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Cormyr by Jeff Grubb, Ed Greenwood
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This could have been good.
Co-authored by Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood. When I saw this, I thought, "Please let it be actually written by Grubb, based on Greenwood's concept and that's the only reason why Greenwood got co-billing," but no. It was written half and half. By chapter 4 I'd figured out the pattern: the book alternates chapters between a "present day" storyline and a series of chronological vignettes highlighting key points in the formation and growth of the human kingdom of Cormyr, from a time when the land was ruled by dragons, to the time of the elves, to the earliest human settlements that eventually grew into a proper kingdom, always ruled by the Obarskyr line and supported by a wizard.
The "past" chapters were quite good. Grubb was one of the better TSR staple writers, responsible along with his wife Kate Novak for Azure Bonds, The Wyvern's Spur and others. These linked short stories were varied, fun, and reasonably poignant.
The "present day" storyline was bloated and interminable. Greenwood is in his usual form here with his relentlessly irritating Renaissance Faire style, with the same stock weeping hero and sneering villain personalities that appear in all of his books. Vangerdahast is less bombastic than Elminster but otherwise there's not much space between them. Every magical secret has to have seven layers to it, every scabby noble is overconfident and easily manipulated, and almost every one of his chapters could have been cut. So much time wasted on gossip, incessantly sobbing princesses, shadowy plotting, and goofy unnecessary heroics by third-tier characters. On one level I enjoy how terrible Greenwood's books are, but in the moment they are mostly unbearable.
Or should I say, un-Baerauble? That's just one of hundreds of overwrought character names. Names like Faerlthann Obarskyr; Vangerdahast; the sword Ansrivarr; Darlutheene Ambershields; Blaerla Roaringhorn. At one point the names of 23 noble houses appeared on a single page. It's indistinguishable from Antigua: The Land of Fairies, Wizards and Heroes for the sheer number of named characters and the excessive vowels and awkward letter R in many of them. You might think that since the book covers multiple time periods that of course there would be many characters, but the biggest culprit is simply Greenwood's present time chapters.
There's an easy way to fix this book: limit the present-time chapters to three, five at most. Open with the king having fallen victim to the deadly magical illness; use that to frame the chapters that move through Cormyr's history. Have just one or a couple chapters as interludes detailing the major events in the kingdom brought on by the king's looming expected death. Then when the historical chapters catch up to present time, resolve the story. Greenwood could even still write those parts and it would be tolerable (not that he's shows any ability to write succinctly as this would require).
But no, instead we get by far the longest TSR Forgotten Realms novel up to that point, surpassed only by Evermeet: Island of Elves three years later. Those 100 pages really could have been cut.
At least the next book in my Forgotten Realms novel reading project is one by R.A. Salvatore, the only one in a four-year span because Brian Thomsen alienated most of TSR's writers. If only Ed Greenwood had had anywhere else to go.
Co-authored by Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood. When I saw this, I thought, "Please let it be actually written by Grubb, based on Greenwood's concept and that's the only reason why Greenwood got co-billing," but no. It was written half and half. By chapter 4 I'd figured out the pattern: the book alternates chapters between a "present day" storyline and a series of chronological vignettes highlighting key points in the formation and growth of the human kingdom of Cormyr, from a time when the land was ruled by dragons, to the time of the elves, to the earliest human settlements that eventually grew into a proper kingdom, always ruled by the Obarskyr line and supported by a wizard.
The "past" chapters were quite good. Grubb was one of the better TSR staple writers, responsible along with his wife Kate Novak for Azure Bonds, The Wyvern's Spur and others. These linked short stories were varied, fun, and reasonably poignant.
The "present day" storyline was bloated and interminable. Greenwood is in his usual form here with his relentlessly irritating Renaissance Faire style, with the same stock weeping hero and sneering villain personalities that appear in all of his books. Vangerdahast is less bombastic than Elminster but otherwise there's not much space between them. Every magical secret has to have seven layers to it, every scabby noble is overconfident and easily manipulated, and almost every one of his chapters could have been cut. So much time wasted on gossip, incessantly sobbing princesses, shadowy plotting, and goofy unnecessary heroics by third-tier characters. On one level I enjoy how terrible Greenwood's books are, but in the moment they are mostly unbearable.
