Category: Books

Good historical fiction about Ghengis Khan’s youth. Identifiable but very different due to culture, it was a fascinating glimpse and viewpoint of a major historical figure.

This was a reread. A bleak, introspective novel, with strong characterization. It’s a ravaged world, highly stylized (people and world both), with some interesting flashback/narration tricks to enhance a straightforward story.

Not much happens– superficially, it’s all about how they survive in a world where scavenging is the only option. Theft and starvation are the main foes; people are to be avoided, but there’s no recurring conflict with anyone throughout the book. It’s definitely not a quest style book– they wander places, but there aren’t any goals; they find loot, but only to stave off starvation a little longer.

In the end, it’s an interesting read, but this second time was plenty for me.

A series of three linked novellas. I like the two heroes, both in their own stories (the first two) and even more together (in Ill Met in Lankhmar). Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser interact well, and the world– particularly Lankhmar– is rich. Their incredible expertise and youth are a little hard to buy [I mean, we didn’t see Fafhrd train with a sword at all in his background story; the same goes for the Grey Mouser.)

The final story is tragic and well done and certainly drops the two into the fire. I’ll keep an eye out for some of their other novels to continue enjoying their partnership.

An interesting review and defense of romance novels. The book moves easily between topics, occasionally seeming disjointed and some elements (like the coloring pages and choose your own adventure) felt like padding.

Overall, it was a nice glance at books that I’ve experienced only tangentially. The writing didn’t convert me– I’m not eager to abandon SF&F for romance on the basis of this one book– but their realistic appraisal of the genre means that I won’t groan if a good looking book is labeled romance either. Like everything else, there are well done books and dross– and “even in romance”, well done books sound well done.

The financial and sales numbers were surprising– I wonder how they stack up to YA. It sounds like romance blows everything else out of the water.

The fourth (and for now, final) book in Torin’s series. It’s an interesting book that puts a very interesting twist on the recent history of the universe, and provides some impetus towards change. It might be okay as a stand alone book, but it’s an excellent conclusion to the series.

The third book in the series; Torin is back for more. There’s some nice character evolution at the start, with Torin having scored a promotion and continuing a relationship with Ryder. The overall plot is good and interesting– what’s going on Crucible? There are lots of red herrings and alternate valid lines of thought to keep your brain engaged throughout. If you liked the first two books [and I did], the third’s a nice continuation.