HE STARTED IT!: MY TWITTER WAR WITH TRUMP – Danny Zuker

Posted by Daniel on March 8, 2019
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, HUMOR, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

While I would very much like to keep politics out of this blog (and this review), that’s going to be a little difficult with the reviewing of this book.

First I feel as though I need to note that I am not a fan of Donald Trump.  Not his politics, not his behavior, not his tweets.  In fact, I requested this book hoping to get a few laughs and to see him brought down to size a bit.

I say this because I didn’t enjoy this book and I don’t want it presumed that I’m simply a crazed fan of the POTUS and trying to enact some strange revenge. No … I just didn’t like the book.

This book, featuring mostly just the actual twitter exchange between the POTUS and a Hollywood writer, really doesn’t have much meat to it at all.

I feel as though there isn’t much of the Twitter war here at all, but rather just select bits of the longer Twitter battle.  If that’s not the case, then this “Twitter War” has been REALLY exaggerated.

Danny Zuker, the Tweets author, explains his intentions in the tweets and how Trump is clearly stymied by Zuker’s wit. And it’s a good thing he explains how he manages to ‘zing’ Trump because honestly, I’m not sure I’d get them all. Which suggests to me that Zuker is as enamored with himself and his own wit as Trump is with his.

Let’s face it … Trump is not a smart man. He’s a bully and a liar (I base this on his public behavior) he believes the truth is whatever is said the loudest and most often.

But he ‘wins’ this twitter war because he managed to engage someone.  And, sorry Zuker, telling someone that you are not responding to their requests is a response. It’s a childish, school-child response, but it still is a response.

And that’s really all this is – a school-yard brawl with abbreviated words. The more intelligent person thinks they win because they are smarter and quicker-witted and use better words. The bully thinks he wins because he has gotten attention and engaged someone to go toe to toe with him – and because he’s less intelligent, he doesn’t know when he’s beaten. In the end, we all lose because the rest of us wasted our time watching it.

I like that the proceeds from this book go to funding programs that Trump has cut, but I really wish I could recommend this book so that it would raise more money.  Unfortunately it’s just a pissing contest that isn’t very exciting to watch.

Looking for a good book? He Started It!: My Twitter War with Trump by Danny Zuker contains some of the public tweets he and Donald Trump exchanged over a few years. Once was bad enough … we have to experience them again and again?

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

He Started It!: My Twitter War with Trump

author: Danny Zuker (and Donald Trump)

publisher: Griffith Moon Publishing

ISBN: 0999845284

paperback, 94 pages

BRIEF CASES – Jim Butcher

Posted by Daniel on March 7, 2019
Posted in: MAGIC, SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Despite all the reading I do, I haven’t read very many of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series. I’ve read one book, watched some of the television series, and read a number of graphic novel adaptations … and I’ve enjoyed them all.  In part, I haven’t read many Dresden Files books because I’m so back-logged with ARC’s (Advance Reading Copy) and a long list of books I’d like to read. Fortunately, for me, Brief Cases, a collection of short stories in the Dresden Files world became available as an ARC.

The Dresden Files are fun.

What more needs to be said?  A big part of the appeal to this series is that author Jim Butcher has made it fun.  Harry Dresden is a smart, sassy hero who gets himself into as much trouble as he gets out of – and we’re not always sure he’s going to get out of trouble.

You don’t really need to have read any other books in the series to enjoy this collection of short stories but let’s face it … people don’t usually buy collections of short stories so it’s most likely that if you pick this up, you are already familiar with the series and the characters.   However, most of these stories have been previously published in other collections, so true fans may already have read them. Butcher introduces each story and lets the reader know where in the order of the books, the story takes place. This didn’t mean much to me.  I simply enjoyed them as fantasy stories.

Three of the stories include a Bigfoot character. I think I enjoyed these the most as we see a number of different sides to Harry Dresden and the Bigfoot character fits in so well with the Dresden Files menagerie. I also enjoyed “Jury Duty” in which Dresden sits on a jury and suspects that there is paranormal involved and solves the crime before the case is concluded.

The stories in which Harry is not the narrator/POV, were my least favorite. They just didn’t have the charm of a Harry Dresden story.

I like short fiction, and I really enjoyed these stories, even though I’m not a regular follower of the books. We get a good idea of the fun, the danger, and the uniqueness of the series through these stories. It is worth reading if you like fantasy that has some danger and a touch of humor.

