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imwithdaisies's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Loved the world building
mike729's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kodermike's review against another edition
5.0
There must be a magic to California that draws books of this genre. When I first read James Blaylock and then Tim Pratt all those decades ago, their stories tended to take place somewhere in the golden state, a place where a certain kind of magic still reigned. Sitting somewhere in the borderland between magic realism and urban fantasy, their books blended the ordinary with the extraordinary, hidden magic.
Greg Van Eekhout’s “California Bones” takes a rightful place in this pantheon. Set in a not so alternate world where magic is real and California has seceded from the United States, this is largely the story of Daniel Blackland, son of a powerful magician and orphaned at the age of 12. Fast forward to an alternate LA - one where the streets are watery canals and the movie wizard DIsney and the water wizard Mulholland are among the powerful - we find Daniel all grown up, a thief with special talents.
One of Van Eekhout’s smartest moves in this book was in not trying to tell us too much. This is a heist story, a crew of thieves sent out to lift some merchandise and a magic sword, and for the most part it stays within the confines of that story. Van Eekhout presents a concise story, one that rarely strays from the heist and the after effects of that heist. What little backstory we get is only in supporting our understanding of our focal character, Daniel. Even when we switch POV characters to Gabriel, grandson of the Heirarch of Southern California, we’re still moving towards bringing to conclusion the main story.
Even if you don’t care for heist stories (I’m not the biggest fan), you’ll still find yourself drawn into this well written story. Although the central story arc is around the heist, this story is really about power, both taken and earned. From the first moments when we see just how osteomancy works and how the Heirarch acquires his power, to the climatic end, we recognize the heist itself as just a means to an end.
Many thanks to Tor-Forge for sending me a copy for review - I devoured the book in five days, bones and all.
Greg Van Eekhout’s “California Bones” takes a rightful place in this pantheon. Set in a not so alternate world where magic is real and California has seceded from the United States, this is largely the story of Daniel Blackland, son of a powerful magician and orphaned at the age of 12. Fast forward to an alternate LA - one where the streets are watery canals and the movie wizard DIsney and the water wizard Mulholland are among the powerful - we find Daniel all grown up, a thief with special talents.
One of Van Eekhout’s smartest moves in this book was in not trying to tell us too much. This is a heist story, a crew of thieves sent out to lift some merchandise and a magic sword, and for the most part it stays within the confines of that story. Van Eekhout presents a concise story, one that rarely strays from the heist and the after effects of that heist. What little backstory we get is only in supporting our understanding of our focal character, Daniel. Even when we switch POV characters to Gabriel, grandson of the Heirarch of Southern California, we’re still moving towards bringing to conclusion the main story.
Even if you don’t care for heist stories (I’m not the biggest fan), you’ll still find yourself drawn into this well written story. Although the central story arc is around the heist, this story is really about power, both taken and earned. From the first moments when we see just how osteomancy works and how the Heirarch acquires his power, to the climatic end, we recognize the heist itself as just a means to an end.
Many thanks to Tor-Forge for sending me a copy for review - I devoured the book in five days, bones and all.
elusivity's review against another edition
4.0
A world with many different strains of magic. The predominating magic in the Kingdom of California is osteomancy, or magic gained from eating fossilized bones of long-ago magical creatures.
A very enjoyable ride.
The Hierarch of California is a tyrant who eats the bodies of osteomancers because bones are becoming more and more scarce.... except in his vault there seemed to be endless piles of various precious bones. Is eating osteomancers a better way to gain magic? Or just an excuse to eliminate enemies? Or both? And yet his staff are working hard to create "golems" (clones) of magic folk, in order the Hierarch could continue his avaricious eating.
The story began as a heist, and twists into a trap that delivers Daniel and his magical friends to the Hierarch. And the whole thing rolls on and on, until there is a final showdown, and Daniel wins, killing and eating half the Hierarch's heart, and takes away the Hierarch's golem to raise as his own.
1st read: 2014
2nd read: 2016
A very enjoyable ride.
Spoiler
Daniel is a man whose father gave him many gifts -- fed him bones and taught him how to draw magic from the memory of what he ate, as well the ability to be loved no matter what. I'm not clear on how people become magic though. Anyone seem able to mix bones together according to recipe and have specific results, some are able to add their essence to the mix and make it stronger, the best are able to do what Daniel does--but his is a special talent, beyond what one could acquire by training and experience? Not sure why his father gave him so very, very much, at the expense of his own life it seems. Should I assume it to be simply a father's love?The Hierarch of California is a tyrant who eats the bodies of osteomancers because bones are becoming more and more scarce.... except in his vault there seemed to be endless piles of various precious bones. Is eating osteomancers a better way to gain magic? Or just an excuse to eliminate enemies? Or both? And yet his staff are working hard to create "golems" (clones) of magic folk, in order the Hierarch could continue his avaricious eating.
The story began as a heist, and twists into a trap that delivers Daniel and his magical friends to the Hierarch. And the whole thing rolls on and on, until there is a final showdown, and Daniel wins, killing and eating half the Hierarch's heart, and takes away the Hierarch's golem to raise as his own.
1st read: 2014
2nd read: 2016
grayhulk's review against another edition
3.0
I'm intrigued by the world Mr. Van Eekhout created with California Bones.
I dove right into the next book, Pacific Fire. I'm looking forward to the growth of the characters and further exploration of the magic and rites.
