Tag Archives: fantasy

December Bookshelf

Well, as we cross into the New Year it is a time of reflection. So I thought I would look back on some of the books I read in December.

 

Book cover from the internet, not owned by me.

The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

This was by far my favourite book of the season. It was different, new and high adventure. The story revolved around a thief out to procure a book from one of the heavily guarded vaults in the Republic. To accomplish this goal, she collects a varied group of individuals each with a unique skill set. But even that does not make the task much easier as her opponents are both crafty and ruthless.

It was reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven, if the story was set in the most fantastical of fantasy worlds. This was a high fantasy landscape filled with floating cities, magic, monsters, fairies and gods – or at least their devoted and powerful worshipers.

It was exciting, engaging and so much fun. This is a story I would recommend for those in search of high adventure and some cleaver thieves. Yes, I do plan on reading any and all sequels to this book.

 

Dragon-Ridden by T.A. White

The dragon-ridden may be a fantasy blend of human and dragon souls, but what set this story apart was not the protagonist suffering from amnesia or the solidly crafted fantasy world. Rather, what has me reflecting back on this book was the surprising element of science-fiction; space travel and colonists from another world. There was just enough information shared with the audience for me to piece together the back story of the protagonist, who has woken from cryogenic sleep after a very long time. That she came from another planet, I don’t think is debatable. That she was part of the crew, a leader, who became the worshiped gods of old is rather intriguing.

While I approach the blending of space travel and a more historic fantasy world with caution, I do feel this author was able to pull off the blend of magic and genetic splicing. I would be interested to read a sequel if they were to write another.  Though, I would not rate this book as high as The Palace Job, there were some character actions and words that seemed too forced or awkwardly presented, there was much to interest me in this story that I would give the author another chance.

 

Book cover from the internet, not owned by me.

Cast in Flight by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Flight is book 8 or 9 in the series by Michelle Sagara. I hadn’t really enjoyed the previous book and was figuring I had pretty much finished with the series, even if the author hasn’t. Certainly the first couple of chapters had me wondering if I would just return this book to the library. But I kept at it (I didn’t have anything else out at the time) and in the end I really enjoyed this one. There was more talking, more relationship building and much less fighting. For me it was far more interesting. Funny as I would also say it was far more political in story than many of the other books in the series. Politics is something I usually shy away from. This time I was delighted to spend a book following the lives of Kaylin and her various friends. That said, I am not committed to reading the next novel. And still feel the best series as those in the 4 book range. This one is certainly very, very long.

 

Book cover from the internet, not owned by me.

The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon

Fairy tale in feel the Bird and the Sword started out more interestingly than it ended. It was filled with just enough magic and mystery to make it interesting, but it did start to lag as we progressed through it. Not based on any one fairy tale the story had many familiar elements.

The magic system was sort of interesting in the manner in which it was tied into religion. However, the cliché of burning all witches as mostly boring. I was interested in the way that the protagonist was mute. However, I still question the explanation that she could not communicate telepathically until she could read. The reason being that she didn’t have the words. But she was not deaf, so she still had the words, just not in written form. This a felt was a very weak explanation. And reflective of the whole. Mostly good, an easy read, but not as solid as it could have been. I still enjoyed it, just a little lower on the rating scale.

 

Smoke and Mirrors by Jess Haines

Okay, it has been a while since I read this book. What I remember was enjoying the story as frivolous fun. I recall a story about a young woman just finishing college for mages in New York (or some other large city) who decides she needs to find a dragon.

Unfortunately, the story suffered from weak writing. My biggest complaint was character inconsistency. One woman is introduced as a terror who hates the protagonist and tries to kill her on first sight. This same violent individual devises a plan of sharing information that leads yet another character to again try and kill the female protagonist. Only, when this attack does go down the violent woman is immediately and inexplicably regretful. She didn’t mean for this to happen even though she set it up.

The author spent way too much time trying to set up very tried and tired scenes. Characters do things because the messy plot dictates this to be so. The main character is supposed to be proud, strong and independent while simultaneously being poor and desperate. She runs hot and cold, weak and strong with the male lead. The tone changes because the scene requires that change, even if it doesn’t fit with the character development.

