nigellicus's reviews
1566 reviews

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke

emotional mysterious

5.0

Brief haunting little story in a classy illustrated edition. Tis a far cry from the doortopper sequel to Norrel & Strange we all crave! But it's lovely all the same. 

Leviathan by Robert R. McCammon

adventurous dark mysterious tense

5.0

Matthew Corbett's adventures as a problem-slver up against an array of brutal, violent, cuning, and generally macabre villians comes to an end, as he reaches the final stages of the search for the mysterious mirror that is also, supposedly, a gateway to hell. Now these are not supernatural adventures, except for hints here and there, so don't go getting any ideas. Nonetheless there's murder and mutilation and madness aplenty as well as notes of redemption and renewal. The usual sort of thing in a Corbett adventure.

In a Place of Darkness by Stuart Macbride

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense

5.0

Another thoroughly likeable Scottish copper is put through the wringer in a convoluted murder mystery, with added obnoxious-but-also-likeable-underneath forensics guy from the states annoying everyone while breaking the case wiiiide open, etc. Fun.

Bringer of Dust by J.M. Miro

adventurous dark mysterious tense

5.0

Horrible things happen to gifted children. Strong characterisation and myth-building ameliorate the torture-porn aspect of watching kids suffer because they're special, but, I mean, geez.

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense

5.0

These books that start with Earth dying of environmental degradation and the accompanying wars and chaos are really starting to hit kind of hard eh? Haha. And this has more than one! A confederation of lternate Earths get into a war with a machine civilisation (?) of alternative Earths. A scientist who has escaped the aforementioned Earth, a street criminal and a girl with an unfortunate choice of best friend are all caught up in what could very well turn out to be momentous events. It being that sort of highly entertaining book. 

Artifact Space by Miles Cameron

adventurous mysterious tense

5.0

A survivor of a rough orphanage gets herself on board one of the great trading ships using less than honest means, but it's her only way of escaping an ugly fate. Once on board she has to overcome the survival instincts learned in childhood and allow herself to trust and even like people. Her concerns seem minor, however, when it becomes clear that someone out there is targeting the great ships for reasons of their own, and that every life on board is at risk, leading to a harrowing, suspense-filled voyage to a dar-distant trading post and the enigmatic alien starfish. 

The High King by Lloyd Alexander

adventurous emotional tense

5.0

This is the most epically fantasy volume of the series, packing its epic fantasyness into an enviable 200 pages. The final showdown between the people of Prydain and the lord of Anuvin tellingly does not feature our young hero tearing off by himself and maybe one or two loyal friends to sneak into the Dark Lands and end the reign of the evil lord with a plot token. Instead, Taran must take up the burdens of leadership, rousing the levies of the Free Commots and taking them on a perilous and grueling mission that will see loss piled on loss as each of the faithful Companions makes a terrible and selfess sacrifice for their friends. Painful but also beautiful and rousing, and the final choice isn't really a choice at all, but it is, nonetheless an unforgiving one. There are some aspects of these books that haven't aged well - Gurgi and Elionwy are both lovable but their portrayal highlights certain weaknesses in the writing - but the themes remain universal and the whole journey rather wonderful.

The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious

5.0

A wonderful book, and a wonderful end to a wonderful series. They're all here, Ged, Lebannen, Tenar, Tehanu, dragons, wizards, the wall between life and death, the secret of that wall and why it is failing, a Kargan princess and a grieving sorceror haunted by visions of the dead. Thematically the whole thing unfolds with perfection, tying everything off in a deeply satisfying, and moving, conclusion. 

Tales from Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

5.0

Terrific stories from an absolute mistress, all set in Earthsea, all more or less adresssing the various aspects of wizardry and gender suggested by preceding volume Tehanu. I particularly liked the first one, about the founding of Roke, and the last one (bar the sketch of Earthsea) about a young woman trying to enter the school on Roke in the aftermath of Ged's departure back to Gont on the dragon. But the other stories are very good, too, the moving (heh) story of Ogion and the earthquake, a bittersweet love story and the tale of a broken wizard. Wonderful. 

Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

5.0

'Weak as womens' magic' was a flaw in Earthsea, right there in the first pages, and in light of that flaw, what was seen as balance was merely status quo. Tehanu seeks to address that flaw, with Tenar living the life of an ordinary woman, a farmer's widow, a murder, a carer for a damaged little girl, friend of a dying wizard, nurse to an Archmage stripped of his power, dogged by the malignant hatred of men, even, in the end, heartbreakingly subject to the internalised misogyny and entitlement of her own son. So what is the change that has come to Earthsea, and where is the power of women?