Or should I say, un-Baerauble? That's just one of hundreds of overwrought character names. Names like Faerlthann Obarskyr; Vangerdahast; the sword Ansrivarr; Darlutheene Ambershields; Blaerla Roaringhorn. At one point the names of 23 noble houses appeared on a single page. It's indistinguishable from Antigua: The Land of Fairies, Wizards and Heroes for the sheer number of named characters and the excessive vowels and awkward letter R in many of them. You might think that since the book covers multiple time periods that of course there would be many characters, but the biggest culprit is simply Greenwood's present time chapters.
There's an easy way to fix this book: limit the present-time chapters to three, five at most. Open with the king having fallen victim to the deadly magical illness; use that to frame the chapters that move through Cormyr's history. Have just one or a couple chapters as interludes detailing the major events in the kingdom brought on by the king's looming expected death. Then when the historical chapters catch up to present time, resolve the story. Greenwood could even still write those parts and it would be tolerable (not that he's shows any ability to write succinctly as this would require).
But no, instead we get by far the longest TSR Forgotten Realms novel up to that point, surpassed only by Evermeet: Island of Elves three years later. Those 100 pages really could have been cut.
At least the next book in my Forgotten Realms novel reading project is one by R.A. Salvatore, the only one in a four-year span because Brian Thomsen alienated most of TSR's writers. If only Ed Greenwood had had anywhere else to go.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm a big fan of Daniel Abraham's fantasy novels and despite general interest in this nine book series he co-wrote (with Ty Franck, who really needs a better bio than "George R.R. Martin's assistant"), it took finding a copy of this first book on a library discard cart, plus a year of it sitting in my basement, before I finally took the plunge.
It's a very good character-focused story. The science fiction setting is well thought out, but don't expect "hard" sci-fi because ultimately the details take a back seat to the emotional storytelling. Told in alternating chapters with two POV characters, it's a very human story with space trappings. At times it felt perhaps too character-focused: while broader events were well-reported and affected by the characters' actions and vice-versa, I sometimes wanted more immersion into the system-wide conflicts going on in the background. I expect this will be relieved if I continue the series, in which new POV characters are central in future volumes, presumably expanding the readers experience of ... the Expanse.
A couple of side notes from my reading experience:
Although the two-author collaboration behind “James SA Corey” was never secret, the book’s dedication, acknowledgements, and author interview are all written from the first person singular. This is odd.
I was struck by the insertion of past and current cultural references into the future setting, without fictional future references for the characters to also draw on. There was highly specific reference to Don Quixote (1605) and Dune (1965, but with film adaptations up to 2024 so far). It's not stated how far in the future The Expanse takes place but it must be at least 300 years from now. Were there no memorable or culturally significant books or movies or other media created during that time that would supersede these for the book's characters? It felt like the equivalent of references to Gilgamesh and Charlie Chaplin in the present time, things are remembered but not precisely go-to cultural touchpoints today.
I know that invented future references would be generally meaningless to the reader, like if instead of saying, "That's the name of Don Quixote's horse," it was, "That's the name of Glorbfawn's spacecaster," that would be stupid. But it still struck me as odd and anachronistic. At least the book wasn't inundated with these, like reportedly Artemis is, but it still took an active choice to move on from this issue and resume my reading enjoyment. Then Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) came into the characters' thoughts, and I was like, come on. To be fair, it was offset in one sequence by character memories of a song from a children's TV show from their own lifetimes.
They're good references, meaningfully used, but it was still odd.
It's a very good character-focused story. The science fiction setting is well thought out, but don't expect "hard" sci-fi because ultimately the details take a back seat to the emotional storytelling. Told in alternating chapters with two POV characters, it's a very human story with space trappings. At times it felt perhaps too character-focused: while broader events were well-reported and affected by the characters' actions and vice-versa, I sometimes wanted more immersion into the system-wide conflicts going on in the background. I expect this will be relieved if I continue the series, in which new POV characters are central in future volumes, presumably expanding the readers experience of ... the Expanse.
A couple of side notes from my reading experience:
Although the two-author collaboration behind “James SA Corey” was never secret, the book’s dedication, acknowledgements, and author interview are all written from the first person singular. This is odd.