The author also plotted as many clichéd moments and stereotypical events as possible into one story. Adding more tropes does not make your story better. Sure I appreciate the take on poverty and agree that being poor does not mean that you don’t work hard. But really, you don’t need to lecture me. And if you are so poor, can you really afford to be stupidly stubborn?

The story was light, mostly fun, but poorly written.

 

Banquet of Lies by Michelle Diener

Of the books listed here, I think it was my most disappointing read. For a book that was taking a real event of political intrigue (a treaty between Britain and Russia if memory serves), the author did nothing with it. I loved the setup of a wealthy, well-traveled and unconventional woman hiding out as a chef in Regency London. It was different and the character’s background was devised in such a way to make this seem plausible. What followed after that was poor characterization and a pathetic attempt to play at spy. The characters were lackluster, the plot was rather silly in the end and overall it fell flat. Yes, I realize that it was categorized as a Regency Romance, but the romance was also very lame and poorly handled. Overall, this was a flop.

The Invisible Library

Book cover for the Invisible Library - taken from the internet.

Book cover for the Invisible Library – taken from the internet.

When faced with the bleak reality of a desperate future, I retreat to the safety of the fantastically written word. While I tend to gravitate, during these dark times, to familiar books it is not always the case.

In contrast to the rest of the media and news, I will share something positive today. I read a good book: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman.

The book focuses on Librarian Irene as she sent out of the Interdimensional Library into an steampunk inspired Victorian-esq fantasy alternate world; complete with seductive fae, dashing dragons, famous detectives, air ships and of course magic. Irene is pitted against secret cults and Library bogeymen, as she tries to complete her book retrieval before being utterly destroyed by the chaos infecting the world and herself. It is a highly entertaining read.

Another book cover for the Invisible Library, taken from the internet.

Another book cover for the Invisible Library, taken from the internet.

So, what do I love about this book? Well, Irene is a strong, practical and extremely effective Librarian. Evidently good at her job and equally competent at training her new apprentice. I like her spirit, her efficiency and even her questionable moral standing on humans. Irene doesn’t crumple under the pressures of her job, she rises to the challenge with a mix of magic, strength and decisive intelligence.

Although, we the reader, get to spend little time in the mysterious Library, connected to all words yet existing apart from them. I was greatly interested in this intriguing location, filled with even more unique personalities of other ageless Librarians. I was pleased in the handling of all worlds being true, just alternates of each other. This gives the series so many options for future venues; any place, any time, any amount of magic or technology all fit without breaking the laws of the world. It is a great system for storytelling.

Book cover for the Masked City, the sequel of the Invisible Library.

Book cover for the Masked City, the sequel of the Invisible Library.

The supporting cast are similarly rich in their characterizations: Kai, Vale, Silver and Albrech all add a tremendous lot to the story telling with different views, goals and backstories. They compete, support and try to murder our intrepid heroine at different points.

Really, I recommend trying this book. In fact I enjoyed the Invisible Library so much I was quick to take out the sequel: The Masked City from my local Library. It was an equally good story, though it swapped most of the mystery of the first book for inter-world politics. Still, it was filled with adventure, imagination, and of course books!

Conclusion: in the face of so much depressing uncertainty, I recommend the security of a good read and the Invisible Library is an excellent place to start.

Beauty’s Beast

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales. I have certainly read any number of good, moderate and terrible iterations. I have also seen quite a few movie versions. And there is yet another live action remake of the classic Disney telling is set to come out in some near-ish future.

beauty-and-the-beast

Book cover for K.M. Shea’s Beauty and the Beast. I got this image from the internet, it is not mine.

Today, however, I want to comment on K.M. Shae’s novel simply entitled Beauty and the Beast. Like so many of my other amazon finds, I made the purchase when it was free – as trashy books hurt less to read when you haven’t actually paid for them. In this instance I was pleasantly surprised. It was a good book. It was a good, logical retelling with well-written characters and only a slightly silly ending.

Lots and lots of spoilers to follow – be warned.

The book starts with Beauty, called Elle of course, falling through the stained glass roof of the Beast’s chateau. She badly breaks her leg, thus explaining her presence in the place. It is not long before the reader discovers Elle was supposed to be there in secret. She was never meant to be seen. All too soon, we learn that the Beast is the bastard son of the current King and military advisor to the Heir. Contrary to many conventions the brothers are supposed to support and even like each other.

