in Amber, especially when he doesn’t know who he can trust.
I think one of the things that really makes this series special is Corwin. He’s a great character. Unlike many fantasy protagonists, he’s not inherently good. Instead, he’s more pragmatic. He thinks things through and tries to be logical about his decisions. He has unique personality and intangible qualities that make him likable character.
This novel also had one hell of a surprise ending. I won’t reveal the details, but I was completely shocked and it compelled me to immediately move onto the next in the series.
My only real complaint are the hellrides. After the first couple of times, the novelty wore off and they simply became tedious. I ended up just skimming them, because the details didn’t really matter, just the outcome.
Overall, I really liked this novel and The Amber Chronicles are quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy series. If you haven’t read this one, I recommend it, but make sure you start at the beginning of the series.
Tags: Amber, Roger Zelazny
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Monday, May 13th, 2013
It’s been a touch over a month since I’ve posted to the blog and I can hardly believe how quickly that time flew by. The main reason for my unexpected hiatus was because I was putting in some overtime at work to help wrap up development for a major release of QuantumCMS, our in-house content management system. I even wrote a post about it on our corporate blog. I’m really happy with how everything turned out and I’m looking forward to getting feedback from our clients.
Now that’s the weather’s nice (I’m ignoring the fact that it snowed yesterday), I’ve been running more. I’m not a big runner, but it’s a great way to stay in shape and it generally makes me feel better about myself. It’s also helping me get through George R.R. Martin’s incredibly epic (and lengthy) A Dance With Dragons, because I listen to it on my ancient iPod Nano while I exercise.
And of course, I must also blame the NHL playoffs. I’m sure that I’ve noted in the past that I love hockey. Well, there’s no better time of the year for hockey fans that during the playoffs and the first round, which has been going for the last couple of weeks, is particularly exciting. It’s a good thing that I’ve been running, because I’ve also been spending an inordinate amount of time in front of the television lately.
This hiatus has also put me way behind on book reviews, which are the lifeblood of this blog. I’m hoping to catch up on reviews for my past reads, but it may take some time.
In other news, my brother and I have purchased tickets for Gen Con this summer. We still need a hotel and plane tickets, but hopefully that will happen very soon. I’ve never been to Gen Con, but we’re both big tabletop gamers so I think it will be a really fun experience.
Well, that’s it for now, my lunch break is over!
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Wednesday, April 10th, 2013
Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Let me start by saying that I enjoyed the first two novels of the Amber Chronicles. They were imaginatively written and entertaining. They had rich characters of noble birth if not entirely honorable dispositions. Perhaps best of all was the setting. Despite all that, I considered them to be 4 star novels.
As good as those novel were, Sign of the Unicorn was that much better. This is the novel were things get really good. This is the novel that hooked me in and didn’t let go. This is the novel that made me understand why Amber is considered a classic series.
Going into the third novel, I thought I had a pretty good handle for what was going on, but, damn, was I wrong. In Sign of the Unicorn, Zelazy reveals what really happened in the first two books. You find out what all of Corwin’s siblings were up to and it turns out that the story you thought you knew is actually way more complicated and interesting.
The members of Amber’s ruling family are a scheming and conniving bunch and they were were not idle while Corwin had his adventures in the first two novels. Zelazny really flushes out the background and mythology of Amber and its noble family and it gives the story a lot more depth.
Highly recommended!
Tags: Amber, Roger Zelazny
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Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
Redshirts by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like many others, I was first turned onto John Scalzi through Old Man’s War, which I consider to be one of my favorite science fiction novels. Since reading that, I resolved to read more Scalzi and, although some time passed, I finally got my hands on Redshirts.
Redshirts is little hard to describe. It’s essentially a novel that follows the nameless extras of a fiction cheesy sci-fi tv show called Intrepid. However, you can’t help but think about Star Trek as you read the novel.
At first, Scalzi plays that concept for all the humor that it’s worth and, trust me, it’s good for more than a few laughs. But it’s also so much more than that. After the comedic value has run its course, the plot takes a left turn and the novel becomes something totally different and so completely meta that it’s almost absurd. But that’s also when it get’s really good too.
It’s hard to go into more detail without giving away key plot points, but adventures ensue and the story gets not one, but three endings, each told from a different point of view.
Overall, I thought Redshirts was a really cool novel. It probably won’t go down as one of my favorites, but I still enjoyed it considerably and would recommend it to any sci-fi fan, but especially Star Trek fans.