I was struck by the insertion of past and current cultural references into the future setting, without fictional future references for the characters to also draw on. There was highly specific reference to Don Quixote (1605) and Dune (1965, but with film adaptations up to 2024 so far). It's not stated how far in the future The Expanse takes place but it must be at least 300 years from now. Were there no memorable or culturally significant books or movies or other media created during that time that would supersede these for the book's characters? It felt like the equivalent of references to Gilgamesh and Charlie Chaplin in the present time, things are remembered but not precisely go-to cultural touchpoints today.
I know that invented future references would be generally meaningless to the reader, like if instead of saying, "That's the name of Don Quixote's horse," it was, "That's the name of Glorbfawn's spacecaster," that would be stupid. But it still struck me as odd and anachronistic. At least the book wasn't inundated with these, like reportedly Artemis is, but it still took an active choice to move on from this issue and resume my reading enjoyment. Then Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) came into the characters' thoughts, and I was like, come on. To be fair, it was offset in one sequence by character memories of a song from a children's TV show from their own lifetimes.
They're good references, meaningfully used, but it was still odd.
Return of the Deep Ones and Other Mythos Tales by Brian Lumley
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
<blockquote>"Oh?" He peered up at the grille. "It's not so very long ago that they used to test a woman for pregnancy by injecting a female frog with her urine. If the frog spawned, the woman was pregnant. It actually works."</blockquote> IT'S FUCKING TRUE!!! I was like, what the hell, is this for real? It is! WTF science?
This is one of many collections of Brian Lumley's various shorter works, usually Cthulhu Mythos-related or at least arguably so. As I'm reading through the books I've collected of his I've been encountering repetition. This has become mildly irritating, but not all that long ago it was much more difficult than now to dig up his stories, often published in small quantities and relatively obscure periodicals. Fortunately, even his rarest stories are likely available in e-book format now, so anyone can become a Lumley completionist if they are so inclined.
My rating for this book is solely for the titular <i>Return of the Deep Ones</i>, which before this 1994 collection from Roc was only printed as a three-part serial in 1984. The other gem of this collection is the novella [b:Beneath the Moors|1862250|Beneath the Moors|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1246503089l/1862250._SX50_.jpg|51961098], published on its own in 1974 with only 4000 copies. <i>Inception</i> and <i>Lord of the Worms</i> are more recent and were published in [b:The Compleat Crow|1862256|The Compleat Crow|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329521623l/1862256._SY75_.jpg|1862961], the latter also in [b:The Taint and Other Novellas|757068|The Taint and Other Novellas (Best Mythos Tales)|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387748179l/757068._SY75_.jpg|743181]. I'm going to have to buy that one at some point, along with [b:Haggopian and Other Stories|2248359|Haggopian and Other Stories|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266669735l/2248359._SX50_.jpg|2254235], to further complete my own Lumley experience since there are some stories in each of those I don't yet own in another format, most notably <i>The Sister City</i>, one of his very earliest stories which was later expanded to become Beneath the Moors and previously only seen in an obscure 1969 Arkham House publication.
As for that Deep Ones novella: good stuff! It's a worthy British sequel to Lovecraft's <i>Shadows over Innsmouth</i>, drawing on [b:The Call of Cthulhu|15730101|The Call of Cthulhu|H.P. Lovecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567470807l/15730101._SX50_.jpg|6750943] and [b:At the Mountains of Madness|32767|At the Mountains of Madness|H.P. Lovecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388341769l/32767._SY75_.jpg|17342821] as well, and an engaging horror story even if you haven't read the source material. It is marred only by the insertion of another short story of Lumley's as a chapter, <i>Haggopian</i> (which first appeared in 1973 in <i>Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction</i>). I've already seen Lumley slot an existing short story into a longer work with [b:The Burrowers Beneath|1862255|The Burrowers Beneath (Titus Crow #1)|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1426195388l/1862255._SY75_.jpg|864965], and here at least it seems self-indulgent since it doesn't notably contribute to this story. Rather, it takes something away because the topic of its horror is barely tangentially related. I would have been more impressed if he had simply used the same journalist character as an easter egg (a term that antedates this book, certainly) for die-hard fans to discover. But, Lumley has called Haggopian "one of my personal favourites," so I'll let this go.
This is one of many collections of Brian Lumley's various shorter works, usually Cthulhu Mythos-related or at least arguably so. As I'm reading through the books I've collected of his I've been encountering repetition. This has become mildly irritating, but not all that long ago it was much more difficult than now to dig up his stories, often published in small quantities and relatively obscure periodicals. Fortunately, even his rarest stories are likely available in e-book format now, so anyone can become a Lumley completionist if they are so inclined.
