jjwilbourne's reviews
239 reviews

Network Effect by Martha Wells

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

4.5

The fourth MurderBot novella felt like the conclusion to a major arc in Martha Wells’s popular SciFi series, and book five, Network Effect, comes in at novel length, signaling a change in the story thus far. So the question is: does this story work in a longer format?

Directly following the events of the novella before it, Network Effect drops MurderBot and its companions are dropped into a hostage situation and are re-united with an AI from MurderBot’s past. Stuck in a wormhole with no clue as to who is behind the ambush, the SecUnit must navigate a situation he’s unfamiliar with so it can get back to its latest re-watch of Sanctuary Moon.

I wasn’t expecting to see ART again, but Wells brought the two AIs back together in this entry, forcing MurderBot to explore new levels of friendship, loyalty, and love—ideas its only just beginning to get used to. MurderBot’s relationship with ART is fantastic, and I loved how the author made the two feel like distinct individuals when it would be so easy to make them sound all too similar.

While this series has now taken a step into the full-length novel space, the pacing is as frenzied as it was before, packed with breathless action and wit. The stakes of the story have changed somewhat from before. Where the previous novels focused mostly on the survival of our protagonist, now MurderBot is compelled to also protect the humans it is traveling with. And with no governor module to force it to follow orders, this time it’s personal.

MurderBot grows even more in this story. It’s a tale of friendship, hope, sacrifice, and personal freedom, executed with humor and heart.

If you haven’t started this series yet, and you looking for a humorous space adventure with a robot as the main character, give it a shot. If you’ve come to this book, and you’re wondering whether to continue, read on. It’s everything you enjoyed and more.

Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal

dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.25

At long last, I’ve reached the end of the Glamourist Histories series by Mary Robinette Kowal with Of Noble Family. Wrapping up a series in a satisfactory way is a challenge, and it may be one of the most telling signs of an author’s skill. How did MRK hold up on this benchmark?

Following the tragic and heroic events of the fourth novel, Jane and Vincent are surprised with a message that Vincent’s father—a terrible man who he has distanced himself from—has passed away and Vincent must travel to Antigua to settle his estate. While there, Jane discovers that she is pregnant and that Vincent’s father’s death is a deception, contrived to control Vincent once more. Trapped at the plantation, Jane and Vincent discover the horrors of slave management and attempt to rectify the wrongs of an unjust system.

Historical fiction is hard to nail because a writer must balance the romantic reasons that a reader enjoys the setting, while also bringing a certain sense of authenticity and historical accuracy—even within alternate historical fantasy. This challenge is made even more difficult when you introduce a potentially sensitive topic like slavery and European colonialism.

This is a tall order for a final novel. It can be a mic drop, but can so easily be a fumble that may never be recovered from.

MRK managed to handle the subject of British rule and slavery with care and with as little cringe as possible. Naturally, for many contemporary readers, we have the benefit of hindsight. We know many places where our ancestors errored in judgment. It would be uncomfortable to have the heroes that we’ve grown to love have a view of slavery that we find distasteful, but at the same time, two people with little political power have little ability to affect real change.

This was handled very well with the plot and character development. We spent time with the slaves, and they were revealed to be interesting and complex people with wants, desires, and their own devices to assert some sense of control in what could be viewed as a hopeless situation.

While the main storyline was captivating, the author also set out to deepen the magic system once again. Every time she dove into this aspect, I leaned forward, excited by the elements introduced only to be pulled away again by the main plot. Ultimately, I wished we learned more about the new ideas presented and I found it to be a bit disappointing that it wasn’t explored as much as it could have been, especially since it would have helped deepen the culture of the slaves in the West Indies.

Despite that disappointment, the novel excelled at its maneuvering with societal and family drama. Vincent’s father is a clever and calculating man, and he presented a formidable challenge to the couple, It revealed parts of Vincent’s character that had previously only been suggested in the story thus far.

While a small touch, I also really enjoyed the nested callbacks in the story. It reminded me why I loved the story and the characters, especially since MRK has a clever way of aligning her stories and prose with Jane Austen.

As a novel, Of Noble Family is a worthy sequel and finale to the Glamourist Histories, and wraps the story wonderfully. I’ll certainly miss the characters, and I look forward to re-reading this series in the future.

The Eleventh Metal by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

4.0

There isn’t much that can be said about this story without spoiling it entirely because of its brevity, but it’s a fantastic introduction to Mistborn's world and magic system. It is also a fascinating insight into one of the standout characters in the first Mistborn trilogy.

Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back by Cory Doctorow, Rebecca Giblin

informative

4.5

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

4.5

Yerrin by Garrett Robinson

adventurous dark emotional

4.0

This is it! Yerrin. The dramatic conclusion to the Nightblade Saga!

