Category Fantasy Books

May 20 2015
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Series Review [So Far]: The Gentleman Bastards #1-3 by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Red Seas Under Read Skies by Scott Lynch
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

The Gentleman Bastards #1-3
by Scott Lynch
4.5/5 stars!

This is honestly one of the most unique fantasy series I’ve ever read. Everything from the characters to how each section of the story was organized felt like a fresh spin on the classic concept of thievery and how it’s usually presented in a fantasy world. I have to admit that this series had me on board from the very first chapter, mostly because I thought it was funny as shit (now seems like a good time to mention that the series contains a lot of profanity). The dialogue is incredibly witty, and I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud; I even went back to reread some of the funnier passages once I was done. The series was totally infused with that great situational humor that really gave it a life of its own.

The plot was pretty clever – an Ocean’s 11-style framework with a lot of plans, sub plans, and countless moving parts that eventually lead to the big payoffs (or the big fails, as the case may be). I really enjoyed seeing what harebrained scheme the characters would concoct next and delighted whenever they managed to pull one off. Did I always know exactly what was going on? That’s a definite no – but the journey was so much fun that not knowing didn’t bother me.

So far, I’ve made it sound like this series is a lighthearted comedy with very little substance – but I assure you it also has its fair share of absolutely heart wrenching moments. Things definitely don’t always go according to plan, and it’s how the characters deal with the fallout from those failures is what made this series truly poignant in my mind (that, and it was funny… did I mention it was funny?). For me, The Gentleman Bastards series was unique in almost every writing category I can think of, and that’s part of the reason why it’s now among my favorites. I didn’t like all of the books equally, so I’m going to take a minute to talk a little more (spoiler free) specifics about each one.
                                                                                                                                                      

The Lies of Locke Lamora:

As far as the humor goes, I think I laughed hardest during the first third of this one (which is understandable considering the plot gets more serious as it goes). I thought it offered an excellent introduction to the story, great character development, and great storytelling. As I mentioned before, the organization of each scene was different than I’ve read before because it kind of bounced back and forth between past and present. You get a glimpse in the past long enough for the “present” passages to have more meaning and context, which might be why I came away from it feeling satisfied from how rounded the story was. There was a section kind of near the middle where I wasn’t totally sure what the scheme was, let alone how what they were doing contributed to it, but that may just have been an attention problem on my end. In any case, it eventually made itself clear and I was just as enthralled near the end as I had been at the beginning. A strong first book, no doubt about it, but it’s the second one that really rocked my world.

4.5/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                     

Red Seas Under Red Skies:

As you can probably tell from the title, this one takes the adventure to the high seas. Knowing that was the direction the second book was headed, I admit I wasn’t convinced I was going to like it as much. How much scheming can the characters really do in the middle of an ocean? Turns out, quite a bit more than you think. This book just struck a chord with me, and I think part of it might be because of how much depth of character was explored (as well as the addition of several fantastic new characters). I also think the pacing was incredibly strong – one event flowed seamlessly into the next, and there wasn’t a single boring part between them. I imagine that’s difficult to do when your characters are aboard a ship for a good portion of a novel. Kudos to the author, who produced my favorite installment of this series (so far) and quite possibly one of my favorite books ever. That’s serious stuff right there.

5/5 stars!
                                                                                                                                                      

The Republic of Thieves:

While book #2 was my favorite so far, The Republic of Thieves was unfortunately my least favorite. Don’t panic though – it’s still a solid 4-star read. I think the reasons I didn’t like it quite as much are a bit odd, so that should be taken into account. For one thing, at some point in the novel the characters rehearse for a play… and I hate reading classic playwrighting, even creatively done within a high fantasy novel. Lynch did a great job actually bringing the play to life without letting it overtake what was going on in the real world, but I just couldn’t get into it. Even reading about the characters learning the play was a bit tedious, even though it was also kind of funny. See? I told you it was a weird reason. The other deterrent was the love story – I think the main conflict behind it was hashed back and forth just a little too often and I kind of wanted to smack the characters involved… move on already. Other than that, all of the attributes I mentioned in the first three paragraphs were strong as ever in The Republic of Thieves, and I liked the work as a whole so much that I’m basically down to splitting fine hairs to differentiate between the novels.

