SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Amatka by Karin Tidbeck

SF/F Review: Amatka by Karin Tidbeck https://t.co/6FSuUutxP9 Short Review: 10 out of 10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 31, 2017

Short Review (cont): A dystopian tale in a world, where strict description of all things is necessary to keep a hold on reality, poses (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 31, 2017

Short Review (cont): interesting questions about love, language, freedom, & life worth living. Short & dark but absolutely compelling (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 31, 2017

Amatka is a book originally published in Sweden in 2012, finally making it over to America in 2017 (Translated by the author herself).  It's a short novel and definitely falls in the sub-genre of "Weird" science fiction typified to some extent by Jeff VanderMeer (who's a known fan of Tidbeck). But more importantly, this Dystopian tale is incredibly strong and thought-provoking and original (at least to me), and is easily amongst the best things I've read all year - Maybe the best thing I've read all year.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North

SF/F Review: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North https://t.co/EyUSMCovut Short Review: 7.5/10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 30, 2017

Short Review (cont): The Story of a Woman who fades from memory when she leaves one's view and a technology that can adjust the brain (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 30, 2017

Short Review (cont): to change someone to be more like "perfection" has strong ideas, but falls apart in final execution (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 30, 2017

At a certain point in The Sudden Appearance of Hope, I was fully riveting in the story and could not help keep reading (despite it being past 1 in the morning).  The story had a strong central character, a strong set of ideas, and was far from predictable.  And....well, like many books, it didn't really pull through all of its threads into a satisfactory ending.  In a way, the book tries to pull off a bit more than it can chew, and loses itself in the process.

More after the Jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Novella Review: Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw

(Novella can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Hammers-Bone-Persons-Non-Grata/dp/0765392712)

Hammers on Bone is the first in a novella series in which Cthulhu-esque monsters are livingamong and in humans, with at least this first book told in a stereotypical noir style.  Seriously - it is REALLY channeling noir conventions - our hero, John Persons, is a private investigator, hired by a child to kill his stepdad.  There's just two twists: one, the Stepdad is a literal monster wearing human skin, and two: well, so is Persons to a lesser extent.  And like any classical noir story, there's also a "Dame" whose good nature may be less than it seems on first glance.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Envy of Angels (Sin Du Jour #1) by Matt Wallace

SF/F Review: Envy of Angels (Sin du Jour #1) by Matt Wallace https://t.co/3wWFc4TB5D Short Review: 7.5/10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 26, 2017

Short Review (cont): Sin Du Jour is a catering company that caters to the Supernatural at the government's behest but when the gov't (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 26, 2017

Short Review (cont): asks them to cook a real Angel, a scramble ensues to find a substitute dish. Wacky Hijinks & a lot of fun ensue (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 26, 2017

Sin Du Jour is a series of novellas/short-novels (the 220 page count of each book is kind of at the borderline) by Matt Wallace, centering on a catering company (the aforementioned Sin Du Jour) which caters to the supernatural (Demons and other things) at least partly on behalf of the government. This is the first book in the series.

As you might imagine from such a premise, this is a lighthearted series filled fun moments and wacky hijinks - this book alone contains a knife fight between chefs to second blood, an infiltration of a McDonalds-like company to steal a recipe, a server trying to weave his way between two rival demon families to pick up a dish, and more.

Long Review continues after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The House of Binding Thorns (Dominion of the Fallen #2) by Aliette de Bodard

SF/F Review: The House of Binding Thorns (Dominion of the Fallen #2) by Aliette de Bodard https://t.co/5pRPvErn9D Short Review: 8/10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 24, 2017

Short Review (cont): 2nd in Series but mostly stand-alone, this tale of Fallen Angels in Paris & Vietnamese Immortals (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 24, 2017

Short Review (cont): & Dragon Spirits under the Seine, focusing on the "bad guys", has fascinating characters and a solid story (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 24, 2017

The House of Binding Thorns is ostensibly a sequel to Aliette de Bodard's House of Shattered Wings.  It follows up on threads from that book and obviously takes place in the same universe, but it CAN be read Stand-Alone.  You'll benefit from reading the first book - the background of the setting is arguably established better in that book and one of the main characters' plotlines follows directly from that book, but the main plot of this book is wholly distinct from HoSW.

I read the House of Shattered Wings last year and I had mixed feelings about that book.  I LOVED the Worldbuilding - Fallen Angels!  A Vietnamese Immortal cast out from the Court of the Jade Emperor!  Dragon Spirits!  Alchemists and Magicians!  Oh and LGBTQ characters treated as the norm.  The World was one of the most unique I've read about in the past few years. But the storyline kind of petered out at the end, with the several character threads not all coming together to form a combined resolution but instead for one of these threads to provide the conclusion and the rest to all just peter out.

