Book Review: Tigerman by Nick Harkaway

Tigerman places a superhero in a realistic, modern-day setting, albeit in a fictitious island called Mancreu.  It explores the complex relationship the man behind the mask has with his superhero persona, his environment and the people around him.  Less emphasis was placed on the superpowers (of which there really isn't none, aside from athleticism and combat awareness, no megabillionbuckaroos here); the story focuses on the protagonist's journey from a sergeant of the British Army to Tigerman (not tiger man, mind).

Mancreu, an former British colony, can be attributed to any number of real-world analogue, except in this case, Mancreu is about to be devoured by a cloud of toxic stuff.  This places it in a legal limbo that allows Tigerman to come to being.  It actually makes sense and gives the story a setting that is more grounded in realpolitik; at least, more so than Gotham ever was (to my casual reader's eye at least).

While Mancreu is built in such a way that it becomes a character in the book (albeit a non-speaking one), the core of the book deals with Lester Ferris' (the said British Sergeant) relationship with his side-kick/young friend (aptly named Boy, or the Boy in certain cases) -- this relationship explores, in great personal detail, what Batman's relationship with Robin would possibly be like: father-son, teacher-mentor, pedophile-love interest.

The novel is very, very personal, in the sense that it puts you deep inside Ferris' head.  It's very, very tight-first person storytelling here and it took me ages to read through this novel because I couldn't read beyond a chapter at a time.  There's nothing wince-worthy here, nor was the story-telling particularly bandwidth intensive.  It was just told in a manner that requires me to take a day long breather after every session.

I wouldn't call Tigerman a particularly fast-paced novel, it's pretty much like a month at the beach -- slow going, almost idyllic, with moments of intense activity.  But it's a very interesting read -- the core idea is one that appeals to the (casual) comic book fan in me and treats the thesis with the gravitas it deserves, without taking itself too seriously.

Verdict 4/5 Good read, solid piece of work.

TL;DR:
+ Very well written, the central idea is solid, so is the storytelling
+ Great characters, you really get inside the protagonist's head, with all that implies
+ The setting, Mancreu, comes alive.  It almost makes me want to go visit. Almost
- Pace is a bit slow, not exactly a book that you pick up and won't put down.


Details:
Author: Nick Harkaway
Genre: Superhero, Political/Real-world Fiction
Book Length: 352 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Read on: Ebook Version
Published: July 29, 2014
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Tigerman-A-novel-Nick-Harkaway/dp/0385352417

Book Review: The Providence of Fire (Book 2 of the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne) by Brian Staveley

Staveley is no Feist  (who does the best large scale battles that I've read so far) when it comes to battles, but it's okay; the rest of it more than makes up for that lack -- the politics, the grit, the tension, the bloodletting.  Despite being a trilogy (supposedly), this middle part does not lack in any of the usual departments middle volumes suffer - true, there's a hell of a cliffhanger at the end, but the story stands on its own well, being propped well up by the first volume.

Since The Emperor's Blades did most of the world-building and character setting, The Providence of Fire is pretty much non-stop action, taking up where the first volume left off, with the characters jumping from the frying pan and into the fire and then down into the gas tank.  Everybody is just so... hard pressed, and it works! Pressure turns rock into diamonds and the characters are gems in their own little blindfolded worlds - you can see bits and pieces of information being parceled out and the characters reacting to these bits of information, and to each other, accordingly.

And the characters are not predictable - you'd think they'd head one way and find them jumping headlong backwards, leaving you screaming (inside yourself) at them to head the fuck back, or forward, or sideways.

This is a different sort of tension from George R.R. Martin's bloodletting - a different flavour; I often find myself holding my book in a state of shock reading one of GRRM's bloody plot twists.  Stavely hooks fingers inside your nostrils, drags you along, down, and further down with you unable to let go.

Aaaaand, I'm not quite sure whom to believe! Everybody has their own little version of truth, of points of view, of facts so concrete you could've sword that last revelation one chapter back could not be true -- no reliable points of view here folks!

So, i'm probably a year or so away from the sequel and I'm trying to find other books to read to pass the time.  It's going to be sooo much fun.