This book includes the following:

“A Fistful of Warlocks”
“B is for Bigfoot”
“AAAA Wizardry”
“I Was a Teenage Bigfoot”
“Curses”
“Even Hand”
“Bigfoot on Campus”
“Bombshells”
“Cold Case”
“Jury Duty”
“Day One”
“Zoo Day”

Looking for a good book? Brief Cases by Jim Butcher is a collection of short stories from the Dresden Files and showcases the fun and mysterious of the series in short snippets.  Each of the stories is worth reading, especially for fans of the series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Brief Cases

author: Jim Butcher

series: The Dresden Files #15.1

publisher: Ace Books

ISBN: 0451492102

hardcover, 437 pages

NEMESIS – Anna Banks

Posted by Daniel on March 5, 2019
Posted in: ROMANCE, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This was one heck of a nice surprise! The surprise being two-fold: 1) that this is almost more of a romance novel than a fantasy story, and 2) that I liked it as much as I did!

Sepora is the daughter of the king of Serubel. She is a Forger – she has the ability to create an element known as spectorium which provides a unique source of energy for people.  But her father has found a way to make spectorium into a weapon and now he wants to attack some of the neighboring kingdoms.  But Sepora doesn’t want her gift to be used to kill to she abandons her father and her home (so that he can’t force her to make more spectorium). But as she wanders, she is grabbed by some men of the kingdom of Theoria and sold on a slaver’s market where she is purchased to be a part of the harem for Tarik – the young, new ruler of Theoria.

Theoria isn’t exactly mild-mannered and she speaks her mind to Tarik, who takes a real interest in her.  He finds her intelligent, impetuous, and very attractive.  She finds Tarik more kind-hearted than she expected and hopes that with her help and knowledge about her father’s plans, she can prevent a war that would kill many.

She doesn’t admit to Tarik her full abilities or lineage – only that she has knowledge of an impending war. Despite her attempts to stay impartial in regards to Tarik, she finds herself falling in love with him.  But when he admits that he is about to marry the daughter of another king of another kingdom in order to bring their kingdoms together, she refuses to be Tarik’s secret lover or concubine and she leaves … only to be captured by her father’s men.

I found this to be a really well-written story.

I was immediately caught up in the presentation of the characters, particularly Sepora who stands out to me, among YA sf/fantasy heroines because of the balance of characteristics.  Too often a character in her position is either very head-strong and changes the people around her, or too shy and learns to come out of her shell.  But Sepora is a smart character who understands her role, challenges it, and is truly motivated to find a way to peace above all else.

Tarik is also presented as a well-balanced character who steps into a role he wasn’t quite prepared for, understands the people he looks after, and rules with a strong hand and strong heart. It is possible, just possible, that we go a little too far with the ‘soft heart’ routine, but that’s quibbling.

The romance….  As I was reading, I found myself caught up in Sepora’s story and at some point I realized that the two main characters were destined to get together and so I watched as author Banks developed this story-line and marveled at the pace and gentility in which the romance was revealed.

The trick here is that Banks shows us everything. She never tells us that Sepora is strong or that Tarik is kind or that their relationship is blossoming … she shows it to us.  This is one of the first lessons beginning writers are taught and yet is one of the hardest to accomplish.  Banks does it sublimely.

The book doesn’t entirely end because it holds on to a bit of a cliff-hanger for the next book.  This is a tactic I do not appreciate (as readers of my blog may know). This always feels like a cheap trick by the publisher to get me to buy another book.  A story needs to have a beginning, middle and an end to be a story.  If there’s no end, we’ve been cheated of a story.  For this, we lose some points.

I also had a little problem with the ‘ending’ because character actions and reactions didn’t seem to fit with what we had read through the previous 300+ pages. While I predicted what was going to happen, I did not predict the reactions to it because they felt so out of character.

Still, I really want to read more of this story because I so enjoyed Banks’ character, world-building, and story-telling.

Looking for a good book? Nemesis by Anna Banks is a well-told, exciting YA fantasy/romance that should be on the ‘must read’ list for all fans of the genres.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Nemesis

author: Anna Banks

series: Nemesis #1

publisher: Feiwel & Friends

ISBN: 1250070171

hardcover, 359 pages

GATES OF THE DEAD – James A. Moore

Posted by Daniel on March 4, 2019
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Take a deep breath … ready. Hold it … set. Read James A. Moore … GO!

Reading a James A. Moore novel is a test of character and constitution. You will hold your breath for long periods of time because of the excitement level, and you’ll have to work through with a great deal of carnage.

Brogan McTyre began a war with the god when the gods took his family for their sacrifice. The war has ravaged the world and only one of the five kingdoms remains – and that one is now bursting with refugees seeking a safe harbor from the fighting. Brogan and his army set out by sea to the Gateway – the only place where the gods can enter the earthly realm and the only place where they can be killed.  But Brogan and his warriors will have to face the He-Kisshi – demons who cannot be killed, sent by the gods – as just one of the obstacles before the Gateway.