Tags: John Scalzi
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Thursday, March 28th, 2013
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Before I get into the story, let me first address the narration of this book by Roy Dotrice. If you only listen to this book, then I expect that you’ll feel that Mr. Dotrice does a wonderful job. Unfortunately, if you listen to the books subsequently, you may not agree.
The main problem is that Dotrice changed the voices of several characters. He also changed the pronunciation of several characters’ names. At first, it was jarring, but after a few hours, I had forgotten all about it.
Now onto the writing. As usual, George R.R. Martin proves that he is excellent at writing morally grey characters and intricately twisted plots. He’s very good at bringing characters to life and making you care about them, whether you love them or hate them.
However, the main reason that I can’t give this book 5 stars is because, despite its length, Martin ignored several characters that are critical to the series’ overarching plot, including Daenerys, Stannis, Jon Snow, Bran, and Tyrion.
That, to me, is a big deal, because as a result the plot didn’t really move forward all that much. Yes, some minor events occurred and a number of sub plots were introduced, but the main plot was not addressed at all.
Still, this was a very good novel in its own right. There wasn’t a lot of action to speak of, but there was still a lot of excellent drama and character development. Plus, the characters that it did focus on are some of my favorites.
If you liked the first three books, you’ll definitely still like this one, but I’m hoping for a little more in the fifth. I think we all know roughly how the series has to end; I just hope Martin doesn’t drag it out too much.
Tags: A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin
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Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
To be honest, Blood Rites is not my favorite of the Dresden Files, but, given that, it’s still very good and still worthy of 5 stars. I guess I just enjoy this series that much.
Considering the awesomeness of books 3-5, it was going to take a hell of a lot for Butcher to top himself again. Truthfully, Butcher gave it a good shot. As usual, there’s a twisty plot, well-written action scenes, and black humor. On top of that Blood Rites was chocked full of solid character development, and not just for Harry; there are a lot of really powerful scenes involving Thomas.
I really like that Butcher’s characters are not flawless and they are forced to live with the consequences of their decisions. They are also not invincible (although some are pretty close). Okay, Butcher isn’t going to kill off his protagonist, but Harry never gets through a novel unscathed.
My only real complaint about Blood Rites is that part of the central plot surrounds an adult film. It did lead to some humorous moments on occasion, but it just didn’t work that well for me. The characters were kind of dull and it just didn’t compare to some of the other parts of the plot.
Blood Rites is the second book in the series to be produced by Penguin Audio, which means that the narration and production quality are outstanding. James Marsters makes an excellent Harry Dresden and he has done a superb job since Penguin took over.
Without question, if you enjoyed the first five books, you’ll love Blood Rites as well.
Tags: Dresden Files, Jim Butcher
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Thursday, March 14th, 2013
I believe that it’s pretty obvious that I’m a geek and one of the things that I like to do as a geek is to stay up to date on the latest geeky news. In particular, I get most of my information from io9.com, which is a really amazing blog that posts a ton of science fiction and fantasy content. They usually post around 30 articles each week day. No, I don’t read them all. In fact, I probably only read one or two a day, but I scan the headlines and I stay informed about my favorite topics.
In addition, I especially enjoy following the blogs of authors Patrick Rothfuss and John Scalzi. Those two guys share a lot of interesting tidbits about their professional and day-to-day lives, but the main reason I like their blogs is because they can both also be very amusing and seem like genuinely good people.
For quite awhile, I’ve used Google Reader as a way to collect and peruse these blogs and other news sources. I like Google Reader because it’s simple and it’s easy for me to keep track of what I’ve read and mark items for later reading. For several years now, Google Reader has been the main way that I get content from blogs and similar web sites.
Unfortunately, Google announced yesterday that they will be retiring Google Reader on July 1, 2013. Google basically claims that they want to focus their efforts on new and exciting frontiers, rather than tried-and-true technologies like RSS, despite a loyal user base. Most likely, it wasn’t making them any money so they cut it.
At first, I was really pissed. I mean, I really like Google Reader. But then I discovered Feedly, which is a news aggregrator that can actually sync with Google Reader. Feedly is more of an app than a web site, with availability in iOS, Android, Kindle, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. That means that you can use it in your desktop browser (assuming that you aren’t an Opera or IE user) or on most tablets and phones. They claim that by signing up for Feedly before July 1, you can make the transition seamlessly.
I thought that sounded pretty good so I decided to give it a try. Now, I’ve only used Feedly for a grand total of about 20 minutes, but I’m already really impressed. I got the app for Chrome, which is really nice. There are a lot of different options so you can really customize the way that content is presented. As a web designer, it also has a lot of visual appeal. They do a great job making the content look great.