My rating for this book is solely for the titular <i>Return of the Deep Ones</i>, which before this 1994 collection from Roc was only printed as a three-part serial in 1984. The other gem of this collection is the novella [b:Beneath the Moors|1862250|Beneath the Moors|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1246503089l/1862250._SX50_.jpg|51961098], published on its own in 1974 with only 4000 copies. <i>Inception</i> and <i>Lord of the Worms</i> are more recent and were published in [b:The Compleat Crow|1862256|The Compleat Crow|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329521623l/1862256._SY75_.jpg|1862961], the latter also in [b:The Taint and Other Novellas|757068|The Taint and Other Novellas (Best Mythos Tales)|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387748179l/757068._SY75_.jpg|743181]. I'm going to have to buy that one at some point, along with [b:Haggopian and Other Stories|2248359|Haggopian and Other Stories|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266669735l/2248359._SX50_.jpg|2254235], to further complete my own Lumley experience since there are some stories in each of those I don't yet own in another format, most notably <i>The Sister City</i>, one of his very earliest stories which was later expanded to become Beneath the Moors and previously only seen in an obscure 1969 Arkham House publication.
As for that Deep Ones novella: good stuff! It's a worthy British sequel to Lovecraft's <i>Shadows over Innsmouth</i>, drawing on [b:The Call of Cthulhu|15730101|The Call of Cthulhu|H.P. Lovecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567470807l/15730101._SX50_.jpg|6750943] and [b:At the Mountains of Madness|32767|At the Mountains of Madness|H.P. Lovecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388341769l/32767._SY75_.jpg|17342821] as well, and an engaging horror story even if you haven't read the source material. It is marred only by the insertion of another short story of Lumley's as a chapter, <i>Haggopian</i> (which first appeared in 1973 in <i>Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction</i>). I've already seen Lumley slot an existing short story into a longer work with [b:The Burrowers Beneath|1862255|The Burrowers Beneath (Titus Crow #1)|Brian Lumley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1426195388l/1862255._SY75_.jpg|864965], and here at least it seems self-indulgent since it doesn't notably contribute to this story. Rather, it takes something away because the topic of its horror is barely tangentially related. I would have been more impressed if he had simply used the same journalist character as an easter egg (a term that antedates this book, certainly) for die-hard fans to discover. But, Lumley has called Haggopian "one of my personal favourites," so I'll let this go.
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I thought the author's prior [book:Camp Damascus|61884782] was fine, but this book knocked it out of the park. It's a delightfully chilling and timely commentary on the struggle between creativity and capitalism, gaywashing, inclusion, AI, creative rights, celebrity, and it proves that love is real.
It's both deeply personal and wildly original. You don't have to look far to find parts that reflect Tingle talking about his own life while applying equally well to the lived experience of all. As for the horror elements, I thought I had a handle on the overall picture from the first chapter. I was wrong. But the joy didn't end when the source of horror was revealed, that was just the beginning of the fun, and new powerful and pointed moments continue to hit through to the last page. My single favourite moment has to be—I can't say anything specific without spoiling it, but it was a supremely apt and hilarious and glorious beat.
Plenty of moments of terror, plenty of gore, plenty of emotional and authentic experiences, this is not for the faint of heart. But neither is life.
It's both deeply personal and wildly original. You don't have to look far to find parts that reflect Tingle talking about his own life while applying equally well to the lived experience of all. As for the horror elements, I thought I had a handle on the overall picture from the first chapter. I was wrong. But the joy didn't end when the source of horror was revealed, that was just the beginning of the fun, and new powerful and pointed moments continue to hit through to the last page. My single favourite moment has to be—I can't say anything specific without spoiling it, but it was a supremely apt and hilarious and glorious beat.
Plenty of moments of terror, plenty of gore, plenty of emotional and authentic experiences, this is not for the faint of heart. But neither is life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood
The White Mountains by John Christopher
3.0
I picked up this series of paperbacks long ago at a friends-of-library book sale because they looked classic and vaguely familiar, and suitable for seeding my home library with things for my kids to possibly discover. That hasn't happened (and not likely to now) and my own reading has been overdue.