If you follow my reviews on my blog, you’ll know that I think pretty highly of Moore’s books. These are high-action, fast-paced, modern sword-and-sorcery books of the very best ilk.  Think Conan, think Elric, think Kane. But these classic heroes will be left in the wake of destruction that Moore leaves in his books.

Aside from the great action that we get in a James A. Moore novel, we also get a complex story that on one level is a simple revenge story and on another level is deicide with all of the earth and heavens taking sides.

And unlike many of the sword-and-sorcery heroes of old, we get characters who feel like real people. Brogan’s anger and determination is so fit for a man who has gone through what he has.  There is a sense that he’ achieved more than he ever expected (when fighting gods one might expect to be killed pretty quickly) which has motivated him further.

But I think it is Berone who appeals to me the most.  Here is a man who has been turned into the fighting arm of his gods. He fails, is picked up, healed, and sent back into the fray. He cannot die, but perhaps he also cannot win.  What a terrible existence.  But he has no choice and faces his role as well as possible and fights on.

I can’t help but like these people and despise the gods that rule them and I like the what they fight for.  This is a series that has really been enjoyable and it is highly recommended for fans of high adventure, high action fantasy.  My nineteen year old son has already read through the series and sought out more James A. Moore books.

Looking for a good book? Gates of the Dead is the third book in James A. Moore’s The Tides of War series. It is breath-taking in scope and action and recommended.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Gates of the Dead

author: James A. Moore

series: Tides of War #3

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857667467

paperback, 413 pages

BRIAR AND ROSE AND JACK – Katherine Coville

Posted by Daniel on March 1, 2019
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I have to admit it … I love modern re-tellings of fairy tales and fairy tale mash-ups! This book, Briar and Rose and Jack, fits the latter as author Katherine Coville combines the classic fairy tales of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rose Red, and Jack and the Beanstalk  (and maybe a little Jack and the Giant Killer?)(note that we’re talking of the classic stories and not the Disneyfied versions).

Briar and Rose are twin sisters but almost immediately after birth, Briar, the first-born by a matter of minutes, is whisked away and neither will know their true relationship for many years. A witch places a curse on the heir to the kingdom, that she shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into a deep sleep only to be awakened by true love’s kiss. But will that curse fall on Rose, the girl everyone believes to be the heir, or Briar, the true heir?

As the girls grow older, Briar is not considered to be very pretty and is in fact scorned for her looks, while Rose is practically revered simply because she looks so pretty. But the girls don’t care or pay much attention to what others think … they are busy trying to protect the kingdom from the an evil giant who terrorizes the land. Along with Jack, a friend from the town, they set out to do what none of the adults have been able to do … defeat the giant.

Katherine Coville has managed to do something quite extraordinary with this story … not only has she combined a couple of classic fairy tales into a cohesive, exciting story, she has retained a great deal of the strength of the original stories while making them relevant and readable to today’s audience. This is no small feat!

There are some really important lessons to be learned here  (perhaps most importantly, the lesson of image/appearance and what makes a person truly great) and Coville mostly includes these lessons so casually that the reader isn’t likely to know that they are learning something.  There is one moment that I noted as a really nice teaching moment … how to make paint … and it works well in the book and most children reading it will find it to be a new discovery, but I did see it as an intentional teaching moment rather than a natural part of the story.

Though I admit that I like fairy tale re-tellings, I’d also have to say that I liked this book much more than I expected.  It’s got so much heart and depth and honesty that it goes well beyond a simple fairy tale.

Looking for a good book? Briar and Rose and Jack by Katherine Coville is a fantastic fairy tale mashup with a whole lot of heart that should be on every child’s bookshelf.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Briar and Rose and Jack

author: Katherine Coville

publisher: Clarion Books

ISBN: 1328950050

hardcover, 368 pages

LAST DESCENDANTS – Matthew J. Kirby

Posted by Daniel on February 27, 2019
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I just reviewed another Matthew J. Kirby book not too long ago and enjoyed it, wrapping up that I looked forward to another one of this books.  I picked this book out of my ARC pile and noted that it was also by Kirby. How fortuitous!

But whether it’s because this book is following the rules of a specific franchise or for some other reason, this particular book doesn’t have quite the same appeal as the other Kirby book I read recently.

I should also note that I’ve never actually played the Assassin’s Creed video game, though I’ve watched my son as he’s played through it.

