Book Reviews

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The Angel’s Game – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
“Every book has a soul, the soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and dream about it.”


A young writer who was introduced to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books through our favorite booksellers, ‘Sempere & Sons,’ is tasked to write a specific, dangerous book by a mysterious benefactor and finds himself entangled in a web of love and betrayal, mystery and murder as he attempts to understand what’s happening around him.

The Angel’s Game has everything, including a high degree of complexity. While plot intricacies threaten to harm the story toward the end the author deftly brings things into focus so it’s teetering like a car on two wheels while taking a corner too fast, but ends up right back on all fours rocketing ahead of where it would have been if driven more safely. A strong supernatural element is present, and while there’s no James Bond here our protagonist is run ragged all over Barcelona, creating a slight action element as well.

The characters of David and the elder Sempere are so fully developed there might be something missing in your soul once the story is complete. It’s a rare storyteller who can enhance our lives with his characters over the course of a book and make us acutely feel their loss when the book is finished. We never want a good book to end, but the best of them leave a wound-like hole behind when completed–like this book does.

At over 500 pages it’s a long, rich read, and the quality of the physical book from Subterranean Press matches that of the story. Some are going to feel this standalone prequel eclipses even the author’s beloved The Shadow of the Wind.

An absolute masterpiece combining literary fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery and horror, this book comes with the highest recommendation.
5 stars

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[marduk]

Thanks! It was also a challenge because they don't really like "first-person takes", which is generally what I tend to do. Next I'll be trying my hand at a non-fiction book.

[bugen]

Thanks for the review, Marduk! It's a fine line you're walking when reviewing a book that didn't quite resonate with you but yet highlighting some of the positives for others. Well done.

[marduk]

http://newsok.com/book-review-shatte...rticle/5071788

Another review. It was a tough one as I didn't really enjoy the book all that much (mainly because of the flow - the jumping around between characters, the tedious approach), so this one took some work to highlight the major ideas. I also don't like reviews that contain spoilers so it's more of a general synopsis. And it doesn't look like much here; the paper and online versions always look better than plain old text.



“Shattered (Iron Druid Chronicles)” by Kevin Hearne (Del Rey, 352 pages, in stores)

As a Druid who has lived for more than 2,000 years, Atticus O’Sullivan has seen no small amount of trouble in his life. That’s not surprising, given that his circle of friends and enemies includes werewolves, vampires, elves, Fae (fairies) and even the ancient gods and goddesses themselves.

“Shattered,” the newest installment of The Iron Druid Chronicles (seven books and a novella), opens with Atticus helping his former teacher and mentor adjust to the modern world. Eoghan O’Cinneide (Owen Kennedy) had been held in stasis for two millennia on a Time Island and was recently released by Atticus. Finding himself two-thousand years ahead of his time requires a fair bit of adjustment, to say the least, and many of the results straddle a line between humorous and precarious.

There are only three Druids left in the world: Atticus, Owen and Granuaile, former apprentice of Atticus who is now bound to the earth and a full Druid.

Trouble is brewing once again, and Atticus and Granuaile each have their issues to deal with. Atticus is beset by assassins on an almost regular basis. Somebody has it in for him, but who? He and Owen work on trying to determine who keeps sending the killers.

Meanwhile, Granuaile heads to India at the urging of Laksha, an Indian witch. Granuaile’s real father, an archaeologist, has found and opened a strange clay vessel and is now possessed by a demon intent on spreading pestilence. Laksha believes they can overcome the demon if they can get the help of the goddess Durga.

Atticus discovers a consortium of sorts amongst some of the deities. They are willing to offer advice and assistance when they can — and as long as it serves their interests, too. Atticus is told that a familiar foe is the instigator of his recent troubles, and Owen’s inquiries lead him to suspect that someone in the Fae Court may be involved, as well.

Inevitably, lines are drawn, threats are made, and battle is met. Resolutions are rarely perfect, however, and a success today could very well become a stumbling block tomorrow. Kevin Hearne has given us another skillfully crafted story layered in magic and action and blanketed in webs of deceit. A last-moment surprise will have fans of the series clamoring for more.

[Martin]

Great read!

Just finished I'm Not Sam thanks to the earlier review from RJ. What a frighteningly disturbing read! Thank you RJ for reviewing it; I might never have read it otherwise.

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Just finished I'm Not Sam thanks to the earlier review from RJ. What a frighteningly disturbing read! Thank you RJ for reviewing it; I might never have read it otherwise.