The castle is filled with cursed staff, their faces covered in part masks and their voices taken away by magic. While they might not have the flare of some animated versions, their presence is a positive in the telling of the story. They actively drive both Elle and the Beast together.

img_7796While it is left a little vague to start with, we know that Elle has a strong dislike for the Beast Prince she is co-habitating with. She thinks him selfishly arrogant and thoughtless when it comes to the lives of others. This perspective is changed over the course of the story that shows a Beastly shaped man who cares very deeply for his staff and his family. He has a protective personality.

Little bits of information, tiny twists in the way the story unfolds guides the reader to assume that Elle, with her worrisome secret, is a spy or assassin from another country there to harm the Beast, his household and his family. Thus the big twist at the end, revealing Elle to be one of two elite Rangers sent by the Heir to protect his brother, is both clever and refreshing. Looking back, I can enjoy the development of the relationship under this new light and it works. Yes there were hints to this end, so it was not truly surprising. But it was enjoyably done.

The weakest point for me is the post-assassination ending. When the arrogant Beast Prince, now turned back to human form by the power of love, turns against Elle for lying to him. It seemed a bit of stretch. It seemed even more frustrating when it is revealed that he effectively forced Ranger 78, Elle, into a longer service because she was effective.

img_7633Over all, I thought this was a great retelling of an old, familiar tale. For those fond of fairy tales, I would recommend giving this book a try. I have added more of K.M. Shae’s Timeless Fairy Tales series to my wishlist.

Silver on the Road – Book Review

Confession, I have been a little lax in my posts. Well, here is a review of a book I read a little while back. The review was written at that time too.

** ** **

That said, I still managed to find time to read a book (or two). Unfortunately, I have not had the good fortune to read anything amazingly good. And much like my last book review, this one was a bit of a long awaited disappointment.

silver-on-the-road

Cover for the book Silver on the Road. Picture borrowed from the internet. Not my own picture.

I found Silver on the Road by chance while pursuing the online bookstore. Fortunately, my home library had a copy. Unfortunately, I had to wait over two weeks upon my return to borrow the book. The fact that it was out, should have meant it was a good read, right? Well, Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman was not terrible, but it was not terribly good either. Just to get it out of the way, I would give Silver on the Road the same rating as Uprooted – a solid 7 out of 10.

Let us start with the positives. Because there were things about this book that I really liked. I liked the Wild West feel of the world. I liked the respect shown the Natives of North America. This was carried through to the magic system, known as Medicine in the Territory. I liked the way the Devil was not mustache twirling in the least. I liked the way the relationship grew between the two main characters into something warm and friendly and not the least romantic. Now I am sure some could read it that way, but considering their age difference, it could just as easily be read as familiar instead. Indeed there were several good things about this book.

Sadly it was weak in the actual writing department. Well, it was either poorly written or I am a complete idiot. It felt like the story arc of the novel was a long time coming. What was only supposed to be a few weeks on the road, felt like months from my perspective. I had a nagging feeling like I was missing something, which became shear irritation when I realized the author just didn’t say anything.

p1210215And then of course there was the ending. Once more it seemed as though the author reached their word count and suddenly realized something needed to happen in order to complete the story. Out of nowhere we have evil Spanish Monk-Magicians sending a curse to wipe out the Territory and then conveniently chasing after that curse to reverse it (well, a different subsection of Monk-Magicians, if I understand properly). It was a good thing this religious men bothered to sully their feet by entering the Devil’s Lands, otherwise, our main characters would never learn what was happening and have a chance to stop it.