Verdict 5/5 Go read the first volume already!

TL;DR:
+ A sequel! With none of the usual sequelitist issues
+ Moar everything! It makes investing in the duller bits of the first book oh so worthwhile
++ The characters become dearer to you, especially since they're usually in danger of getting killed, maimed or both -- no one's safe!
- Descriptions of battles could be better, but this is not that sort of book
+ Longish book, but it sure didnt feel like it
+ Simon Vance narrated this pretty good on the Audible Version

Details:
Author: Brian Staveley
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Book Length: 608 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Read on: Audible Version by Simon Vance
Published: January 13, 2015 (A year after the first book!)
Preceded by: The Emperor's Blades
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Providence-Fire-Chronicle-Unhewn-Throne/dp/148051764X

Book Review: The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne) by Brian Staveley

I'm thankful I managed to read through this book; halfway through the second one, it turned out to be one of the better fantasy epics I've read in ages, even better than Sanderson's Way of Kings in some ways (it has none of the inherent 'niceness' in Sanderson's works for one thing).

Imagine Jordan's Wheel of Time series, with the political complexity of George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice.  It helps that Staveley is pretty unpredictable and has a ruthless streak to him, short of GRRM's bloody-mindedness, he still makes me careful about caring too much about the characters I come across.

The first book of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne starts slow, as most epic fantasy series go -- it was a struggle for me to listen through three fourths of the book, to the point where I almost gave up on it.  It was slow, and ponderous, as it took its time introducing the three main characters, the environment around them and the world at large.  The novel had world-building in troves, with areas upon areas, countless titles and made-up terms, and bits of the requisite ancient language thrown in.

Having to listen to everything was both easier and harder, as the fantasy jargon had a harder time sticking to my mind.  Having to deal with three separate points of view also made it harder for me to get into the groove of things; this paid off in the second book though as each character and their respective manure filled situations took lives of their own (think Robert Jordan's fourth or fifth book in the WoT series, at least we did not have to go through three books before the action heated up).

The world of the Unhewn Throne does include magic (kennings in Hewnspeak), in limited doses as magic users are generally reviled and are pretty much burnt in stakes the moment they are found.  The main empire does not feel much like your typical European setup, but smacks a bit of the orient and a mish-mash of other influences, enough so that you don't feel like its too familiar a ground, without being too disoriented by straying too far from familiar tropes.  It works too as the world feels big without feeling empty, strange enough without being too alien.  The balance here is nicely struck.

The main characters -- the emperor's children, are well fleshed out and work within the bounds of their respective situations.  They are each distinctive, and you can almost see how they'd grow up to be and the parts they will come to play within the Empire... and then all that gets turned into jellied shit as Stavely puts them into a blender without the cover open.  They make it with most of their limbs intact but they do grow as characters.  As with the world-building, the character building gets its payoff in the second book, as the author spends less time sketching out the protagonists and goes into storytelling all-out.

I highly, highly, highly recommend this story with just a few caveats: it starts slow but you'll just have to deal with that.  It's also a trilogy but we're only into the second book (which just came out this year).  So... if you like a good epic fantasy read, go for it.  If you like your fantasy story with grit, this is it!  Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to my listening.

Verdict: Very Highly Recommended (4/5)

TL;DR:

- Starts slooooow

++ Elaborate world building

++ Good balance between a familiar world and a fresh one

-/+ Three points of view makes for variety but gets in the way of pacing

+ Good distinct protagonists, though the cast of characters aren't that wide

++ The politics of it is very good; it's no simple hack-and-slash, problems actually get solved politically

+/- It's a Trilogy!

Details:

Author: Brian Staveley
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Book Length: 480 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: January 14, 2014
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Emperors-Blades-Chronicle-Unhewn-Throne/dp/0765336405

Book Review: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

I knew absolutely nothing about this book when I first listened to it; I got it by way of IO9.com's 2014 most recommended books, and they have not failed me.  I listened to it via audiobook, and the performance by Finty Williams made this book absolutely perfect.  I haven't had a book this riveting, this... heart-breaking, with its dreary landscapes and memorable characters.  2014 was a great year for books, with this along with the First Fifteen Lives of Harry August leading the charge.