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The Blade Itself (The First Law, book 1) – Joe Abercrombie
“I’ve settled a few scores in my time, but it only led to more.”


The fantasy world of blood and decay on display here, populated by the downtrodden and the corrupt, could possibly be called Anti-Fantasy. You don’t look to this world like you might many others in the genre, with faces raised to the sun and to bask in the glory of battlefield honor, of beautiful elven folk, fairies and wondrous sprites sparkling glitter everywhere. You look to this world for injury and dirt, grim determination, fatalistic pessimism and no small portion of truth. In this type of fantasy our worst is written on every page, and our best gets only the slimmest chance to survive.

A master fighter of old, a crippled interrogator from the Inquisition, a haughty young noble learning to fence, a mysteriously fierce young foreigner and The First of the Magi are centered at the core of this tale as their paths weave together and eventually collide. Violence takes center stage, though the book is not a constant fight. But when characters aren’t fighting they’re talking about violence, reeling from the impact of it or scheming to perpetrate or (sometimes) avoid it. Mr. Abercrombie’s twitter name is LordGrimdark, and it’s perfectly fitting. There’s no summery warmth in the story.

What it lacks in natural warmth it makes up for in friction. Trust is a rarity. The initial companions of our main character, ‘The Bloody-Nine,’ or Logan, are pretty much the only characters capable of trust and unity, and this group would probably be considered the bad guys in any other fantasy tale. The camaraderie we’re used to in fantasy as a band works together to accomplish a task isn’t present here. There are small groups of companions, but most of the time they’re at each others’ throats and only working together out of necessity or in order to open up opportunities for future back-stabbing.

This is a long book and has very little of the feel good elements of fantasy. It is, however, an excellent read and full of promise for the sequels in a very interesting storyline. You don’t read this and see your characters live happily ever after; you follow them to their fates.

4 Stars

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Mass for Mixed Voices – Charles Beaumont
“I just lie awake at night and thank God that I’m bald.”

Making your way through this gigantic book brings with it a revelation. You are not reading a book, you’re staring directly into the imagination of one of our best speculative fiction writers, one of our best situational thinkers. As the book moves along you’ll slow down. The stories get better and better, but you’re reading the largest collection of the author. Finite–as in ‘soon to be finished,’ and it’s scary. The book would remain unfinished if not for the discovery of Subterranean’s A Touch of the Creature, a much smaller production with no double-ups.

That’s how good this book is–so good that were it to be a complete collection of the author’s short stories you’d never finish it, because it would be almost like the end of the universe.

Beaumont possesses a style that is everything at once, but contains no fat. His stories can meander slightly or cut straight to the matter. He can write of dirt or of rocketships, beauty or pain, race relations or the loss of a child as if it’s right in front of him. With his imagination, maybe it is. He is fully accredited in the realm of speculative fiction, having written a number of the original Twilight Zone episodes, and this is one of the best collections you can read of any author. There is only one other to whom he might be compared, and that’s the (incomparable) Richard Matheson. Lovers of short stories owe it to themselves to read everything either have written–they just cannot be beaten.

Everyone has heard of “The Howling Man,” and that’s a terrific story. Some, including Mr. Ellison who introduces the story here, find it to be Beaumont’s best work. While certainly a possibility, there are plenty of other tales contained within shining at least as bright. “Appointment with Eddie,” “Last Rites,” “Fair Lady,” “Gentlemen Be Seated,” “Perchance to Dream,” and “The Neighbors” are stories in the vein of ‘as good as it gets,’ because they just can’t get any better–by anyone.

Finishing the final story in Mr. Beaumont’s definitive collection deserved a high quality scotch accompaniment; pick it up if you get a chance. It’s pricey but a superb Centipede edition through and through.

4 stars

(my edition unsigned)
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Summer Knight (Dresden Files book 4) – Jim Butcher
The noise was deafening, and no one could have heard me anyway as I let out my own battle cry, which I figured was worth a shot. What the hell.
“I don’t believe in faeries!”

Book 4 of the Dresden Files, this one follows our wizard as he tries to uncover the motives for a high profile magical murder, which in turn reveals a plot to pit the summer faeries against the winter faeries in a battle that would tear the world to pieces.

This book begins, and stays for quite some time, in a world of political intrigue with very little action as the stage is set for the story. The writing was fine throughout the book, but it wasn’t until near the second half of the story that Mr. Butcher picks the pace back up to that for which we recognize him best. From this point on the tale proceeds at the normal, breakneck speed as the mystery gives way to action and pyrotechnics.

Harry Dresden is a wreck from the events of the preceding novels. He’s always been an underdog. At least in his mind he’s always lost, and this has taken its toll as he wallows in misery–even more so than usual. He does, however, perk up when there’s a job to do, everyone’s lives are on the line, and he has no hope of winning once again. It’s kind of like The Rockford Files–he can’t win but he’s a good guy and good guys keep trying despite the constant beatings from adversaries.

This time he’s actually paralyzed by politics of the magical world. It’s probably Mr. Butcher’s attempt to add more serious, complicated and plot-bending mystery elements into a story fairly early in his career, and it works but bogs down somewhat in the first half. It’s a positive direction the author is taking and surely is further polished and streamlined throughout the long-running series.

Summer Knight is another good book that has plenty of the sly witticisms and ironic humor of the earlier works, but its attempt at a more complicated plot seem to slow it down slightly in the beginning.

3 stars

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[bugen]

Thank you RJ. A different book, and definitely good - with the 2 stories so unique in tone I can see why some people liked the first story, Demons, better than the more psychological Undercurrent.

I ended up finding a good deal on the CD lettered, and it's awesome! A little small, but with a great, fine grain, blood red leather. Love it!

[RJK1981]

Nice review. Hope to one day get the CD edition of Demons, but I do have the PB edition of the book that I still need to read

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Demons - John Shirley
"Funny how here, the men posses demons and not vice versa."

Demons is the story of indestructible, supernatural creatures ravaging the planet as unstoppable killing machines but not in large enough numbers to destroy the population. With the demon invaders numbering only a few thousand, though some can be in more than one place at the same time, the world keeps turning while it’s slaughtered. A small group of magic users/psychics search out an esoteric weapon that may save Earth.

Undercurrent takes place 9 years after the end of Demons where the world has moved on, and in a mixture of pointed damage control, self-preservation, and the fact that all physical evidence has disappeared, most people believe the previous carnage was caused by a combination of terrorism and mass hypnosis. A small, powerful group seeks to reopen the world to demon kind permanently and on a much bigger scale.

The books work together well, but are much different in the substance of the tales. Demons deals with demons, the destruction they’re causing and what might be done to stop them, while Undercurrent deals mainly with humans attempting to resurrect them in a fairly complicated plot where you can’t really tell who’s who until near the end. Demons is mostly black and white, Undercurrent is mainly grey as the story unfolds as to who is responsible for what.

Exhibiting extensive knowledge of the occult, Shirley doesn’t beat us over the head with it. In a fascinating way he almost assumes we already know. And as avid horror readers there’s a good chance we do. Plenty of writers tackle the arcane, and most of them have done their research and enjoy showing us some of the fruits of that learning. Shirley just lets the occult happen naturally within the story, and if the reader gets it, great!

If treated as one novel, the first part, Demons, is a little more pulpy with more action and the demonic maneuverings we may be expecting, and can be standalone. The second, Undercurrents, is much more human focused and relies on having read the first. They are quite different, but both are highly enjoyable.

Note: The Ballantine Books version of Demons contains the sequel, Undercurrents. Demons is the original novella and Undercurrents clocks in roughly twice as long. The CD limited version does not contain the sequel.

Demons: 4 stars
Undercurrent: 4- stars

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[marduk]

Everything I've read from Abercrombie thus far has been spectacular: the First Law trilogy, "Best Served Cold", and "Half A King". I'm currently reading "The Heroes", and then I'll finish off with "Red Country". He can do more with character development in a few pages than many authors can do in a whole novel (or series...).

I've also been re-reading some of the early DragonLance books, and I enjoy them as much as I did all those years ago.

I recently finished a review for Kevin Hearne's "Shattered", but I'm still waiting to see if it will see print. I don't like reviews that give too many spoilers, so my approach was to cover overall storyline without giving too much away. I had to read the book twice because, to be honest, I didn't like it that much. It's not the worst thing I've read, but I had a lot of criticisms that I had to set aside in order to write a "generally positive" review.

[RJK1981]

Yeah, I agree, great character. I know Raistlin was Weiss' favorite character they had created, who was also my favorite. I liked Tasslehoff and the gully dwarves because they were amusing

[bugen]

I really liked the Weiss/Hickman books as well - Chronicles and the War of the Twins trilogies were a lot of fun. I'd be interested to see how well they hold up.
I remember the relationships between the brothers being complicated and sincere (and dark). Raistlin and Caramon were great characters.