The action beats leading up to this inexplicable climax were muddy and confusing. The defeating of the curse was even more muddy and incomplete. The female protagonist recognizes the curse has split into many pieces and the one piece she is currently facing has adapted to its current environment, so she tells it the rules and walks away. I am guessing it is more like a stray puppy that just needed a good scolding and reminder that it is not allowed to eat people. Then with a pat on the head the puppy is left to its own devices, while our heroes walk off – possibly to find and scold more curse-pieces. It was not a strong conclusion.

p1210207And before anyone starts in with the argument this was a character driven story, not a plot driven one, I will say yes, I realize that. I also realize that all the revelations the character makes are kept from the reader. For example:

“Understanding filled her, a comprehension so intense that she couldn’t remember not having it a heartbeat before. That was why she had to try to stop Farron, why –

The creature didn’t care whatever revelation she was having.” – page 268; Silver on the Road, 2015

It literally then goes into a fight scene and a poorly described one at that. There are many such instances of characters evolving or things happening that are not revealed to the reader. This is such a cheap and frustrating way to drag out an already plodding story. I was sincerely unimpressed.

p1210175As much as I love books with no action (Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourites!), this was a dragged out telling of an imprecise narrative. It was successful in showing how dull and repetitive life on the open road was. It was not successful in building a complete world with interesting and fully developed characters. Yet for all its faults, I have read worse, so I will defend my overall rank of 7/10.

Uprooted Expectations

The cover of the book Uprooted by Naomi Novik

The cover of the book Uprooted by Naomi Novik

So, we have been home for two weeks now – hard to believe. In this time, I have fought the wild weeds over-running the garden, visited with relatives, started watching The International (Dota 2), and read a few books. Truthfully, there are only two worth mentioning and both of them were rather meh in the end.

I was so very excited to read Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I waited almost an entire year to borrow this book from the library. I read the teaser trailer on several different webpages, always looking for the version that included a few more paragraphs than the last.

The author, Naomi Novik, is not knew. I had read the first three books of her Temeraire Series before becoming bored. But this, this new book looked different. It looked exciting, new and yet with the comforting feel of classic fairy tales. I was excited to read it when I picked it up. I was underwhelmed by the end. It wasn’t bad. It was mostly good. It was just … not as engaging as I had hoped.

So, here is the thing. The book starts in the Valley surrounded by the magical and slightly evil Wood. The Valley is protected by a Wizard known as the Dragon, who requires a sacrifice of one village (a young female) once every 10 years. The Sacrifice serves to take care of chose in the Tower where the Wizard lives, then after their period of servitude is give a small fortune and moves out of the Valley to the City. This is all poorly understood by the villagers in the Valley and thus feared. Our story naturally starts with the selection of a new female Sacrifice.

P1190730I liked the opening premise the girl chose was not the prettiest or most special (not the one the Dragon was expected to select). I liked the struggles of the main character as she learned more about the mysterious Wizard. I even liked how you learned more about the Wood and its evil minions.

I also liked the fact this was not an old, established fairy tale. There are definite elements from the classics. The opening feels very beauty and the beast. Baba Yaga makes an appearance of sorts later on. There are witches, magic spells, and evils leaking from the wood.

Everything moves along from the beginning in a rather interesting fashion until almost halfway when suddenly our main character is sent off to the City and the entire plot feels like it slides sideways. The ending seemed to come – if not out of nowhere, then it was rushed and a bit forced. It was not the smoothest transition from start to finish.

The Valley had started as an interesting and developing setting. Which was pushed to the side as the Wood came to life. Then the reader was sent to the City, which never felt real to me. It was underdeveloped. The City was home to the Royal Court, a place of politics and intrigue. But our heroine was not savvy in the ways of Court Politics. She never fit into the location and that entire section of book felt like a tacked on side trip that wasted more time than served to develop the key characters.

We are finally told that betrayal caused one ancient woman (of questionable race – magical and perhaps humanoid) to seek revenge thus poisoning the Wood. Only, this seemed to be an explanation tacked on at the climax of the story with very little setup. Why could we not have skipped the whole City and focused on how one angered female could turn a massive forest into a dark and evil place (and then be defeated so easily by one half-trained witch after existing for hundreds of years)?

P1190682In conclusion, it was a mediocre to good book, made disappointing through high expectations and a long wait. If you like Naomi Novik’s other books, you will likely enjoy this one. If you are a huge fan of fairy tales then I would mildly suggest trying Uprooted. If you want something with snappy writing and cleaver dialogue, then I wouldn’t bother. This is an atmospheric book with a plodding plot and a main character that spends most of the time explaining and far less time showing.

Fairy tale Book Review: A Stolen Kiss by Kelsey Keating

Image of the book cover found on the internet.

Image of the book cover found on the internet.

