killa_bunnies's reviews
41 reviews

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Kočičí host by Takashi Hiraide

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I guess I would have just ignored this book since I already knew the whole premise and thought there wasn’t much else to it. What a fool I was! Luckily, my friend convinced me to give it a try, and I’m happy I did.

In general, this is a book about a secret army program training kids to become new super-soldier leaders, as mankind is under attack by "buggers" from space. As such, it needs commanders to lead the strike force that will save the entire Earth. This is where we meet Ender Wiggin, a six-year-old boy who has just been selected to begin his training in the hopes that he will one day become the new commander.

However, there are so many layers that make this book a truly visionary tale. Written in 1985, I was surprised by how contemporary it feels: propaganda, fake news, opinion manipulation, populism, and even internet trolls—it’s all here. The book even describes the mechanisms of social network communication more than 20 years before they were created. Scott Card proved to be a visionary in the way he depicted various approaches to information sharing and propaganda.

The whole book could be read as a study in manipulation—both on a personal level and on a larger scale, influencing entire nations. Between the lines, you can sense the Cold War undertones, with Russia portrayed as the aggressive country posing as a necessary ally, waiting for the right moment to strike. Does that ring a bell?

So all in all, I was happy I did not let the prejudice win and read the book. There is much more to the main twist of the book, which, I guess, is by now very well known.  

The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Daughters’ War is a prequel to The Blacktongue Thief, but I would definitely not recommend reading it first. The book goes back 7 years to the last goblin war and brings the story of Galva, one of the main characters in The Blacktongue Thief. Actually more characters are present and the book keeps referencing between both titles, so if you do not want to have it spoiled, read the books the way they were published. 

As in the case of the “Thief”, you could expect a grim setting with very dark overtones expanding into horror and gore. The war-torn world provides enough opportunities for cut limbs, torn heads and half-eaten corpses. Basically a truly grim dark Warhammer Fantasy book, that is not a Warhammer. The book immediately reminded me of the Warhammer setting: by the way its world reflects ours (yeah, you could easily tell what country should be France, Spain, or Germany), the depiction of the goblins, as well as the human army, the tone… But it’s better than that as it feels like something Warhammer has been lacking lately (the real grimdark-ness that is missing in the current Age of Sigmar). If you are into wargaming, this book is a great inspiration for the Empire of Man / Goblin army. I wonder what Buehlman's relationship to Warhammer is. Is he a fan?

The story: great. I had trouble putting the book down and finished it over three days. Buehlman’s skill for creating vibrant, believable worlds is here again expressed at its best. The attention to detail is his key ingredient. From the structure of the army, the arrangement of the world, the society, or simply the characterization of the protagonists, all is done through actions and I never had a feeling the story had to stop just to give way to description. It’s a fast-paced story full of emotions and actions. I will not go into details, read it yourself, but if you are in the mood for a good military dark fantasy action, sprinkled with a bit of horror, badass main female protagonists and overall women-first fantasy world, this is your book. 

Highly recommend it.  

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 

Christopher Buehlman entered my library through Between Two Fires, an amazing blend of historical fiction and dark fantasy horror, welded together through the eternal struggle between the forces of light and darkness. What struck me most was the attention to detail, the rich world of Plague-ridden medieval France full of little peculiarities and elements that create a lively, authentic universe. It was instant love, so it was just natural I continue to read what this author writes. 

The Blacktongue Thief is a different book, yet very similar. This time set in a world of its own, with a character of similar style, Kinch Na Shannack – a small-time thief at the end of the ranks of the Taker’s Guild. Deep in debts, the guild gives him a chance to repay its debt: accompany a stranger, a veteran of the Daughters’ war on a way into the giant-invaded land of Oustrim. That’s how this dark fantasy story starts. 

Buehlman again proves his mastery in worldbuilding. Through various details, hints and by-the-way mentions creates a portrait of a land recovering from the devastating wars. We get a bleak image of a land after war, where everything is scarce, from resources, to people and animals

(yes, no horses, as those extinct during the war)

. The overall atmosphere is similar to Buehlman’s other books: dark, gruesome fantasy full of horrors, death and suffering. Death is as  common as dirt, mud and blood. Various characters come and go.This grimdark-ish atmosphere in combination with the setting reflecting the real-life world has reminded me of the old Old World settings of the Warhammer Fantasy, especially echoed here in the various societies, as well as overall feel. Another blood kin here is The Black Company series by Glen Cook, especially the Infant Mireya has some similarities to the likes of the White Rose (not surprised Cook’s praising the book right on the cover!). 

To sum up, The Blacktongue Thief is a great read, especially if you are a fan of dark, low fantasy with dubious characters, outcasts and gutter-runners, rather than epic fantasy soap operas. The story will plunge its dirty claws in you and won’t let you go. Just enjoy the trip. 

Ignis fatuus by Petra Klabouchová

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Jeff VanderMeer is one of the leading figures of the literary movement of New Weird, or weird fiction, as it is often used. However his works are much more diverse than that and also includes excursions to steam punk, a genre he dedicated several non-fiction books to. Basically it means covering various genres and literary traditions, like postmodernism, post-apocalyptic, or horror, combined with various strangeness (physical/psychical) and deep psychological sides of its characters. 

Area X contains all three books of the original Southern Reach trilogy, specifically Annihilation, Authority & Acceptance (Absolution is not part of it since it was released only this October). What to say about these books? First thing first: forget the Annihilation movie. Only a small fragment of it has anything to do with VanderMeer’s book, like the setting and main character, the rest is Alex Garland’s imagination. The books are nothing like that. With that out of the way, let’s dig deeper. Area X is a zone with various phenomena taking place, including mutations and strange occurrences, that support the overall dark, almost horror-like tone of the books. The main protagonist changes through each book, as well as the point of view, each bringing a different angle on the phenomena of the zone that is slowly expanding. In general point of view it is not a book for everyone, the slow-paced rhythm of narration as well as many introspective moments are asking the reader to follow up on its own, paying attention to details and making the assumptions as they go. There are no answers, but more fuel for thoughts; no explanations, but more suggestions for you to complete the gaps; no dramatic action, or fast-moving narrative, but rather contemplative psychological horror-like story. VanderMeer excels in worldbuilding, creating an intricate world where he manages to fit strange, basically otherworldly events with personal psychological drama and character backstories, mixing the external with the internal, the global with personal. The best part is: it all works well here and creates an unforgettable mixture of fiction. Highly recommend it. 

 

People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

V polévce miso by Jan Levora, Ryū Murakami

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Princezna z Nekonečného hradu by Shintarō Kago, 駕籠真太郎

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5