4/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                      

A part of me wishes I had read the first book of this series when it first came out ages ago – I’ve had it sitting on my shelf since then. The other part of me is grateful I waited, however, because of how long the wait is between book releases. There is a lot going on in these novels, so many things to orchestrate, that I’m frankly just grateful the author had enough energy to give us at least three books in the series, but I would still appreciate a solid release date for the fourth book. I’m excited to see the series getting so much attention in both the blogosphere and the bookselling world, and I’m even more glad to have finally joined the ranks of fans eager to see what happens to Locke next. If you are sick of the same old thing, give this series a try, you (probably) won’t regret it! As a side note, I listened to bits of these on audio and it is an experience… I think it’s now my preferred format for the series.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 16 2015
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Book Review: The Dragons of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell

The dragons of dorcastleTitle: Dragons of Dorcastle

Author: Jack Campbell

Series: The Pillars of Reality #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: For centuries, the two Great Guilds have controlled the world of Dematr. The Mechanics and the Mages have been bitter rivals, agreeing only on the need to keep the world they rule from changing. But now a Storm approaches, one that could sweep away everything that humans have built. Only one person has any chance of uniting enough of the world behind her to stop the Storm, but the Great Guilds and many others will stop at nothing to defeat her. Mari is a brilliant young Mechanic, just out of the Guild Halls where she has spent most of her life learning how to run the steam locomotives and other devices of her Guild. Alain is the youngest Mage ever to learn how to change the world he sees with the power of his mind. Each has been taught that the works of the other’s Guild are frauds. But when their caravan is destroyed, they begin to discover how much has been kept from them. As they survive danger after danger, Alain discovers what Mari doesn’t know—that she was long ago prophesized as the only one who can save their world. When Mari reawakens emotions he had been taught to deny, Alain realizes he must sacrifice everything to save her. Mari, fighting her own feelings, discovers that only together can she and Alain hope to stay alive and overcome the Dragons of Dorcastle.

The Review:

I really like the concept for this story – there are two different Guilds, one dedicated to Mechanics, the other to Mages. They don’t much like each other, which sets the stage for a lot of conflict. Add to that the mention of dragons in the title, and I knew this was a book I was interested in reading.

I especially liked the Mages vs. Mechanics idea because it was an opportunity to explore the conflicting concepts magic vs. science. Campbell did a great job integrating the two ideas into a single world, embracing that both were possible depending on your perception of how the world works. It felt like a solid framework to build from, and was probably my favorite element of the story.

However, as much as I liked the concepts, there were a few things about how they were executed that I did not enjoy.

For example, we learned about this framework for the world and how Mechanics and Mages see things differently through dialogue… and a lot of it. Endless pages of the Mechanic explaining how the Mechanics work, the Mage explaining how the Mages work, both of them explaining to other people why they made the choices they did. Then each would turn around and have a mental conversation with himself/herself to rationalizing what they just had explained to them. It was tedious. It also didn’t leave a lot of room for plot-advancement aside from their very thoroughly explored internal growth.

And it wasn’t even always that they were explaining stuff, but rather what they were explaining that put me off. Let me explain ;) – the Mages believe emotion is a weakness, so they suppress all of the things that make them human. But instead of just having the Mage fight not to act on certain emotions and concepts, the author chose to have him not be aware of those concepts altogether, which means the reader has to endure the Mechanic explaining to the Mage what words like “help,” “friendship,” and even “taste” literally mean. Now, I definitely don’t mind when authors take time to explain things to the readers, but they have to be things that don’t exist in our world that actually require explanation. Even if the Mages suppressed certain emotions out of their students, you have to start with at least a semi-understanding of the concept before it can be eradicated, right? In any case, I guess I just didn’t appreciate how it was written, and could see how a different approach might have worked better.

Furthermore, it made the Mage in question come across a little simple and juvenile which meant I had a difficult time taking him seriously. The Mechanic, on the other hand, was a really interesting character and I found myself enjoying her passages the most (although that could be because the plot only seemed to advance under her perspective). It’s also worth mentioning that the end half was better than the first half (because they stopped explaining stuff to each other quite as often), which is why my rating is a bit higher than it was going to be.