This book is about a Zombie (they're called "hungries" here) apocalypse, which revealed itself bit by bit in all its horrific detail.  We start out Melanie, one of the survivors found in the ruins of the 'old world'.  We see being acclimitised for future integration into what is left of civilisation.  However, we read along, we soon realise not everything is as it seems.  Most of what makes The Girl with All the Gifts such a page turner is in how it reveals Melanie's world bit, by shattered bit, and we soon find out that not everything is as it seems with Melanie herself.

I can't say much more without spoiling the fun, so I'll leave you to it.  This book is the best "Zombie" book I've read so far (Justin Cronin's The Passage series comes very, very close, I can't wait for the last book in his trilogy).  I highly recommend this one, especially if you love the genre, or if you just like a good tale.  I warn you though, this is very bleak -- it's Margaret Atwoot MaddAddam bleak.  I highly recommend the audiobook version if you can get your hands on it.

Verdict: Very Highly Recommended (5/5)

TL;DR:

++ Very believable world

++ Absolutely riveting, a page turner

++ Well-made characters, you'd be thinking about them long after you've put the book down

++ Oh the ending...

Details:

Author: M.R. Carey
Genre: Zombies, Post Apocalyptic
Book Length: 416 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: June 10, 2014
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-With-All-Gifts/dp/0316278157/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

Book Review: The Cold Commands, The Dark Defiles (A Land Fit for Heroes Books 2/3)

Okay, so I read through the second book and third of Richard K. Morgan's A Land Fit for Heroes series (of which I reviewed the first book, The Steel Remains, in a previous post).  I'd have to say, iiiiiit's AMAZING!

Not so much the second book -- it had the unfortunate burden of setting things up for the third and, supposedly, last book.  I couldn't be bothered to come up with a review for The Cold Commands (Book 2), because, well, Skyrim happened :P, but I did go straight to the third book, The Dark Defiles.  It's been over a week and I still find myself wishing there's more to the series, though I think we should just leave it at that (since we usually regret getting what we ask for).

So, in a sentence, the Dark Defiles is everything that makes Richard K. Morgan great in his earlier works, particularly Altered Carbon.  You can almost think of Ringil Eskiath, the main protagonist in this particular series, as a dark fantasy 'faggot' (in his own words) analogue for the sci-fi body swapper Takeshi Kovacs.  The rage is there, the sociopathic, watching-the-world-burn-because-I-could attitude, and the well-hidden heart and sentimentality at its core.

The whole novel is a roller coaster ride, with victories, defeats, deaths, near-deaths and everything else in between.  Up until the end I wasn't sure how things would go, and even after putting the book down, you're pretty sure things are still going on in that world of theirs.  Not the best world building out there, but it's solid and everything makes sense, more or less, in the end.

The ending was satisfying and pretty fitting -- it wasn't some tacked-on, happily ever after piece of fiction made to please readers.  It was what the character wanted, and deserved. It was awesome :D

In the end, I'm glad Richard K. Morgan remembered how to write as Richard K. Morgan.  For a while there (a long while, it was book 1 and most of book 2) I felt that the author was trying to be clever for its own sake.  But the deconstructionist nature of his work works, and while you can feel that the author is trying too hard not to fall into the usual high/low/dark/light fantasy tropes most of us find ourselves reading, reading the work in its entirety justified his approach, made me feel (at least) that he wasn't being too self-indulgent and ultimately comes up with a work worthy of his skill and vision. Blah blah blah.

Listened to all three books in audiobook format.  Simon Vance is my favourite narrator :D (Just not for Aubrey Maturin)

So verdict: 4.5/5 for The Dark Defiles, 4/4 for The Cold Commands and 4/5 for the Land Fit for Heroes series.

