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THE FORTRESS OF THE PEARL – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on June 14, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

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I remember when this ‘new’ Elric book came out.  I was working in a book store in Los Angeles and I was so thrilled to get a copy as soon as the box was opened and I went home and devoured it.  Elric … again! That was, what …. the seventh book in the Elric series?  The eighth? Yeahhhhh… this is Michael Moorcock world.  ‘Order’ is an unnecessary concept.  According to the newest saga omnibus, this is now the second book in the series.  Which makes some sense because events happen early in Elric’s life and career, though given the heated battle between Elric and Yrkoon in the previous (and first) book, it takes a great deal of willingness on the part of the reader to accept that Elric puts Yrkoon on the throne during his anticipated absence.  How well do you think that’s going to work for you, Elric?

As mentioned, Elric puts his criminal cousin on the throne so that he, Elric, can go after the Pearl at the Heart of the World. Lord Gho Fhaazi puts Elric on this quest (Fhaazi needs this pearl to be seated on on the ruling Council of Seven of the city of Quarzhasaat). Lord Gho entices Elric by getting Elric addicted to a slow-acting poison. Of course Gho has the only known antitdote.

On this quest for the pearl, Elric discovers that the pearl can only be found inside the sleeping dreams of a young girl. To do this, Elric joins forces with Oone, a dream thief.

The dreams of a young girl are not as simple or safe as one might expect and the beautiful dream thief will help Elric navigate the dangerous dreamworld.

It’s really interesting to read this book again, right after reading the first book.  Although Elric is young here, the author is not, and the writing is in many ways more mature as our hero alternates from brooding youngster to sword-wielding warrior to a seasoned battler of magic.

That brooding, though, is key.  It’s this introspection and philosophical reflection that sets Elric apart from all the other sword & sorcery heroes in literature – not his albinism.

Author Michael Moorcock maybe tests the limits as to how long an action hero can spend thinking and worrying and planning, but just as we start to think, ‘Get on with it, already’ Elric will be tested and we’ll get the action scenes we were hoping for.

While I did feel we got some important clues to Elric’s nature with this book, I was also missing Cymoril. That triad of Cymoril, Yrkoon, and Elric set up perfect storylines and challenges, and yet we jump ship so quickly to take on this new adventure.

Only the second book in, but I’m really enjoying re-reading these Elric books.

Looking for a good book? The Fortress in the Pearl by Michael Moorcockis the second book, chronologically, in the Elric series.  It is wildly adventurous and philosophical – a perfect sword & sorcery hero for the intelligent reader.

I bought a first edition hardcover copy of this book and received a digital copy as part of the Elric of Melniboné Saga omnibus, from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Fortress of the Pearl

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #8, Elric Chronological Order #2, The Eternal Champion Sequence #5.2

publisher: Ace (1989) || Gallery/Saga Press (2022)

ISBN: 0441191231 (1989) || 1534445684 (Elric Saga #1)

hardcover, 213 pages (1989) || hardcover, 752 pages (Elric Saga #1, 2022)

ELRIC OF MELNIBONÉ – Michael Moorcock

Posted by Daniel on June 13, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

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I first read Elric of Melniboné in the late 1970’s and I’ve had my DAW Books edition of this series sitting on a bookshelf because I’ve been wanting to reread not just the Elric books, but the entire ‘Eternal Champion’ books again.  But I’ve been really tied up with a backlog of ARC books so all I’ve been able to do is look longingly at these beautiful titles.  Fortunately for me, Gallery/Saga Press, is re-releasing these titles in a new compilation and I managed to get a digital copy, giving me an excuse to reread the books.

Elric is a young, reluctant ruler of the kingdom of Melniboné. Melniboné was once an elite nation – for 100,000 years Melniboné ruled the world. But the kingdom has declined for the past 500 years. Now Elric rules, but he tends to sit and be contemplative, wondering if he should even bother. But Elric, who strikes an imposing figure in part because he’s an albino and his white skin stands out, comes to realize that there is no one else in Melniboné who would be able to step up and rule well and that the very survival of the once-great nation relies on him.

But there is one other who thinks they would be a better king. Yrkoon, Elric’s cousin, is sure he would be better than the anemic-looking albino and plots a coup with an army of insurgents. The two will meet in an epic battle that will be fought with the powerful ‘runeblades’ known as Stormbringer and Mournblade. Elric and his sword, Stormbringer, (which steals the souls of those who are killed by it)  will develop a strong bond during the battle.

I have read or reread a few scifi/fantasy books from the 1960’s and 70’s and find them many of them feel dated. Elric of Melniboné, on the other hand, is as fresh and unique now as it was fifty years ago.

There’s a Shakespearean quality to Elric (something I would not have recognized when I was in my teens). His youthfulness and brooding reminds me of Hamlet, and his eventual take-charge attitude reminds me of Henry IV. And like Shakespeare’s plays, the outcomes of an individual’s actions might affect millions, but the story is centered on the individual and the choices they make.

The book moved along faster than I was expecting. We establish who Elric is, and what Melniboné is, and that Elric may be Melniboné’s last, best hope. Then we get Yrkoon wanting the throne, and then we get a chapters-long battle.  And that’s pretty much it!  It shouldn’t be a spoiler to say that Elric will ultimately be victorious in the battle, but his actions afterward might come as a surprise, setting Elric up as unique among these kinds of fantasy characters, as well as establishing potential storylines later on.

This book not only lived up to my memory and expectations, but exceeded them.  Anyone reading fantasy today should pick up and read this classic – and getting the four book compilation will take away any guess work as to which book to read next.

I’ve seen and heard people compare the Elric books to Tolkien – in regards to the epic fantasy style – but this is as closely related to Tolkien as it is to Robert E. Howard’s Conan or Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars. All classics and worth taking the time to read.

Looking for a good book? Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock is a sword & sorcery style fantasy that stands the test of time. You can only do yourself a favor by reading this.

I still have my 1976 paperback edition, but read this as part of the Elric of Melniboné Obnimbus which I received from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Elric of Melniboné

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #1, Elric Chronological Order #1, The Eternal Champion Sequence #5.1

publisher: DAW (1976); Saga Press (2021)

ISBN: 0879973560 (DAW), 1534445684 (Saga Press)

paperback, 160 pages//hardcover, 752 pages

THE MALEFICENT SEVEN – Cameron Johnston

Posted by Daniel on June 10, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

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Take Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, put a modern, supernatural spin on it in the grimdark sub-genre, and you get an idea of what The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is about.

The woman, Black Herran – a demonologist – is putting together a team to lead her armies and she’s got six of the most ruthless, vicious characters ever brought together.  There’s Amogg, a kickass orc, Maeven, a necromancer, Lorimer Felle, an old-school vampire lord, Captain Varena, a pirate lord, Tiarnach, a demi-god, and Jarek Hyden, a mad scientist type of alchemist.

These are not heroes, but some of the cruelest creatures on the planet, but author Cameron Johnston puts them in the protagonist role, generally saved for the heroes.

Together, the group was unstoppable. They brought an entire nation down, and on the eve of the final victory to seal the deal, Black Herran disappeared.  Now she’s back, 40 years later, and she wants to pull her squad together. A new enemy is trying to finished what she started so long ago, and if there’s going to be any evil ruling the country, it will be she and her six evil cohorts.

I found the characters here to generally be a lot of fun. Amogg the orc was probably my favorite.  He actually seemed the most level-headed and confident of the group, which is a bit odd, but that was part of the fun.

But where the characters were a lot of fun, the story itself, even though borrowed from a classic film, lacked a drive for me.  The story seemed like simply a device to have this set of characters interact with one another and to show off their unique skills. I was not at all engaged with what was happening – only who was doing things.

Like the story, the world-building is just ‘there.’ There’s nothing particularly unique or special here.  This is a very generic fantasy setting.

And still, I had fun.  I enjoy dark fantasy.  But I would have enjoyed it a lot more, I think, if there were more guts laid bare to the story.

Looking for a good book?  The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston is a bloody dark fantasy with some great characters but they needed a more powerful story to bind them together.

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

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The Maleficent Seven

author: Cameron Johnston

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857669087

paperback, 416 pages

FRENCH BRAID – Anne Tyler

Posted by Daniel on June 8, 2022
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Literature, Reviews. Leave a comment

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We start in 1959 with the Garrett family (father Robin, mother Mercy and their three children – Alice, Lily, and David) taking their one and only vacation. Although vacations are often a time for families to be together and explore or relax together, the Garrett’s seem like strangers to one another. The ripple effect of this vacation weaves through the family, like a ‘French braid,’ for decades.

When David, age 7 on the vacation, leaves for college, Robin and Mercy are faced with the empty next and Mercy sees an opportunity to expand her art studio. She does so slowly, hoping her husband won’t notice.  Of course he does, but he doesn’t say anything – such is the nature of their family.

Alice and Lily maintain a strong connection to their parents, but David has avoided the family. Even when he gets married, the family learns of it through other means. But slowly we learn more about David, as well as the family, and how we are sometimes shaped by events early in family life.

Ever since I read Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant back in the early 1980’s I’ve been a tremendous fan of Tyler’s work. I believe that she is one of the greatest writers – able to make ordinary, extraordinary.

I think that I once wrote that Tyler captures what it means to be human better than any other writer since Shakespeare, but I think that it’s more than about being human – she captures and comments on what it means to be family. Every family has its secrets and Tyler exploits these secrets to show how people, in general, react to being individuals and members of a family unit.

There is humor and drama, bickering and love. Presumably, we all recognize some aspects of our own lives and families in French Braid, possibly thinking how glad we are that we aren’t this dysfunctional, or perhaps wondering how we can be as together as the Garrett’s. And this is part of the charm – Tyler isn’t steering us to make a specific discovery – she’s presenting, laying it out there for the reader to make the discoveries that are unique to each of us, based on our own family experiences.

Looking for a good book? French Braid by Anne Tyler shows us that Tyler is still at the top of her game writing about people and families.

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

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French Braid

author: Anne Tyler

publisher: Knopf Publishing Group

ISBN: 059332109X

hardcover, 244 pages

PURGATORY’S SHORE – Taylor Anderson

Posted by Daniel on June 6, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 2 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Military, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

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It is 1847 and a group of American soldiers are on their way to fight in the Mexican-American War. They are meant to join General Scott’s troupes at Veracruz, but something happens along the way and they never arrive to join up with General Scott’s campaign.

These wayward soldiers are a mixed group of dragoons and infantry and even mounted riflemen. They are not meant to be a solo fighting unit, but are in need of a strong commander to keep them focused and engaged in battle. Now, dropped into a wholly unexpected and unreal alternate timeline, Major Lewis Cayce is in charge of this ragtag unit and must find a way to bring them together.  This may not be the Mexican-American War they were expecting, but there’s still a war on and the only way this unit will survive is to work together. Can they do this when faced with dinosaurs on one side and religious fanatics on the other?

I am not the target audience for this book.

Typically I would say that I don’t care for ‘alternate history’ books nor for sci-fi military fiction, but in recent months I’ve read books that would fall into both of those categories and I have enjoyed those books.  So I thought it was time for me to open up my reading horizons and explore some more.  This book, the first in a planned series, seemed like a really great place to start.

Unfortunately this just brought me right back to where I usually fall when it comes to the subject of Military SciFi Alternative History books … meh.

There seemed to be a lot of detail about the military aspects, which military historians probably really get into, but for me, it was just slowed the pace down a lot.  I felt the author was showing how much he knew, rather than getting the reader into the action.

The contrivance … 1800’s soldiers with dinosaurs … was way out of my willing suspension of belief.

I’m back to thinking I don’t care for military scifi or alternative history scifi.

Looking for a good book? If you like military scifi and alternative history scifi, then Taylor Anderson’s Purgatory’s Shore is probably right for you.  If, like me, you don’t usually care for these types of books, this likely won’t change your mind.

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

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Purgatory’s Shore

author: Taylor Anderson

series: Artillerymen #1

publisher: Ace Books

ISBN: 0593200713

hardcover, 496 pages

TICKER – Lisa Mantchen

Posted by Daniel on June 2, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, YA. Leave a comment

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Penny Farthing was nearly dead when surgeon Calvin Warwick replaced her heart with a mechanical ‘Ticker’. With the brass heart, Penny became the first of the Augmented.

But Calvin is arrested and put on trial for mass murder when it is learned that many people died as he’s worked on them, trying to build an improved Ticker for Penny.

On the last day of the trial, the Farthing factory is bombed, Penny’s parents are missing and she and her brother (Nic) receive a ransom note … they must turn over all the Augmentation notes if they ever want to see their parents again. On e problem … they don’t know where that research is! Penny and Nic know they are in over their heads and recruit three family friends to help them find and deliver the Augmentation research and get their parents safely home.  And they have to do it before Penny’s Ticker runs down.

I am personally not a fan of steampunk – mostly because it often feels as though the ‘punk’ takes precedent in a story at the expense of character and plot.  That would be one of my biggest issues with this particular book.

The first chapter was rather exciting and I enjoyed the descriptions and the set-up. Penny Farthing was a fun, energetic character and I immediately thought that this was the kind of character that teen girls would identify with and enjoy reading about.

But the rest of the book didn’t improve on that opening. Rather than developing the characters, which were off to a great start, they stay pretty much the same as when we first met them, all the way through the book. There is also a lot of emphasis on the gadgets. This is always a tough balance … you want to create a fun, unique world and YA and Middle Grade books want a high CTPP (Cool Things Per Page) quotient, but not at the expense of a story.

Looking for a good book? Ticker, by Lisa Mantchen, starts off well but never picks up speed. Young readers being introduced to steampunk with this book may find it exciting.

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

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Ticker

author: Lisa Mantchen

publisher: Skyscrape

ISBN: 1477825282

paperback, 273 pages

OLAV AUDUNSSØN: PROVIDENCE – Sigrid Undset

Posted by Daniel on May 31, 2022
Posted in: HISTORICAL FICTION, OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: 5 Stars, Books, Historical Fiction, Literature, Reviews. Leave a comment

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Olav Audunssøn and Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter were betrothed as children and raised together as foster children.  They are madly in love with each other, though Ingunn was raped by another man while Olav was absent.  A child came from that event, Eirik, which Ingunn gave to a foster family. But Olav sees the depression Ingunn suffers from and brings Eirik back to Ingunn and adopts the boy as his own child.

Now they are returning to Olav’s ancestral home and Olav looks forward to settling in and putting the past behind them. Here, no one knows about the shameful, unwanted pregnancy or Eirik’s actual parentage. But a moment from the past haunts Olav – something he hasn’t even confessed to his priest.

Olav is the last of his family line and he and Ingunn would like to have children of their own, but Ingunn suffers from a series of miscarriages and stillbirths. Olav is convinced it is punishment for his secret.

Ingunn does finally deliver a child from their union – a girl, Cecilia. But Ingunn doesn’t recover after child birth, instead she grows sicker and bedridden,, but lives in her weakened, sick state, for years. With his wife bedridden, Olav finds himself desiring and taking one of his servants, but he has to send her away when she begins to show that she’s carrying his child. Ingunn, no fool, knows what is happening and holds no grudge, apologizing for hanging on so long and, on her death bed, insists on meeting the infant.

Olav’s world, three children from three different circumstances, is conflicted.

This is the second book in the Olav Audunssøn four-book series.  As with the first book, I really felt comfortable in this fourteenth century world. Author Sigrid Undset (and translator Tiina Nunnally) captures the nature of a kind-hearted man who truly loves and is devoted to his wife (despite some later actions) and is trying to do his best in a world that is moving beyond him in some ways, and pulling him backward to a world of different morals.

This isn’t an action-oriented novel and it isn’t a historical fiction romance. This is great human interest drama set during a time of change for Norway.  The themes of fidelity and commitment and community expectations is still as timely today as when this was written (in the 1920’s) and for the period in which this takes place.  Olav seems almost unusual in his commitment to Ingunn and her rape-produced child. And his response to the man who raped her is more than relevant given the news as write this … actor Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television for what Smith thought was an insult to his wife.

So Olav seems almost too good to be true, then he he has his own affair while his wife is an invalid.  While Ingunn forgives him and almost seems to encourage him to follow his manly urges.  But as readers, we’re torn … ‘he’s been so good, so faithful, how could he? ‘ and ‘totally acceptable in the circumstances, especially if his wife is okay with it’.

I am really caught up in this high middle ages drama and I look forward to the next two books.

Looking for a good book? Olav Audunssøn: II, Providence by Sigrid Undset and well translated by Tiina Nunally, is great period fiction and shows, once again, that humans haven’t changed all that much over the centuries – even our societal mores have held relatively stagnant.

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

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Olav Audunssøn: II, Providence

author: Sigrid Undset

translator: Tiina Nunally

series: Olav Audunssøn: II

publisher: Univ of Minnesota Press

ISBN: 1517911605

paperback, 280 pages

SPIDERTOUCH – Alex Thomson

Posted by Daniel on May 27, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

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For the longest time, I thought publisher Angry Robot was putting out some of the best science fiction and fantasy on the market.  Exciting, cutting-edge works were coming out of this press quite regularly.  Then a couple of years ago I began to get disappointed with what I was reading – for the first time in a decade there are books that I am not requesting from them because I didn’t like the first book in a series. Though I am always willing to try a new book and a new author, I was starting to wonder if it was worth it. And then a book like Spidertouch, by Alex Thomson, appears, renewing my faith in the fantasy field and in Angry Robot books.

To the book…

An alien race called The Keda have ruled over the city known as Val Kedic for hundreds of years. They are cruel and ruthless, keeping the locals in line by punishing the children for parental slights, and sending the children off to the mines for back-breaking, cruel work at an early age.  Razvan was spared this usual fate … now middle-aged, Razvan was trained as a translator for the Keda are a mute race who communicate through a complicated system of touching, referred to by the natives as ‘Spidertouch.’ Razvan has become a trusted translator among the more elite Keda members.

But, though harsh, the Keda have grown complacent with the iron fist rule and a resistance group is ready to wrest control away from the Keda. Razvan, a mild-mannered translator has the opportunity to step up, but will he risk the life of his son?

There’s nothing particularly special about the general world here.  This is some typical fantasy – evil alien rulers and a plot to get rid of them. The aliens themselves are big, mean, baddies and we really don’t find anyone among the Keda to sympathize with or for. They are there to provide an obstacle for our protagonist.

But what is special about this story is the unique language building that author Thomson has created. Perhaps because I’m fascinated with ASL (though I don’t know it), this had a real appeal to me.  It’s one thing for an author come up with different words for items, it’s another to create a different system of communication and the language to go along with it.

And while a unique language like this is fascinating, it isn’t enough to carry an entire book.  Fortunately, Thomson is a deft storyteller and is able to get the reader interested in his primary character (Razvan) and build action, suspense, and excitement over the plot and the dangers of taking on the attempt.

The characters do tend to be a bit limited – only Razvan really stands out and all the Keda are sort of interchangeable.

Still I liked this quite a bit – I’d like to see Thomson grow as a writer and I look forward to reading more works by this author.  If there were a follow-up or sequel to Spidertouch, I’d definitely be interested.

Looking for a good book? Spidertouch by Alex Thomson is a solid fantasy with a good protagonist and a unique, well-crafted language. Fans of fantasy with uprising action should enjoy this.

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

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Spidertouch

author: Alex Thomson

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857669605

paperback, 400 pages

THE SISTERS SPUTNIK – Terri Favro

Posted by Daniel on May 25, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

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Debbie Reynolds Biondi is the creator of a comic book series called Sputnik Chick: A Girl With No Past. Debbie lives in different timelines.  The comic book series has been an outlet for Debbie to detail her experiences in Atomic Mean Time. In Earth Standard Time, Debbie travels with her apprentice, Unicorn Girl, and Cassandra – an AI who knows all about pop culture.

There are over 2,000 alternate timelines – each created by the detonation of an atomic bomb in Earth Standard Time – and Debbie and Unicorn Girl and Cassandra travel through them, collectively known as the Sisters Sputnik. Debbie’s storytelling skills has her treated with celebrity status throughout the realities and in one particular world, where all books and music have disappeared, Debbie is in bed with an old Earth Standard lover, and he begs her to tell him a story.

This book is … really unusual; highly unique; a pop-culture jambalaya; a literary paella; psychedelic fiction. Think Harlan Ellison and Thomas Disch meet Ernest Cline and Charlie N. Holmberg and the four of them write a story.

I really liked the characters here and the general concept is fabulous. But at times I found this a little hard to follow … and I like off-the-wall unusual sci-fi with mind-bending, time-wrenching concepts. The story-within-a-story … was that really necessary? As a reader, it felt like author Terri Favro had a short story in the Sputnik universe, and to make it a novel, added a little bit around it.

This is, however, one of the books that I think about long after I’ve read it.  A moment will strike and I’ll remember something in the book and wonder about it.  Because of this, this is likely one of the few books I will read a second time, but I’ think I need to re-read Favro’s Sputnik’s Children again before I do.  It’s been almost five years since I read and reviewed that book – a pre-cursor to this.

Looking for a good book? The Sisters Sputnik by Terri Favro is a unique, adventurous fantasy, but it might be good to read/re-read Sputnik’s Children, by the same author, first.

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

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The Sisters Sputnik

author: Terri Favro

publisher: ECW Press

ISBN: 1770416080

paperback, 292 pages

TISH PLAYS THE GAME – Mary Roberts Rinehart

Posted by Daniel on May 23, 2022
Posted in: HUMOR, Uncategorized. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Humor, Reviews. Leave a comment

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I don’t know what I was expecting with this book (well … maybe I do) but this definitely wasn’t it.

While I have never read a book by Mary Roberts Rinehart prior to this, it was my understanding that she was a mystery writer, so imagine my surprise at this collection of humorous short stories!

The stories center around a middle-aged spinster woman named Letitia (“Tish”) Carberry. I say ‘middle aged’ even though she and her friends call themselves ‘old.’ The stories are narrator/described by one of Tish’s friends, Lizzie.

Tish is one of those spunky older women who is seemingly oblivious to danger, gets into all sorts of humorous, sticky situations, and manages to come through in the end, having achieved her goal – whatever that might be. Everything will work out for Tish and her friends, but there will be some bumps and laughs along the way.  The friend, Aggie, seems to come away bearing the brunt of Tish’s escapades.

The story that stands out the most to me (not necessarily for being the best, but the most outlandish, is “The Treasure Hunt.” Here Tish has a bee in her bonnet about being the first to solve a series of clues.  She’s pretty smart and soon everyone else in the treasure hunt is following Tish, knowing that she’ll lead the way to the next clue. But along the way she has a run in with the local constabulary who threaten to put her in jail … although that’s precisely where she wants to go because she thinks it will lead her to the solution of the treasure hunt.

I actually quite enjoyed these stories (once I got over my expectation that they were going to be mysteries) and would definitely read more. They remind me of a cross between the Marx Brothers and Lucille Ball. The style reminds me of P.G. Wodehouse, but with spinster ladies in stead of a crusty butler.

This book contains the following:

“Tish Plays the Game”
“The Baby Blimp”
“Hijack and the Game”
“The Treasure Hunt”
“The Gray Goose”

Looking for a good book? Tish Plays the Game by Mary Roberts Rinehart, written nearly 100 years ago, is still humorous fiction worth reading.

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

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Tish Plays the Game

author: Mary Roberts Rinehart

publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road

ISBN: 148044619X

ebook, 284 pages

MIRACALES AIN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE – Joe R. Lansdale

Posted by Daniel on May 20, 2022
Posted in: NON-FICTION, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: 3 Stars, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews, Short Stories. Leave a comment

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One more entry for the PM Outspoken Authors series for my review blog, this time featuring Joe R. Lansdale.

While the other books in this series that I read and reviewed had a very similar feel, Lansdale bucks the trend and makes this short collection much more personal and therefore, in many ways, much more interesting. The other books in the series (that I’ve read) have carried forth a trifecta of sorts – one short story, one essay, and one interview.  Lansdale gives us four short stories, the interview, and five short essays.

I can’t say that I’m a huge Lansdale fan, though I like his work enough that I requested to read this (there are a number of books in the PM Outspoken Authors series that I am not interested in reading). And along these lines, I’m familiar with Lansdale’s popular Hap and Leonard books (I’ve read only two books in the series) but I’m not an ardent fan. This collection does have a Hap and Leonard story which, to me, is just a fine short story – it doesn’t make me want to read more. I suspect for fans of the series, there might be some fun insight or just joy in reading a story featuring familiar characters.

Mostly I enjoyed the short essays (which I believe were written initially as newspaper column pieces). These provided some insight to the author and perhaps into what has driven him or inspired him as an author. I tend to find these sorts of insights quite interesting so I appreciated getting a little more than ‘usual’ in this book.

One essay is a … I think the best word to use is ‘rant’ … against religion. It didn’t bother me, it didn’t sway me, I took it more as a sociological perspective into the writer. If I were to read more of his work, or study it in some way, this would perhaps come into play (making a correlation between this rant/author’s belief and how his characters behave).

Looking for a good book? Miracles Ain’t What They Used to Be, by Joe R. Lansdale, is a decent collection. Maybe not ideal as an introduction to the author and his work (though nothing here suggests that’s the intent).  Fans of his work will likely be glad to have these stories and essays (and interview) in one collection. Newcomers to his work should probably go pick up one of Lansdale’s novels first.

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

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Miracles Ain’t What They Used to Be

author: Joe R. Lansdale

series: PM’s Outspoken Authors #17

publisher: PM Press

ISBN: 1629631523

paperback, 128 pages

SO DARK THE SKY – Cidney Swanson

Posted by Daniel on May 18, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: 4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult. Leave a comment

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Second grade teacher Penny Wanjiru encourages her students to follow their dreams, so when the surprising opportunity for Penny to become a Mars Colony astronaut comes her way, she knows she must follow her dream. It is not a cut and dry decision, however, as Penny’s grandmother (who she’s quite close to) is having health issues.

It isn’t giving anything away to say that Penny will make the decision to go and she’ll have her students in mind the entire time and have regular video chats with them and answer questions and share with them what she experiences.

I’ve read and review a couple of Cidney Swanson books previously and I really like her writing.  She’s one of the few self-published authors whose work is outstanding and I’m not sure why her books haven’t been picked up by a commercial publisher yet.

Most of Swanson’s books are YA books with strong young female protagonists, This book technically isn’t a YA book, but it’s about as close as you can get and not be YA – Penny comes across as a very young teacher and she experiences things with a very open and fresh viewpoint – the way a lot of YA characters might.

In some ways this is almost a precursor to Swanson’s Saving Mars series because this takes place in the near future, with Mars having recently been colonized and now about to have its first ‘tourist.’

One of the really nice things about this (and Swanson’s other books that I’ve read [I’ve read more than I’ve rated and reviewed]) is that it’s ‘clean.’ Swanson shows that we can get solid, character-driven science fiction with plenty of excitement and we don’t need rampant sex or massive fights where thousands of people die. We can get a good story and strong characters through good writing. In the mystery genre, there is something called a ‘cozy’ mystery in which sex and violence occur off stage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.

This would be the equivalent in science fiction and/or YA. A ‘cozy’ sci-fi.

I enjoyed this and I plan to read more, but this really reminds me that I want to finish Swanson’s Saving Mars series first, then finish the Rippler series and then the Payback Society books before I get any more invested in this series.

Looking for a good book? So Dark the Sky by Cidney Swanson is a delightful sci-fi book (first in a new series) that’s just barely a step above being a YA novel, and is maybe a prequel to her popular Saving Mars series.

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So Dark the Sky

author: Cidney Swanson

series: Shadow of Mars #1

publisher: Independently Published

ISBN: 9798673354797

paperback, 215 pages

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