Beth Cato's Wings of Sorrow and Bone was nominated for a Nebula this year, so I wanted to read it. But it's a later part of a series, and my library doesn't have it. I thought I'd read the first one, The Clockwork Dagger, to see if I wanted to catch up.
The promotional material says it's a "steampunk romance", and the steampunk part is there, but Cato doesn't really expand on it. The technical development is aircraft before their time, zeppelins and gyrocopters. But the focus is magic in the form of a connection to the Lady, initially a grief stricken human who somehow transformed into a world-supporting tree of magic. The protagonist, Octavia, is a medician, one who wields that magic to heal.
The book is a straightforward romance novel, which is not so much my cup of tea. We have a plot of intrigue involving a missing princess, but mainly this is about Octavia's relationship with hunky Tamaranian Alonzo Garrison, who turns out to be an agent of the queen, a Clockwork Dagger. Adventures in keeping them alive, and intense hand holding, ensue.
The series didn't get off to a flying start, but it might get better. I may catch it up later in the year. For now, I give this one 2 stars.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Penric's Demon was nominated for a Hugo award this year, so I intend to read it as I do as many of the nominees as possible. There are two questions I faced with this work, as with others: 1) This is a later work in a series where I haven't read the earlier works. Do I catch it up or not? 2) The chronological sequence of the story is not the order in which it was written--in what order should the books be read?
I faced both of these back when I started reading Hugo novel nominees and one of the Miles Vorkosigan Saga books was nominated. It's a highly decorated series, so I decided to catch it up and was not at all sorry--search this blog for all my reviews. That series was also not completely in chronological order. What I've found in these cases is that the changes in how the author tells the story make more difference than the chronological sequence of the story itself--the author matures the series as it is written. So I read the works in the order they were written if possible.
So I am going back first to review The Curse of Chalion, and will work forward to Penric's Demon. And I can say I'm looking forward to completing the series (called the World of the Five Gods by Goodreads.com).
In many ways I would have to say that Bujold wrote this book at the height of her powers (it was published in 2000). It's a beautifully constructed book, with the plot building effectively all the way through. This work would be classified as a romantic fantasy novel. The protagonist, Cazaril, is in some respects similar to Miles Vorkosigan, in that he bears physical challenges that render him not much to look at--in this case they are war and captivity wounds rather than a birth defect. But Cazaril is different enough from Vorkosigan in that, while born to power as Vorkosigan is, he doesn't want it the same way.
Cazaril was betrayed in a war and enslaved, where he received his wounds. After his release he wants nothing more than to be anonymous, but that's not how things work out. He ends up a pawn of the gods as he works out how he can lift a terrible curse on the royal family of Chalion. For a more complete plot summary you can read the book jacket.
The centerpiece here is the very appealing Cazaril. He may be beat up but he is a man of wisdom and honor, which makes him highly appealing to discerning friends and royal ladies alike. He serves his royal charge, the Royesse Iselle, as faithfully and effectively as anyone could ask. Bujold displays his sagacity and capability effectively as she tells an exciting tale.
She also paints him effectively as one overwhelmed by his connection to one of the gods. This is particularly well shown in the epilogue chapters, where he tries to describe all that he's been through.
I give it four stars and recommend it highly if you have not read the series. Go enjoy it.
I faced both of these back when I started reading Hugo novel nominees and one of the Miles Vorkosigan Saga books was nominated. It's a highly decorated series, so I decided to catch it up and was not at all sorry--search this blog for all my reviews. That series was also not completely in chronological order. What I've found in these cases is that the changes in how the author tells the story make more difference than the chronological sequence of the story itself--the author matures the series as it is written. So I read the works in the order they were written if possible.
So I am going back first to review The Curse of Chalion, and will work forward to Penric's Demon. And I can say I'm looking forward to completing the series (called the World of the Five Gods by Goodreads.com).
In many ways I would have to say that Bujold wrote this book at the height of her powers (it was published in 2000). It's a beautifully constructed book, with the plot building effectively all the way through. This work would be classified as a romantic fantasy novel. The protagonist, Cazaril, is in some respects similar to Miles Vorkosigan, in that he bears physical challenges that render him not much to look at--in this case they are war and captivity wounds rather than a birth defect. But Cazaril is different enough from Vorkosigan in that, while born to power as Vorkosigan is, he doesn't want it the same way.
Cazaril was betrayed in a war and enslaved, where he received his wounds. After his release he wants nothing more than to be anonymous, but that's not how things work out. He ends up a pawn of the gods as he works out how he can lift a terrible curse on the royal family of Chalion. For a more complete plot summary you can read the book jacket.
The centerpiece here is the very appealing Cazaril. He may be beat up but he is a man of wisdom and honor, which makes him highly appealing to discerning friends and royal ladies alike. He serves his royal charge, the Royesse Iselle, as faithfully and effectively as anyone could ask. Bujold displays his sagacity and capability effectively as she tells an exciting tale.
She also paints him effectively as one overwhelmed by his connection to one of the gods. This is particularly well shown in the epilogue chapters, where he tries to describe all that he's been through.
I give it four stars and recommend it highly if you have not read the series. Go enjoy it.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
The Chimes, by Anna Smaill
The Chimes was nominated for a World Fantasy Award this year, and also "long-listed for the Man Booker Award". I was possibly long-listed for the Pulitzer--no one informed me. Matters not, the question is, is it a good read and a candidate to win?
Anna Smaill is an english major, and the book is very stylish. The Chimes is set in a post-apocalypse London, where music has deliberately replaced much of language and is a primary means of communication. The book's style tries to get across the feeling of thinking musically, in words. Quite a challenge.