TL;DR:
++ Great ending, made all the doubt and annoyances of the earlier books worthwhile
++ Explanations and rationale galore, a lot of the mysteries and histories were made clear, without being too big an infodump
++ Author seemed to have loosened up and had a bit more fun with the last book than with the first two.
-- SPOILER of a sort : Someone died :(

Details:
Author: Richard K. Morgan
Genre: Fantasy, Noir
Book Length: The Cold Commands 512 Pages, The Dark Defiles 560 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: The Cold Commands October 11, 2011, The Dark Defiles November 20, 2014
Amazon Link:  The Cold Commands, The Dark Defiles

Book Review: Lock In by John Scalzi

I never liked Scalzi all that much -- he's a bit too... self-aware for my tastes.  I approached his latest work Lock In with a bit of trepidation, but I'm happy to say I took the chance and the book was quite fulfilling (that or I'm a sucker for near future sci-fi whatever the source).

Lock In is a near-future sci-fi novel where the entire world was hit with a highly contagious flu-like disease.  The disease causes a small number of victims to experience Lock In, that is, functioning mentally but unable to control their bodies.  Through science! and a whole lot of money, victims are able to regain a semblance of functionality, either through human surrogates (Integrators) or robotic (Threeps, taken from C3PO).  Hadens, as sufferers of the disease are collectively called, operate their surrogates remotely, through a wireless network.

The novel is a detective/murder mystery where the protagonist, Chris Shane (a Haden), joins the FBI to solve deaths involving Hadens, Integrators and Threeps (well, physical damage to the latter anyway).

Scalzi spins a well-tangled yarn, with a very believable world of high technology, complete with a well thought out social and economic framework.  Since I am a bit sour at finding myself thoroughly engaged and enjoying the novel (finished listening in a couple of days), my only major complaint is that everything got tied up too neatly in the end.

The audiobook version, narrated by Amber Benson, was a joy to listen to.  Benson's main protagonist voice (that of Shane) was pretty well done, but some of her other voices, particularly of male characters, were a bit off, but not too distracting.  All in all, the audiobook was a good and easy listen, particularly suitable during driving, working out, or even working (for some of the more mindless tasks you find yourself doing, at least).

I haven't enjoyed a Scalzi book this much since Old Man's War.  If you like your books reading like TV shows, then this one is for you.  I might actually go back to reading up on his other works (Redshirts).

Verdict: Very highly recommended (4/5)

TL;DR:

++ Well written. The audiobook version is also well read

++ Very believable near-future world, excellent world-building

+ Protagonist was charming and capable, and worked well within her limitations

+ Supporting cast is also likeable

+ Plot, while somewhat predictable, was well paced and nicely excecuted

-/+ Everything was tied up neatly in the end, though there's room for more books in a potential series (I'd be happy to read more, maybe 1 or 2 more, max).

Details:

Author: John Scalzi

Genre: Sci-Fi, Near Future, Police Procedural

Book Length: 336 Pages (Hardcover Version), 10 Hours Audible Audiobook

Published: August 26, 2014

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Lock-In-John-Scalzi-ebook/dp/B00IHCBE1C/ref=tmm_kin_title_0

Book Review: The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan

In preparation for my reading of Richard K. Morgan's third book in the the Land Fit for Heroes, titled The Dark Defiles, I re-listened to The Steel Remains, which is the first book in this series.  I've read/listened to this volume four times now, and my impressions remain the same: Richard K. Morgan transplanted his kinetic style of writing, which I first encountered in Altered Carbon, and applied it to a fantasy/noir setting.  The results are a bit mixed: Morgan's style keeps the story moving in a fast pace, no sentence wasted, no unnecessary chapters.  It worked well in Altered Carbon, whose 'hard sci-fi' noir elements read like an action thriller in book form (rivaled only by the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey), and you can almost imagine how it's going to look like in movie form.  Here in The Steel Remains, you don't really have much time to smell the flowers, since the characters are busy moving from one point to another, kicking ass all the way through.

You have three protagonists, reminding gamers of Bioware games (Mass Effect, Dragon Age) in their banter as well as placing them into 'character classes' (you get a warrior type, a berserker/barbarian type and a thief type).  There is sorcery, though it's limited to 'an elder race' with science of a sort being a specialty of another 'race'.  The book serves as an introduction to these characters and eventually their paths meet, in their attempts to figure out what's going on.