I was perusing the online bookstore looking for things to read (preferably free) when I came across ~. I opened the digital book and scanned the first few pages posted online. I like this aspect of online book stores. You can get a lot of information from the first few pages of the book, though sometimes they can be deceiving. This time they struck a cord and I decided I really wanted to read this story. Only it wasn’t free. So I dithered over spending a whole $1.28 on the purchase. Since I am writing this review, I obviously did buy the book.

A Stolen Kiss by Kelsey Keating was exactly what the opening pages promised. It was a fairy-tale. Only, it didn’t stick just two one specific story. Instead it took elements of witches and wizards, of dark forests and magical creatures, of spells and curses and wove everything together into something new with a comfortable familiar feeling.

In this story we had a swan princesses and a newly wakened sorcerer. The story focuses on Princess Maria and apparent stable hand Daniel (also known as Derric, the son of the evil sorceress Gilda). They travel on a quest to free Maria of her swan-transformation curse with Prince Humphrey and Sarah. Humphrey is Maria’s betrothed. He is the younger prince of another kingdom with dreams of becoming an actor and marrying the girl he loves (who is not Maria). Sarah is Maria’s lady’s maid and Derric’s younger sister.

Only, as things are never quite what they seem, it turns out that Derric is not at all related to Sarah. Further, Sarah’s mother is not her biological parent (though her father really is her father). Yes, it is complicated, but the very best part is the strength of the relationship between the siblings. Even when they discover the truth of their bloodlines, Sarah states quite clearly that family is more than just blood, it is the people you love. And that doesn’t change. They are still siblings at the end of the story, fond of each other as close siblings can be.

P1170380I was also fond of Humphrey and his mysterious girlfriend. Who, in a surprising twist, was with them all the time. Well, sort of. Actually, for all the twists and reveals that came at the climatic end, it worked. Everything had been appropriately foreshadowed throughout the story so that nothing came from nowhere, even though much of it was a surprise.

A Stolen Kiss was a well written youth novel. I like the fairy-tale elements, which in the end support the strength of all the characters. For all the princess starts as the quintessential damsel in distress, she ends the story as her own strength and power. She returns to her kingdom, not to be married off to another prince who will then rule, but to rule herself. In fact, the author does a rather good job of marrying classic fairy-tale elements with modern ideals of equality.

P1170474The only drawback is the intended audience. This is clearly a young person story for ages 12 – 16 years old. Everything is spelled out neatly (and rather blatantly). But it is well done as a story. It is clean, crisp and engaging. While I might prefer a mode adult version, this is a good book and one I could easily recommend.

An Explosive Finishing

Gail 2Manners and Mutiny marks the fourth and final book in the Finishing School Series by Gail Carriger. It is a brilliant read! I still love Carriger’s style of writing. Sure the naming is a bit silly, the plots are ridiculous, and the characters are not the most real (some are dead after all!), but it is wonderfully well done. She is a perfect example of good writing. It is quirky, inventive and set in a world that is detailed and internally consistent. As a result I love her work.

I started with her first series, the Parasol Protectorate. While I might not love the name of the series, I did like the title of the first book: Souless. I was drawn to the strong female lead, the slightly odd manner of description (which is endlessly entertaining to read and reread), and the fantasy/steampunk world Victorian world. So, the undead and shapeshifters are not always my thing. And there are definitely elements that I am not fussed over, but when faced with great writing that draws you into the world and the characters, well nearly all else is forgiven.

Gail 4I would have expected writing a new series, with even more mechanicals, set a couple decades before the author’s original series would be problematic at best. Not only was there more technology, but the leads were younger and the writing was more for YA than adults. I confess I might have had my doubts at the beginning (stated in previous post). Fortunately the author had a plan, one that came to glowing fruition in this final installment. Manners & Mutiny neatly concluded the story arc of that had been started four novels earlier with Etiquette & Espionage. It cleaned up all the necessary loose ends and it hinted (or blatantly explained) a number of connections these characters have with those in the Parasol Protectorate. It was remarkably well done.