Overall, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I wanted to. The great concept that got me to pick up the book in the first place was swallowed by needless repetition and dialogue. This is a shame because I finished the book still very interested in the basic idea behind it but lacking the patience to see how it will develop. I might continue on eventually, but it will be a hard sell. Despite my objections, I might actually still recommend it, especially to readers who don’t mind repetition (If you read The Sword of Truth series without once thinking “I’m really getting tired of hearing about the ‘Pristinely Ungifted,'” or any of the other of Goodkind’s repetitive concepts, this might be an excellent series for you). Like I said, the premise really was a good one.

Other books you might like:

The fact that my additional recommendations are pretty eclectic shows that The Dragons of Dorcastle really was a unique book…

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 30 2015
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Novella Review: Legion by Brandon Sanderson

legionTitle: Legion

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: Legion #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Stephen Leeds, AKA ‘Legion,’ is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his ‘aspects’ are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society.

The Review:

I picked this novella up on a whim. Now, I expected it to be good because it’s a Sanderson, but holy crap! It was awesome. You get strength of character right out of the gate and total immersion into this guy’s life. Then Sanderson proceeds to hit you over the head with one cool idea after another. There were five or six concepts in this novella that I absolutely loved – any two of which would’ve made for an interesting story. I don’t want to get into specifics for fear of spoilers, but suffice to say I completely devoured this story and am still reeling from it several days later. It’s a dang good thing Skin Deep (Legion #2) is out, because I feel like Legion sparked a new craving that hasn’t yet been satisfied. If you’ve read (and liked) Steelheart, you’ll definitely like this one.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 6 2015
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Mini Book Review: The Assassin King by Elizabeth Haydon

Assassin KingTitle: The Assassin King

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages #6

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: The Assassin King opens at winter’s end with the arrival by sea of a mysterious hunter, a man of ancient race and purpose, who endlessly chants the names of the pantheon of demons that are his intended victims, as well as one other: Ysk, the original name of the Brother, now known as Achmed, the Assassin King of Ylorc. At the same moment of this portentous arrival, two gatherings of great import are taking place. The first is a convocation of dragons, who gather in a primeval forest glade–the site of the horrific ending of Llauron, one of the last of their kind. They mourn not only his irrevocable death, but the loss of the lore and control over the Earth itself that it represents. The ancient wyrms are terrified for what will come as a result of this loss. The second gathering is a council of war held in the depths of the keep of Haguefort: Ashe and Rhapsody, rulers of the alliance that protects the Middle Continent; Gwydion, the new Duke of Navarne; Anborn, the Lord Marshall; Achmed, the King of Ylorc, and Grunthor, his Sergeant-Major. Each brings news that form the pieces of a great puzzle. And as each piece is added it becomes quite clear: War is coming, the likes of which the world has never known.

The Mini Book Review:

Even though The Assassin King came out several years ago, I stalled on reading it until book #7 was announced. There are so many bits of brilliance within this series that the fact that it can be rather repetitive and long-winded doesn’t feel like that big of a deal. I really love where the story has developed, especially regarding the dragons. They play an integral role in the framework of this world (and always have, even when it wasn’t obvious to the reader), and I’m excited to see what impact they will have going forward. Along with dragons, these novels offer several original races that are quite possibly my favorite elements – especially since two of the main characters (Grunthor and Achmed) are of those alternate races, making them especially memorable. Overall, I enjoyed this novel as much as the ones before it. This series is not easy to recommend because the first hundred pages of book #1 are bit of a struggle to get through. However, if you have patience and are willing to wade through a lot of words for a big payoff, I think it is definitely worth your time. Especially if you’re looking for something a little different.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 26 2015
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Book Review: Guardians of the West by David Eddings

Guardians of the WestTitle: Guardians of the West

Author: David Eddings

Series: The Malorean #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Overview: A sequel to THE BELGARIAD, Garion has slain the evil God Torak, and fulfilled the prophecy. But suddenly another prophecy is foretold. Again a great evil is brewing in the East. And again Garion finds himself caught between two ancient Prophecies, with the fate of the world resting on him…. 

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The Review:

If my best friend ever sees this post I am going to be in big trouble! David Eddings is her all-time favorite author I feel like this review is going to come across as one big slap in the face. I certainly don’t mean it that way, but I also just did not enjoy Guardians of the West as much as I thought I was going to.