I appreciate the (relatively) low stakes here: no end of the world stuff (yet); everything's personal (another Morgan trope) and violence and sex abound.  The latter bit deserves a bit of caution: if you are bothered by depiction of gay sex, you might want to skip a chapter or two.  This is especially disconcerting in audiobook form, since I had to listen to Simon Vance describe the act in quite explicit detail; made the worst by the fact that the prolific Vance also reads a lot of my other favourite books, and I could not quite get the image out of my head as Vance reads  Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series (it can be a bit disconcerting, to say the least).

But, the world building is there and it's extensive: you have an alternate earth (conjecture mine), with multi-dimensional travel, at least three cultures / countries taken from your usual historical Earth sources.  You have some form of magic and scientific system sketched out, as well as a pantheon of gods and a couple of religions -- extensive stuff!

Unfortunately, given RKM's tight writing style, it feels as if you have blinders attached to your head: you just don't get to look around while you're passing through: no plot fat to speak of, it's all lean story-telling from start to finish.

There was a bit near the end though, where the all too sudden transition felt jarring: one minute the characters are apart, the next, they're all together:  (SEMI-SPOILER: at least we can blame divine intervention for that I suppose END SPOILER).

This book is only slightly better than Woken Furies (Takeshi Kovac's Series, Book 3, of which Altered Carbon was the first of that series) in my book (pun intended).  Woken Furies was the weakest book in that series, which felt more like a money grab -- an attempt at exploiting the goodwill of Takeshi Kovac fans (as well as the character himself) for monetary gain.  You can almost feel the author's weariness as he gamely soldiered on in his efforts to finish the story and cash in his paycheck.  Perhaps he needed to pay off a Porsche, or settle a lost bet.

Even so, I am merely nitpicking: I loved The Steel Remains on first reading, just not head-over-heels the way I was with Altered Carbon (the bar was set rather high).  The next book isn't bad (I'll write up another review, of course), and I can't wait to reach to the third and final book in this short, but sweet series.

Verdict: Recommended 3.5/5

TL;DR:
++ Well written. Fast Paced. Not an ounce of plot-fat.
+ Interesting characters, and there are three protagonists
+/- This book is sometimes classified as LGBT fiction.  Consider yourself informed
+ Extensive world-building, though I wish we could spend more time in that world RKM built, instead of zooming through
- Author uses the word BANDLIGHT (sort of like Moonlight, except there's no moon and the 'band' is probably made up of materials from the moon blowing up. Or something) too many times

Details:
Author: Richard K. Morgan
Genre: Fantasy, Noir
Book Length: 432 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: January 20, 2009
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Steel-Remains-Richard-K-Morgan/dp/0345493036/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
Followed By: The Cold Commands

Book Review: The Republic of Thieves (Gentlemen Bastards 3) by Scott Lynch

Review:
I did not like The Republic of Thieves as I did the first two book of the Gentlemen Bastards series. At least, not at first.  It wasn't the usual book of plot twists and hateful villains: it was more about the narrative, the world-building.  It was about Locke Lamora's past (and therefore a bit about Jean Tannen and the rest of the crew as well), and also about his future, though it wasn't until the end where we were given clues as to where this series might potentially be headed towards.

The book is divided into two parts: one half covering Locke's childhood, while he was in the process of learning his trade.  The other half covered his latest job, this time in Karthain, where he faces the Bondsmagi who have been hounding him ever since he encountered one of their own in the first book.

I wasn't too crazy about the second part of the book: it began a bit too tedious, then devolved into Locke the do-it-all.  It got better as it got to the last third of the story, and the payoff was well worth the tedium.

The other half which dealt with Locke's childhood was more enjoyable to read: this part focused on his first courtship with the 'mythical' Sabetha -- the love of Locke's life.  It overlapped with the other part of the story, though not by much.  The two timelines gave us cliffhangers, as the point of view went from one to the other.

All in all, this is a slightly different kind of book in the ever growing series.  It's not bad, just different, and just as enjoyable to read, as it is to finish.  As it is, I cannot wait for the next book in the series (and I hope it does not take 7 years).