So, what was it all about? Well, in Etiquette & Espionage, young Sophronia is shipped off to an unusual, floating (dirigible) finishing school for young ladies. A school where they learn to … well, finish. They are being trained as intelligencers – spies, assassins, that sort of thing. At school they learn how to take out, or at least take down, humans, werewolves and vampires alongside other important subjects like correct dress, dancing, flirtation, and of course code-breaking. All the important traits any young lady of good Gail 3breeding ought to know when she is presented to society. Sophronia is a headstrong, resilient and very active girl. She easily gets herself into trouble, and nearly as often gets herself back out. But she is not without friends (from various parts of society), and those friendships help to define her and her choices. Manners & Mutiny sees Sophronia through the end of her school and sets the table for her future happenings.

Manners and Mutiny is simply another excellent example of superb writing. Gail Carriger has a strong, clear voice. She as a wonderfully quirky style of writing that is never boring to read. Her characters are alive with strengths and failings. The relationships are real and relevant in modern times. She does really well with the constraints of her Victorian society and doesn’t use this as a lazy reason to keep with the perceived status quo of fantasy writing. There is a discussion of skin colour and sexual orientation – it is masterfully handled and neither glaring nor so subtle to be missed.

This is an author whose books I would recommend – highly!

Cover of the book. I do not own this image or the other book covers in this post.

Cover of the book. I do not own this image or the other book covers in this post.

 

Forever TV

This promotional poster is not my own image, all rights belong to its creator.

This promotional poster is not my own image, all rights belong to its creator.

Forever is the title of a 2014-2015 American police procedural TV show. It lasted for one season and I am currently two episodes from the end. I think if the show had continued I would still stop around the end of the first season.

It is a cop show were the two leads are a female detective and a male coroner. Dr. Henry Morgan is blessed or cursed with seeming immortality. He has been alive for the past 200 years. Not to say he doesn’t die, he just keeps coming back at the same age and apparently in the same physical condition. He doesn’t appear to age either. It is kind of a cheesy concept, that I found a little interesting – at least to start. Unfortunately, I don’t think they made very good use of the two hundred year old history. While the plots are filled with lots of twists that sweep you through the 50 minute time frame, I have several problems with the program.

I think a lot of the problems stem from the nature of TV. It is episodic. Further, to exacerbate this characteristic, it has different writers working on each episode. This leads to a number of inconsistencies which become even more numerous and glaring as time progresses.

With the coroner being detailed oriented and very intelligent, it was very noticeable when he contradicts his own words between episodes. One example of this occurs when a murder victim is slashed across the throat. He points out, that the killer was smart enough not to pull back the head as that action pushes the cartilage supported trachea (the windpipe) forward thus protecting the main arteries in the neck. By titling the head forward the cut is easier and more effective in killing the victim. A couple of episodes later, the good Dr. himself is killed with a knife to the throat. Again he comments on the ruthless proficiency of the killer who pulls back his head and slices his neck open. Obvious contradiction to earlier information.

FOREVER - ABC's "Forever" stars Judd Hirsch as Abe, Ioan Gruffudd as Henry and Alana De La Garza as Detective Jo Martinez. (ABC/Bob D'Amico) - image is not mine and belongs to the appropriate creator.

FOREVER – ABC’s “Forever” stars Judd Hirsch as Abe, Ioan Gruffudd as Henry and Alana De La Garza as Detective Jo Martinez. (ABC/Bob D’Amico) – image is not mine and belongs to the appropriate creator.

The side characters are constantly changing opinions. Abe, the Dr.’s adopted son from WWII could have been an interesting character with such a long shared history with Henry. Unfortunately, the writers struggle to know what the relationship is, how to develop it and more importantly how to keep Abe’s character consistent. He is always flip-flopping between pushing Henry to keep his secrete and share his secrete. It doesn’t make sense. The relationship they do have is clichéd and worse very shallow – mostly because there is no single writer to properly showcase the complexities of a 65 year old son living with a 200 year old father who appears to be 35 years old.

Lucas is the assistant M.E. He is best written as smart and capable with a strong regard for Henry. But again, the writers are not always consistent with him. Occasionally he is treated like an nerdy, idiot that no one wants to associate with. It is just so muddled that I find it frustrating.