I also got the app for my Kindle Fire. I can honestly say that as much as I like the Google app, the Kindle app is even cooler. It still has a lot of great display options, but it also has a really intuitive interface that allows you to really enjoy the experiencing of reading through your feeds.
I still need to play with it a bit, but I’m excited because I think that Feedly may actually be a huge improvement over Google Reader. I definitely recommend checking it out.
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Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve been so impressed with Brandon Sanderson as an author recently. Not only does he write amazing, sprawling epic fantasy novels, but he also somehow finds time to write some very creative novellas like The Emperor’s Soul and Legion.
Although The Emperor’s Soul won’t go down as my favorite of Sanderson’s works, I did really like the concept behind it. The novel is set in a fantasy world that felt very much like imperialist China, where Forgers are able to convert regular items into glorious works of art. A Forger could take pottery that you created in art class and make it look like something that belongs in a museum.
The process is obviously magical, but Sanderson lays out the rules so clearly that it almost feels like science. A Forger must create “soul stamps” to bend an item to their wishes. Essentially, they invent a plausible history for an item and forge that history into the stamp. Once the stamp is applied, item takes on that history and reflects it.
The magic system was definitely one of the best parts of the novel, but the plot and characters were also interesting. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys inventive fantasy or interesting magic systems. I really liked it.
Tags: Brandon Sanderson
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Monday, March 4th, 2013
Hammered by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, has survived for centuries largely by avoiding conflict, but that’s no longer an option as the consequences of past actions force him to take up arms against the Norse god of thunder, Thor.
Okay, the premise sounds a little ridiculous, but that’s one of the things that I love about this series. The author, Kevin Hearne, knows how to have a good time with mythology and old magic. He’s created a world where all of the old gods are still around, but are generally much less involved. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t still cause trouble.
Over the years, one god in particular has caused more trouble and burned more bridges than any other. That god is Thor and he’s generally considered to be a major bully by the magical community.
One thing I liked about Hammered in particular was that Atticus’ perfect little life starts to go sideways and he’s forced to deal with it. Atticus had built up a comfortable life in Arizona, but that ended when he slew Aenghus Og. Since then, he’s been confronted with one conflict after the next and it seems like the stakes are higher each time.
In the first novel, Atticus came across as a bit insensitive. I believe that was an intentional decision by the author as a 2,000 year old, immortal man is simply going to have different viewpoints than the average person today. But these conflicts are forcing him to figure out who and what he cares about and it’s slowly shaping him into a better character.
But with all that said, no, these novels are not really overly serious. They are fun and easy to read, and that’s what I appreciate most. Just a great blend of mythology, action, and humor. Recommended!
Tags: Iron Druid
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Thursday, February 21st, 2013
Death Masks by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What really impresses me about this series is how it improves little by little with each book. Through five novels, that has held true, which is no small accomplishment considering how good Gravel Peril and Summer Knight were.
It also seems like the stakes get a little higher in each novel, and they are definitely pretty high in Death Masks as Harry finds himself smack in the middle of a sinister plot by some major demon-types to wreak havoc on the denizens of Chicago. Harry not only requires the help of resident Knight of the Cross, Michael Carpenter, but also two other Knights. Trust me, you’re talking about some big league baddies if you need three Knights of the Cross to deal with them.
There were a lot of things that I really liked about this novel in particular. It had a great plot, twisting and turning through mysteries and misdirection. It had a great cast: some characters that we know and love and some new characters on both sides of the coin. I was particularly amused by the character of The Archive. Beyond all that, like all Dresden novels, it had great pacing, action, and a little dark humor.
One of the biggest improvements, in my mind, that Butcher made came in Grave Peril when he took a deep breath and slowed things down a bit, gave Harry some breathing room, gave him some time to reflect rather than just react, and gave the reader a chance to keep up. Those reflective moments continue in Death Masks and tend to be some of the best passages in the novel.
Oh, and what an amazing ending. I won’t spoil anything, but it was delightful and definitely made me want to dig right into the next novel.
This review would not be complete if I didn’t mention the significantly improved narration by James Marsters. I really liked Marsters’ performance of Harry Dresden in the first four novels, but when Penguin Audio began producing the audio books (taking over from Buzzy Multimedia), they must have had a couple of suggestions. With Death Masks, Marsters now has a voice for each character, his speech is crisper, and the overall production quality is much improved. I’m definitely very happy with the change.
Overall, Death Masks was a great read. If you enjoyed the previous novels, don’t stop, you’ve got to read this one.
Tags: Dresden Files, Jim Butcher
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