Verdict: Recommended 3.5/5

TL;DR:
+ We get more details about Locke's and the Gentlemen Bastards' early years
+/- The courtship of Locke and Sabetha can be a bit tedious
- No real villain here, at least, none that inspires the sort of hate the first two books did
+ Long read (or listen), quite satisfying
+ Audiobook version was narrated well.  Michael Page the narrator (of all three books) is pretty much the voice of this series

Details:
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Book Length: 704 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: July 29, 2014
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Republic-Thieves-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/0553588966
Preceded By: The Republic of Thieves

Followed By: The Thorn of Emberlain 

Book Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentlemen Bastards 2) by Scott Lynch

TL;DR:
+/- Starts out a bit slow, but gathers steam after a while.  Can be a bit dragging at times.
++ Still your favourite characters.  A new cast of hateful villains are well matched for our favourite pair.
++ Just like the first book, nothing goes as planned.
+/- Decent ending, but you know there's a follow-up novel (which is already out, thank the gods).

Review:
Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen return in what has fast become my favourite low-fantasy pair of scoundrels, and, of course, they're up to no good. The book picks up from where the previous book left off, with greater emphasis on the relationship between Locke and Jean.

The book is pretty long, with the pair going from one impossible situation to another, and their plans becoming more and more convoluted as they struggle to survive against the odds.  As the title implies, a big portion of the book occurs at sea, though this doesn't really take up the majority of the story.   The naval portions are well done, though it's no Patrick O'Brian.

The main highlight for this book is still the developing relationship between our two thieves: there are times when their bromance seem to be unraveling at the seams, as the tension of their situation runs high and higher still.  This part is done quite well and made me love them both all the more.

Of course, this book is a must read if you loved the first one.  I'm on to the next book (The Republic of Thieves) and I'll probably going through it real quick, only to wait years for the next book in the Gentlement Bastards series.

Verdict: Recommended 3.5/5

Details:
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Book Length: 576 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: July 31, 2007
Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Seas-Under-Skies-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/0553588958
Preceded By: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Followed By: The Republic of Thieves

Book Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

TL;DR:

+++ Very fast paced, very hard to stop reading

++ Interesting protagonist, with the right sense of vulnerability and ability, and a nice set of supporting characters

++ Twists aplenty and nicely executed

+/- Not as long as I wanted it to be, but was good while the pages lasted

Review:

“A fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge that grabbed me from page 1 and refused to let go.”—George R. R. Martin

That line sums it up, from someone who knows best.  Half a King is like your A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones novel distilled into its essence and with the sex bits taken out.  The story is pretty much your typical medieval fantasy fare: successor wars, betrayal, revenge and with dirt and blood rubbed all over the pages.  The plot is pretty straightforward in that sense, and there are twists aplenty.  I finished the book in less than two days -- it was THAT entertaining.

Worldbuilding is there, though it's tightly integrated into the plot.  As Amazon labels it as Shattered Sea Book 1, I'm hoping it wouldn't take too much time to get to the next book, and that it won't span across a dozen volumes.  Well, maybe it would be nice if there would be 12 books in this series, as long as each of them ends as satisfyingly as the first one did.

The book isn't really about innovating, in fact, you can see the similarity between this book and other books (Game of Thrones, Bernard Cornwell books) and movies (13th Warrior comes to mind), but it's just so well done, I can't recommend it enough.  I just wish it were just a bit longer.

Verdict: highly recommended 4/5

Details:

Author: Joe Abercrombie

Genre: Fantasy

Book Length: 354 Pages (Hardcover Version)

Published: July 15, 2014

Amazon Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Half-King-Shattered-Sea-Abercrombie/dp/0804178321

Book Review: Spark A Novel by John Twelve Hawks

TL;DR:

++ Very Noir

++ Very interesting character and character development

++ Realistic setting, well fleshed-out world (very Picketty)

++ Well paced, quite a page turner

++ Just the right length

Review:
Imagine all the favourite bits of Luc Besson's greatest hits: Leon the Professional, Le Femme Nikita, Transporter, heck, even Taken, and mix it with a dash of Hitman (the game series, mind) and set it in a Strossian x Picketty near future sci-fi noir fest and that's Spark: A Novel for you.