Owen is a fifteen year old and his father has been sentenced to death. Owen wants desperately to prove his father’s innocence. He wants to use the ‘Animus’ (a means of accessing an ancestor’s memories) to get the proof that he needs, but once he does he becomes a target for a number of secret organizations, and Owen learns about the secret societies, the Templars, and the Assassin’s Brotherhood. Getting caught up in the affairs of the secret societies and the Animus, Owen and his friends (you know … that appropriately, racially and gender-mixed group of teens) wind up back in 1863 in search of a special dagger to make sure that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

One of the nice aspects to this book is the tie-in of the fictional world to real historical events.  Of course, being a book for youngsters, this history tie-in gives it that modern educational aspect that kids books tend to have.  Still, it is a great way to drop in a lesson without the reader realizing that they’re learning something.

But on the whole, I found this book to be a bit boring, which surprises me.  Being a book by Matthew Kirby and being a part of a very exciting, aggressive series like Assassin’s Creed I expected a lot more action and definitely more excitement.  (However, I was wondering how they were going to make teens into assassins.) I realize that there is a need to set up the characters and the situation because not everyone knows the video game series (me, being one of them), but I’m not convinced that this succeeds at really addressing all this.  Instead it becomes a collected bore that manages to hold true to the franchise and not offend anyone and be readable by school-aged children.

I feel like this is too often the case with children’s books that are based on something that comes from another medium (film, tv, video games, etc) – too many rules to follow and the rights holders don’t want to offend anyone so everything has to be sterile.

The character don’t stand out and they fit a stereotype grouping. We have to make sure there’s one of every kind (gender, race, and even sexual identity.  This has become so common that we expect it.

I didn’t really learn anything new about the Assassin’s Creed universe and I wasn’t particularly entertained.  This one is the sort of book that catches a youngster’s interest because of the video game, but it’s a story that will quickly be forgotten by those who manage to read it.

Looking for a good book? Last Descendants by Matthew J. Kirby takes place in the Assassin’s Creed universe … not that it really matters.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Last Descendants

author: Matthew J. Kirby

series: Assassin’s Creed: Last Descendants #1

publisher: Scholastic Inc.

ISBN: 0545855519

paperback, 320 pages

MISSISSIPPI ROLL – George R. R. Martin, editor

Posted by Daniel on February 25, 2019
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is the 24th book in the Wild Cards anthology series, which is pretty darned impressive and suggests it has a pretty loyal following (publishers aren’t going to continue to publish a series if people aren’t buying it). This also happens to be the first book I’ve read in this series. I do have a few others on my Kindle, but since this was an ARC and the others were books that I purchased I thought I should read this first. And I’ll say right up front that the reason I was attracted to this was the theme of the Mississippi River. Having grown up along the mighty Mississippi I’m almost always attracted to stories set along the river.

The story takes place on the Riverboat Natchez which is captained by Wilbur Leathers … who happens to be a ghost (though he was the captain before he died).

An alien virus has devastated the planet and many people have been transformed …either into “jokers” (people with deformities) or into “aces” (people with super powers).

Wilbur and the crew of the Natchez are transporting some wild cards (people with the virus) to the United States where they are seeking asylum.

While the book is billed as a novel, it is a composite novel … that is, a novel made of short stories that are linked together. The concept is that different authors would follow different members on the boat (crew or passengers) and Wilbur ties the stories together. It is an interesting variation of the themed anthology and because I had not read a book of this sort before it took me just a little bit to grasp the novel concept – I was reading it as short stories at first.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the stories here. Nothing stands out as a clear favorite, though if I had to choose, I’d probably go with Carrie Vaughn’s story because of the connection with the entertainment business (something near and dear to me). We have quite an assortment here: the main story of Wilbur and the Natchez (a character herself); a government agent and his wife – the agent is on a mission but is also hoping that his wife will use the voyage to recover from a previous mission; a lounge singer who plays good Samaritan; a married pair of private investigators using the trip as a late honeymoon; a gay bartender on the boat who thought he’d never find love.

This has definitely gotten me interested in reading some of the other Wild Cards volumes – but not so much that I’m dropping everything else to rush out and read them.

The stories included here are:

“In the Shadow of Tall Stacks” by Stephen Leigh
“Wingless Angel” by John Jos. Miller
“A Big Break in the Small Time” by Carrie Vaughn
“Death of the Water” by Cherie Priest
“Find the Lady” by Kevin Andrew Murphy
“Under the Arch” by David D. Levine

Looking for a good book? George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards series has been a favorite for many and this 24th volume, Mississippi Roll, will please current fans and capture a few new ones.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Mississippi Roll

editors: George R. R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass

series: Wild Cards #24

publisher: Tor

ISBN: 0765390523

hardcover, 336 pages