I dove right into the next book, Pacific Fire. I'm looking forward to the growth of the characters and further exploration of the magic and rites.
lyrrael's review against another edition
3.0
I don't think I'm going to rate this, because although the premise was really interesting -- and the beginning of the book held a lot of promise -- there are several styles of fiction that just do not click with me, like portal fiction (random person is picked up, teleported to a new world, has to figure out how to stay alive), or false accusations. One of them is heist fiction. Yes, that means that out-of-this-world books like The Lies of Locke Lamora just do not rev my engine. This book would be very well recommended to anyone who enjoyed it. I read the first... oh, I dunno, quarter of the book before conking out. Kind of bummed -- I've been looking forward to this for a while, but that's the way the wind blows.
napkins's review against another edition
4.0
You are what you eat - we've heard this so many times in so many applications, but to see it applied to a magic system and actually be executed in full bone-chilling gluttony was amazing.
Osteomancy - the art of taking the essence of extinct or powerful creatures and distilling it to strengthen its traits, then consuming it to take those traits for yourself. It's every bit as brutal as you imagine, yet beautiful, steeped in mythology and lyric descriptions of traits the creatures embodied.
Of course, bones are a finite resource; there are only so many creatures that died so long ago, so power is coveted. And recycled.
Daniel's father is killed for such a purpose, removing competition and feeding the Hierarch, the power of the Kingdom of Southern California and its most powerful osteomancer. Daniel is instead taken in by a street gang and grows up there, away from the hunger of those that want his already magic-infused bones.
California Bones is full of magic, of a heist plot and found family. While Daniel has his crew, the other character we follow, Gabriel, renounces all he knows in pursuit of life and the truth. There are also families of other sorts, forced and made, and a great mix of lines that are a squeeze to the heart or a well-needed laugh (Daniel's crew is warm-hearted and genuinely funny and provides a good human core to the power-hungry Hierarch and his government).
It's a book I know I'll be dwelling on for the next few days and I'm eagerly looking forward to consuming the sequel.
Osteomancy - the art of taking the essence of extinct or powerful creatures and distilling it to strengthen its traits, then consuming it to take those traits for yourself. It's every bit as brutal as you imagine, yet beautiful, steeped in mythology and lyric descriptions of traits the creatures embodied.
Of course, bones are a finite resource; there are only so many creatures that died so long ago, so power is coveted. And recycled.
Daniel's father is killed for such a purpose, removing competition and feeding the Hierarch, the power of the Kingdom of Southern California and its most powerful osteomancer. Daniel is instead taken in by a street gang and grows up there, away from the hunger of those that want his already magic-infused bones.
California Bones is full of magic, of a heist plot and found family. While Daniel has his crew, the other character we follow, Gabriel, renounces all he knows in pursuit of life and the truth. There are also families of other sorts, forced and made, and a great mix of lines that are a squeeze to the heart or a well-needed laugh (Daniel's crew is warm-hearted and genuinely funny and provides a good human core to the power-hungry Hierarch and his government).
It's a book I know I'll be dwelling on for the next few days and I'm eagerly looking forward to consuming the sequel.
jasonabbott's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
I read Van Eekhout's Norse Code lo these many years ago and while I was entertained, wasn't hooked enough to follow up with later work.
For some reason California Bones caught my eye and I decided to give him another try. Glad I did!
Whether I've matured or Van Eekhout's writing has matured is a toss up. However, this book did get me hooked-- right from the start when Daniel Blackland's father forces him to drink melted Kraken spine on a Southern California (that's the Kingdom of Southern California) beach.
Osteomancy is what runs California-- magic derived from the excavated bones (kind of like dinosaurs in our world) of sphinxes, dragons, and smilodons. Only the bones are running out (can anyone say "peak oil") and now the Hierarch, the strongest osteomancer who rules Southern California, has decided to turn to other..ah...sources...of bone magic.
Daniel has been in hiding all these years after his parents met a terrible end. The thief master who took him in is calling in his chips-- he's got one, last heist for Daniel and his team to pull off. Rob the Hierarch's ossuary.
So this is a heist novel. Daniel and his team plan to steal items from an impregnable fortress (guarded by things like Hyakume eyes). But it's also a well-developed world with cool and usually consistent use of bone-magic. And Daniel is cool.
And van Eekhout even managed to slip in some political commentary about how humans use non-renewable resources. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but very sly.
Urban fantasy with adventure, bone-magic, and heist capers.
For some reason California Bones caught my eye and I decided to give him another try. Glad I did!
Whether I've matured or Van Eekhout's writing has matured is a toss up. However, this book did get me hooked-- right from the start when Daniel Blackland's father forces him to drink melted Kraken spine on a Southern California (that's the Kingdom of Southern California) beach.
Osteomancy is what runs California-- magic derived from the excavated bones (kind of like dinosaurs in our world) of sphinxes, dragons, and smilodons. Only the bones are running out (can anyone say "peak oil") and now the Hierarch, the strongest osteomancer who rules Southern California, has decided to turn to other..ah...sources...of bone magic.
Daniel has been in hiding all these years after his parents met a terrible end. The thief master who took him in is calling in his chips-- he's got one, last heist for Daniel and his team to pull off. Rob the Hierarch's ossuary.
So this is a heist novel. Daniel and his team plan to steal items from an impregnable fortress (guarded by things like Hyakume eyes). But it's also a well-developed world with cool and usually consistent use of bone-magic. And Daniel is cool.
And van Eekhout even managed to slip in some political commentary about how humans use non-renewable resources. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but very sly.
Urban fantasy with adventure, bone-magic, and heist capers.