The story is pretty simple: an assassin whose neurological disorder allows him to accomplish his corporate-sponsored assignments effectively.  He has a set of rules that allows him to barely function as a member of society.  He has no sense of sentiment, no sense of morality, no right or wrong.  Despite that, his seeming alienness, he remains quite relatable, particularly in his unintentionally humorous:

“The music was as tasteless as the rice pudding. People sang about losing love instead of something important—like losing their car keys”

I especially like how he breaks down seemlingly complex situations into charts, just like your favourite game or book review.  One unusual thing about the novel are the many-numerous figures and drawings peppering the text (describing various ways by which the protagonist copes with the world around him).  It reminds me of that Hyperspace novel with its even stranger drawings.

I haven't had this much fun with a book since Altered Carbon and while the book ends quite satisfactorily, I'm not sure what I'd feel about sequels (should there be any) or more books in series: just like your typical Luc Besson movie, he would've done the world a favour by not making Transporter 2 or 3 (4 and 5 are actually planned out, according to IMDB).

Details:

Verdict: highly recommended 5/5

Author: John Twelve Hawks

Genre: Science Fiction, Noir

Book Length: 320 Pages (Hardcover Version)

Published: October 7, 2014

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Novel-John-Twelve-Hawks/dp/0385538677

Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

TL;DR: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
+ Easy to read, straightforward text
+ Low fantasy, with alchemy, magic and pre-industrial tech
+ Buddy-novel cum heist/thievery, interesting cast of characters
++ HATEFUL villains
++ Focused story-telling, relatively fast paced
+ Intermediate world-building
++ Quite Long!
+/- Sans Romance
++ Satisfying conclusion

4/5 Very enjoyable read/listen.  Highly recommended.

With the release of Book 3 of the Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch, I gave the first book in that series, The Lies of Locke Lamora a go.

Having found the first few chapters an easy read, I switched to audiobook format (so I can listen while driving/walking/taking out kitty poop).  Michael Page did a credible job narrating the book (and he does so again for the next two books), but his characterisations are a bit limited (thus, confusing).

I enjoyed the book's low-stakes (in the greater scheme of things), low-fantasy setting, which focused mostly on Locke Lamora and his buddy Jean Tannen as well as the rest of their gang of thieving, heisting Gentleman Bastards.  While the Gentleman Bastards are far from your troop of white knights, they're quite likable and I did get quite attached.  The villains, on the other hand, are positively hateful while remaining grounded and believable -- no evil for evil's sake here, they're just right bastards.

The book is fairly long, though it moves along in a brisk pace with little padding.  World building is done well and quite unobtrusively, and while the fictional pre-industrial Venice is not that dissimilar from the historic one, with its Italian sounding names and places, it  is quite well fleshed out and believable.

Oh, magic is there, but it is quite low key: it's quite the practical sort, almost like technology, though alchemy and more physical science is quite present.

One thing that's fairly odd about this novel is the lack of love interest(s), unless you count the Bromance between Locke and Jean to be one (purely platonic, I think) or the long distance relationship between Locke and Sabetha (another member of their gang).  It is quite similar to the Lord of the Rings in that regards.

All-in-all, I enjoyed listening to The Lies of Locke Lamora: interesting characters, fleshed out world, despicable villain and a fast pace makes the pages fly.  I'm glad I have two more books to look forward to.  Give it a go if you like your fantasy books less wandy and more gritty.

Book Review: Chaplain's War - Brad R. Torgersen

I've always loved military Sci-Fi (Starship Troopers being one of my all time favourite books). The Chaplain's War fits the mold:  boot camp experience -- check, space marines -- check, monstrous alien bugs -- check, wholescale slaughter -- check.

However, rather than have another gung-ho Johnny Rico bug-squishing super-soldier, you get Harrison Barlow, assistant chaplain.  This sort of reminds me of the the latter parts of the Ender series, which is more of a talkie than a fightie.

The world-building is on the slim side: little to no page-time was given to detailing technologies, weaponry or even alien hierarchy.  I found this to be good, as it didn't get in the way of story progression.  In fact, I finished the book in two days, proof that it was quite a page-turner.

Religion and spirituality plays a big part in the story, though it was never pushy or preachy about it.

All in all, I highly recommend this book:  if you like sci-fi or military fiction, this is perfect casual reading for you.