Then we come to the biggest issue I have with the program, Adam. He is another immortal having been alive for some 2,000 years – or so he claims. I understand and even appreciate the desire to have some greater arc to a TV series. Sure each episode is a new crime to be solved, but watching characters change and evolve; learning about their histories can in theory be a strong draw for a program. If it is done well. Unfortunately, Adam, much like Red John in the Mentalist, is more of an irritating and jarring addition to the set. He doesn’t fit. His desire to taunt Henry is more off putting than engaging. For a man who is supposedly 2,000 years old he is shockingly bland as a character. He is also, surprise, surprise, Henry’s nemesis (mostly). Why? For reasons is the best I can discern.

I do, sincerely appreciate the idea of Adam. It is good in many ways to have another character who is also in the same predicament as the Dr. If done well, it could be used to show how people would view immortality differently. How they would live their lives differently. But I don’t feel that is accomplished. Adam is tossed in for the cheap, meaningless moments of stress for Henry. He attempts to challenge Henry’s views and actions only work to show how shallow of a character our 200 year old man is.

Caste of the series - image is not mine. Characters from the left: Lucas, Abe, Dr. Henry, Detective Jo, Detective Hansen, and Lt. Reece.

Caste of the series – image is not mine. Characters from the left: Lucas, Abe, Dr. Henry, Detective Jo, Detective Hansen, and Lt. Reece.

And if that wasn’t enough, the series has started to fall into the main trap of shipping the two leads. Really? Why does Detective Jo and Dr. Henry have to be in a relationship with each other? Why can’t they have relationships with other characters? The program teases you with such possibilities, but in the end (literally the third last episode) we have Jo trying to express her feelings for the Dr. who has only shown interest as a friend. It is such an over done cliché that I cannot properly express my utter disappointment in the series for doing this. Completely Disappoint.

In the end, I am glad Forever didn’t last. It really couldn’t in my mind. Not with the shallow characters and standard plot. There are dozens of police procedurals on TV. Even within a program you can only kill a person so many ways before things start to become repetitive. Multiple writers might bring new and crazy ideas for the cop part of the show – different killers and methods of crime – but they also reduce the opportunity for the main characters to develop. You can’t have character or world growth in a consistent world with different people writing each episode. With the change in writer you change the voice of the characters on screen, because what most people fail to realize is how important a good writer is to a movie or TV show. Writers are important, but writing for TV seems to create some obstacles that cannot be overcome. At least, I haven’t seen it done well yet.

The Golden Apple – Book Review

Book Cover for the Golden Apple - borrowed from the internet.

Book Cover for the Golden Apple – borrowed from the internet.

The Golden Apple by Michelle Diener is a competently written young adult fantasy. It reads like a fairy tale with the classic elements of princesses, knights, sorcerers, witches and woodsmen. There is a Great Forest filled with strange and terrible magic, a quest and of course a magical Golden Apple. Unfortunately, the author also throws in some mythical creatures/races at the end of the book that seem incongruous with the rest of the world she was trying to create.

The plot moves along at a healthy clip. It does not waste time or drag out character growth and change. That is not to say there isn’t character development. The two leads develop much as I would expect them to, they just don’t dwell much on their troubles as they move purposefully through the plot. Things are constantly happening. And the characters spend just enough time talking with each other and dialoging internally to explain everything clearly to the reader. Things are certainly not slow. And that is good.

The only down side, is that it is not elegant. It is efficient, solid and just a little juvenile. However, considering the target audience, that is perhaps the intent. It is not poetic or beautifully written prose. But it is well done.

The princess is strong, brave and good. She is the modern princess who is taking charge of her life and not going to let her father or any other man tell her what to do. Well, outside of the Evil Sorcerer who has enchanted the princess to fetch a relic for him.

This book lacks Red Pandas, but it does have a giant bespelled house cat.

This book lacks Red Pandas, but it does have a giant bespelled house cat.

The woodsman is similarly heroic, strong and good. Sure he might have lied a little in the beginning, but that is because he is trying to save the life of another. Besides, he learns quickly the princesses is definitely worth protecting; even if he will need the rescuing towards the end.

After the prerequisite rough start our two protagonists discover they work best together. They fight the Evils sorcerer and Duke. They overcome the dangers of the Great Forest. They are reckless enough to have faults and good enough to show mercy and kindness to the fairy-required strangers. And naturally they fall in love. Though all intimate scenes are kept strictly PG.