Its closest comparison is The Chrysalids, published a decade earlier and far superior in terms of mid-20th century dystopian sci-fi for young readers. The White Mountains still has its qualities, however. It's not hard to picture it taught in school, in a time and place that this somewhat bland British boys' journey was deemed sufficient for such. It has a simplicity to it but will still test early reading comprehension, such as identifying the scientific concepts and technologies that "Beanpole" is rediscovering. At the same time it lends itself to a depth of character analysis and discussion suitable to primary school readers. This doesn't mean characters are engaging, just that they bear discussion, like why the reader thinks the narrating main character is such a petty, jealous, self-centered whiner who is chronically ungrateful for his companions carrying him the whole way.
In terms of dystopian fiction, it's vague about the supposed negative impacts of rule by the Tripods and being Capped. There is a vague conception of loss of freedom, but this is not truly demonstrated in the book.
I suppose in an earlier age, young readers may have been captivated with the characters' journey across lands to reach the White Mountains; 13-year-old boys on their own, sleeping rough, stealing and gathering food. The landscape descriptions are lovely and potentially new reading territory for many, but dull in the sum of time spent walking with not much of note happening. Compared with contemporary book options, I can't picture kids being interested in this now.
The ending is rather abrupt: the children technically read their destination but it rather glosses over that event and seems to jump ahead in time, but with only general statements. I'm not sure if this was meant as an enticement to read the next book, but taken on its own it's a lost opportunity. I'm going to read the rest of the trilogy regardless; they're short and easy books and, despite my criticisms here, smoothly written and easy to absorb.
Its closest comparison is The Chrysalids, published a decade earlier and far superior in terms of mid-20th century dystopian sci-fi for young readers. The White Mountains still has its qualities, however. It's not hard to picture it taught in school, in a time and place that this somewhat bland British boys' journey was deemed sufficient for such. It has a simplicity to it but will still test early reading comprehension, such as identifying the scientific concepts and technologies that "Beanpole" is rediscovering. At the same time it lends itself to a depth of character analysis and discussion suitable to primary school readers. This doesn't mean characters are engaging, just that they bear discussion, like why the reader thinks the narrating main character is such a petty, jealous, self-centered whiner who is chronically ungrateful for his companions carrying him the whole way.
In terms of dystopian fiction, it's vague about the supposed negative impacts of rule by the Tripods and being Capped. There is a vague conception of loss of freedom, but this is not truly demonstrated in the book.
I suppose in an earlier age, young readers may have been captivated with the characters' journey across lands to reach the White Mountains; 13-year-old boys on their own, sleeping rough, stealing and gathering food. The landscape descriptions are lovely and potentially new reading territory for many, but dull in the sum of time spent walking with not much of note happening. Compared with contemporary book options, I can't picture kids being interested in this now.
The ending is rather abrupt: the children technically read their destination but it rather glosses over that event and seems to jump ahead in time, but with only general statements. I'm not sure if this was meant as an enticement to read the next book, but taken on its own it's a lost opportunity. I'm going to read the rest of the trilogy regardless; they're short and easy books and, despite my criticisms here, smoothly written and easy to absorb.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
I only read the first of four episodes in this apparently million-copy selling internationally beloved book adaptation of the author’s own play, and the extremely awkward writing in translation is a barrier to continuing.
I can’t say how much of the issue is the original Japanese text versus the translation, but it’s likely both. There were parts where it seemed the translation was excessively literal, but even just the manner in which characters’ clothes were listed when they entered the scene, and the time unnecessarily spent on describing mundane actions and character interactions, were enough to qualify it as poor writing.
I often love Japanese novels and the ways their characters act and think and the cultural details, but this was exceedingly sloppy. I shall overcome my usual urge to finish a book just because I started it and return it to the library now.
I can’t say how much of the issue is the original Japanese text versus the translation, but it’s likely both. There were parts where it seemed the translation was excessively literal, but even just the manner in which characters’ clothes were listed when they entered the scene, and the time unnecessarily spent on describing mundane actions and character interactions, were enough to qualify it as poor writing.
I often love Japanese novels and the ways their characters act and think and the cultural details, but this was exceedingly sloppy. I shall overcome my usual urge to finish a book just because I started it and return it to the library now.
The Thief Who Wasn't There by Michael McClung
5.0
The strongest book since the first. Holgren's POV is very appealing.
