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A Bannon and Clare Case Review

I have been searching for a good Steampunk novel to read and I have been failing to find one. There are novels filled with predictable atomatons, clockwork marvels and all too often zombies. I hate zombies. There are a few other Steampunk works that I have been exploring. The author of one such series is Lilith Saintcrow (aka St Crow).

The second of the Bannon and Clare Case Files.

She has started a series revolving around Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare. The first novel is titled The Iron Wyrm Affair, which I read late last summer. The second, most recent book is The Red Plague Affair. Both books are set in a Victorian-like world filled with amazing mechanicals, magical sorcerers, and mentaths (super geniuses). Bannon and Clare are clearly set up to resemble Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson – where doctor becomes sorcerous of great importance.

There are many things about these books that I enjoy. First, the author sets a good tone with her use of language. One of my great irritations occurs when authors write a period piece but use modern dialogue and vocabulary. It ruins the ambiance often more than the ludicrous plot they have slapped together.

I am also grateful the author changed the names of places and historical figures. Though generally extremely similar to their real-life counter parts, these small changes allow me to imagine a different world not completely dependent on our history. Cause the presence of magic clearly means this is not taking place in our reality.

But several things have left me feeling a little baffled. The mentaths are a weakness in the stories. The author has created a small number of super-geniuses, whose brains run on pure logic and whose minds wither to soup if not constantly stimulated with interesting things. Unfortunately the author spends most of her time telling us mentaths are super-geniuses rather than showing us. Also, her description of their methods and abilities often sounds more magical in nature than the sorcerous casting spells. She tried so hard to set up magic and mentaths as polar opposites, but in the end their extremes making them sound nearly identical.

Another aspect I struggled with while reading the Red Plague Affair was the author’s lack of introduction to her characters. On one hand it is tedious to read a sequel which summarizes all the events of the previous book(s). Yet, some introduction is necessary for those of us with poor memories. Whether it was tied to this point or just a trick of the author’s, I was not found of the way she dangled the origins of one secondary character while never actually dealing with it – even obtusely. She has left large neon signs to indicate Mikal has a dark and mysterious past which is significant without ever telling the reader how it is significant. I find this lack of information, remarked upon by other main characters, irritating.

All of this brings me to my current quandary: Do I actually like these books? Truthfully, I don’t know. I have never read something that has left me feeling so confused about my own preferences before. As mentioned the books have some good characteristics and some frustrating aspects. What I would really like is to discuss these books with another individual who has read them. Perhaps at that time I will finally decide if they are good and enjoyable or utter rubbish.

Written in Red Review

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I have been struggling of late to find books worthy reading. It has been even more challenging to find one worth writing about – so this is going to be a short post. Nonethless, here is a Written in Red review.

However I was pleasantly surprised by Written in Red by Anne Bishop. I had noticed the covers of this author previously when browsing the library bookshelves. Until now I had been scared off by the blond-haired curvy female dominating the front. Further, I took the enlarged size of the author’s name – bigger than the title – as solid indicator the story is likely to be trash. So this was the first of her novels I actually cracked open.

Inside I discovered a world parallel to our own where humans have not dominated the land. Though they have spread to different corners of the world and have developed our modern conveniences, they do not have supremacy over nature. Instead, humans have been restricted to living in only a few cities and towns scattered across the continents and isolated by large, untamed tracts of deadly wilderness. The resources on which humans depend for manufacture and economic growth are controlled by the Others – essentially the fay.

Now, I don’t always like the employment of fairies in stories – they are silly. However, I did appreciate the way Bishop tried to portray these fay as Not Human. She seemed keen to emphasize the fact they are different, wild creatures lacking our narrow opinions and judgements. It was the Others that dominated the world, that won the battle between man and nature that came to control our destinies. I was particularly fond of the Other’s view of humans – intelligent meat. That view point, held pretty consistent throughout the book, was refreshing.It gave the story telling a clean, bright voice that feels different and exciting when compared with the other narratives saturating the market.

Although, I foresee this hardline attitude changing if she were to continue developing the world – which would be a sad loss to the tone of the story. I will not be surprised, after all it is the most common element of paranormal/fantasy to have humans tame the wild creatures of their environment – or enslave, depending on whether we are going for sappy and romantic or asskicking story styles.

I also liked the pseudo-modern, urban fantasy seeting that both was and was not our world. For once, wild spaces and trees were not a distant memory but the truth of the world. Although cities exist, they are contained, hemmed in and overseen by the fae. This was a refreshingly different point of view, neatly separating it from the numerous paranormal-cop-chick-trashy-romance novels breeding on the library book shelves.

Not only do I give this book a pass, but I would be interested in reading another story set in this world.

Unspoken Review (Neverending Series)

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Book Review – Unspoken

By Sarah Rees Brennan

I am going to start this review by first admitting I can be very hypocritical. On one hand I like series – I like big stories that are broken into book-sized sections. I like spending time with the characters; watching as they grow and develop and gradually reach their story’s end. On the other hand, why does every book I pick up now have to be a series? I must cast my mind back some distance, a year at least, to recall a novel read that wasn’t part of some larger over-arching tale. Further it seems that these series have ever greater focus on the larger plot they fail to have self-contained stories in their book-length chapters. Perhaps it would be less frustrating if I didn’t seem to find these series at their inception – for now I am forced to wait years and years to find out what happens.

One of my recent reads is an excellent story of a girl psychically linked with a boy who just moves to her home town. The girl is wonderfully spunky; out to uncover the secrets of her small, English town as she develops her skills as a journalist of truth. With so much that could go wrong with this premise, I was delighted with the author’s handling of the plot and characters. Teenagers can be tricky to deal with; so many emotions of first loves, school rivalries, and insecurities surrounding growing up can bog down the characters. But the wit and energy and practical, go-get-them attitude woven into the pages was perfect.

The characters had their problems and their triumphs. Importantly they pulled off their conversations with a certain down-to-earth attitude and a great deal of humor. They were not overly awkward, terribly angsty, or unrealistically adult-like. Rather, they were well balanced and amusing.

It was pleasure to read and my only complaint comes with the certain knowledge that this is but book one in a series – a series that has only just begun. The ending cuts, leaving our heroes on an emotional down. Their world is falling to pieces and will likely only get worse for a while. Abysmally, I must now wait an undetermined length of time for all subsequent books to be written, edited and finally published. Sigh, it is a great deal of trouble this waiting and I sometimes I feel cheated by its ever constant presence. Please authors, find it in your hearts to write books that do actually stand-alone.

The Doomsday Vault review – Why Zombies? Why?

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I confess I am a little uncertain the rules and regulations of blogging. However, I am going to give this a try. With that in mind I will make an attempt to post on Wednesdays – hopefully on a weekly basis. And since I have been reading books of late, I thought I could start with a book review. Here is my Doomsday Vault review.

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The Doomsday Vault

by Steven Harper

What I thought I was getting was a Steampunk adventure with a bit of romance in the background – perhaps a bit trashy, but less so than the other softcover Steampunk novels I was looking at. What I got was a book about zombies and clockwork automatons.

First, I hate zombies in practically every form. There are very few exceptions to this rule and this book is not one of them. Not only that, but when you try to explain the formation of zombies it always sounds a bit silly. I suppose I should concede that germ theory did come into play around the mid-1800s. And viruses were discovered by the 1890s. Though, no one in 1857 knew that bacteria caused disease and they certainly did not suspect viruses of infecting bacteria. So when they tried to claim the cause was bacterial and the cure a virus, I was offended by this point of science. I was also unimpressed that the same bacteria which caused some people to become mindless, flesh-eating zombies also caused a select few to become super-geniuses.

Second, the romance between a twenty-two female and eighteen year old boy did not sit well. The boy was simply too boyish for the woman. So the age difference came across poorly for me. This could also have something to do with personal biases. But they played up the boy as a kid when we first meet him and the woman as a mature old maid. Face it; boys of eighteen are still kids.

Third, I don’t like humanoid automatons. They are far too complex. To have technology that is still far beyond what exists today and is supposedly created more than 150 years ago is past my suspension of disbelief. Perhaps that is unfair. I could accept one or two pieces of advanced technology, but when everything exists – from wireless communications, to dirigibles, to complex automatons (including birds that record voices, humanoids that act in every capacity of servant, and a collection of huge mechanical suits), to horseless carriages – I struggle to see the time period. Also, where is the energy source for all this equipment? It is certainly not steam.

Finally, and by far most importantly, the writing was less than brilliant. The narrative was rough in several sections, particularly when modern cursing came into play. This is supposed to be a period piece, written in Victorian England, so please write like it belongs in that time. I suppose the main female was supposed to show the restraints of the period, the social obligations and restrictions. But her conflicts seemed contrived at best. Her struggle to fit into society and her strong desire to break convention were not a compelling tale. Her fiancé was clearly designed to be evil for no good reason. Also, the ending was ridiculously silly – her Aunt manipulated everything! Oh dear.

This may be the first book in a series, but is going to be the last book I read.