I read the Belgariad (the first five books in the saga) at least a decade ago and really liked them, so much so that I reread a couple of them before diving into this series (the Malorean). I knew the Malorean took place chronologically after the Belgariad, but had I known the storyline started almost immediately, containing all of the beloved characters from the first series, I would’ve picked it up a hell of a lot sooner. And I bet I would have enjoyed it a lot more, too. Back in the day, Eddings was one of the best fantasy authors I’d read. Now however, I still think he is a wonderful author, but he is nowhere near the top of my list.

I should start out by saying that I really enjoyed the essence of the story, and that’s probably the only reason why the book received two stars. So, while I thought it had great story elements, I did not enjoy some of the aspects regarding character. This was definitely a plot-driven novel, and I felt myself missing that inner growth and character development I’ve come to expect. Don’t get me wrong – the characters were all a lot of fun, maintaining the basics that made us fall in love with them in the first series, but I don’t remember a single passage where they were explored more than just on the surface level. It was kind of a bummer.

A similar issue revolved around the main character, Garion. The first series portrayed him as a humble boy destined to rid the world of evil. He asked a lot of questions and always had the knack for figuring things out. In this series that inquisitive nature was still with him, but there were several places within the story where he was so frustratingly dense I wanted to smack him. It was all things regarding his wife (and women in general), and I have a suspicion the author was going for comedic effect (i.e. even a really smart man can’t comprehend women). The problem is, in my eyes it regressed his character all the way back to when he was a juvenile. Then when the plot needed him to be his old, logical self, he was miraculously back to normal… and he wasn’t the only one I noticed this with. I could sum up all of my issues by saying: the characterization was inconsistent.

The final nail in the coffin was the pacing and plot structure. A whole lot of dialogue happens and a whole lot of tangents occur, but the basic plot points that make up the arc of the story filled up very little of the text. I have no problem with slow moving books, but unless a majority of the scenes are advancing the plot or developing character, I seldom enjoy them. And here I am, back to that character thing again – it really does make all the difference.

I wish I could say I liked this one a lot more than I did. I probably will not be continuing on in the series for a very long time (if at all). The good news is, I think this is yet another case where my opinion will be in the minority. If you’re in the mood for a decent fantasy story without a lot of depth, this would be a great one to try, although make sure you start with Pawn of Prophecy (which I actually really liked).

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 27 2015
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Book Review: Elvenbane by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey

ElvenbaneTitle: Elvenbane

Authors: Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey

Series: Halfblood Chronicles #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.

The Review:

The first half of this book is a perfect case study in how “telling” versus “showing” can be wildly entertaining. The authors took a lot of time to build this world and explain the dynamics between the races within it, and I found myself devouring the pages, eager to learn as much as I could. It was such a cool concept for a story – all-powerful elves who came to the world from another realm and basically took over, forcing the humans to cater to their every whim. Enter the shape-shifting dragons, also fleeing another world, who were trying to keep their existence secret from the elves but couldn’t resist dabbling in their affairs. Then put a halfbreed girl in the middle of all of this, and I’m on board.

It was unique, to say the least, and the best part was the spin on traditional race roles within fantasy novels. Not to mention the abundance of dragons! Sure, they behaved more like humans than dragons, but there was enough dragon lore involved that I didn’t mind it. Watching a small girl grow up among them was easily my favorite segment of the entire novel. It really is a shame it only lasted a couple of chapters…

The thing that knocked this book off of its five-star rating for me is that I got about 80% through it, then had to stop and figure out what the arc of the story was supposed to be. You see, the authors took a couple of weird tangents – ones I enjoyed reading, but I couldn’t figure out how they advance the plot or developed character. Now, I love tangents as much is the next girl, but to have them loaded near the end of the book? And to have them be so jarring? I kept thinking maybe I had missed something only to flip back a page and realize: nope… It really did just take a left turn. Had it been any other time during the novel, it would’ve been okay, but in this case it pulled me out of it when I felt I should’ve been the most engaged. I’m betting it had something to do with the difficulties of coordinating a book between two authors. This is the only time I’ve noticed a definite discord within a dual-authorship involving Mercedes Lackey, so it was probably a fluke.

Overall, I liked Elvenbane because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It had so many great ideas that, despite trouble with pacing near the end, I will be picking up the sequel. If you already read a ton of fantasy/dragon books, I’d recommend this one. However, if you’re new to the genre I’d have you read some of my favorites first.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes