Looking For a Good Book

Reviews, comments, and the occasional blog postings about books and reading.

  • CHILDREN’S
  • Dark Fantasy/Horror
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • GRAPHIC NOVEL
  • HUMOR
  • MAGIC
  • MEMOIR
  • MYSTERY
  • MYTHOLOGY
  • NON-FICTION
  • ROMANCE
  • SF/FANTASY
  • SHORT FICTION
  • YA
  • OTHER
  • Thoughts
  • Uncategorized

IN THE CITY OF TIME – Gwendolyn Clare

Posted by Daniel on January 10, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult. Leave a comment

55823395

Willa Marconi has been doing research in a laboratory at the University of Bologna in 1891 when her mentor at the school dies unexpectedly. Without her mentor’s support she risks losing her access to the lab, her stipend, and all her research to date.  But when she discovers a strange signal while using her radio equipment, she fights to hang on to her research.

Fast-forward about 140 years – 2034 and the Earth has become uninhabitable. Humans exist only in pockets of artificial worlds which are often on the verge of collapse.  Jaideep lost his parents when the Bay Area pocket collapsed and now Riley will do anything to help Jaideep, including making a time machine to travel back in time to prevent the catastrophic event that caused the Earth’s devastation.

Something goes wrong, however, and instead of Riley and Jaideep going back in time, Willa is pulled forward with them and the three of them are stuck in an abandoned city with an android time-cop hunting them and only a faulty time-machine to help.

This book is set in the same universe as author Gwendolyn Clare’s Ink, Iron, and Glass books (the first of which I reviewed three years ago), but you don’t have to have read those books to enjoy this.

Clare has done a nice job of providing us with post-apocalyptic science fiction story, mixed with some time-travel, featuring some pretty resourceful teens.

The teen characters make-or-break this novel (since there aren’t many characters beside them), and they are definitely a nice trio of diversity with some mad skills and witty banter that should endear them to teen readers. The time cop is also a powerful character in its own way, but I couldn’t help but constantly picture the cop from the Terminator movie.

Looking for a good book? In the City of Time by Gwendolyn Clare is a nice diversion and for fans of time-travel science fiction a quick yet satisfying read.

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

* * * * * *

In the City of Time

author: Gwendolyn Clare

series: In the City of Time #1

publisher: Feiwel Friends

ISBN: 9781250230744 

hardcover, 336 pages

STORMBRINGER (Saga #2) – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on January 6, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

56897580

Just as with the first volume in the Elric Saga, I’m quite pleased to have the entire Elric series being re-released and available digitally. The order of the books is slightly different from earlier releases, but this being the latest collection of Elric books, I would assume this is the current, definitive order in which to read the series.

This collection contains four Elric books: The Vanishing Tower, The Revenge of the Rose, The Bane of the Black Sword, and Stormbringer. I reviewed these books separately and have reposted those reviews here.

This collection features a preface by Michael Chabon and, what might be truly exciting for Moorcock fans or Elric fans … a very detailed Reader’s Guide to Elric, listing when and where the stories and the books came out, including the different editions, different publishers, etc. This was almost as complicated as an Elric story but very rewarding for the fan.

Reviews of the four books below.

Looking for a good book? The collection of Elric books, Stormbringer: The Elric Saga Book 2, by Michael Moorcock is a little weak in the beginning but ends on a very strong note.

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

* * * * * *

Stormbringer

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #2

publisher: Saga Press

ISBN: 9781534445710

hardcover, 851 pages

Individual book reviews:

The Vanishing Tower

Rated 2.5

It’s Elric time again, as I am working my way through the entire series.

As with the four previous Elric books, there are three ‘books’ between the covers – likely novellas or novelettes.

In the first, “The Torment of the Last Lord,” Elric and his faithful servant Sancho Moonglum head off to confront the evil wizard Theleb K’aarna but they are beset upon by strange and terrible monsters. They are ill prepared for this battle and Elric calls upon an ancient god to help them, but the god refuses and they are captured and his sword, Stormbringer, lost.  When they are taken away Elric finds a woman in coma who speaks to him (this is Moorcock, remember) and tells him many things, including where to find an item that will help him defeat the wizard’s army.  But that item is on the other side of the world, so Elric has to take a magical bird that she somehow supplies, after some effort finds the jewel that will help him defeat Theleb K’aarna, but also finds a jewel that should awaken the woman.

Battle ensues, Stormbringer returns, Theleb K’aarna flees, woman awakes, love is made.

The second ‘book’ in this volume is “To Snare the Pale Prince.” Elric and Moonglum are off in a quiet village recuperating from their recent adventure. They are nearly undefeatable when facing armies and evil wizards and maniacal kings, but the pair of them get hoodwinked by a couple of young ladies who steal the Ring of Actorios – the ring that Elric must use to summon supernatural assistance.

It is, of course, a ploy on the part of Theleb K’aarna and Elric and Moonglum will fight more monsters.

The final piece is “Three Heroes with a Single Aim.” Elric connects once again with other incarnations of the Eternal Champion to visit Tanelorn – the refuge for tormented souls. The three-in-one eternal champion must enter the Vanishing Tower together to defeat an evil wizard (but this time it’s not Theleb K’aarna).

While the 1977 edition of this book still sits on my shelf, I don’t remember if I read it or not.  There were times when the story seemed familiar, but I recognize that all three of these stories seem similar to stories in the previous volumes as well.

While I like the Eternal Champion theme, I recognize that it isn’t explained particularly well in the Elric books. In a nutshell – all the heroes (at least all of Moorcock’s heroes) are incarnations of the same person but in different realities and from time to time, they meet to fight together.  And as time runs differently in different realities they sometimes know each other and sometimes don’t.  Sometimes they remember shared battles that haven’t happened yet.  Yes, it’s all a bit metaphysical and the Elric books are often quite philosophical and existential.

This particular volume didn’t excite me too tremendously. There was either a lot of senseless fighting or a lot of brooding.  Sometimes at the same time.

For a short time I enjoyed the middle story, which, although a little ridiculous to have Elric and Moonglum taken in by your average prostitutes, was a little more on the relaxing side after all the heavy battling and brooding from the previous story, but then it, too, turned darker.

This is part of the Elric saga so I’m glad to have read it, but if I wasn’t a little OCD about book series, I’d probably have skipped it.

Looking for a good book? The Vanishing Tower is part of the Elric series by Michael Moorcock, and in that regard it is worth reading, but it’s not a particularly strong addition to the series.

I received a digital copy, as Volume 2 in The Elric Saga, from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

The Revenge of the Rose

Rated 2.5

Three novellas in one title, as seems to be the pattern with the Elric books. “Concerning the Fate of Empires,” “Esbern Snare; The Northern Werewolf,” and “A Rose Redeemed; A Rose Revived.”

Elric, the albino prince of the doomed city of Melniboné still cavorts with his friend Moonglum when Elric is visited by a dragon who brings the prince to the ghost of Sadric his father. Sadric needs Elric to find his soul which is currently being kept in a wooden box in a land far away, and reunite spirit and soul. If Elric fails, he will be paired with Sadric’s ghost, at which time bad things will happen.

On his journey to find the lost soul, Elric will gain an ally – the warrior princess Rose. Elric and Rose have a mutual enemy, Charion, a high valued, undead agent of Chaos. They need to deal with Charion or Chaos will rule without check. But a couple of demons make it more challenging.

Just before completing his mission to restore Sadric with his soul, Elric learns that Rose’s involvement in the fight against Charion was all about revenge for what Charion had done, destroying her people.

I bought this book when it first came out but I’d not read it because I had fallen behind in reading the series at the time.  It was, I believe, the 8th book in the series then.  Now in this new definitive (?) collection, this becomes the 6th book in the Elric saga.

Elric has always been philosophical but I think there’s more talk and waxing philosophic in this volume than there is swordplay – and that’s not why we read these kinds of books. There is a little bit of high stakes conflict with Charion, but that almost feels secondary to Elric being able to reflect and get morose about the world.

This is not a strong addition to the series and I’m curious why it’s being moved up in the order of the books.

Looking for a good book? The Revenge of the Rose by Michael Moorcock is a late addition to the Elric saga, low on action but high on existential philosophy.

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

The Bane of the Black Sword

Rated 3.0

The saga of the damned albino prince of Melniboné continues in another novel composed of three novellas in The Bane of the Black Sword. As the title might suggest, Elric’s cursed sword, the soul-drinking runeblade known as Stormbringer plays a larger part in this collection.

We have the ‘usual’ three novellas making up this book, with a short extra. The first of these novellas is “The Stealer of Souls” in which the albino king has his final (?) battle with Theleb Ka’arna, the evil wizard who has plagued Elric. Elric is helped by his old friend Dyvim Tvar and a small horde of dragons.

In “Kings in Darkness” Elric and Moonglum are on a hurried retreat from what must surely be a misunderstanding. Elric, who can slay wizards and demons with his soul-drinking sword, runs away from common soldiers. They find themselves in the dark Forest of Troos and Elric falls in love with the beautiful 17 year old Zarozinia.

“The Flamebringers” sees Elric looking to enjoy his time with his beautiful bride, Zarozinia, to whom he has promised he will not put his hands on his soul-drinking sword, but when you are a fated hero, life intervenes. Elric must face a million mad nomads raping their way toward him while also helping a sorcerer friend whose soul is trapped in the body of a black cat. (Yeah, isn’t fantasy great?)

There is also the “Epilogue: To Rescue Tanelorn” which might be the best part of the book even though Elric isn’t in the story.  Instead we get Rackhir the Red Archer who must protect Tanelorn (think of Tanelorn like Switzerland – it’s neutral territory for all sorts of mercenaries and rebels.  But it’s under threat from a wizard and the beggars he’s gathered as an army.

I am now in unchartered territory for me in the Elric series and I understand why.  These stories are beginning to feel quite the same.

There is some appeal to this – consistency and knowing what you’re going to get.  It’s the reason chain stores all look the same. And as a young reader, when these books were still being released new (I was 16 when this first came out), we didn’t have that immediacy of being able to read them all in a row (unless we waited for them all or re-read all the previous books) so knowing, in general, what we would get with the next book, was appealing.  But now, reading seven books – essentially in a row – it doesn’t hold the same appeal.

This book does seem to be more straight-forward.  In the Sword & Sorcery category, we have both – sword (that is magicked) and wizards and sorcerers aplenty and Elric does much less ruminating or brooding or philosophizing and I almost rather miss it – I mean that’s part of what really defines the brooding albino.

I think that this stands as a decent S&S story, and a decent addition to the Elric saga, but not outstanding, and for the hardcore Elric reader, reading all the books in a row, this might be a less-than-exciting, repetitive volume.

Looking for a good book? The Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock is a volume of the Elric saga – where it falls in the saga depends on which collection you adhere to, but it does fall just a bit short of being truly unique and interesting.

I received a digital version of this book, as part of a larger collection, from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Stormbringer

Rated 4.5

In this collection of Elric novellas we have “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” “Sad Giant’s Shield,” and “Doomed Lord’s Passing.”

In the first story, Elric’s wife, Zarozinia, is kidnapped by some beings out of chaos, on the behest of a resurrected god named Darnizhaan. Darnizhaan was killed by a soul-drinking Black Sword. Not Elric’s Stormbringer, but its twin, Mournblade. Darnizhaan wants both swords so that he doesn’t have to fear being killed again, and so that he can begin taking over the world. Elric, his companion Moonglum, and Mournblade’s owner, Dyvim Slorm, deliver the swords to Darnizhaan … but they have a little trick up their sleeves.

In “Black Sword’s Brothers” Elric learns that Stormbringer has the power to call upon its brothers (like Mournblade) to fight for it. Elric learns the secrets to make this happen, sending some of his opponents to an eternal death, but Elric loses his sword in the process and he’ll need to get it back as the sword feeds Elric, providing him with the sustenance he needs to survive. He succeeds in getting Stormbringer once again, and he heads off to rescue Moonglum.

Elric and Moonglum head off to fight Jagreen Lern, who is amassing an army to take control of large swaths of land. They learn of a giant who own s a Chaos Shield, which would come in real handy in the battle against Jagreen Lern so they go to get it. Along the way, while aboard a ship, a storm nearly has them drown when tossed from the ship, but they are saved by Straasha, Lord of the Sea. They get the shield, go off to battle and Elric is ready to confront his foes when he discovers Zarozinia who has been transformed into a giant worm. Distraught, she kills herself on Elric’s sword.

And finally, a strange end with “Doomed Lord’s Passing.” Elric and his band of friends and fighters head back to Melnibone. To put a stop to Chaos, Elric will need to blow the Horn of Fate. Blowing it once will awaken dragons. Blowing it twice will bring the White Lords. And blowing three times will end the world. But as Fate would have it, Elric is completely exhausted and drained and is unable to muster the strength to blow the horn three times and there no one near enough for him to kill in order for Stormbringer to give him energy … except for Moonglum. What will Elric do?

This was a really strong collection, and everything we’ve liked about Elric and Stormbringer and Moonglum are present along with some moments we’ve seen before that are quite moving (the inability to save a loved one and having Elric’s precious sword being the cause of their death).

I’m quite certain I read this back in the 70’s (buying it just as much for Michael Whelan’s beautiful cover as for the story within) but I didn’t remember most of the specifics.

Stormbringer has more and more a curiosity throughout the books, and it makes sense to have these four stories together which feature Stormbringer most prominently.

This book definitely feels like the end of the series, and in that sense I’m missing one element … the Eternal Champion. We’ve touched on this theme in earlier books and I would have liked to have had that a little bit more here, but I do recognize that this likely comes from the fact that I’ve now read eight of the books almost one right after another, so this is a little more prominent to me.

This is probably one of my more favorite books in the series, but I’d highly recommend reading some of the other books first, to get a feel for Elric and his compatriots, before jumping into this.

Looking for a good book? Stormbringer, by Michael Moorcock, sees the albino king of Melnibone in a Ragnarok-like battle to save the world from Chaos.

STORMBRINGER – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on January 5, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

3717677

In this collection of Elric novellas we have “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” “Sad Giant’s Shield,” and “Doomed Lord’s Passing.”

 

In the first story, Elric’s wife, Zarozinia, is kidnapped by some beings out of chaos, on the behest of a resurrected god named Darnizhaan. Darnizhaan was killed by a soul-drinking Black Sword. Not Elric’s Stormbringer, but its twin, Mournblade. Darnizhaan wants both swords so that he doesn’t have to fear being killed again, and so that he can begin taking over the world. Elric, his companion Moonglum, and Mournblade’s owner, Dyvim Slorm, deliver the swords to Darnizhaan … but they have a little trick up their sleeves.

In “Black Sword’s Brothers” Elric learns that Stormbringer has the power to call upon its brothers (like Mournblade) to fight for it. Elric learns the secrets to make this happen, sending some of his opponents to an eternal death, but Elric loses his sword in the process and he’ll need to get it back as the sword feeds Elric, providing him with the sustenance he needs to survive. He succeeds in getting Stormbringer once again, and he heads off to rescue Moonglum.

Elric and Moonglum head off to fight Jagreen Lern, who is amassing an army to take control of large swaths of land. They learn of a giant who own s a Chaos Shield, which would come in real handy in the battle against Jagreen Lern so they go to get it. Along the way, while aboard a ship, a storm nearly has them drown when tossed from the ship, but they are saved by Straasha, Lord of the Sea. They get the shield, go off to battle and Elric is ready to confront his foes when he discovers Zarozinia who has been transformed into a giant worm. Distraught, she kills herself on Elric’s sword.

And finally, a strange end with “Doomed Lord’s Passing.” Elric and his band of friends and fighters head back to Melnibone. To put a stop to Chaos, Elric will need to blow the Horn of Fate. Blowing it once will awaken dragons. Blowing it twice will bring the White Lords. And blowing three times will end the world. But as Fate would have it, Elric is completely exhausted and drained and is unable to muster the strength to blow the horn three times and there no one near enough for him to kill in order for Stormbringer to give him energy … except for Moonglum. What will Elric do?

This was a really strong collection, and everything we’ve liked about Elric and Stormbringer and Moonglum are present along with some moments we’ve seen before that are quite moving (the inability to save a loved one and having Elric’s precious sword being the cause of their death).

I’m quite certain I read this back in the 70’s (buying it just as much for Michael Whelan’s beautiful cover as for the story within) but I didn’t remember most of the specifics.

Stormbringer has more and more a curiosity throughout the books, and it makes sense to have these four stories together which feature Stormbringer most prominently.

This book definitely feels like the end of the series, and in that sense I’m missing one element … the Eternal Champion. We’ve touched on this theme in earlier books and I would have liked to have had that a little bit more here, but I do recognize that this likely comes from the fact that I’ve now read eight of the books almost one right after another, so this is a little more prominent to me.  

This is probably one of my more favorite books in the series, but I’d highly recommend reading some of the other books first, to get a feel for Elric and his compatriots, before jumping into this.

Looking for a good book? Stormbringer, by Michael Moorcock, sees the albino king of Melnibone in a Ragnarok-like battle to save the world from Chaos.

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

* * * * * *

Stormbringer

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga (#6), Tale of the Eternal Champion (#12), Elric Chronological Order (#9), The Eternal Champion Sequence (#11.6)

publisher: DAW

ISBN: 9780879973353

paperback, 220 pages

THE BANE OF THE BLACK SWORD – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on January 4, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

594573

The saga of the damned albino prince of Melniboné continues in another novel composed of three novellas in The Bane of the Black Sword. As the title might suggest, Elric’s cursed sword, the soul-drinking runeblade known as Stormbringer plays a larger part in this collection.

We have the ‘usual’ three novellas making up this book, with a short extra. The first of these novellas is “The Stealer of Souls” in which the albino king has his final (?) battle with Theleb Ka’arna, the evil wizard who has plagued Elric. Elric is helped by his old friend Dyvim Tvar and a small horde of dragons.

In “Kings in Darkness” Elric and Moonglum are on a hurried retreat from what must surely be a misunderstanding. Elric, who can slay wizards and demons with his soul-drinking sword, runs away from common soldiers. They find themselves in the dark Forest of Troos and Elric falls in love with the beautiful 17 year old Zarozinia.

“The Flamebringers” sees Elric looking to enjoy his time with his beautiful bride, Zarozinia, to whom he has promised he will not put his hands on his soul-drinking sword, but when you are a fated hero, life intervenes. Elric must face a million mad nomads raping their way toward him while also helping a sorcerer friend whose soul is trapped in the body of a black cat. (Yeah, isn’t fantasy great?)

There is also the “Epilogue: To Rescue Tanelorn” which might be the best part of the book even though Elric isn’t in the story.  Instead we get Rackhir the Red Archer who must protect Tanelorn (think of Tanelorn like Switzerland – it’s neutral territory for all sorts of mercenaries and rebels.  But it’s under threat from a wizard and the beggars he’s gathered as an army.

I am now in unchartered territory for me in the Elric series and I understand why.  These stories are beginning to feel quite the same.

There is some appeal to this – consistency and knowing what you’re going to get.  It’s the reason chain stores all look the same. And as a young reader, when these books were still being released new (I was 16 when this first came out), we didn’t have that immediacy of being able to read them all in a row (unless we waited for them all or re-read all the previous books) so knowing, in general, what we would get with the next book, was appealing.  But now, reading seven books – essentially in a row – it doesn’t hold the same appeal.

This book does seem to be more straight-forward.  In the Sword & Sorcery category, we have both – sword (that is magicked) and wizards and sorcerers aplenty and Elric does much less ruminating or brooding or philosophizing and I almost rather miss it – I mean that’s part of what really defines the brooding albino.

I think that this stands as a decent S&S story, and a decent addition to the Elric saga, but not outstanding, and for the hardcore Elric reader, reading all the books in a row, this might be a less-than-exciting, repetitive volume.

Looking for a good book? The Bane of the Black Sword by Michael Moorcock is a volume of the Elric saga – where it falls in the saga depends on which collection you adhere to, but it does fall just a bit short of being truly unique and interesting.

I received a digital version of this book, as part of a larger collection, from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

The Bane of the Black Sword

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #5; Elric Chronological Order #8

publisher: (1977) DAW; (2022) Saga Press

ISBN: (1977) 9780879974213; (2022)  9781534445710

paperback, (1977) 157 pages/hardcover, (2022) 851 pages

THE REVENGE OF THE ROSE – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on January 3, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

1488518

Three novellas in one title, as seems to be the pattern with the Elric books. “Concerning the Fate of Empires,” “Esbern Snare; The Northern Werewolf,” and “A Rose Redeemed; A Rose Revived.”

Elric, the albino prince of the doomed city of Melniboné still cavorts with his friend Moonglum when Elric is visited by a dragon who brings the prince to the ghost of Sadric his father. Sadric needs Elric to find his soul which is currently being kept in a wooden box in a land far away, and reunite spirit and soul. If Elric fails, he will be paired with Sadric’s ghost, at which time bad things will happen.

On his journey to find the lost soul, Elric will gain an ally – the warrior princess Rose. Elric and Rose have a mutual enemy, Charion, a high valued, undead agent of Chaos. They need to deal with Charion or Chaos will rule without check. But a couple of demons make it more challenging.

Just before completing his mission to restore Sadric with his soul, Elric learns that Rose’s involvement in the fight against Charion was all about revenge for what Charion had done, destroying her people.

I bought this book when it first came out but I’d not read it because I had fallen behind in reading the series at the time.  It was, I believe, the 8th book in the series then.  Now in this new definitive (?) collection, this becomes the 6th book in the Elric saga.

Elric has always been philosophical but I think there’s more talk and waxing philosophic in this volume than there is swordplay – and that’s not why we read these kinds of books. There is a little bit of high stakes conflict with Charion, but that almost feels secondary to Elric being able to reflect and get morose about the world.

This is not a strong addition to the series and I’m curious why it’s being moved up in the order of the books.

Looking for a good book? The Revenge of the Rose by Michael Moorcock is a late addition to the Elric saga, low on action but high on existential philosophy.

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

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1halfJava-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

The Revenge of the Rose

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #9, The Elric Saga #6

publisher: Saga Press (2022 collection); Ace (1991 edition)

ISBN: 9781534445710 (2022 edition);  9780441718443 (1991 edition)

hardcover, 851 pages (2022); 244 pages (1991)

THE VANISHING TOWER – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on January 2, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

1808222

It’s Elric time again, as I am working my way through the entire series.

As with the four previous Elric books, there are three ‘books’ between the covers – likely novellas or novelettes.

In the first, “The Torment of the Last Lord,” Elric and his faithful servant Sancho Moonglum head off to confront the evil wizard Theleb K’aarna but they are beset upon by strange and terrible monsters. They are ill prepared for this battle and Elric calls upon an ancient god to help them, but the god refuses and they are captured and his sword, Stormbringer, lost.  When they are taken away Elric finds a woman in coma who speaks to him (this is Moorcock, remember) and tells him many things, including where to find an item that will help him defeat the wizard’s army.  But that item is on the other side of the world, so Elric has to take a magical bird that she somehow supplies, after some effort finds the jewel that will help him defeat Theleb K’aarna, but also finds a jewel that should awaken the woman.

Battle ensues, Stormbringer returns, Theleb K’aarna flees, woman awakes, love is made.

The second ‘book’ in this volume is “To Snare the Pale Prince.” Elric and Moonglum are off in a quiet village recuperating from their recent adventure. They are nearly undefeatable when facing armies and evil wizards and maniacal kings, but the pair of them get hoodwinked by a couple of young ladies who steal the Ring of Actorios – the ring that Elric must use to summon supernatural assistance.

It is, of course, a ploy on the part of Theleb K’aarna and Elric and Moonglum will fight more monsters.

The final piece is “Three Heroes with a Single Aim.” Elric connects once again with other incarnations of the Eternal Champion to visit Tanelorn – the refuge for tormented souls. The three-in-one eternal champion must enter the Vanishing Tower together to defeat an evil wizard (but this time it’s not Theleb K’aarna).

While the 1977 edition of this book still sits on my shelf, I don’t remember if I read it or not.  There were times when the story seemed familiar, but I recognize that all three of these stories seem similar to stories in the previous volumes as well.

While I like the Eternal Champion theme, I recognize that it isn’t explained particularly well in the Elric books. In a nutshell – all the heroes (at least all of Moorcock’s heroes) are incarnations of the same person but in different realities and from time to time, they meet to fight together.  And as time runs differently in different realities they sometimes know each other and sometimes don’t.  Sometimes they remember shared battles that haven’t happened yet.  Yes, it’s all a bit metaphysical and the Elric books are often quite philosophical and existential.

This particular volume didn’t excite me too tremendously. There was either a lot of senseless fighting or a lot of brooding.  Sometimes at the same time.

For a short time I enjoyed the middle story, which, although a little ridiculous to have Elric and Moonglum taken in by your average prostitutes, was a little more on the relaxing side after all the heavy battling and brooding from the previous story, but then it, too, turned darker.

This is part of the Elric saga so I’m glad to have read it, but if I wasn’t a little OCD about book series, I’d probably have skipped it.

Looking for a good book? The Vanishing Tower is part of the Elric series by Michael Moorcock, and in that regard it is worth reading, but it’s not a particularly strong addition to the series.

I received a digital copy, as Volume 2 in The Elric Saga, from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1halfJava-icon (1)-emptyJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

The Vanishing Tower

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #4, Elric Chronological Order #6

publisher: Daw (1977); Saga Press (2022)

ISBN: 0879976934 (1977) 1534445714 (2022)

paperback, 175 pages (1977)

Happy New Year

Posted by Daniel on January 1, 2023
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

new-years-day-6790597_1920

OLAV AUDUNSSØN: III. CROSSROADS – Sigrid Undset

Posted by Daniel on December 30, 2022
Posted in: HISTORICAL FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Historical Fiction, Literature, Reviews. Leave a comment

60240727

I have come to look forward to these Olav Audunssøn books!

It is medieval Norway – the 1300’s – a time of great upheaval for the country from internal politics to neighboring conflicts with Sweden and Denmark. And what is happening on a country-sized scaled is reflected in the life of Olav Audunssøn, a moderately wealthy land owner racked with guilt over past events and his estrangement from his son, and who wonders what the future holds for someone like himself, now in midlife and looking toward his waning years.

Olav accepts an opportunity to be a part of a merchant ship headed to England – though this is clearly more about Olav trying to escape his past than it is about being on a merchant ship or traveling to England.

In England Olav meets a woman, at church, who he at first thinks is his beloved Ingunn (though clearly it can’t be). The resemblance is so striking to Olav that he imagines this woman with all of Ingunn’s traits and when he believes she’s inviting him back to her home (he doesn’t speak her language nor she, his) he’s full-on in his Ingunn fantasy. But reality teaches him a hard lesson.

Olav returns home to a son who now stands up for himself and is ready to strike out on his own. But Olav won’t be alone for long … the Swedes are invading.

These books are so well written and so beautifully translated that the reader is pulled into the story and brought along on the journey. We don’t feel like observers, but participants.

This volume, in the four book series, had a bit of  a Gulliver’s Travels feel to it – much more episodic with mini stories that each had their own solution (the sailing, the woman who looked like Ingunn, the confrontation with the son, invasion of the Swedes, etc) rather than all intertwined throughout the course of the novel.

This might be my least favorite of the books in the series that I’ve read so far. Olav behaves here ‘out of character’ for what we’ve seen of him to this point. While I recognize that he is changing – and struggling with his changing – the instance with the woman in England feels way too different from everything else we’ve seen of Olav.

But … the title of this volume is “Crossroads” and Olav is clearly at this intersection and wondering (and wandering) what the rest of his life holds in store. If there’s a sentence in this books which defines this volume it would be: “It became clearer to him how little a middle-aged man counted in the world when he’d been stripped of everything, such as property and powerful kinsmen, that increased his worth.”

The book ends with the clash with the Swedes and Olav taking on the new role of organizing a muster of farmers to protect and defend their land. I will be interested to see how much this plays into the final book.

Looking for a good book? Olav Audunssøn: III. Crossroads by Sigrid Undset and translated by Tiina Nunnally, is an absolutely engaging tale of a man in medieval Norway trying to find his path in life and understand how he fits in to God’s greater plan.

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

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Olav Audunssøn: III. Crossroads

author: Sigrid Undset

translator: Tiina Nunnally

publisher: University of Minnesota Press

ISBN: 9781517913342

paperback, 216 pages

BEYOND THE WALL – James Lowder, editor

Posted by Daniel on December 29, 2022
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

18272592

One of the signs of a pop culture success is the ‘jumping on the band-wagon’ to capitalize on that success. I don’t mean this to be as negative as it sounds. Take, for instance, a book of essays like this – Beyond the Wall – which has a number of people examining different aspects of the popular book and television series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. This book certainly wouldn’t exist if the series weren’t extremely popular (where are the books like this on Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber or Louis L’Amour’s Sackett series, or Jan Karon’s Mitford books? And honestly, they may exist, I can’t say I’ve looked for them, but it’s more likely that they haven’t seen the pop culture success that Martin’s books have seen.

The up-side to this is that for those of us who enjoying digging a little deeper into a series, or who appreciate new viewpoints or learning something new, we have that opportunity through books like this.

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of Martin’s books (mostly because I’ve only read the first one and only seen the first season of the HBO hit series), but I’m certainly more interested in exploring both based on some of the essays in this collection (and because I’ve waited long enough to read this book and write this review, there’s a new television series set in this world, which should renew interest in a book such as this).

First, I’ll note that I appreciated Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garcia, Jr.’s comment in their article, “The Palace of Love, the Palace of Sorrow,” that “readers identify with characters, not socioeconomic trends, so it’s natural to position protagonists and antagonists as the primary instigators of events.” Readers of my reviews will note that I comment on this quite often.

One of my favorite essays in the collection is Myke Cole’s “Art Imitates War” in which, early on, he writes:

If there’s one specific area I like to hone in on, it’s Martin’s facility with character. Martin routinely steps into the mindsets of a wide range of characters who are nothing like him. … Each one fully realized. Each one authentic. And each one suffering from intense trauma. Martin’s not very nice to his characters. Westeros is a rough place to grow up. Every single major character in the saga is horribly traumatized at some point, and that trauma is exacerbated as their stories evolve. It’s in that trauma, and how his characters react to it, that I see Martin at his best.

That Cole has been to war multiple times, and responded to domestic disasters makes him keenly aware of what emotional trauma does to people.

I thought that the piece by Matt Staggs, “Petyr Baelish and the Mask of Sanity” was quite well written, with observations such as:

One of the great charms of Martin’s epic is that the author avoids the good versus evil dichotomy present in much of fantasy fiction, instead opting to present a more textured, realistic human tableau. Just exactly who the heroes and villains are depends on one’s perspective, and even then neither designation is necessarily static: the despised monster of one book may be the hero of another, or vice versa.

and

Martin doesn’t introduce an external source of evil in his work because it isn’t required. There is corruption and depravity and sin in A Song of Ice and Fire, but it can all be ascribed to human fallibility. Supernatural evil is exceptionally rare, and when it appears, it is almost uniformly alien.

Caroline Spector’s essay, “Power and Feminism in Westeros” was also a powerful and well-written piece and John Jos. Miller’s article “Collecting Ice and Fire in the Age of Nook and Kindle” was as much a fascinating and informative look at book publishing and collecting as it was a connection to the Martin saga.

Fans of the Song of Fire and Ice books and series will definitely want to get some extra insight into these books.

This book contains the following:

Foreword • Stories for the Nights to Come by R.A. Salvatore

Introduction • In Praise of Living History by James Lowder

“The Palace of Love, the Palace of Sorrow • Romanticism in A Song of Ice and Fire” by Linda Antonsson and Elio M. García, Jr.

“Men and Monsters • Rape, Myth-Making, and the Rise and Fall of Nations in A Song of Ice and Fire” by Alyssa Rosenberg

“Same Song in a Different Key • Adapting A Game of Thrones as a Graphic Novel” by Daniel Abraham

“An Unreliable World • History and Timekeeping in Westeros” by Adam Whitehead

“Back to the Egg • The Prequels to A Song of Ice and Fire” by Gary Westfahl

“Art Imitates War • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in A Song of Ice and Fire” by Myke Cole

“The Brutal Cost of Redemption in Westeros • Or, What Moral Ambiguity?” by Susan Vaught

“Of Direwolves and Gods” by Andrew Zimmerman Jones

“A Sword Without a Hilt • The Dangers of Magic in (and to) Westeros” by Jesse Scoble

“Petyr Baelish and the Mask of Sanity” by Matt Staggs

“A Different Kind of Other • The Role of Freaks and Outcasts in A Song of Ice and Fire” by Brent Hartinger

“Power and Feminism in Westeros” by Caroline Spector

“Collecting Ice and Fire in the Age of Nook and Kindle” by John Jos. Miller

“Beyond the Ghetto • How George R.R. Martin Fights the Genre Wars” by Ned Vizzini

Looking for a good book? Beyond the Wall is a collection of essays about George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series (both books and television), edited by James Lowder. There are some definite gems among the collection that will have you looking at the series in some new light.

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

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1halfJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Beyond the Wall

editor: James Lowder

publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.

ISBN: 9781936661749

paperback, 220 pages

BE THE SERPENT – Seanan McGuire

Posted by Daniel on December 28, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

59781226

Book sixteen in the October Daye series – a solid urban fantasy series by one of the top writers in the genre!

October Daye is now married (to the King of Cats!) and life is supposed to become much more domestic – which might terrify October somewhat since she’s never been prepared for this kind of life. After all, what need is there for domesticity when you are a Hero among the Fae? But trouble can come from family and friends. If your Toby Daye … especially from family and friends!

While some of Toby’s family have certainly been a thorn in her side, she has, at least, known where they stand and how much she can or cannot rely on them. But deception from long-time friends might blindside October.

In the opening pages of the book, author Seanan McGuire notes that the events that unfold here in book 16 are something that she’s planned from the very beginning of the series. This just adds to my already high esteem for McGuire. I mean, sixteen books?  That’s a long game plan.

The book has most of the usual players, though not all of them have leading roles in this one (Tybalt, surprisingly, has very little to do other than be Toby’s focus of relaxed attention), and we have the typical running commentary from Toby about all of those around her. There are the usual threats and Toby’s cautious reflections on what’s happening about her.

What is new with this book, is the lack of ending.

That’s right … although this has been an on-going series, the books I’ve read have still managed to be complete stories. But this book has what others generously refer to as a ‘cliffhanger’ – meaning, there’s no real ending here, you’ll have to wait for the next book to finish this story.

I like McGuire and I really like the October Daye series, and I can’t imagine not reading these books, but I always take away at least one star for giving me a book to read that doesn’t have an ending.

Also as usual, there is a novella at the end of the book.  This one, “Such Dangerous Seas,” gives us some insight on one of the characters who’s always played crafty to me.

Looking for a good book? If you haven’t read any of the October Daye series and you claim to like Urban Fantasy, you’re missing one of the best. Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire is the 16th book in the series, and continues the well-established tradition of fantasy storytelling. But be warned, while you should read the whole series, you can’t read this book and expect a conclusion.

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

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1halfJava-icon (1)-empty

* * * * * *

Be the Serpent

author: Seanan McGuire

series: October Daye #16

publisher: DAW

ISBN: 9780756416867

hardcover, 384 pages

THE FERRYMAN – Justin Cronin

Posted by Daniel on December 27, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

61282437

If you were to combine a sci-fi read like Logan’s Run with a concept like Russian nesting dolls, and you might get a book like Justin Cronin’s The Ferryman.

Prospera is a remote paradise, created by a mystery person known only as The Designer. In Prospera, citizens live long, fulfilling lives, away from the horrors of a crumbling world. Citizens have an embedded chip that measures the quality of their lives – physical and mental – and when that chip registers that the quality of life falls below 10%, it is time for that person to ‘retire’ – meaning to take the  ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are prepared to start all over.

Proctor Bennett has had a good career as a Ferryman – someone who helps guide a retiring citizen through the retiring process (occasionally enforcing it) – until the day he has to shepherd his own father, who does not go quietly and who leaves Proctor with a cryptic message. At this same time, Proctor is noting that he’s having strange dreams and, more alarming, his own life monitoring percentage is dropping fast. Much too quickly, Proctor is forced into retirement and the ferry ride to the Nursery. But there he encounters rumors of a resistance group known as “Arrivalists” who are stirring up a revolution … one in which Proctor Bennett is key, even though he doesn’t know it.

I’m not sure I would have been drawn to this book if it weren’t for the success of Cronin’s popular The Passage series. I am glad that I did read this, however, because this sort of intricate plotting and revealing of story is right up my alley.

Earlier I reckoned this with Russian nesting dolls, but I might also compare it to, as Shrek might say, an onion, with layer upon layer upon layer of story which Cronin deftly peels away to reveal the story underneath the story.

This story went to places that I did not anticipate (note that I do not read generally synopses before reading a book – or if I do, a significant enough time has passed that I forget why I was drawn to a particular book) but looking back on it, I think there were sufficient clues so that the reader savvier than I might not be quite as surprised. However, the sometimes disorienting experience while reading this is a large part of the appeal.

And of course, there’s character.  I do love character-driven stories and I think this is very much a character-driven novel. Proctor Bennett is every bit as confused as the reader through the twists and turns and we really do get inside his head through this.

If there is a downside, which prevents me from giving this a full five stars, it’s that all the other characters are less well defined. I recognize that some of this has to do with the unknown realities of the world(s) Proctor goes through, but in at least one case, there’s a character who seemingly becomes vital to the story revelations, and I don’t think that even here, that character ever really comes into sharp focus.

It is October when I write this, but the review won’t appear online until December.  Even so, the book isn’t released until May.  I suspect there will be a good media blitz but don’t take that chance … mark your calendars right now so that you don’t miss this book.

Looking for a good book? The Ferryman is the newest book by Justin Cronin and it will engage and deceive you in all the right ways.  Go read it.

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

Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)Java-icon (1)-1half

* * * * * *

The Ferryman

author: Justin Cronin

publisher: Ballantine Books

ISBN: 9780525619475

hardcover, 560 pages

Happy Kwanzaa

Posted by Daniel on December 26, 2022
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

4498652

Posts navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →
  • Recent Posts

    • THE FINAL STRIFE – Saara El-Arifi
    • DEFINITELY DEAD – Charlaine Harris
    • THE RUMOR GAME – Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra
    • THE SELF-MADE WIDOW – Fabian Nicieza
    • THE GOLDEN HORN – Poul Anderson
    • HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE – Grady Hendrix
    • ARMAGEDDON 2419 A.D. – Philip Francis Nowlan
  • Support my reviews and buy me a coffee, please!

    Buy Me Coffee
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Search

  • Tags

    1 Star 2 Stars 3 Stars 4 stars 5 Stars Action/Adventure Adventure Art Audio Book Biography Book Reviews Books Business ChickLit Children's Books Classic collection comic book superheroes Cookbook Entertainment Environment Erotica essays Food Games Graphic Novels Green Lantern Historical Fiction History history book Holiday Horror/Dark Fantasy Humor Literature Magic Memoir Middle Grade Military Music Mystery Mythology/Legend Nature Noir non-fiction Paranormal Photography Picture books Plays Poetry pulp fiction quotes random thoughts Religion Reviews Romance Satire science fiction Sex SF/Fantasy Short Fiction Short Stories Short Story Collection Speculative Fiction Sports Star Trek Star Wars superheroes supernatural Television Theatre Thriller Western writing YA Young Adult
  • Sticker - NG Member -Prof Reader
    badge_top_reviewer
    eighty_percent_feedback_ratio_120
    30482711-0-reviewer-image
  • Archives

    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
  • Category Search

  • Blogs I Follow

    • Surf'n Beach Scene Magazine
    • Tanya R. Taylor's Featured Reads™
    • Unbound Boxes Limping Gods
    • Looking to God
    • Too Much White Paper
    • Captain Pigheart
    • Flying Paperbacks
    • Audiobook Creation Exchange Blog (ACX)
    • Simply Scrivener
    • Official Blog
    • A. Page in the Stacks
    • Riley Hanna
    • Jade Mays
    • Kanundra's Blog
    • Mikhaeyla Kopievsky
    • Write Naked
    • Andrez Bergen / Little Nobody
    • Enchanted Book Promotions
    • quotidianarts
  • Posts I Like

    • Find Your Fall Fashion Style! on Surf'n Beach Scene Magazine
  • Meta

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.com
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
Surf'n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls Very Cool Beach Environment & LifeStyles Magazine

Tanya R. Taylor's Featured Reads™

Award-winning & Bestselling Author of Mysteries & Thrillers

Unbound Boxes Limping Gods

The writer gives life to a story, the reader keeps it alive.

Looking to God

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)

Too Much White Paper

art, pigments, reviews

Captain Pigheart

Stories and Thoughts of a Pirate in Exile

Flying Paperbacks

Throwing Books into Oblivion

Audiobook Creation Exchange Blog (ACX)

Audiobook Creation Exchange

Simply Scrivener

Official Blog

The Official Blog of Geocaching

A. Page in the Stacks

A Writer's Blog

Riley Hanna

Jade Mays

Kanundra's Blog

Writing and life. Life and writing.

Mikhaeyla Kopievsky

Book Punk and Spec Fiction Author

Write Naked

A writing life cut open.

Andrez Bergen / Little Nobody

a wayward soapbox for the expat Australian, Tokyo-based journalist/author/DJ/muso/hack writer & crap comic artist also known as Little Nobody.

Enchanted Book Promotions

quotidianarts

Looking For a Good Book
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Looking For a Good Book
    • Join 58 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Looking For a Good Book
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...