This is a direct sequel to The Thief Who Knocked on Sorrow's Gate, immediately following that book's cliffhanger ending. Holgren, everyone's favourite mage, takes over from Amra's first person narration that has led the series to this point, since Amra is somewhat indisposed, and damn is his fiery and driven perspective a blast. Sometimes literally.
This book is more substantial to the prior ones which leaned toward novella length. Those extra fifty pages are put to good use. The storytelling is as fast-paced as ever. This has been my one occasional complaint across the prior two books (it wasn't an issue in the first one): that the pacing is sometimes too fast, particularly when the books would speed through emotional moments. Dialogue in particular tends to flow at a fast clip, with nary a narrative interruption. Not that it needs those; the dialogue is EXCELLENT and I would hate to see unnecessary dialogue tags or mentions of furrowed brows or pursed lips or any of that junk gumming it up. But sometimes I find I have to force myself to read more slowly and savour the exchanges, because the writing lends itself to speedy reading. Anyway, that one complaint didn't recur during this book; I felt every moment of Holgren's frustration and emotional drive.
There was a five-year gap between this book and the next one's publication in 2019, but fortunately I don't have to wait and I expect to inhale The Thief Who Went To War right soon. But after that, if the story truly requires further sequels, it's unclear when they may materialize if ever. The last update I saw from the author was in 2022 and mentioned grad school so who knows? But even if there's more story left hanging, everything I've seen so far engenders confidence that it will be a satisfying literary experience no matter what.
This self-published book had a few more errors than I usually find acceptable, mostly simple typos but notably the spelling of one character's name changed half-way through (from Marl to Marle).
This is a direct sequel to The Thief Who Knocked on Sorrow's Gate, immediately following that book's cliffhanger ending. Holgren, everyone's favourite mage, takes over from Amra's first person narration that has led the series to this point, since Amra is somewhat indisposed, and damn is his fiery and driven perspective a blast. Sometimes literally.
This book is more substantial to the prior ones which leaned toward novella length. Those extra fifty pages are put to good use. The storytelling is as fast-paced as ever. This has been my one occasional complaint across the prior two books (it wasn't an issue in the first one): that the pacing is sometimes too fast, particularly when the books would speed through emotional moments. Dialogue in particular tends to flow at a fast clip, with nary a narrative interruption. Not that it needs those; the dialogue is EXCELLENT and I would hate to see unnecessary dialogue tags or mentions of furrowed brows or pursed lips or any of that junk gumming it up. But sometimes I find I have to force myself to read more slowly and savour the exchanges, because the writing lends itself to speedy reading. Anyway, that one complaint didn't recur during this book; I felt every moment of Holgren's frustration and emotional drive.
There was a five-year gap between this book and the next one's publication in 2019, but fortunately I don't have to wait and I expect to inhale The Thief Who Went To War right soon. But after that, if the story truly requires further sequels, it's unclear when they may materialize if ever. The last update I saw from the author was in 2022 and mentioned grad school so who knows? But even if there's more story left hanging, everything I've seen so far engenders confidence that it will be a satisfying literary experience no matter what.
This self-published book had a few more errors than I usually find acceptable, mostly simple typos but notably the spelling of one character's name changed half-way through (from Marl to Marle).
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
5.0
I have no idea what it was about, but damn was it delightfully melancholy and beautiful.
A Space Family Odyssey: Lost in Space by Charles C Vaden Jr
Finally, I simply must share my absolute favorite moment:
5.0
An amazing book that restored my faith in humanity. No notes.
. . .
. . .
. . .
Well, maybe some notes.
. . .
. . .
. . .
Well, maybe some notes.
As the crew prepares for a new day out on this new planet; Robert exclaims, “WOW ;we all look so different-every body look at each other-its’s a sif the short time travel aged us years ,some more than others, and their NASA flight suits even changed to different suits. There is no explanation for this ,I guess part of Einstein’s theories were correct-things have changed, but we are in good shape,every one feel OK?”[sic][sic][sic][sic][sic][sic]...
I really must thank the author for paying for a Goodreads Giveaway for this recently published book. See, I was despairing that because of the glut of A.I.-generated books, I would never again see a human-written disaster of a book like this again. I feared the days of Moon People, Antigua: The Land of Fairies, Wizards and Heroes, Kaileb's Dream, Timemaster Era: Beginning of a new universe!, and their ilk were over. What would I ever do, if people who have never seen a book stopped writing books and then publishing and promoting them?