The protagonist comes to London after his parents' death to find a particular person in the city who might be able to help. When she refuses him, he falls in with a street gang that makes a living recycling palladium. The palladium is in turn used to build and maintain the Carillon, played twice a day. Its music drives all memories from the minds of the people of London, except for those they take extreme measures to preserve. The Masters think it is better this way, after the disaster (called the Allbreaking). The protagonist does not start out looking to change this, but finds the leader of the gang he is in with does. The plot moves from there.
Unfortunately the challenge Smaill sets for herself winds up being a bit much, and what we end up with is a book that is difficult to read. Its plot is OK but does not, in my mind, quite repay the effort needed to pull it out. I got something out of it, but if I'm glad a book is over when I'm done reading it I can't give it a strong recommendation. 2 stars from me.
Anna Smaill is an english major, and the book is very stylish. The Chimes is set in a post-apocalypse London, where music has deliberately replaced much of language and is a primary means of communication. The book's style tries to get across the feeling of thinking musically, in words. Quite a challenge.
The protagonist comes to London after his parents' death to find a particular person in the city who might be able to help. When she refuses him, he falls in with a street gang that makes a living recycling palladium. The palladium is in turn used to build and maintain the Carillon, played twice a day. Its music drives all memories from the minds of the people of London, except for those they take extreme measures to preserve. The Masters think it is better this way, after the disaster (called the Allbreaking). The protagonist does not start out looking to change this, but finds the leader of the gang he is in with does. The plot moves from there.
Unfortunately the challenge Smaill sets for herself winds up being a bit much, and what we end up with is a book that is difficult to read. Its plot is OK but does not, in my mind, quite repay the effort needed to pull it out. I got something out of it, but if I'm glad a book is over when I'm done reading it I can't give it a strong recommendation. 2 stars from me.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Savages, by K. J. Parker
I have spent the past few days enjoying Savages by K. J. Parker, another of the 2016 World Fantasy Award nominees. It's an excellent read, with some buts...
My previous experience with Parker (aka Tom Holt, disclosed last year) has been through the stories A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong and Let Maps to Others. These are deliciously well written short stories in every dimension, and you should go read them right now. Savages has all the style...
The story has multiple protagonists, starting with a man who is stripped of all possessions, has his family slaughtered and is left for dead surviving the experience and starting over. We also have a brilliant general, a skilled forger, and an aimless son of an arms maker--but you get all that from the jacket. What's more interesting is the story of a very long-lived empire at the end of its rope but for that general, and how that empire and its enemies (with each main character from some branch) wear each other down.
The book has all the clever writing of the short stories. The protagonists are all witty and self-aware, they have a fine time steering their fates. What is missing somewhat is a point. The stories mentioned above definitely make a point--you come away not only entertained but thinking. In Savages the cleverness begins to wear a little thin as the book (yet again) begins to resemble Game of Thrones--a telling of a history but not really going anywhere.
For all that it is a good read and I can recommend it. Not sure that it will hold up as my favorite. Interesting and fortunate that my library was able to score one of the 1000 copies of the signed edition.
My previous experience with Parker (aka Tom Holt, disclosed last year) has been through the stories A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong and Let Maps to Others. These are deliciously well written short stories in every dimension, and you should go read them right now. Savages has all the style...
The story has multiple protagonists, starting with a man who is stripped of all possessions, has his family slaughtered and is left for dead surviving the experience and starting over. We also have a brilliant general, a skilled forger, and an aimless son of an arms maker--but you get all that from the jacket. What's more interesting is the story of a very long-lived empire at the end of its rope but for that general, and how that empire and its enemies (with each main character from some branch) wear each other down.
The book has all the clever writing of the short stories. The protagonists are all witty and self-aware, they have a fine time steering their fates. What is missing somewhat is a point. The stories mentioned above definitely make a point--you come away not only entertained but thinking. In Savages the cleverness begins to wear a little thin as the book (yet again) begins to resemble Game of Thrones--a telling of a history but not really going anywhere.
For all that it is a good read and I can recommend it. Not sure that it will hold up as my favorite. Interesting and fortunate that my library was able to score one of the 1000 copies of the signed edition.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Pockets, by Amal El-Mohtar
Pockets is a fine SF story in that it works through a very simple premise in a very beautiful way. Our protagonist is a woman whose pockets start producing objects she did not put in them. Her response and pursuit of the cause develop the story. It's a very worthwhile read in the World Fantasy Award short fiction category. I give it 3 stars.
Waters of Versailles, by Kelly Robson
Sadly I somehow neglected to write a review of Kelly Robson's fine novella, Waters of Versailles, when I first read it for the Nebula awards. I will rectify that now for the World Fantasy Awards.
Our protagonist is an upper-class commoner and artisan who aspires to nobility in Louis XVI's court. He is cultivating noble women, and providing a service by taming a water sprite and convincing it to pump water through pipes of his devising, allowing modern plumbing in the palace of Versailles. It's a fine speculative story that shows the utility of plumbing through this unusual route to get it. The character and plot development are excellent as well. It's just a very satisfying story to read, so go right away and read it while the link is still good. Four stars from me!
Our protagonist is an upper-class commoner and artisan who aspires to nobility in Louis XVI's court. He is cultivating noble women, and providing a service by taming a water sprite and convincing it to pump water through pipes of his devising, allowing modern plumbing in the palace of Versailles. It's a fine speculative story that shows the utility of plumbing through this unusual route to get it. The character and plot development are excellent as well. It's just a very satisfying story to read, so go right away and read it while the link is still good. Four stars from me!
The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History, by Sam J. Miller
The Heat of Us is the sort of story the Sad Puppies complain about for the Hugos. It's an oral history of the Stonewall uprising with the added fantasy element that a wave of fire magically came off some of the resisters and killed several of the cops involved in the raid. It's got some literary interest for character development, but there's really not much there that's speculative. OK but I can't give it more than two stars.
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