2018 is done. Here's how things went literarily for me.
The ten best books I read this year (in the order I read them):
1. Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King
2. The Outsider by Stephen King
3. The Listener by Robert McCammon
4. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
5. Elevation by Stephen King
6. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
7. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
8. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
9. The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
10. The Farm by Tom Rob Smith
The worst book I read this year was Doomed by Chuck Palahniuk (a repeat accomplishment for Chuck).
Number of books read: 53
Book signings attended:
Orson Scott Card - no particular book
Brandon Sanderson - Skyward
2019 books I'm looking forward to:
Crucible by James Rollins
The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson
A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by Curtis Craddock
The Thorn of Emberlain by Scott Lynch
Dark Age by Pierce Brown
Early Riser by Jasper Fforde
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
Empire of Grass by Tad Williams
The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver
The Philosopher's War by Tom Miller
Fall, or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson
That one book by that George RR Martin guy???!!!
Monday, December 31, 2018
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Legion: Lies of the Beholder
by Brandon Sanderson
148 pgs (Legion series #3)
Legion: Lies of the Beholder is the third and final installment in Brandon Sanderson's series of short novellas featuring Stephen Leeds, a brilliant (and possibly schizophrenic) man, whose unique mental condition allows him to create and interact with multiple personalities, each of which possesses a highly-specialized expertise or skill set, which he refers to as his "aspects."
This time around Leeds has to deal with two crises happening in his life simultaneously. The first is the disappearance of Armando, one of his aspects. The second occurs when Sandra, a woman from his past who shares Leeds's condition, and who taught him how to live with it by creating his aspects, contacts him with a cry for help.
All three stories in the series are fantastic, fun, quick reads. But for me, the best part of each of them was their overarching concept. I read them separately as they were each published, but all three just came out together in the omnibus Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
148 pgs (Legion series #3)
This time around Leeds has to deal with two crises happening in his life simultaneously. The first is the disappearance of Armando, one of his aspects. The second occurs when Sandra, a woman from his past who shares Leeds's condition, and who taught him how to live with it by creating his aspects, contacts him with a cry for help.
All three stories in the series are fantastic, fun, quick reads. But for me, the best part of each of them was their overarching concept. I read them separately as they were each published, but all three just came out together in the omnibus Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
by Hank Green
341 pgs (The Carls series #1)
When April May, a recent art school graduate, stumbles across a 10-foot tall metal statue in the middle of the sidewalk late at night, a statue that wasn't there the night before, she decides, on a whim, to call her friend Andy to meet her there and record a video of her "interviewing" it that they can post on YouTube for laughs.
"Carl," as she names the statue, is something of a cross between a Transformer and a samurai, and while she doesn't think much about it at the time, there's something not quite right with it. Not only has it appeared without any explanation or ceremony in the middle of a New York sidewalk, it also doesn't feel right when she touches it. It's not cold, like it should be on a cold evening in new York. After they film her tongue-in-cheek interview with Carl, she goes home to bed, leaving Andy to edit the video and post it. When she wakes up the next morning, the whole world has changed.
It turns out Carl is one of 64 "Carls" that seem to have appeared simultaneously all over the world. No one knows what they are, who made them, or how they came to be in any of their locations. The Internet is dominated with people speculating about them, and since the first online account of any of them is April and Andy's video, April has become famous all around the world overnight.
In a matter of days, April's life changes from being a recent college graduate with more than $100,000 in student debt, to that of an A-list celebrity with an agent, a book deal, who commands thousands of dollars for each news interview and TV appearance she does.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is the first book published by Hank Green, adn it itself is a remarkable thing. It's a fun and engaging science fiction story, but it's also a very timely reflection on the culture of celebrity, social media, and many people's obsession for collecting clicks, likes, and followers that has become so prevalent today.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
341 pgs (The Carls series #1)
"Carl," as she names the statue, is something of a cross between a Transformer and a samurai, and while she doesn't think much about it at the time, there's something not quite right with it. Not only has it appeared without any explanation or ceremony in the middle of a New York sidewalk, it also doesn't feel right when she touches it. It's not cold, like it should be on a cold evening in new York. After they film her tongue-in-cheek interview with Carl, she goes home to bed, leaving Andy to edit the video and post it. When she wakes up the next morning, the whole world has changed.
It turns out Carl is one of 64 "Carls" that seem to have appeared simultaneously all over the world. No one knows what they are, who made them, or how they came to be in any of their locations. The Internet is dominated with people speculating about them, and since the first online account of any of them is April and Andy's video, April has become famous all around the world overnight.
In a matter of days, April's life changes from being a recent college graduate with more than $100,000 in student debt, to that of an A-list celebrity with an agent, a book deal, who commands thousands of dollars for each news interview and TV appearance she does.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is the first book published by Hank Green, adn it itself is a remarkable thing. It's a fun and engaging science fiction story, but it's also a very timely reflection on the culture of celebrity, social media, and many people's obsession for collecting clicks, likes, and followers that has become so prevalent today.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Hiddensee
by Gregory Maguire
283 pgs
Those who see the Broadway musical "Wicked," and then go out and read Gregory Maguire's book, which it was based on, are usually confused and disappointed. The tones and feel of the two are polar opposites. The musical is funny and engaging, while the book feels like a chore you have to complete, hoping for some sort of reward by the end. Maguire's books tend to sound like great ideas when you hear high-level summaries of then, e.g. "it's a retelling of "The Wizard of Oz/Snow White/Cinderella/Alice in Wonderland," but I recommend people perform a little more initial due diligence before reading one, to make sure they know what to expect.
Hiddensee is no exception. The high-level summary is it's the backstory of "The Nutcracker." Based on that, one might think it's a great alternative to having to sit through a three-hour ballet, but it's not a story about the magical soldier who battles the Mouse King to protect Clara on Christmas Eve. Instead, it's a dark and often dreary tale of a foundling boy named Dirk, who lives an isolated life in the woods with an old woman and an old woodcutter. An accident in the woods one day knocks him out and he sees a vision. The vision consists of a talking bird, a gnome, and a forest sprite, characters who leave an indelible mark on the rest of his life. When he wakes up, he runs away, out into the world he knows nothing about.
The story follows Dirk's life as he travels throughout Germany. He lives with a small village pastor for a time, running errands and helping clean and maintain the church and rectory. Eventually he becomes a successful toymaker, carving toys from wood, one of which is the nutcracker.
Hiddensee, like almost all of Maguire's books I've read, is a good book. It's highly creative and for some reason, I feel like I'm smarter and more cultured for having read it. But it's not a page turner, nor is it a book Disney is likely to ever adapt into a movie. But it's intriguing and entertaining enough to keep me reading his books when they come out.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
283 pgs
Hiddensee is no exception. The high-level summary is it's the backstory of "The Nutcracker." Based on that, one might think it's a great alternative to having to sit through a three-hour ballet, but it's not a story about the magical soldier who battles the Mouse King to protect Clara on Christmas Eve. Instead, it's a dark and often dreary tale of a foundling boy named Dirk, who lives an isolated life in the woods with an old woman and an old woodcutter. An accident in the woods one day knocks him out and he sees a vision. The vision consists of a talking bird, a gnome, and a forest sprite, characters who leave an indelible mark on the rest of his life. When he wakes up, he runs away, out into the world he knows nothing about.
The story follows Dirk's life as he travels throughout Germany. He lives with a small village pastor for a time, running errands and helping clean and maintain the church and rectory. Eventually he becomes a successful toymaker, carving toys from wood, one of which is the nutcracker.
Hiddensee, like almost all of Maguire's books I've read, is a good book. It's highly creative and for some reason, I feel like I'm smarter and more cultured for having read it. But it's not a page turner, nor is it a book Disney is likely to ever adapt into a movie. But it's intriguing and entertaining enough to keep me reading his books when they come out.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Thursday, December 6, 2018
The Philosopher's Flight
by Tom Miller
423 pgs (The Philosophers series #1)
The Philosopher's Flight is the debut novel by Tom Miller. The story takes place during World War I and centers on a young man's pursuit to become the first male accepted to the Rescue and Evacuation Division of the US Sigilry Corps. Empirical philosophers, aka sigilrists, are individuals adept at "Sigilry," the mysterious and unexplained art of manipulating energy to produce a physical effect. Through sigilry, an individual can make innumerable fantastical things happen. They can make plants grow faster, they can send messages from one end of the country to the other instantaneously, they can cause the bones of the enemies to dissolve, and they can fly. Those who master the art wield immense power, and are almost always women.
Robert Weekes grew up in rural Montana. His mother is a philosopher and he's always dreamt of one day joining Rescue and Evacuation and saving peoples' lives. His mother taught him sigilry and he's good at it, far better than any of his male peers, and almost as good as some of the female ones. In fact, he's good enough to be accepted to Radcliffe College in Massachusetts, a school famous for producing some of the best sigilrists. Once he's there though, he learns how formidable achieving his dreams is going to be. No one believes a man belongs in R&E, not his professors, and definitely not his female classmates. He's bullied, picked on, and ridiculed. But he's not a quitter.
As his abilities become stronger, he gets caught up in an even bigger battle, the one that's been going on for many years between sigilrists and "trenchers." Trenchers are those who don't understand and fear sigilry, and who believe those who practice it are a danger and need to be eliminated.
The Philosopher's Flight is part Harry Potter, part The Magicians, and part Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It's a fast-moving, imaginative book that shows a lot of promise for what's to come from Tom Miller. The sequel, The Philosopher's War, comes out in June, and I'm looking forward to it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
423 pgs (The Philosophers series #1)
Robert Weekes grew up in rural Montana. His mother is a philosopher and he's always dreamt of one day joining Rescue and Evacuation and saving peoples' lives. His mother taught him sigilry and he's good at it, far better than any of his male peers, and almost as good as some of the female ones. In fact, he's good enough to be accepted to Radcliffe College in Massachusetts, a school famous for producing some of the best sigilrists. Once he's there though, he learns how formidable achieving his dreams is going to be. No one believes a man belongs in R&E, not his professors, and definitely not his female classmates. He's bullied, picked on, and ridiculed. But he's not a quitter.
As his abilities become stronger, he gets caught up in an even bigger battle, the one that's been going on for many years between sigilrists and "trenchers." Trenchers are those who don't understand and fear sigilry, and who believe those who practice it are a danger and need to be eliminated.
The Philosopher's Flight is part Harry Potter, part The Magicians, and part Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It's a fast-moving, imaginative book that shows a lot of promise for what's to come from Tom Miller. The sequel, The Philosopher's War, comes out in June, and I'm looking forward to it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Friday, November 30, 2018
Elevation
by Stephen King
146 pgs
Elevation is a short novella by Stephen King that will take less time to read than it would to watch a movie adaptation of it, if one is eventually made. When I learned what it was about, I thought "Hasn't he already written this book before?" In a sentence, it's about a man who begins losing weight every day and can't stop it. But it doesn't take more than a couple of pages to realize that this story bears only a passing resemblance to Thinner.
Scott Carey is a normal guy who lives in Castle Rock, Maine. who inexplicably starts losing weight every day. Regardless of how much he eats, the weight continues to gradually drop off. But what's even more perplexing is the fact that his clothes seem to weigh nothing as soon as he puts them on. In fact, he can stand on his bathroom scale fully dressed and wearing a coat with pockets filled with quarters and the scale reads the same as it does when he takes everything off. But while he's getting lighter every day, his physical appearance doesn't change. His stomach still hangs over his belt just as it has for the last decade or so of his life.
One of the trademarks of a Stephen King story is that he takes ordinary people and places them in extraordinary situations. And from that perspective, Elevation is classic King. But it's also a departure from what I've come to expect form him. It' snot just a great story that incorporates elements of the fantastical. It's also a thinly-veiled allegory and social commentary on the weight our prejudices add to our lives, and the freedom that can come if that weight is dropped.
Elevation is a book I'd recommend to everyone. Even those who don't think they'd like a Stephen King book will like this one. Take an hour of your life and read it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
146 pgs
Scott Carey is a normal guy who lives in Castle Rock, Maine. who inexplicably starts losing weight every day. Regardless of how much he eats, the weight continues to gradually drop off. But what's even more perplexing is the fact that his clothes seem to weigh nothing as soon as he puts them on. In fact, he can stand on his bathroom scale fully dressed and wearing a coat with pockets filled with quarters and the scale reads the same as it does when he takes everything off. But while he's getting lighter every day, his physical appearance doesn't change. His stomach still hangs over his belt just as it has for the last decade or so of his life.
One of the trademarks of a Stephen King story is that he takes ordinary people and places them in extraordinary situations. And from that perspective, Elevation is classic King. But it's also a departure from what I've come to expect form him. It' snot just a great story that incorporates elements of the fantastical. It's also a thinly-veiled allegory and social commentary on the weight our prejudices add to our lives, and the freedom that can come if that weight is dropped.
Elevation is a book I'd recommend to everyone. Even those who don't think they'd like a Stephen King book will like this one. Take an hour of your life and read it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland
752 pgs
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. is a collaboration between Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland. While I've never read anything by Galland before, I have read one of Stephenson's books: Reamde. And based on it, I was expecting a book full of big ideas that would entertain me while it made me think. Stephenson's books are smart, serious, modern Science Fiction tomes, and Galland has made a name for herself more recently with her historical fiction books. The marriage of the two authors produced a child that is smart, entertaining, and oftentimes light-hearted and fun.
At its core, the book is a time travel story. Tristan Lyons oversees the U.S. Government's "Department of Diachronic Operations," a small, underfunded department that the government hopes will soon play a major role in ensuring the country's future military dominance. Tristan recruits Melisande Stokes, a Harvard linguist, to translate ancient documents having to do with magic. She learns that magic is real and once prevalent. Witches used to perform it by accessing alternate realities and influencing decisions and outcomes from the different realities to reach desirable outcomes. Now, there is only one witch left and she works for D.O.D.O. D.O.D.O. wants to use their witch to send Melisande, and eventually, other agents back in time in order to "nudge" the timeline in a more favorable direction for the country.
The story is a little reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, as Mel and others are sent back repeatedly to specific moments in the past to try to convince people to make different decisions or to do things differently. They must learn from their failures in order to increase the likelihood of success on their next trip, sometimes dozens of times until they achieve their goals.
I had a lot of fun reading D.O.D.O. Time travel stories are usually entertaining because of the never-ending possibilities. And this one didn't disappoint. I'm pretty confident I could tell what each author brought to the story-telling process. And based on that, I plan to continue reading Stephenson's books and will start reading Galland's.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
752 pgs
At its core, the book is a time travel story. Tristan Lyons oversees the U.S. Government's "Department of Diachronic Operations," a small, underfunded department that the government hopes will soon play a major role in ensuring the country's future military dominance. Tristan recruits Melisande Stokes, a Harvard linguist, to translate ancient documents having to do with magic. She learns that magic is real and once prevalent. Witches used to perform it by accessing alternate realities and influencing decisions and outcomes from the different realities to reach desirable outcomes. Now, there is only one witch left and she works for D.O.D.O. D.O.D.O. wants to use their witch to send Melisande, and eventually, other agents back in time in order to "nudge" the timeline in a more favorable direction for the country.
The story is a little reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, as Mel and others are sent back repeatedly to specific moments in the past to try to convince people to make different decisions or to do things differently. They must learn from their failures in order to increase the likelihood of success on their next trip, sometimes dozens of times until they achieve their goals.
I had a lot of fun reading D.O.D.O. Time travel stories are usually entertaining because of the never-ending possibilities. And this one didn't disappoint. I'm pretty confident I could tell what each author brought to the story-telling process. And based on that, I plan to continue reading Stephenson's books and will start reading Galland's.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Monday, November 19, 2018
Carrion Comfort
by Dan Simmons
636 pgs
Each year, around Halloween, I like to read a good horror story. This year I decided on Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons, which had been sitting on my bookshelf for the past few years waiting to be picked up. It's a sizable book. Which is a good thing. Simmons is a fantastic writer and he gives himself a lot of room to work in with this story.
Carrion Comfort is a vampire story, but his vampires don't have much in common with Bram Stoker's, Stephen King's, Guillermo del Toro's, and thank fully, Stephenie Meyer's versions of the creatures. Dan Simmons creatures are a select group of humans who possess "The Ability," a psychic power which allows them to control people with their minds. Using their powers rejuvenates them and allows them to live indefinitely. They use the Ability to entertain themselves and take pleasure in taking control of people's minds and using their bodies remotely to murder, rape, and anything else they choose.
Melanie Fuller, Nina Drayton, and Willi Borden are three of these creatures. Every year they meet together to boast of the assassinations and murders they've committed. It's become a game between them to see which of them has been responsible for the most notorious and creative deaths over the past year.
Saul Laski is a psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor. He has spent his entire adult life searching for the SS Officer who took control of his mind all those years ago when he was a prisoner, and from whom Saul was barely able to escape. The man's name was Oberst Wilhelm von Borchert, but Saul believes he now goes by the name Willi Borden.
Natalie Preston is a photographer in Philadelphia whose father was killed in a string of inexplicable murders which took place in one night, and she's searching for answers. She meets Saul, who traveled to Philadelphia after hearing about the murders in his search for Willi Borden, and after hearing his story and becoming convinced it's true, joins him in his search.
I mentioned at the start that this is a sizable book. (The version I read is an oversized hardcover edition with relatively small font size, and the paperback version is around 800 pages.) But it didn't seem like a long book. It could have been another 400 pages long and I'd gladly still be reading it. I've said in other reviews of his books that Dan Simmons knows how to write good books in any genre he chooses. Carrion Comfort and Summer of Night are proof that he has the horror genre down pat.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
636 pgs
Carrion Comfort is a vampire story, but his vampires don't have much in common with Bram Stoker's, Stephen King's, Guillermo del Toro's, and thank fully, Stephenie Meyer's versions of the creatures. Dan Simmons creatures are a select group of humans who possess "The Ability," a psychic power which allows them to control people with their minds. Using their powers rejuvenates them and allows them to live indefinitely. They use the Ability to entertain themselves and take pleasure in taking control of people's minds and using their bodies remotely to murder, rape, and anything else they choose.
Melanie Fuller, Nina Drayton, and Willi Borden are three of these creatures. Every year they meet together to boast of the assassinations and murders they've committed. It's become a game between them to see which of them has been responsible for the most notorious and creative deaths over the past year.
Saul Laski is a psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor. He has spent his entire adult life searching for the SS Officer who took control of his mind all those years ago when he was a prisoner, and from whom Saul was barely able to escape. The man's name was Oberst Wilhelm von Borchert, but Saul believes he now goes by the name Willi Borden.
Natalie Preston is a photographer in Philadelphia whose father was killed in a string of inexplicable murders which took place in one night, and she's searching for answers. She meets Saul, who traveled to Philadelphia after hearing about the murders in his search for Willi Borden, and after hearing his story and becoming convinced it's true, joins him in his search.
I mentioned at the start that this is a sizable book. (The version I read is an oversized hardcover edition with relatively small font size, and the paperback version is around 800 pages.) But it didn't seem like a long book. It could have been another 400 pages long and I'd gladly still be reading it. I've said in other reviews of his books that Dan Simmons knows how to write good books in any genre he chooses. Carrion Comfort and Summer of Night are proof that he has the horror genre down pat.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Monday, November 5, 2018
Macbeth
by Jo Nesbø
446 pgs
Hargarth Shakespeare is a project launched a few years ago, which enlisted bestselling novelists to reimagine some of the works of William Shakespeare. Norwegian thriller writer Jo Nesbø is the seventh author to contribute to the project with his take on Macbeth. Gillian Flynn will be next with a book based on Hamlet due out in a few years.
Nesbø's story is set in Scotland, sometime in the early 1970s, during a time of political corruption, rampant drug abuse, and high suicide rates. The city is run by Hecate, an untouchable drug lord who manufactures a drug called "brew," which many of the city's citizens are hooked on.
Inspector Macbeth is a member of the SWAT team, who is promised the position of police chief by three of Hecate's henchwomen as long as he does nothing to interfere with Hecate's operation. After he discusses the message he received with his "Lady," a casino operator, the two of them conspire to murder Duncan, the Chief Police Commissioner and frame his bodyguards. But Duncan's death is only the beginning, and soon Macbeth, egged on by Lady, and fueled by brew-induced hallucinations, finds his life spiraling out of control.
Nesbø does an admirable job balancing the overall framework of Shakespeare's play with the elements of a modern-day crime thriller, and those familiar with the play should enjoy the numerous head nods he gives it. But Shakespeare purists may have some issues with the story. He doesn't shy away from straying far from the source material while infusing it with the high level of grit and darkness he's best at.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
446 pgs
Nesbø's story is set in Scotland, sometime in the early 1970s, during a time of political corruption, rampant drug abuse, and high suicide rates. The city is run by Hecate, an untouchable drug lord who manufactures a drug called "brew," which many of the city's citizens are hooked on.
Inspector Macbeth is a member of the SWAT team, who is promised the position of police chief by three of Hecate's henchwomen as long as he does nothing to interfere with Hecate's operation. After he discusses the message he received with his "Lady," a casino operator, the two of them conspire to murder Duncan, the Chief Police Commissioner and frame his bodyguards. But Duncan's death is only the beginning, and soon Macbeth, egged on by Lady, and fueled by brew-induced hallucinations, finds his life spiraling out of control.
Nesbø does an admirable job balancing the overall framework of Shakespeare's play with the elements of a modern-day crime thriller, and those familiar with the play should enjoy the numerous head nods he gives it. But Shakespeare purists may have some issues with the story. He doesn't shy away from straying far from the source material while infusing it with the high level of grit and darkness he's best at.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Monday, October 22, 2018
Noir
by Christopher Moore
339 pgs
Christopher Moore's latest book Noir is set in San Francisco in 1947. As the title implies, it's a moody crime story in the spirit of Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler. The protagonist is Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin, a bartender at Sal's Saloon who falls in love on page one with Stilton, the blonde bombshell who walks in one day wearing a dress two sizes too small and knowing it.
Because of the genre Moore writes in this time, there's also a dirty politician, a profane rug rat, a boxer, a dirty cop, and a group of gangsters. But, because it's Moore writing, there're also drag queens, a Chinese man obsessed with collecting snake urine, a snake (the supply of said urine), men in black, and a little alien affectionately called moonman.
What I enjoy most about Moore's books is the witty, and frequently hilarious dialogue and descriptions he writes. In this area the book doesn't disappoint. Where I was left feeling a little disappointed however was in the plot. The story never grabbed me. While I enjoyed reading it, I never felt excited and anxious to pick it back up again. This is not the book of his I'd recommend to the uninitiated.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
339 pgs
Because of the genre Moore writes in this time, there's also a dirty politician, a profane rug rat, a boxer, a dirty cop, and a group of gangsters. But, because it's Moore writing, there're also drag queens, a Chinese man obsessed with collecting snake urine, a snake (the supply of said urine), men in black, and a little alien affectionately called moonman.
What I enjoy most about Moore's books is the witty, and frequently hilarious dialogue and descriptions he writes. In this area the book doesn't disappoint. Where I was left feeling a little disappointed however was in the plot. The story never grabbed me. While I enjoyed reading it, I never felt excited and anxious to pick it back up again. This is not the book of his I'd recommend to the uninitiated.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Friday, October 12, 2018
The Listener
by Robert McCammon
332 pgs
Robert McCammon's latest book The Listener takes place in New Orleans in 1934. John "Pearly" Partner and Ginger LaFrance are both lifetime con artists who, separately, have been running their own cons for many years. They arrive in a town or city, scam a modest amount of money out of as many locals as they can, and then move on to the next place on the map. When they both end up in New Orleans at the same time and recognize each other for what they are, they decide to work together on a scheme far more dangerous than anything either of them has done before, with the potential for a huge payoff.
Taking inspiration from the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby boy a couple years earlier, they decide to kidnap the two children of one of the wealthiest business men in the city and ransom them for $100,000 each.
Curtis Mayhew is a young black man who works as a red cap baggage handler at the New Orleans train station. Curtis has a special gift that only his widowed mother knows he possesses: he can communicate with others who share his same gift in his mind. When he "listens" he can connect with someone who is broadcasting his or her thoughts to him and they can carry on a conversation telepathically.
For the past little while he has been periodically communicating with a young girl who has recently discovered her own gift and is trying to understand it. He doesn't know who she is or where she lives until one day when she reaches out to him panicked and tells him she and her brother were just kidnapped.
What unfolds is a fantastic genre-bending story told by an author in the prime of his career. Every time I've reviewed one of McCammon's books, I'm sure I've said he's one of my favorite authors writing today, and The Listener is a great example of why. His stories are captivating, his characters are well written (Curtis is one of his best), and while I'm never happy to get to the end of one of his books, I'm always happy about the way it ends.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
332 pgs
Taking inspiration from the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby boy a couple years earlier, they decide to kidnap the two children of one of the wealthiest business men in the city and ransom them for $100,000 each.
Curtis Mayhew is a young black man who works as a red cap baggage handler at the New Orleans train station. Curtis has a special gift that only his widowed mother knows he possesses: he can communicate with others who share his same gift in his mind. When he "listens" he can connect with someone who is broadcasting his or her thoughts to him and they can carry on a conversation telepathically.
For the past little while he has been periodically communicating with a young girl who has recently discovered her own gift and is trying to understand it. He doesn't know who she is or where she lives until one day when she reaches out to him panicked and tells him she and her brother were just kidnapped.
What unfolds is a fantastic genre-bending story told by an author in the prime of his career. Every time I've reviewed one of McCammon's books, I'm sure I've said he's one of my favorite authors writing today, and The Listener is a great example of why. His stories are captivating, his characters are well written (Curtis is one of his best), and while I'm never happy to get to the end of one of his books, I'm always happy about the way it ends.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Dying of the Light
by George R.R. Martin
339 pgs
Nearly twenty years before A Game of Thrones was published, George R.R. Martin's first novel Dying of the Light was released. Having taken a sabbatical from reading his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series until Martin finishes it (or dies first), I decided I'd go back into his earlier catalog and see what he wrote back when he was releasing books at a less infuriating pace.
Dying of the Light is a science fiction story set in Martin's "Thousand Worlds" universe, in which I understand several of his other earlier works also take place. Worlorn is a dying planet. it doesn't revolve around its own star like most planets do. Instead, a decade or so ago, its took it temporarily near enough to a red giant star for the planet to become temporarily inhabitable. Terraformers, biologists, and architects from neighboring worlds came to Worlorn and formed a civilization. But now, Worlorn has moved further and further away from the red giant, the civilization built there has almost completely died off.
The story Martin sets on this unique planet is ambition and quite entertaining. But for myself, I inevitably compared it to the ASOIAF books, and not surprisingly, I ended up feeling a little let down. Martin's potential as a writer and storyteller is evident in this book. But the book shows he had a long way to go before he was ready for the magnitude and scope of the series that solidified his place among the greats in the genre...a series I hope both of us live long enough to complete.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
339 pgs
Dying of the Light is a science fiction story set in Martin's "Thousand Worlds" universe, in which I understand several of his other earlier works also take place. Worlorn is a dying planet. it doesn't revolve around its own star like most planets do. Instead, a decade or so ago, its took it temporarily near enough to a red giant star for the planet to become temporarily inhabitable. Terraformers, biologists, and architects from neighboring worlds came to Worlorn and formed a civilization. But now, Worlorn has moved further and further away from the red giant, the civilization built there has almost completely died off.
The story Martin sets on this unique planet is ambition and quite entertaining. But for myself, I inevitably compared it to the ASOIAF books, and not surprisingly, I ended up feeling a little let down. Martin's potential as a writer and storyteller is evident in this book. But the book shows he had a long way to go before he was ready for the magnitude and scope of the series that solidified his place among the greats in the genre...a series I hope both of us live long enough to complete.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Monday, October 1, 2018
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
by David Sedaris
257 pgs
In Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, humorist David Sedaris has compiled 22 of his essays, most of which share the common theme of his family life, both the one he had growing up in his borderline neurotic family and the one he shares now with his partner Hugh.
In "Us and Them," the essay he opens with, he tells the story of the Tomkey family, who lived in his neighborhood growing up, and who didn't own a TV, a fact that fascinated him to no end. The family had other idiosyncrasies as well, like the year their children went door to door for Halloween candy on November 1st, because they were gone the night before, forcing Sedaris to preemptively stuff as much of it in his mouth as he can, rather than give any of it up.
In "Possession" he tells of touring Anne Frank's home in Amsterdam with Hugh and of being obsessed with it from a real-estate-ownership perspective, asking himself "Who do I need to knock off in order to get this apartment?"
"Six to Eight Black Men" is a hilarious comparison between the differences between the American and Dutch Christmas traditions. While the idea of Santa and his sleigh-pulling reindeer might seem bizarre to some, he points out how it pales in comparison to the Dutch's tradition of St. Nicholas and his six-to-eight black men who show up every year.
To the uninitiated in Sedaris's writing, the idea of reading essays about someone else's family life might sound boring and uninteresting. But that's definitely not the case with this collection. Sedaris never pulls his punches, especially when they're directed at those closest to him. And he spares no one--including himself--from his scathing humor and wit. The end result will make you grateful for both the family and life you had growing up, as well as the one he had. Because if he hadn't had his, there would have been nothing worth writing about.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
257 pgs
In "Us and Them," the essay he opens with, he tells the story of the Tomkey family, who lived in his neighborhood growing up, and who didn't own a TV, a fact that fascinated him to no end. The family had other idiosyncrasies as well, like the year their children went door to door for Halloween candy on November 1st, because they were gone the night before, forcing Sedaris to preemptively stuff as much of it in his mouth as he can, rather than give any of it up.
In "Possession" he tells of touring Anne Frank's home in Amsterdam with Hugh and of being obsessed with it from a real-estate-ownership perspective, asking himself "Who do I need to knock off in order to get this apartment?"
"Six to Eight Black Men" is a hilarious comparison between the differences between the American and Dutch Christmas traditions. While the idea of Santa and his sleigh-pulling reindeer might seem bizarre to some, he points out how it pales in comparison to the Dutch's tradition of St. Nicholas and his six-to-eight black men who show up every year.
To the uninitiated in Sedaris's writing, the idea of reading essays about someone else's family life might sound boring and uninteresting. But that's definitely not the case with this collection. Sedaris never pulls his punches, especially when they're directed at those closest to him. And he spares no one--including himself--from his scathing humor and wit. The end result will make you grateful for both the family and life you had growing up, as well as the one he had. Because if he hadn't had his, there would have been nothing worth writing about.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Spoonbenders
by Daryl Gregory
399 pgs
Thirty years ago, the Talamachus Family was quite famous. They traveled the country, performing in front of large crowds, and amazing them with demonstrations of their psychic abilities. They each had their own unique gift. Irene was known as the human lie detector and could immediately tell when someone was lying. Frankie had telekinetic powers and could move things with his mind. Buddy, the youngest, could see the future. And their mother Maureen, known as the World's Most Powerful Psychic, could leave her body behind and travel on the astral plane. Even Teddy, the father, who had no psychic abilities himself, was a world-class con man, who tricked everyone into believing that he did.
But their fame and notoriety came to an end after a disastrous appearance on live television.
Now, in 1995, Irene is a single parent struggling to hold down a decent job, Frankie is in debt to the Chicago mob, and Buddy, who is afraid to talk to anyone now for fear of altering the future, spends all of his time inexplicably digging holes in his father's yard and refilling them. Maureen passed away years ago, and Teddy dreams of someday achieving fame again.
Irene's 14-year-old son has recently learned of his own abilities (which are the same as his dead grandmother's) and he may be the key to solving everyone's problems. And why can't Buddy see anything beyond a specific date fast approaching in September?
Gregory takes his story back and forth between now and the 1960s, describing the lives of the members of the Talamachus family and how their gifts, for the majority of their lives, were more of a curse than a blessing. The story is humorous and fun. It's fast-paced and surprisingly dark. Spoonbenders is the first book by Daryl Gregory that I've read. And while I thought the writing and the story had some issues, I enjoyed it enough to want to read more.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
399 pgs
But their fame and notoriety came to an end after a disastrous appearance on live television.
Now, in 1995, Irene is a single parent struggling to hold down a decent job, Frankie is in debt to the Chicago mob, and Buddy, who is afraid to talk to anyone now for fear of altering the future, spends all of his time inexplicably digging holes in his father's yard and refilling them. Maureen passed away years ago, and Teddy dreams of someday achieving fame again.
Irene's 14-year-old son has recently learned of his own abilities (which are the same as his dead grandmother's) and he may be the key to solving everyone's problems. And why can't Buddy see anything beyond a specific date fast approaching in September?
Gregory takes his story back and forth between now and the 1960s, describing the lives of the members of the Talamachus family and how their gifts, for the majority of their lives, were more of a curse than a blessing. The story is humorous and fun. It's fast-paced and surprisingly dark. Spoonbenders is the first book by Daryl Gregory that I've read. And while I thought the writing and the story had some issues, I enjoyed it enough to want to read more.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
The Farm
by Tom Rob Smith
352 pgs
I was a little hesitant to pick up The Farm by Tom Rob Smith. Having enjoyed his "Child 44" trilogy as much as I did, I was worried I would inevitably be disappointed by this stand-alone story and would have to take him down from the pedestal I'd placed him on in my mind. Fortunately, my worries were unnecessary.
Daniel is a 29-year-old man who lives in London. He is the only child of his Swedish mother Tilde and his English father Chris, who, years ago sold their business in London and moved to a small farm in Sweden.
The story begins with Daniel receiving a call from his father informing him that his mother had recently experienced a psychotic episode, was committed to an institution for treatment, and had subsequently disappeared. Very shortly afterwards, his mother shows up at his London apartment carrying what she tells him is evidence that his father had gotten involved with a group of men in Sweden who sexually exploited young women and is among those responsible for the disappearance of a teenage girl named Mia.
Daniel listens as his mother tells him about the circumstances around Mia's disappearance, and as he does, he can't help but find her story more and more believable the more he hears. What he hears does not sound like the delusions of a broken mind. His mother is meticulous and comprehensive as she lays out the evidence against his father and the other men, and she claims they tried to institutionalize her in order to discredit her and protect themselves.
The Farm was written a few years ago, back when there were a lot of authors trying to capitalize from the success of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and her use of an unreliable narrator to tell the story. Even though The Farm was written during that time, I don't think Smith was jumping on the bandwagon when he wrote it. This has an entirely different feel to it.. But the result is very similar. For most of the book, you're left questioning the veracity of Tilde's claims and wondering whether they should be believed or not. It' snot until Daniel decides to travel to Sweden himself to learn the truth that things are ultimately made clear.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
352 pgs
Daniel is a 29-year-old man who lives in London. He is the only child of his Swedish mother Tilde and his English father Chris, who, years ago sold their business in London and moved to a small farm in Sweden.
The story begins with Daniel receiving a call from his father informing him that his mother had recently experienced a psychotic episode, was committed to an institution for treatment, and had subsequently disappeared. Very shortly afterwards, his mother shows up at his London apartment carrying what she tells him is evidence that his father had gotten involved with a group of men in Sweden who sexually exploited young women and is among those responsible for the disappearance of a teenage girl named Mia.
Daniel listens as his mother tells him about the circumstances around Mia's disappearance, and as he does, he can't help but find her story more and more believable the more he hears. What he hears does not sound like the delusions of a broken mind. His mother is meticulous and comprehensive as she lays out the evidence against his father and the other men, and she claims they tried to institutionalize her in order to discredit her and protect themselves.
The Farm was written a few years ago, back when there were a lot of authors trying to capitalize from the success of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and her use of an unreliable narrator to tell the story. Even though The Farm was written during that time, I don't think Smith was jumping on the bandwagon when he wrote it. This has an entirely different feel to it.. But the result is very similar. For most of the book, you're left questioning the veracity of Tilde's claims and wondering whether they should be believed or not. It' snot until Daniel decides to travel to Sweden himself to learn the truth that things are ultimately made clear.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Bearskin
by James A. McLaughlin
343 pgs
I love it when a new author publishes his or her first book and it's excellent. I'm always hopeful a quality first book portends a whole bookshelf worth of great books yet to come from the author. That's now my hope about James A. McLaughlin after reading his debut novel Bearskin.
Rice Moore is the caretaker on a privately-owned nature preserve in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. He hasn't had the job very long, but he's hoping the remoteness of where he now lives and works will allow him to hide from his violent past. But the peace and isolation he thought he'd experience becomes fleeting when he comes across the carcasses of bears, which are missing their paws and gallbladders. He learns that these are worth thousands of dollars on the black market, where the Chinese buy them and use them for medicines.
When Rice begins hunting for the bear killers, he finds he's up against more than just the poachers. His search angers many of the locals, who resent the family who owns the land the preserve is on and forbids them from hunting on it. When he learns that the woman who was caretaker before him was brutally assaulted and raped by a group of men while on the property, he decides to add them to the list of men he's now hunting. And as Rice's hunt for the bear killers and his predecessor's assaulters comes to a head, his past catches up with him and he finds himself being hunted as well.
The first three fourths of the book are a steady lead up to the final hundred or so pages, and it's these pages that made me so excited for what's to come from McLaughlin.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
343 pgs
Rice Moore is the caretaker on a privately-owned nature preserve in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. He hasn't had the job very long, but he's hoping the remoteness of where he now lives and works will allow him to hide from his violent past. But the peace and isolation he thought he'd experience becomes fleeting when he comes across the carcasses of bears, which are missing their paws and gallbladders. He learns that these are worth thousands of dollars on the black market, where the Chinese buy them and use them for medicines.
When Rice begins hunting for the bear killers, he finds he's up against more than just the poachers. His search angers many of the locals, who resent the family who owns the land the preserve is on and forbids them from hunting on it. When he learns that the woman who was caretaker before him was brutally assaulted and raped by a group of men while on the property, he decides to add them to the list of men he's now hunting. And as Rice's hunt for the bear killers and his predecessor's assaulters comes to a head, his past catches up with him and he finds himself being hunted as well.
The first three fourths of the book are a steady lead up to the final hundred or so pages, and it's these pages that made me so excited for what's to come from McLaughlin.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Warlight
by Michael Ondaatje
290 pgs
I'll begin by saying this: I had no idea what to expect hen I picked up Michael Ondaatje's latest book Warlight. I knew Ondaatje had written The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize and was made into the movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture, but I haven't read the book, nor have I seen the movie. Now, having read Warlight, I doubt I'll bother reading the book, and based on Elaine's opinion of the movie on "Seinfeld," I'm not likely to ever see the movie either.
The book begins in London shortly after World War II. People are just starting the process of rebuilding their city, their homes, and their lives. But Nathaniel and Rachel's lives have just been turned upside down with the news that their parents are leaving them for a year while they travel to Singapore for their father's new job opportunity. They've been informed that they'll be left in the care of two men whom neither of them have met before.
These two men, the Moth and the Darter, as the kids refer to them, move into the family's home and soon it becomes a gathering place for an assortment of interesting and (the children believe) possibly criminally-minded individuals. Nathaniel eventually becomes enamored with both of this caretakers and starts taking an active role in some of their suspect activities. But Rachel never gets over her feelings of resentment for having been "abandoned" by her parents.
After a short time, the children discover the trunk their mother had packed in front of them as she prepared to leave for Singapore. It's been hidden away in the house and the kids realize she hadn't been honest with them about her plans.
The rest of the book slowly reveals that their mother did not, in fact, travel to Singapore, but that she was engaged in dangerous intelligence work for the government, a continuation of work she had apparently been involved with throughout the war as well.
I can see why Ondaatje is considered a talented writer. But for me, I think he'll be a one-and-done author on my reading list. I could never get over the book's slow pace and drawn-out style. I also got the impression Ondaatje's biggest fan is himself. I felt like he expected me to sit back while he regaled me with his prose, and to simply feel grateful for the opportunity he had given me to give him my time and money.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
290 pgs
The book begins in London shortly after World War II. People are just starting the process of rebuilding their city, their homes, and their lives. But Nathaniel and Rachel's lives have just been turned upside down with the news that their parents are leaving them for a year while they travel to Singapore for their father's new job opportunity. They've been informed that they'll be left in the care of two men whom neither of them have met before.
These two men, the Moth and the Darter, as the kids refer to them, move into the family's home and soon it becomes a gathering place for an assortment of interesting and (the children believe) possibly criminally-minded individuals. Nathaniel eventually becomes enamored with both of this caretakers and starts taking an active role in some of their suspect activities. But Rachel never gets over her feelings of resentment for having been "abandoned" by her parents.
After a short time, the children discover the trunk their mother had packed in front of them as she prepared to leave for Singapore. It's been hidden away in the house and the kids realize she hadn't been honest with them about her plans.
The rest of the book slowly reveals that their mother did not, in fact, travel to Singapore, but that she was engaged in dangerous intelligence work for the government, a continuation of work she had apparently been involved with throughout the war as well.
I can see why Ondaatje is considered a talented writer. But for me, I think he'll be a one-and-done author on my reading list. I could never get over the book's slow pace and drawn-out style. I also got the impression Ondaatje's biggest fan is himself. I felt like he expected me to sit back while he regaled me with his prose, and to simply feel grateful for the opportunity he had given me to give him my time and money.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
The Bishop's Pawn
by Steve Berry
340 pgs (Cotton Malone series #13)
On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray initially plead guilty to killing King in order to avoid the possibility of the death penalty, but later recantd his confession. He was never granted a retrial. In The Bishop's Pawn, Steve Berry's 13th book featuring Cotton Malone, the former Justice Department operative, Berry goes back in time and tells a story that originated with Cotton's first assignment with the department.
When Cotton was first recruited by Stephanie Nelle, he was sent to recover the most valuable coin ever produced, located in a shipwreck somewhere off the coast of south Florida. Along with the Coin Cotton salvaged a file that contained information concerning J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI's involvement in Dr. King's death.
From that point forward Berry does what he does best and incorporates historical facts with fiction and tells a story that, if true, would rewrite the history books. Berry is very adept at telling a fascinating story that carefully leads his readers down a path to the conclusion he has waiting them. Every step along that path is plausible and convincing and make perfect sense in the context in which they're presented. And by the end, it's hard to argue with the likelihood that history occurred the way Berry tells it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
340 pgs (Cotton Malone series #13)
When Cotton was first recruited by Stephanie Nelle, he was sent to recover the most valuable coin ever produced, located in a shipwreck somewhere off the coast of south Florida. Along with the Coin Cotton salvaged a file that contained information concerning J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI's involvement in Dr. King's death.
From that point forward Berry does what he does best and incorporates historical facts with fiction and tells a story that, if true, would rewrite the history books. Berry is very adept at telling a fascinating story that carefully leads his readers down a path to the conclusion he has waiting them. Every step along that path is plausible and convincing and make perfect sense in the context in which they're presented. And by the end, it's hard to argue with the likelihood that history occurred the way Berry tells it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Saturday, August 25, 2018
The Dragonbone Chair
by Tad Williams
654 pgs (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series #1)
The Dragonbone Chair is the first book in Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, a series that originally began as a trilogy 30 years ago, but which he recently picked up and began expanding. The series is set on the fictional continent of Osten Ard during the reign of King John Presbyter.
This is an epic fantasy series, so there is a dozen-or-so page appendix at the end of the book to assist in keeping track of the different characters and races. But the primary character in this first book is Simon, a 14-year-old kitchen servant in Hayholt Castle. Simon spends every day going through the same mundane chores assigned to him until he's eventually granted a reprieve of sorts and assigned to apprentice Doctor Morgenes, the castle's healer. Morgenes takes Simon under his wing and begins teaching him how to read and write and about the mysteries of the natural world.
Soon after the book begins, King John Presbyter dies, and his son Elias becomes king. But Elias turns out to be little more than a puppet of forces whose goal is to end the reign of mortal men in Osten Ard and return it to the ancient races that inhabited it originally.
Simon eventually finds himself in the crosshairs of the machinations taking place on Osten Ard and is forced to flee Hayolt Castle. He embarks on his journey and is soon joined by an assortment of characters from other races. After they come together, they discover the true danger facing Osten Ard and they learn of the existence of three ancient swords: Minnear (Year of Memory), Sorrow, and Thorn, whose combined magic is the only force powerful enough to save Osten Ard. It's believed that the forces they're up against already have possession of one of the swords, so Simon and his companions embark on a journey to find the other two.
It's pretty clear Williams, like many fantasy writers, found inspiration in the works of Tolkien. But Williams took that inspiration and did something most writers before him didn't do...he raised the bar. George R.R. Martin has said this book was the one that made him realize what level fantasy writing could attain, and he credited the series as the inspiration for his A Song of Ice and Fire series. That should give you an idea of the breadth and depth of the series this book begins.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
654 pgs (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series #1)
This is an epic fantasy series, so there is a dozen-or-so page appendix at the end of the book to assist in keeping track of the different characters and races. But the primary character in this first book is Simon, a 14-year-old kitchen servant in Hayholt Castle. Simon spends every day going through the same mundane chores assigned to him until he's eventually granted a reprieve of sorts and assigned to apprentice Doctor Morgenes, the castle's healer. Morgenes takes Simon under his wing and begins teaching him how to read and write and about the mysteries of the natural world.
Soon after the book begins, King John Presbyter dies, and his son Elias becomes king. But Elias turns out to be little more than a puppet of forces whose goal is to end the reign of mortal men in Osten Ard and return it to the ancient races that inhabited it originally.
Simon eventually finds himself in the crosshairs of the machinations taking place on Osten Ard and is forced to flee Hayolt Castle. He embarks on his journey and is soon joined by an assortment of characters from other races. After they come together, they discover the true danger facing Osten Ard and they learn of the existence of three ancient swords: Minnear (Year of Memory), Sorrow, and Thorn, whose combined magic is the only force powerful enough to save Osten Ard. It's believed that the forces they're up against already have possession of one of the swords, so Simon and his companions embark on a journey to find the other two.
It's pretty clear Williams, like many fantasy writers, found inspiration in the works of Tolkien. But Williams took that inspiration and did something most writers before him didn't do...he raised the bar. George R.R. Martin has said this book was the one that made him realize what level fantasy writing could attain, and he credited the series as the inspiration for his A Song of Ice and Fire series. That should give you an idea of the breadth and depth of the series this book begins.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Doomed
by Chuck Palahniuk
329 pgs (Madison Spencer series #2)
In Doomed, Chuck Palahniuk inexplicably returns to the story of Maddy Spencer, the 13-year-old dead girl who woke up in Hell in Damned. She's now been cast of of Hell by Satan to wander Earth in a state of
purgatory.
As she travels the earth, visiting places where pivotal events from her life occurred, we learn more about the privileged, chaotic life she once had, and it's revealed what she did to warrant being sent to Hell in the first place. She haunts her celebrity parents, the former atheists who now run a cult based on a phone call they received from Maddy while in Hell.
But there's a reason Maddy has been consigned to Purgatory, and it's not just because Satan is sick and tired of her (and I can't blame him). She may hold the key to the eventual end of the world.
I don't have anything good to say about Doomed. I felt like Palahniuk gave me a peek at what Hell is like. Thankfully, it came to an end on page 329.
★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
329 pgs (Madison Spencer series #2)
purgatory.
As she travels the earth, visiting places where pivotal events from her life occurred, we learn more about the privileged, chaotic life she once had, and it's revealed what she did to warrant being sent to Hell in the first place. She haunts her celebrity parents, the former atheists who now run a cult based on a phone call they received from Maddy while in Hell.
But there's a reason Maddy has been consigned to Purgatory, and it's not just because Satan is sick and tired of her (and I can't blame him). She may hold the key to the eventual end of the world.
I don't have anything good to say about Doomed. I felt like Palahniuk gave me a peek at what Hell is like. Thankfully, it came to an end on page 329.
★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Moonglow
by Michael Chabon
430 pgs
To understand and appreciate Moonglow by Michael Chabon, it's useful to read it as a memoir written as a novel. According to the narrator, who appears to be Chabon himself, the story is based on conversations he had with his grandfather near the end of his life. His grandfather recounts the most interesting and slightly fantastical events of his life, and then instructs his writer-grandson to write it all down and "make it mean something."
The story Chabon tells describes his grandparents' marriage, two Jews who survived Nazism. It also tells of his grandfather's brilliance, which was instrumental in laying the groundwork for early rocket technology and ultimately, space flight. He also recounts his grandfather's pursuit of the Nazi rocket-builder Wernher von Braun at the end of the war.
The reason I said it's useful to read the book as a memoir...written as a novel, is because the book seems to be a combination of the two. It's hard to believe Chabon didn't take quite a bit of literary license in telling the story. And the story he tells isn't told linearly, it jumps around between different times in his grandparents' lives. But there are still aspects of the book that read very much like a memoir. It's told with a matter-of-fact style, without the buildup to a climactic ending you'd expect to have from a novel.
I'm on the fence when it comes to how I ultimately felt about the book. It's beautifully told, and die-hard Chabon fans should enjoy it for all the same reasons they're fans of his. But for me, there have only been two books that I can say I've thoroughly enjoyed: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Beyond those two, I've found his books a little hard to get into. I always appreciate his writing style and skill, but his stories have been hit or miss.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
430 pgs
The story Chabon tells describes his grandparents' marriage, two Jews who survived Nazism. It also tells of his grandfather's brilliance, which was instrumental in laying the groundwork for early rocket technology and ultimately, space flight. He also recounts his grandfather's pursuit of the Nazi rocket-builder Wernher von Braun at the end of the war.
The reason I said it's useful to read the book as a memoir...written as a novel, is because the book seems to be a combination of the two. It's hard to believe Chabon didn't take quite a bit of literary license in telling the story. And the story he tells isn't told linearly, it jumps around between different times in his grandparents' lives. But there are still aspects of the book that read very much like a memoir. It's told with a matter-of-fact style, without the buildup to a climactic ending you'd expect to have from a novel.
I'm on the fence when it comes to how I ultimately felt about the book. It's beautifully told, and die-hard Chabon fans should enjoy it for all the same reasons they're fans of his. But for me, there have only been two books that I can say I've thoroughly enjoyed: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Beyond those two, I've found his books a little hard to get into. I always appreciate his writing style and skill, but his stories have been hit or miss.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Syrup
by Max Barry
294 pgs
Syrup is the first book written by Max Barry. I've read others of his and really enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to getting my hands on this one. It's a satire focused on the marketing industry and features a young ambitious marketing graduate named Scat.
Scat has an idea for a new soft drink he wants to pitch to Coca-Cola, a drink targeted at the newest generation that Scat believes could bring in millions of dollars in increased sales--and make him rich in the process. He takes his idea for the new drink to 6 (that's her name), an equally young and ambitious marketing manager at Coke, who loves the idea. The two start working together to bring the drink to market, but before they get very far, they learn that Sneaky Pete, Scat's roommate, has stolen the idea and registered for its trademark behind their backs.
Sneaky Pete leverages "his" idea into a senior position at Coke and gets put in charge of one of the largest marketing endeavors ever undertaken, a $140 million movie to advertise Coke. Scat and 6, furious with Sneaky Pete's machinations, set out to do everything they can to undermine and discredit him and take back what they believe is rightfully theirs.
Barry sets a pretty good pace for this story and keeps things moving along nicely. It's a creative plot and this characters, while a little too contrived, are relatable and somewhat appealing. Barry does his best to keep you on your toes wondering what's going to happen next. There were times I found myself rolling my eyes a little at some of the dialogue and characters and had to remind myself that he was writing satirically. Keep that in mind and the book is good for some laughs and provokes some thoughts about how much our choices are influenced by those who market products to us.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
294 pgs
Scat has an idea for a new soft drink he wants to pitch to Coca-Cola, a drink targeted at the newest generation that Scat believes could bring in millions of dollars in increased sales--and make him rich in the process. He takes his idea for the new drink to 6 (that's her name), an equally young and ambitious marketing manager at Coke, who loves the idea. The two start working together to bring the drink to market, but before they get very far, they learn that Sneaky Pete, Scat's roommate, has stolen the idea and registered for its trademark behind their backs.
Sneaky Pete leverages "his" idea into a senior position at Coke and gets put in charge of one of the largest marketing endeavors ever undertaken, a $140 million movie to advertise Coke. Scat and 6, furious with Sneaky Pete's machinations, set out to do everything they can to undermine and discredit him and take back what they believe is rightfully theirs.
Barry sets a pretty good pace for this story and keeps things moving along nicely. It's a creative plot and this characters, while a little too contrived, are relatable and somewhat appealing. Barry does his best to keep you on your toes wondering what's going to happen next. There were times I found myself rolling my eyes a little at some of the dialogue and characters and had to remind myself that he was writing satirically. Keep that in mind and the book is good for some laughs and provokes some thoughts about how much our choices are influenced by those who market products to us.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
The Devil's Star
by Jo Nesbø
452 pgs (Harry Hole series #5)
The Devil's Star is the fifth installment in Norwegian author Jo Nesbø's crime series featuring detective Harry Hole. This time Harry is brought out of his alcohol-infused stupor to track down a serial killer in Oslo.
It begins when a young woman is found shot dead in her apartment. One of her fingers has been severed and a red star-shaped diamond is discovered under one of her eyelids. Five days later an actress goes missing. When her finger arrives at the police station wearing a ring with a red star-shaped diamond, Harry realizes more victims will likely follow. Sure enough, with the precision timing Scandinavians are known for, they do.
But finding and stopping the killer isn't the only thing Harry's trying to do. He's also trying to expose one of his colleagues, Tom Waaler, whom Harry believes is behind many of the illegal weapons being smuggled into Oslo. He also believes Waaler was behind the killing of Harry's former partner.
For those not familiar with the series, this one's probably not the one to start with. Not because it's not a good book. It's as good, if not better than it's four predecessors. But a reader would be better served getting to know Harry and his tumultuous life through the earlier books before reading The Devil's Star. It's also important to know the backstory between him and Waaler.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
452 pgs (Harry Hole series #5)
It begins when a young woman is found shot dead in her apartment. One of her fingers has been severed and a red star-shaped diamond is discovered under one of her eyelids. Five days later an actress goes missing. When her finger arrives at the police station wearing a ring with a red star-shaped diamond, Harry realizes more victims will likely follow. Sure enough, with the precision timing Scandinavians are known for, they do.
But finding and stopping the killer isn't the only thing Harry's trying to do. He's also trying to expose one of his colleagues, Tom Waaler, whom Harry believes is behind many of the illegal weapons being smuggled into Oslo. He also believes Waaler was behind the killing of Harry's former partner.
For those not familiar with the series, this one's probably not the one to start with. Not because it's not a good book. It's as good, if not better than it's four predecessors. But a reader would be better served getting to know Harry and his tumultuous life through the earlier books before reading The Devil's Star. It's also important to know the backstory between him and Waaler.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
The Saint of Wolves and Butchers
by Alex Grecian
388 pgs
The Saint of Wolves and Butchers is the first stand-alone novel by Alex Grecian. His previous four books were all part of his Victorian-era "Murder Squad Series," which follows the exploits of the officers who failed to capture Jack the Ripper, a series I've enjoyed a lot.
The book begins when Skottie Foster, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper, pulls over a Jeep being driven by Travis Roan. Roan was sent to Kansas by the Noah Roan Foundation, an organization that hunts down former Nazis living in the United States and brings them to justice. Roan is following the trail of his father, who was sent there weeks ago to confirm a report of a sighting of a man named Rudolph Bormann, a Nazi doctor and assistant administrator of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp during World War II. No one has heard from Roan's father for quite some time, and Roan has been sent to first find out what became of him, and second, to find out whether the sighting of Bormann was legitimate.
It is revealed right away that Bormann is indeed living in rural Kansas now and going by the name of Rudy Goodman. he's the founder of a controversial right-wing church in the area and even at 94 years old, he's a powerful man in the community.
I was really hoping to enjoy The Saint of Wolves and Butchers more than I did. It's not a bad book by any mes. But it would have been a much better book had Grecian incorporated some twists or surprises in the plot. There's no mystery around who Rudy Goodman once was. And there's really no suspense regarding what his fate will eventually be. On top of that, Roan was a pretty boring protagonist. If this is the first book in a series featuring him, I don't think I'll continue reading it. I'm hoping Grecian quickly returns to the Murder Squad.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
388 pgs
The book begins when Skottie Foster, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper, pulls over a Jeep being driven by Travis Roan. Roan was sent to Kansas by the Noah Roan Foundation, an organization that hunts down former Nazis living in the United States and brings them to justice. Roan is following the trail of his father, who was sent there weeks ago to confirm a report of a sighting of a man named Rudolph Bormann, a Nazi doctor and assistant administrator of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp during World War II. No one has heard from Roan's father for quite some time, and Roan has been sent to first find out what became of him, and second, to find out whether the sighting of Bormann was legitimate.
It is revealed right away that Bormann is indeed living in rural Kansas now and going by the name of Rudy Goodman. he's the founder of a controversial right-wing church in the area and even at 94 years old, he's a powerful man in the community.
I was really hoping to enjoy The Saint of Wolves and Butchers more than I did. It's not a bad book by any mes. But it would have been a much better book had Grecian incorporated some twists or surprises in the plot. There's no mystery around who Rudy Goodman once was. And there's really no suspense regarding what his fate will eventually be. On top of that, Roan was a pretty boring protagonist. If this is the first book in a series featuring him, I don't think I'll continue reading it. I'm hoping Grecian quickly returns to the Murder Squad.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Monday, July 9, 2018
The Outsider
by Stephen King
561 pgs
In his latest book The Outsider, Stephen King creates a seemingly impossible murder mystery. A teenage boy is savagely killed and the police quickly have no question about who killed him. Multiple reliable witnesses saw Terry Maitland, a local English teacher an popular Little League coach, with the boy right before the time of death. They saw him get into a van with the boy, the same van that soon turns up filled with the boy's blood and covered with Terry's fingerprints. DNA evidence matching Terry is found at the crime scene as well. There's so much evidence against Terry, and so much outrage over the nature of the murder, that Detective Ralph Anderson makes a public spectacle out of arresting Terry during the middle of one of his Little League games, in front of the whole town.
But Terry is adamant in proclaiming his innocence. He's a well-loved family man and an admired member of the community, and he claims he wasn't even in town the day of the murder. he was at a teachers' convention hundreds of miles away with a group of his colleagues at the school. All of them can attest to him being with them the night of the murder. There's even video proof of him being at the convention. In fact, there's just as much evidence of him being at the convention as there is of him being at the crime scene.
Who else but Stephen King could begin a story with a premise like that and then ride it to such a satisfying conclusion? No one.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
561 pgs
But Terry is adamant in proclaiming his innocence. He's a well-loved family man and an admired member of the community, and he claims he wasn't even in town the day of the murder. he was at a teachers' convention hundreds of miles away with a group of his colleagues at the school. All of them can attest to him being with them the night of the murder. There's even video proof of him being at the convention. In fact, there's just as much evidence of him being at the convention as there is of him being at the crime scene.
Who else but Stephen King could begin a story with a premise like that and then ride it to such a satisfying conclusion? No one.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
City of Endless Night
By Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston
358 pgs (Pendergast series #17)
I looked back at my reviews of the last several Preston & Child books and noticed I've been pretty lukewarm about them for quite a while. In fact, I haven't given a book more than three stars since 2013. City of Endless Night finally snapped that streak of mediocrity.
This time around FBI Special Agent Pendergast and NYPD Lieutenant D'Agosta are up against "The Decapitator," a man preying on members of the 1% and taking their heads as trophies. The first victim is Grace Ozmian,the socialite daughter of one of the wealthiest men in New York, whose headless body is discovered in an abandoned warehouse in Queens. But Grace is only the first. Soon headless bodies of other wealthy people begin showing up. The killer possesses a remarkable ability to get through any layer of security his victims have, and to separate them from their head without raising any alarms.
In the press he's given the moniker "The Decapitator" and the accounts of his crimes quickly put the wealthy on high alert. As Pendergast and D'Agosta try to discover who The Decapitator is and stop him, it becomes apparent that Pendergast is also on his list of targets.
As I mentioned before, it's been a long time since Preston and Child have written a book that really delivers. They don't quite hit it out of the park with this one--like they used to so regularly early in the series--but they managed to get in scoring position. Hopefully their best books haven't already been written.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
358 pgs (Pendergast series #17)
This time around FBI Special Agent Pendergast and NYPD Lieutenant D'Agosta are up against "The Decapitator," a man preying on members of the 1% and taking their heads as trophies. The first victim is Grace Ozmian,the socialite daughter of one of the wealthiest men in New York, whose headless body is discovered in an abandoned warehouse in Queens. But Grace is only the first. Soon headless bodies of other wealthy people begin showing up. The killer possesses a remarkable ability to get through any layer of security his victims have, and to separate them from their head without raising any alarms.
In the press he's given the moniker "The Decapitator" and the accounts of his crimes quickly put the wealthy on high alert. As Pendergast and D'Agosta try to discover who The Decapitator is and stop him, it becomes apparent that Pendergast is also on his list of targets.
As I mentioned before, it's been a long time since Preston and Child have written a book that really delivers. They don't quite hit it out of the park with this one--like they used to so regularly early in the series--but they managed to get in scoring position. Hopefully their best books haven't already been written.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Monday, June 25, 2018
The Guise of Another
by Allen Eskens
267 pgs
The Guise of Another is the second book by Allen Eskens, an author I'm becoming increasingly more excited about with each book. It begins with a car accident late at night on the streets of Minneapolis. An amorous couple--engaging in some extracurricular activities while driving--cross over the median and kill a man traveling in the other direction. The name on the man's license is James Putnam, but Detective Alexander Rupert soon learns that's not his true identity.
Alex's career is currently falling apart. He, along with the rest of the Joint Drug Enforcement Task Force he was a member of, is being investigated by federal authorities on accusations that they have been steeling money and valuables from drug dealers during arrests. Alex sees the case of identity theft that just landed on his desk as an opportunity to salvage whatever career he has left.
When Alex is given access to the man's computer by his girlfriend, he discovers records of deposits totaling half a million dollars made on the same date going back years. The dates of the deposits all coincide with trips he insisted to his girlfriend that he had to take alone every year. Alex is able to soon discover the man's true identity, but in so doing, many more questions are raised about how and why he assumed the identity of James Putnam. His discover also leads to several more deaths, and he fears even his own life is now in danger.
For a second time now, Eskens has written a story that quickly grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go. This was one of those books I found myself picking up to read, even if I only had a few minutes available. The story is compelling and the characters are all strongly written. It's worth mentioning that Alex's brother, Max Rupert, a minor character in the book, was the police officer from his first book, The Life We Bury, and I believe he's the central character in Eskens' third book, The Heavens May Fall, which I'm looking forward to reading soon.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
267 pgs
Alex's career is currently falling apart. He, along with the rest of the Joint Drug Enforcement Task Force he was a member of, is being investigated by federal authorities on accusations that they have been steeling money and valuables from drug dealers during arrests. Alex sees the case of identity theft that just landed on his desk as an opportunity to salvage whatever career he has left.
When Alex is given access to the man's computer by his girlfriend, he discovers records of deposits totaling half a million dollars made on the same date going back years. The dates of the deposits all coincide with trips he insisted to his girlfriend that he had to take alone every year. Alex is able to soon discover the man's true identity, but in so doing, many more questions are raised about how and why he assumed the identity of James Putnam. His discover also leads to several more deaths, and he fears even his own life is now in danger.
For a second time now, Eskens has written a story that quickly grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go. This was one of those books I found myself picking up to read, even if I only had a few minutes available. The story is compelling and the characters are all strongly written. It's worth mentioning that Alex's brother, Max Rupert, a minor character in the book, was the police officer from his first book, The Life We Bury, and I believe he's the central character in Eskens' third book, The Heavens May Fall, which I'm looking forward to reading soon.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Friday, June 22, 2018
The Rooster Bar
by John Grisham
352 pgs
Mark, Todd, and Zola are three law students about to start their final semester at Foggy Bottom Law School in Washington D.C., and while for many in their position, it's an exciting time, for them, there's little to look forward to. Combined, they owe over $600,000 in student loans, and because Foggy Bottom is a low-level school, the only have about a 50% chance of passing the bar exam after graduation, and little-to-no chance to find jobs with decent law firms even if they did.
They are victims of a real-life scam Grisham shines a light on in The Rooster Bar, in which for-profit law schools recruit mediocre students, who have no business being in an law school, and then encourage them to rack up exorbitant student loans from the federal government to pay for it, with the assurance that they'll have no problem getting on with a firm when they graduate, who will help them wipe out their debt. The students then graduate and find out those promises were empty, and have a lifetime of insurmountable debt ahead of them. The only people making any money are the owners of the schools.
After one of their classmates decides to take his own life because of the circumstances he now finds himself in, the three classmates come up with a scam of their own. They decide school is a waste of money and time and since lawyers are never asked to prove they've earned their J.D. and passed the bar, why not just start acting like lawyers? Mark and Todd start hanging out around courthouses, hustling clients there with DUI and other traffic charges and taking in cash retainers. Zola starts chasing ambulances in hospital waiting rooms. They change their names and start a bogus firm, and they live and work out of an apartment above their favorite bar, The Rooster Bar.
The appeal of Grisham's story is finding out how far they can take their scheme before their house of cards comes crashing down, along with the lengths they're willing to go to to keep it up. But I found myself wishing for characters I could root for. Zola is the most sympathetic of the three, but eventually I was ready for all three of them to get caught.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
352 pgs
They are victims of a real-life scam Grisham shines a light on in The Rooster Bar, in which for-profit law schools recruit mediocre students, who have no business being in an law school, and then encourage them to rack up exorbitant student loans from the federal government to pay for it, with the assurance that they'll have no problem getting on with a firm when they graduate, who will help them wipe out their debt. The students then graduate and find out those promises were empty, and have a lifetime of insurmountable debt ahead of them. The only people making any money are the owners of the schools.
After one of their classmates decides to take his own life because of the circumstances he now finds himself in, the three classmates come up with a scam of their own. They decide school is a waste of money and time and since lawyers are never asked to prove they've earned their J.D. and passed the bar, why not just start acting like lawyers? Mark and Todd start hanging out around courthouses, hustling clients there with DUI and other traffic charges and taking in cash retainers. Zola starts chasing ambulances in hospital waiting rooms. They change their names and start a bogus firm, and they live and work out of an apartment above their favorite bar, The Rooster Bar.
The appeal of Grisham's story is finding out how far they can take their scheme before their house of cards comes crashing down, along with the lengths they're willing to go to to keep it up. But I found myself wishing for characters I could root for. Zola is the most sympathetic of the three, but eventually I was ready for all three of them to get caught.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Uncommon Type - Some Stories
by Tom Hanks
403 pgs
Who knew Tom Hanks was a writer? I didn't. I guess it makes sense though. As an actor and a director, telling stories is what he's been doing for years. Why not write them as well?
Uncommon Type is a collection of short stories written by Hanks that all share a common element or theme: an old-fashioned typewriter. Typewriters make appearances in each of the stories. Sometimes it's a small cameo, other times the typewriter is a major character in the story. But it's always one of those old, built-to-last-forever machines for which Hanks must possess a strong feeling of nostalgia for.
The stories in Uncommon Type are each heartfelt and charming, two words I don't think I've ever used individually, let alone in the same sentence together. But that's really the best way to describe them. Take the story "The Past is Important to Us" for example. It's a story about a wealthy man living in 2027 who repeatedly travels back in time to 1939, so he can bump into a beautiful woman wearing a green dress at the New York World's Fair over and over again, despite the risks to his own life each time he goes.
Or "Christmas Eve 1953," which is about a WWII veteran who lost most of one of his legs and hands in the war, but whose experiences in the war have made him that much more grateful for the wife and family he now gets to enjoy now that he's safe at home.
Tom Hanks is a pretty good writer. He's not as good at writing as he is at acting, but still, I was impressed. I'd be interested to see what he could pull off with a full-length novel.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
403 pgs
Uncommon Type is a collection of short stories written by Hanks that all share a common element or theme: an old-fashioned typewriter. Typewriters make appearances in each of the stories. Sometimes it's a small cameo, other times the typewriter is a major character in the story. But it's always one of those old, built-to-last-forever machines for which Hanks must possess a strong feeling of nostalgia for.
The stories in Uncommon Type are each heartfelt and charming, two words I don't think I've ever used individually, let alone in the same sentence together. But that's really the best way to describe them. Take the story "The Past is Important to Us" for example. It's a story about a wealthy man living in 2027 who repeatedly travels back in time to 1939, so he can bump into a beautiful woman wearing a green dress at the New York World's Fair over and over again, despite the risks to his own life each time he goes.
Or "Christmas Eve 1953," which is about a WWII veteran who lost most of one of his legs and hands in the war, but whose experiences in the war have made him that much more grateful for the wife and family he now gets to enjoy now that he's safe at home.
Tom Hanks is a pretty good writer. He's not as good at writing as he is at acting, but still, I was impressed. I'd be interested to see what he could pull off with a full-length novel.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Friday, June 8, 2018
Earthcore
by Scott Sigler
577pgs
Earthcore is the first of Scott Sigler's books to be written, but it's the last one for me to read. Primarily because when it was originally published back in 2001, it had such a limited press run that it is hard to get a hold of a physical copy of the book. I had also heard Sigler had plans to re-release it eventually, s I figured I'd just wait. in 2017 Sigler decided to not just re-release it, but to give the book a major rewrite at the same time.
The book takes place primarily in the Wah Wah Mountains of Southwest Utah, where an old prospector discovers what will turn out to be the largest platinum deposit ever found. The company who secures the mining rights to the deposit will inevitably become one of the most profitable in the world for many years to come. EarthCore plans to be that company.
Connell Kirkland, a young and ruthless executive for EarthCore assembles a team to go after the platinum, which lies three miles below the surface, farther than anyone has ever successfully drilled and mined before. At that depth, the temperature is hot enough to cook a human being in only a few minute's time, so the team relies on state-of-the-art gear and equipment to keep them alive and safe as they make their way to the mother lode.
But this wouldn't be a Scott Sigler book if that's all there was to it. And sure enough, the drilling awakens a danger that has lain dormant for thousands of years.
Not having read the original edition, I don't have anything to compare it to. But I can definitively say the new version doesn't read like a book by a first-time novelist. That's not to say it's an excellent book. It's not. But it's a fun and entertaining story that makes you look forward to the sequel Sigler sets the stage for at the end.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
577pgs
The book takes place primarily in the Wah Wah Mountains of Southwest Utah, where an old prospector discovers what will turn out to be the largest platinum deposit ever found. The company who secures the mining rights to the deposit will inevitably become one of the most profitable in the world for many years to come. EarthCore plans to be that company.
Connell Kirkland, a young and ruthless executive for EarthCore assembles a team to go after the platinum, which lies three miles below the surface, farther than anyone has ever successfully drilled and mined before. At that depth, the temperature is hot enough to cook a human being in only a few minute's time, so the team relies on state-of-the-art gear and equipment to keep them alive and safe as they make their way to the mother lode.
But this wouldn't be a Scott Sigler book if that's all there was to it. And sure enough, the drilling awakens a danger that has lain dormant for thousands of years.
Not having read the original edition, I don't have anything to compare it to. But I can definitively say the new version doesn't read like a book by a first-time novelist. That's not to say it's an excellent book. It's not. But it's a fun and entertaining story that makes you look forward to the sequel Sigler sets the stage for at the end.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Saturday, June 2, 2018
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
973 pgs (Kingsbridge trilogy #1)
Okay, I finally got around to reading Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. I don't know how many times people have told me I needed to read it, but it's been more than a few. It seems like every time Follett came up in a conversation I was asked whether I had read it yet, and I always felt a little pang of embarrassment that I hadn't. Well, my days of feeling guilt are over.
I read "The Century Trilogy" as it was being published and I really enjoyed it, so I knew eventually I'd get around to reading his "Kingsbridge Series," of which this is book one. But I think I was putting it off for a couple reasons. First, the books are each doorstops at around 1,000 pages, so it requires a significant level of commitment to begin. Second, the summary on the cover flap and the description of it given by all those who recommended it doesn't make it sound all that interesting. Why would I care to read a book about the building of a cathedral in England in the middle of the 12th century?
Now I know. And to be fair to the book's publisher, and all those who tried to describe it to me, there's really no way to do the book justice in a synopsis (so I'm not going to try myself). It's so much more than a story about the building of a cathedral though (which, by the way, did turn out to be pretty interesting itself in its own right). The cathedral serves as the hub in a fascinating and compelling wheel of a story, which includes a cast of well-developed and engaging characters. I was sucked in by the plot from the very beginning, and it didn't let up until I had finished.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
973 pgs (Kingsbridge trilogy #1)
I read "The Century Trilogy" as it was being published and I really enjoyed it, so I knew eventually I'd get around to reading his "Kingsbridge Series," of which this is book one. But I think I was putting it off for a couple reasons. First, the books are each doorstops at around 1,000 pages, so it requires a significant level of commitment to begin. Second, the summary on the cover flap and the description of it given by all those who recommended it doesn't make it sound all that interesting. Why would I care to read a book about the building of a cathedral in England in the middle of the 12th century?
Now I know. And to be fair to the book's publisher, and all those who tried to describe it to me, there's really no way to do the book justice in a synopsis (so I'm not going to try myself). It's so much more than a story about the building of a cathedral though (which, by the way, did turn out to be pretty interesting itself in its own right). The cathedral serves as the hub in a fascinating and compelling wheel of a story, which includes a cast of well-developed and engaging characters. I was sucked in by the plot from the very beginning, and it didn't let up until I had finished.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Thursday, May 24, 2018
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
438 pgs
The Great Alone is the first book published by Kristin Hannah since The Nightingale by far her most successful book to date. It's the story of the Allbright family, who relocate to the Alaskan wilderness in 1974, after an old war buddy from Vietnam leaves Ernt, the father, his family's cabin. Ernt, his wife Cora, and their 13-year-old daughter Leni, looking for a fresh start, decide to pack up their Volkswagen bus an drive from Seattle to the small, dilapidated cabin outside of Homer Alaska.
Ernt, once a doting and loving husband and father, hasn't been the same since he returned from the war in Vietnam. he struggles to hold down a job, he drinks too much, and when he does, he can become violent. Cora and Leni hope the "simple life" in Alaska, away from the pressures and struggles of living in a big city, will be just what Ernt needs to return to the type of man he once was.
But Alaska is a harsh and unforgiving place, with its own struggles and challenges, which have to be overcome on a constant basis in order to survive. Those, combined with the long, dark winter months, prove to be just what Ernt doesn't need, and Cora and Leni soon find themselves isolated from the rest of the world, and in fear for their lives.
The Great Alone turned out to be a tale of two books for me. On the one hand, the first half of the book is tremendously promising. I found myself repeatedly thinking about the Torrance family, isolated at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining as Cora and Leni's situation gradually deteriorates. But as the book progressed, I found myself less and less sympathetic to Cora, and more and more irritated with some of the decisions--or lack of decisions--made by her.
Overall, The Great Alone is a pretty good book, good enough that I'll likely read more by Kristin Hannah down the road. It's just unfortunate that the second half of the book didn't deliver on the promises made by the first half. If it had, I'd consider it the best book I had read in quite a while.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
438 pgs
Ernt, once a doting and loving husband and father, hasn't been the same since he returned from the war in Vietnam. he struggles to hold down a job, he drinks too much, and when he does, he can become violent. Cora and Leni hope the "simple life" in Alaska, away from the pressures and struggles of living in a big city, will be just what Ernt needs to return to the type of man he once was.
But Alaska is a harsh and unforgiving place, with its own struggles and challenges, which have to be overcome on a constant basis in order to survive. Those, combined with the long, dark winter months, prove to be just what Ernt doesn't need, and Cora and Leni soon find themselves isolated from the rest of the world, and in fear for their lives.
The Great Alone turned out to be a tale of two books for me. On the one hand, the first half of the book is tremendously promising. I found myself repeatedly thinking about the Torrance family, isolated at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining as Cora and Leni's situation gradually deteriorates. But as the book progressed, I found myself less and less sympathetic to Cora, and more and more irritated with some of the decisions--or lack of decisions--made by her.
Overall, The Great Alone is a pretty good book, good enough that I'll likely read more by Kristin Hannah down the road. It's just unfortunate that the second half of the book didn't deliver on the promises made by the first half. If it had, I'd consider it the best book I had read in quite a while.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Thursday, May 17, 2018
The Gone World
by Tom Sweterlitsch
388 pgs
In Tom Sweterlitsch's book The Gone World, mankind is not limited in its ability to travel across both space and time. The Naval Space Command runs a covert space and time-traveling program that sends Navy personnel across the galaxy and across time.
A world-ending phenomenon called Terminus has been discovered, and Naval Space Command is working nonstop to find a way to prevent it. Navy personnel who have witnessed Terminus are forever changed. Among those is Shannon Moss, an NCIS agent who experienced the Terminus first hadn't during a mission to the year 2199. During that mission she saw a version of herself, crucified mid-air in a wasteland of a world. She She was able to return to the present (1997), but no unscathed.
Once back, Shannon is assigned to a team of agents trying to find a missing girl. The girl's family was brutally murdered in their home, and it appears the person who committed the murders was a naval officer who had been participating in the time-travel program. Moss begins jumping back and forth between 1997 and 2015, trying to solve the murders and hopefully learn something that will help the team find the girl back in 1997. But Moss also learns that there's a connection between the Terminus and the missing girl and her family. A connection that is becoming more and more important to discover, since the Terminus appears to be getting closer to the present timeline of earth every time it's encountered.
The mystery part of Sweterlitsch's story is interesting, but where the story really stands out is with his exploration of the potential consequences of time travel. Each time Moss comes back to 1997 and acts on information she learned in 2015, things have changed the next time she returns to 2015--sometimes inexplicably and drastically. It makes for a complicated story that if you're not very attentive to, can easily become confusing.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the book a lot, almost enough to start over as soon as I finished it to pick up on all of the things I'm sure I missed the first time around.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
388 pgs
A world-ending phenomenon called Terminus has been discovered, and Naval Space Command is working nonstop to find a way to prevent it. Navy personnel who have witnessed Terminus are forever changed. Among those is Shannon Moss, an NCIS agent who experienced the Terminus first hadn't during a mission to the year 2199. During that mission she saw a version of herself, crucified mid-air in a wasteland of a world. She She was able to return to the present (1997), but no unscathed.
Once back, Shannon is assigned to a team of agents trying to find a missing girl. The girl's family was brutally murdered in their home, and it appears the person who committed the murders was a naval officer who had been participating in the time-travel program. Moss begins jumping back and forth between 1997 and 2015, trying to solve the murders and hopefully learn something that will help the team find the girl back in 1997. But Moss also learns that there's a connection between the Terminus and the missing girl and her family. A connection that is becoming more and more important to discover, since the Terminus appears to be getting closer to the present timeline of earth every time it's encountered.
The mystery part of Sweterlitsch's story is interesting, but where the story really stands out is with his exploration of the potential consequences of time travel. Each time Moss comes back to 1997 and acts on information she learned in 2015, things have changed the next time she returns to 2015--sometimes inexplicably and drastically. It makes for a complicated story that if you're not very attentive to, can easily become confusing.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the book a lot, almost enough to start over as soon as I finished it to pick up on all of the things I'm sure I missed the first time around.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Monday, May 14, 2018
Before They are Hanged
by Joe Abercrombie
570 pgs (First Law series #2)
Before They are Hanged is the second book int Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy, which began with The Blade Itself, and concludes with The Last Argument of Kings (although there are a few other standalone books and short stories, which also take place in The World of the First Law). The book successfully accomplishes what the middle book in any trilogy is supposed to do, and does it as well as any.
The Union is involved in a war on two fronts. To the north, the ruthless Northmen have invaded the province of Angland, where Colonel West has allied himself with Logen Ninefingers' former band of cutthroat warriors. To the south, Superior Glokta, the crippled torturer must try to rally forces and prepare them against the imminent invasion by the Gurkish Empire.
Meanwhile, Jezal dan Luthar, accompanied by Bayaz the Magician, Ninefingers, and others are on a quest to find The Seed, an ancient magical relic from The Other Side, which enables whoever possesses it to access the immense power from The Other Side.
There's a lot going on in this book, let alone the entire series, and at time it can get a little confusing, as the story skips back and forth from the three different locations. But it is worth it. Abercrombie has created a world that rivals Middle-earth and Westeros in their magnitude and complexity. His characters are fantastic and memorable, and there's enough action to maintain the attention of someone with ADD.
I waited a couple of years before reading book II. i don't plan to wait as long before reading book III.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
570 pgs (First Law series #2)
The Union is involved in a war on two fronts. To the north, the ruthless Northmen have invaded the province of Angland, where Colonel West has allied himself with Logen Ninefingers' former band of cutthroat warriors. To the south, Superior Glokta, the crippled torturer must try to rally forces and prepare them against the imminent invasion by the Gurkish Empire.
Meanwhile, Jezal dan Luthar, accompanied by Bayaz the Magician, Ninefingers, and others are on a quest to find The Seed, an ancient magical relic from The Other Side, which enables whoever possesses it to access the immense power from The Other Side.
There's a lot going on in this book, let alone the entire series, and at time it can get a little confusing, as the story skips back and forth from the three different locations. But it is worth it. Abercrombie has created a world that rivals Middle-earth and Westeros in their magnitude and complexity. His characters are fantastic and memorable, and there's enough action to maintain the attention of someone with ADD.
I waited a couple of years before reading book II. i don't plan to wait as long before reading book III.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
The Demon Crown
by James Rollins
441 pgs (Sigma series #13)
Buried beneath the National Mall in Washington D.C. is a
cache of bones preserved in amber. They were hidden there by a group of
scientists, led by Alexander Graham Bell, in an attempt to protect the world
from a threat that could potentially destroy most of the life on the planet. But
this is a James Rollins book, so nothing stays buried forever.
441 pgs (Sigma series #13)
Sigma Force commander Grayson Pierce and Seichan have been
trying to stay off the grid and enjoy some quality time together in Hawaii when
a swarm of massive wasps, with stings that can quickly incapacitate grown men
appears off the coast. Pierce and Seichan barely escape with their lives, but many
on the beach do not.
Painter Crowe marshals the entire Sigma Force team as they
try to discover the origins of this new species of wasp and the identity of the
group that unleashed them on the world. They also must find a way to destroy
the species before it’s able to spread throughout the world and take countless
lives.
Once again Rollins does what he does best. He incorporates
cutting-edge technology, with action-packed sequences and tells an unbelievable
story firmly rooted in reality. Buckle up, enjoy the ride, and consider
bringing along an EpiPen.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Welcome to Night Vale
by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor
401 pgs (Night Vale series #1)
Welcome to Night Vale is
the first book by coauthors Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the creators of the
twice-monthly podcast of the same name. Night Vale is a small desert town
located somewhere in the American Southwest. But Night Vale is not like any
small town you’ve ever driven through, stopped for gas at, or eaten a meal in
its local diner. In Night Vale, aliens are real, time is kind of funny, and
every conspiracy theory you can imagine is true.
401 pgs (Night Vale series #1)
The lives of two of its residents: Jackie Fierro, the
pawnshop owner who has been 19 years old for decades, and Diane Crayton, whose
son is a moody teenage shapeshifter, are drawn together by bizarre circumstances.
Jackie is given a small strip of paper by a man who is impossible to remember
if you’re not looking at him. The words KING CITY are written on the paper and
Jackie finds she’s physically unable to get rid of it. Meanwhile, Diane’s son
Josh has recently become interested in his estranged father, a man who until
recently Diane hadn’t seen since she was pregnant with Josh, but who now seems
to be everywhere she turn…and he doesn’t appear to have aged a day.
When Josh disappears, Diane believes he’s gone to KING CITY
and she enlists Jackie’s help in getting there. But together they discover that
physically leaving Night Vale is seemingly impossible.
Welcome to Night Vale
is a wildly inventive story. At times it gets a little too absurd for its own
good, but overall, it’s funny and entertaining. If you haven’t listened to any
of the podcasts set there, it’ll take a while to settle in, but if you’re
willing to just buckle up and enjoy the ride, it’s a worthwhile read.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Monday, April 16, 2018
Thunderstruck
by Erik Larson
463 pgs
I read very little non-fiction. Maybe two or three books out
of every one hundred I read is non-fiction. I think the reason I favor fiction
so much more is that I read primarily to be entertained, not to learn. It’s a
little sad, now that I think about it, but I don’t anticipate changing anytime
soon. So, the non-fiction I do read also tends to be entertaining. Erik
Larson’s books are perfect examples.
463 pgs
Larson has a great talent for taking an event or a time in
history and dissecting it into fascinating bits of information, and then
reassembling them into a narrative that is both compelling and informative. A
great example is The Devil in the White City in which he details the series of grisly murders which took place in
Chicago during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition. He does a very similar
thing with Thunderstruck, in which he
recounts two events from history: the scientific discovery and utilization of
wireless telegraphy (radio waves), which took place at the turn of the 20th
century and the infamous murder known as the “Crippen case,” and shows how
inseparably connected those two events were to each other.
In the late 1890s Guglielmo Marconi developed the world’s
first device that could transmit signals wirelessly. At first his device was
only able to transmit communications from one side of a room to the other, but
eventually he was able to develop the technology enough to transmit messages
across the Atlantic Ocean, and ultimately around the world. It was a technology
that revolutionized the world.
At the same time Marconi was developing radio technology,
Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, a quiet unassuming man who was married to a loud,
overbearing, socialite of a wife, was systematically plotting her death. It was
a murder which years later would be the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear
Window,” and one that Crippen undoubtedly would have gotten away with, if it hadn’t
been for Marconi.
I have yet to read a book by Larson that I wouldn’t
recommend to anyone without reservation. In a time when we take for granted the
ability to communicate with anyone and obtain information from anywhere in the
world without effort, it was fascinating to learn the origins of the
technology. The fact that its history was tied to one of the most notorious
cases of mariticide in British history was an added bonus.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)