But with this epic family space adventure, Charles Vaden, or DARTH, not sure what he's going with here, my faith in hilariously terrible books has been restored!
Just in case you missed it in the book title or blurb or extended "FOREWARD" that opens this magnificent creation, to help bring home the message that it's based on 1960s Lost in Space TV series, helpful photos of the show are included:
It's a good thing neither the show's original producer CBS nor its current distributor Disney have ever sued anyone over I.P. infringement! There are other photos, both in the introduction and peppered throughout the book, sadly many of these are AI images but with this book's level of incompetence they happen to fit right in.
Can this book out-Moon People Moon People? It's certainly going to try:
But with this epic family space adventure, Charles Vaden, or DARTH, not sure what he's going with here, my faith in hilariously terrible books has been restored!
Just in case you missed it in the book title or blurb or extended "FOREWARD" that opens this magnificent creation, to help bring home the message that it's based on 1960s Lost in Space TV series, helpful photos of the show are included:
It's a good thing neither the show's original producer CBS nor its current distributor Disney have ever sued anyone over I.P. infringement! There are other photos, both in the introduction and peppered throughout the book, sadly many of these are AI images but with this book's level of incompetence they happen to fit right in.
Can this book out-Moon People Moon People? It's certainly going to try:
DAY 2 Evening:
Robert – Ok Daisy – it’s about that time – lets head back and see about the reboot!” Daisy – “Ok – but Dad – what if it doesn’t work -?” – “Ok Lets take things one at a time – we have plenty of time – Meanwhile – at the ship – everyone is waiting as the Rover arrives – “Ok – this is it – Daisy – let her rip! Daisy – Ok – but this is my best guess – so don’t blame me if it doesn’t work!” – Robert – “Daisy – Reset Now!” As Daisy hits the reset button – nothing happens! – Daisy – “Crap, I knew we missed something – Lindy – what did we miss?” Lindy – (who seldom speaks – only acts – “We missed nothing – checklists was perfect hit it again!” – Daisy “Ok- here we go” Daisy presses the reset button again and after a flash of light – nothing! “Ok, says Robert – let’s wait a few minutes – let the trons do their thing!
Of course, there's no arguing with the book's math ...
The computer has calculated they are 88 million miles from the sun, G is the universal gravitational constant measured at 6.67 x 10^-11 N-m^2/Kg^2; where N (Newton is the force acting on the ship. 1 Newton = 4.45 lbp (pound force)
So; Adam – using the computer has figured out that their ship weighs = 25 tons with fuel and water, O2, etc – the sun Cigea61 is 1.8 x 10^28 Kg and the distance of 88 million miles in meters is 1 mile = 1610 meters ; the r = 1.4 x 10 meters
Plug it all in and the F from the sun getting on their ship in planet orbit would be F = 6.67 x 10^-11 N – m^2/Kg^2 (25,000 Kg x 1.8 x 10^28 Kg)/(1.4 x 10^11m)^2 = 4.5 x 10^32 (1.4x10 reducing – we get 6.67x10^-11 N-m^2/Kg^2 (4.5 x 10^32 kg)^2/(1.4x10^11 m)^2
... and certainly not with its science facts.
So, about our galaxy-it is a spral galaxy-
[. . .]
We don’t yet possess cryosleep-to sleep for years without aging-or warp speeds like star trek warp 9, 1000 times the speed of light-still too slow to reach most of our galaxy and we are not even at 1/10 the speed of light!!! We have a long way to go-and its up to you little guys to develop that!! GOOD LUCK., and may the force be with you.
Nor can anyone find fault with any sentence in the book.
The flock of birds is quite putting.
[. . .]
All is well – Lindy logs it in and they continue – just as they power up – wham – something hits them from the side – a much larger ones are on this side of the canyon. Its as big as an elephant and as ferocious! Its carnivores and wonders off!
Finally, I simply must share my absolute favorite moment:
Kristen is checking each crew member for any damage and reassuring them! Bitchin Betty, the ships computer voice with AI is telling everyone their options and how things are going.
I laugh-cried for so long over "Bitchin Betty". Sadly, the ship's AI is never referred to like that again.