The Golden Apple is a strong young adult fantasy, with no serious flaws and PG imagery. It is good and if I was to rate it I would give it 4 stars out of 5. Why? Because it was not special. It was not wonderfully written being generic much of the time. It was competently written – which is to say that is better than most things I have read in a while. But there are still far better works out there. So solidly good, just not spectacularly great.

Kingmakers Series – Book Review

The first book in the Kingmakers series. I did like the cover.

The first book in the Kingmakers series. I did like the cover.

Arrows of Change and Arrows of Promise are two books in the Kingmakers series by Honor Raconteur. I don’t know if the author has finished writing in this world or whether more books will be coming out. They are both ebooks and I actually spent money on them. Well, I spent money on the first book and got the second for free. However, I did pay more than $5 for the first book – and for me and a digital book that is not inexpensive.

Was it worth it? Well, I am feeling more forgiving now that I have finished the two books. But I would not describe the pair as good. They are not bad either. They are mostly boring. There is nothing offensively bad about the books. The idea is interesting enough, but the execution leaves much to be desired.

The greatest crime committed by the books is that they are flat and effectively lifeless. There is no significant character development. The good characters are all nice, hard-working, honest, upstanding, and righteous. The villains are vague, described as power hungry, violent, mad but mostly they are all in the background like some distant shadowy threat. They are just enough of a threat to unite the heroes and provide mooks for the justified killing.

While I find the concept of a dukedom pulling away from the larger kingdom to become independent an interesting topic, there was no depth to this story. The dukedom was perfectly good, with no flaws. The new King is organizing a modern government with elected positions, with laws made with input from the people and levels of bureaucracy to ensure there can be no tyrannical king. This also arranged haphazardly and seems like the characters are preaching modern morals. It is all presented as obviously good and the best option. But some of the ideas could use some serious scrutiny. Sure it is great that Rape is being treated seriously – but there is no consideration for why people do these horrendous crimes. However, if you ever felt that the death penalty was the best option for murder and rape then you will support this little utopia society quite nicely.

Sadly the daughter has redder than red hair. I could have lived without that cliche.

Sadly the daughter has redder than red hair. I could have lived without that cliche.

If however you are looking for some interesting conflict for discussion, don’t read this book. Everything is solved in the best case scenario. They magically work out for the characters. Conflicts are often minor or so big to be un-relatable. Even the premise for the separation of the dukedom from the larger kingdom is presented as something only good people would do and to argue otherwise would show you as evil. As such, there is no interest there, no development.

Further the style of writing, which flips between a father and daughter, is dry. It could be interesting. It could be new and fresh to have your primary leads as a father-daughter pair. But they don’t do anything with this. They characters are nearly the same to be almost interchangeable. They have no personal growth (at least not worth mentioning) and they tend to just tell the reader things. While both are expert archers, they are also good to grasp other tasks (a typical trait of primary protagonists). They are flat, lifeless creatures whose greatest trait is the manner of their speech which is clearly different from the rest of the main characters.

Oh, and there are wizards in this world. Wizards who become partners for this duo of most amazing archers (their skills are those of TV actors in amazingness). Wizards who can do anything with magic – literally anything. It is a terrible magic system as there are not clear constraints on the magic. If you can do it with your hands, wizards can do it faster and with magic. It makes them tired but that is about it. It is a lackluster system.

P1130897Could it have been interesting? Absolutely! I think looking at why one group of people would break away from the larger whole would be an interesting topic. Sure they are the underdogs, but you could also look at how that fracture would affect the larger kingdom. You could also look at the rebels as arrogant or greedy from one perspective, and determined and resilient from another perspective. It could make for an interesting story. But you need to look at both the good and the bad.

The problem that the main characters are stupid and didn’t have a plan for succession shows them as idiotic and creates some strange artificial utopian council where everyone works together to create some mystically appealing rules the populace will adore. It was unrealistic. If you want to look at the work going into building a new kingdom, then set it up as a political story and do justice to the problems involved.

If you want to focus on the amazing skills of your archers, then you might want to tell a different story altogether as this had little opportunity to showcase their skills. That said, it is difficult to explain how amazing an archer is from their perspective and the fight scenes were skimmed over rather than read.

Still, the Kingmakers books weren’t offensive in any regard. They were just lackluster = three stars out of 5 (if I had to put a number on it).