The journey has been long and difficult, but Loren has refused to give up on tracking Damaris. With her mysterious dreams as the only aid to her search, she enters Dorsea where she encounters a people unsettled by a recent change in leadership. Loren must choose how to much danger she’s willing to put her party into in order to accomplish her goal.

We have full Nightblade! Loren comes to terms with who she is in this novel as her growing reputation as a living legend now proceeds her wherever she goes. Even Annis and Gem have continued to be ever more crucial parts of the story. And I really loved that.

While this novel doesn’t have as big a twist at the end as the previous one, Yerrin doesn’t hesitate to take you on an emotional, winding path. Every decision could lead to suffering or death, and Loren must make each, knowing the full weight of the consequences of failure.

I loved how Robinson dealt with the big twist at the end of Weremage. Though I trust the author, I couldn’t help but worry that it wouldn’t be dealt with realistically, but oh man, it was. And it was painful to read. But even so, I appreciated that it was handled with care and thoughtfulness.

Though this is the conclusion of the Nightblade Epic as we know it, the world of Underrealm is not complete. There are larger, overarching plot threads that have yet to be resolved, and I look forward to seeing how the author handles it, drawing his grand universe to a dramatic close.

*Full Disclosure — I work for the publisher, but I wasn't paid to review this book. While this is an honest review, I was involved in the production of the audiobooks of books in this series, and I receive a small royalty for purchases of those audiobook versions.*

Stones of Light by Zack Argyle

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

I did something a bit unconventional with Zack Argyle’s Threadlight series. Instead of waiting several months to return to the story, I jumped back into Stones of Light rather quickly since the third and final installment was approaching. Voice of War was a satisfying experience, and I wanted to see how the author executed his second installment. Would it all fall apart or would he pull together a story as compelling as the first?

Stones of Light picks up after the fallout of Voice of War. Chrys, forced via possession to do the apogee’s bidding, travels far from home and learns the true extent of the dark spirit’s plans while Alverax travels with the Zeda people, hoping to redeem his family’s past by placing his new talents into service. Meanwhile, Laurel, stripped of the power she held dearest, struggles with her addition as she finds herself in the middle of a moral gray zone.

If, like me, you suspected that there was much more going on with the worldbuilding than first presented with the first installment of the book, you’ll be happy to learn that the lore of this world runs much deeper. And the mysteries uncovered reveal something much darker than any of the characters could have imagined. Argyle’s careful worldbuilding gave hard magic system fans everything they needed to fill us with wonder.

Alverax’s story in the novel was especially compelling for me. In the first novel, I knew he’d come to the fore as an interesting player in the story’s plot, but in this story, he became the character I was most interested in following. It’s a story of redemption, sacrifice, and loss that gripped my heart and wouldn’t let go.

On the other hand, Laurel’s story didn’t ring as strong for me. While the premise of her story is great in concept, in execution, I found myself wishing to get back to either of the other primary characters for a long while until her story finally blossomed. Argyle left off with some fascinating implications about who she is and what she will become in the finale, however—a saving stroke of the pen that I applaud the author for employing.

Like the previous installment, I found this novel incredibly difficult to put down. The story’s pacing is a masterwork, and I loved how the characters were continuously placed in impossible situations that required sacrifice and inner turmoil to overcome.

I should withhold my judgment of the entire trilogy until I read its dramatic conclusion, but I wholeheartedly recommend that you jump into the series. It’s possibly one of fantasy’s most underappreciated stories of the decade.

Get Your Book Selling: Jumpstart Your Sales With a Simple Plan That Just Works (Growth Hacking For Storytellers #7) by Monica Leonelle

informative

4.5

Streams of Silver by R.A. Salvatore

adventurous medium-paced

3.5

Starbinder by Mark Timmony

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

4.5

The Eye of Eternity series by Mark Timmony launched in 2021 with The Blood of the Spear, and I’ve had it on my TBR for quite some time. My TBR is long, so every book or series I add takes some time to worm its way onto the immediate queue. But anytime an author gives me a novella to try first to introduce me to the world, that series has a much better chance of jumping to the top of the pile. Starbinder by Mark Timmony is precisely this kind of title. 

Set hundreds of years before the start The Blood of the Spear, this novella follows Reiana and her fated destiny after dark creatures attack her small village. Short, yet action-packed and emotionally full, Timmony introduces us to the origins of The Eye of Eternity’s world with a glimpse of the magic system, its peoples, and prose that will sit well with any high fantasy fan.

Timmony’s attention to character interaction and his ability to establish their histories within just a few lines is only overshadowed by his ability to completely immerse me in a world that feels well realized in such a short page count.

Plus you can read this novella for free from the author’s website!

I had a blast with this story, and now that I’ve been introduced to the world, I’m eager to finally read the next installment. Check out Starbinder if you’re looking for something short and easy to try out a new, promising voice in epic fantasy.