Category: Books

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Uglies by Scott Westerfield

A very fast read, the author does a great job of building a plausible world with interesting issues. The idea of Pretties, a vapid beautiful people as a class or role you pass through in life was fascinating. There are a lot of good ideas buried in here about attraction, physical attribute manipulation, freedom and individuality, and more. For a long time I thought he was going to skip over the Rusties altogether after teasing, but I like the end he cooked up for them.

It looks like it’s at least a 4 books series; I look forward to tackling the next in line soon.

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Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card

A straight up interlude story– it ties up the loose ends from the Shadows series and performs as a nice bridge between Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead, but it isn’t a story so much as a series of events. It’s kind of nice to wander around with Ender again, but there’s nothing here that felt necessary.

The major subplot was neat; not quite a romance, but very true to Ender. The rest seemed… necessary– you knew he wrote The Hive Queen, so he does it here. Tasks that you already knew he tackled (because they’re mentioned in other books) make up a major portion of this book. It wasn’t a bad book by any means… it just didn’t have much of a point, other than getting to wander around in young Ender’s head again. At that, it succeeded well.

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A Confederation of Valor by Tanya Huff

This was originally two books, Valor’s Choice and The Better Part of Valor. They are fast moving military sci-fi, with a great main character and interesting roles. The brief afterward, where the battles are analogized to historical battles, are interesting but kind of suck the wind out of the story’s sails.

I’m eagerly looking forward to checking out the next books in the series. (They’re on request now!)

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Acacia: The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham

A great book. This is a fantasy story with very low key magic. It’s gritty– the world order is based on drug addiction and slavery, with a lot of political scheming and struggle. It feels a lot like GRRM’s Song of Ice and Fire, but it has some appealing protagonists, and they don’t all die!

The book does a good job of hopping between interesting scenes and switching among many POV characters. It leads to a somewhat choppy feel; occasionally the focus shifts away just before a dramatic confrontation and when you return it was resolved off screen and a month has gone on. It’s a little jarring at times– you’d ordinarily expect the focus to be on the conflict scenes– but it works. It made me think of a movie with obvious and dramatic cuts and quick story advancement, but it works. And you get the novel’s advantage of stepping into their minds, though I suspect actors could convey many of the thoughts well.

In the end, the contrast between the four children is stark. Corinn’s arc is well handled, as is her eventual decision to continue the dark path of history. Until the final chapter or three I thought it was a solid book and was going to appreciate it as a stand alone. The final scenes reincorporate some of the earlier promises and drive home how the world has reached a new and different equilibrium. It’s unstable, particularly given Mena’s promise Aiken… but that’s why I’ll eagerly look for book two.

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Dragon in Chains by Daniel Fox

A good book, solidly rooted in a fantasy Asia. The setting has large and subtle effects, and does a great job of kicking you out of “standard fantasy” mode. Jade is important, and more than symbolically, as comes clear as the book advances. The Jade Throne is more than a name…

The POV characters are all clearly drawn with interesting and overlapping storylines. The unlikely rise from fisherwoman to concubine was handled deftly, and the mountain man’s introduction to more complex society is disheartening and impressive by turns. The strange life of a servant and slave is very strange… and sets up the ending well.

This is the first book of Moshui, the Books of Stone and Water– as the final scene makes clear. I’ll keep my eyes out for book two.

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The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

A good, dark book, not quite a children’s book, but closely related. The main character is drawn very well, as is the world he tumbles into. There are a number of interesting similarities to other books; crossing into a fantasy world initially made me think of Narnia, but this world is darkly twisted.

The crooked man is the villain of the piece, and while he’s sometimes over the top, he’s an excellent tempter and driver of plot. Near the end he jarringly becomes somewhat more– but it’s in service to making him and interesting foe. The wearing down of the king, the land’s limited hopes, and the Loups are all great twists.

The book ends with a number of pages still left; he reprints several fairy tales and explains their tie to this book. It’s a nice peek into his thought process, and interesting to read the source stories after seeing what he’s done with them.

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Dust by Elizabeth Bear

A very quirky ship with societies filled with interesting roles and rules. This book is primarily the story of two sisters as they are chased and courted by wild AIs, endure attacks and strange threats, and traipse across the ship. The nanotechnology is interesting and very different from most takes I’ve seen; the world is a dark mix of broken and advanced to the point of looking like magic. It never feels like magic, however, which must have been a hard line to walk… it’s always a ship and technology, no matter how advanced. Rien and Perceval’s relationship is quirky but feels appropriately complex. Rien makes an excellent pair of eyes to explore; she’s been so isolated that she provides a great viewpoint for exploration; her amazement matches ours.

While this book is the first book in a series, it feels like a stand alone novel. At the moment, I’m inclined to treat it that way– but it was strongly written, so I may very well continue the series when the sequel comes out later this year.

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Deader Still by Anton Strout

A worthy sequel to the previous book. Simon’s past comes back to haunt him (in the form of an old flame) and new dark things stalk the city. Romany jump in for a subplot, and the FOG elite versus the rest of the DEA is a big subplot. Partner and relationship problems are a very large focus of the book; at times it’s a little hard to feel sympathetic to Simon given how big a jealous ass he is, but it makes sense given his background.

All in all, a fun read, but I don’t feel compelled to keep reading the series. I’ll call it a successful two books and may keep an eye out for Anton’s other books.

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How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Well, that’s where my evening went. I enjoyed it thoroughly; it was a fast paced fun story. I like the strange world building– it makes it a lot easier to detach in time and place– particularly the obsessive focus on “here”. The complete commitment schools are interesting backdrops and very quirky to think about.

The core of the story is Charlie, her friends, and high school social interactions. Even twisted into this fantasy world, the basic complaints of high school remain clear– though interesting, since it’s all inside baseball on the girls side. The bitter hate for the “boys like you” fairy possessor was fascinating– again, something I generically knew, but reading it deepened the experience. (Any number of real life asides and out of context snipes fall into place.)

It’s a quirky treat– a few hours of confection and characters you quickly come to care about. And not a dragon in sight.

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Beka Cooper: Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce

A great followup to Terrier– Beka takes to life as a Dog very well. She has changed a bit, but her core remains the same. The primary plot is about counterfeiting, which the author does well in tying real consequences to. Beka goes through a lot, but her most trying events mostly involve her seeing deeper into the world… not exactly getting jaded, but being exposed to more corruption and courtship.

The courting was very well handled; though pitched at YA readers, Beka has full fledged feelings and experiences. The curtain comes down before she talks about mechanics… but that’s ideal to my mind, and is something I usually appreciate in novels pitched at anyone. (Some phrasings, like “peaches” are cute and consistent.)

In the end, if you liked the first book, you’ll like this one. The characters she meets are as well drawn as those of the first book, rouges, scoundrels, and nobles alike.