That's not the case with The House of Binding Thorns - here the four main story threads all wind in and out of the main plotline, with each remaining interesting throughout and none seeming wasted in the finale.  Despite the story focusing in large part on what was presented in book 1 as the "Evil" House Hawthorn, the story is not ultradark and bad characters show new dimensions that make sense and make them more interesting.  This book really makes great use of that great worldbuilding, which makes it a very strong read.

Long Review continues after the Jump (Minor Spoilers for House of Shattered Wings):

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth #3) by N.K. Jemisin

SF/F Review: The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth #3) by NK Jemisin. https://t.co/3ktjVpIw7a Short Review: 10 out of 10 - A Tour de Force (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 20, 2017

Short Review (cont): The finale to The Broken Earth trilogy finds Essun & Nassun on a collision course as the trauma of repeated abuse (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 20, 2017

Short Review (cont): & discrimination drives each to opposite conclusions on how to change/destroy the world. Devastating & Powerful (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 20, 2017

The first two books in the Broken Earth trilogy have won the last two Hugo Awards, and deservedly so.  With The Stone Sky, NK Jemisin stands a strong chance at being the first ever back to back to back winner for Best Novel, as this book is clearly the strongest of the trilogy....and maybe Jemisin's best Novel ever.

Unlike my other favorite work of Jemisin - the Inheritance Trilogy - this trilogy does not end on a triumphant note.  This is a story of a people - even a whole world - oppressed and abused for no reason other than fear, jealousy and cruelty.  There is no way such a story could end triumphantly.  But despite this, the story ends Perfectly, on what is essentially a hopeful note, one that wraps up everything really really nicely.

Of course, as one should expect from this series already, the steps between this book and really this whole trilogy's beginning and ending are filled with heartbreaking powerful moments.  This trilogy has not been one for the faint of heart, who can't stand to see good people, even children, face tremendous suffering and abuse.  Good writing - and Jemisin is my favorite writer at this point for a reason - makes these things hard to read.  But the power of this story could not be done in any other way, and it is all worth it in the end.

More after the Jump (Spoilers for The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate are unavoidable).

Video Game Review: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

  I don't play very many video games these days, but when I do I tend to stick to a few genres, and probably my favorite genre has been for a while the JRPG.  A good JRPG often doesn't require great physical dexterity or reflexes to play, involves tactical strategy and choices, and has a long sprawling plot that is entertaining to unveil.  In particular, I was introduced last year to the "Trails" series ("Kiseki" in Japan), a series of JRPGs popular in Japan that took a long time to come over to America -first as PSP games and then later as PC ports.

  I loved the first two games in the series, Trails in the Sky and its sequel Trails in the Sky SC, when I played them last year, with SC being a particular favorite of mine.  The third game in the Trails in the Sky subseries ("Cleverly" titled "Trails in the Sky The Third") came out in May of this year, and was also a blast to play, even if it was kind of a step back form SC.  Now, as of 2 weeks ago, the american localizer of the series has ported the second (3rd in Japan, but 2nd to come here) Trails series to PC - it was originally on PS3: Trails of Cold Steel.  If you've noticed my book reviews slowing down on this blog the last two weeks, it was because I was distracted tearing through this game in around 75 hours.

  The good news is that Trails of Cold Steel is still pretty good if you like JRPGs.  Like Trails in the Sky it is a sprawling JRPG with LOTS of minor characters, many of whom have their own stories in the background that you can discover through optional dialogue as the game goes on.  The battle system is very similar to Trails in the Sky with a few tweaks that have some pluses and minuses and the story is mostly great.  The issue for me is that the game rarely presents you with particularly challenging battles and the "free day" of school to start each chapter is kind of a drag.  As a result still prefer the Trails in the Sky series so far, although maybe that opinion will change when this game's sequel comes out for PC later this year.

More detailed review after the jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold

SF/F Review: Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold https://t.co/MNjpxGr1m0 Short Review: 7 out of 10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 17, 2017

Short Review(cont): This stand alone story of a doctor from an all-male planet traveling to a space station to buy new ovaries for his (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 17, 2017

Short Review (cont): planet only to find himself accidentally involved in a game of espionage is good fun, if a bit silly (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 17, 2017

Ethan of Athos is technically the 3rd published book in the Vorkosigan Saga, although it was really one of three books written simultaenously (Shards of Honor and The Warrior's Apprentice being the other two).  As such, it is a stand alone novel - the only connections to the rest of the series in this book are the setting and one minor character from The Warrior's Apprentice plays a major role, but she was Such a minor character there that past knowledge is not necessary.  The book chronologically takes place 6th in the timeline (not counting Falling Free) and as such, if you were reading chronologically, some of the books published later make references to things that are explained here.

But again, you can jump right in here without any prior Vorkosigan experience, and if you do you'll get a pretty fun romp.  It's not a great book, but it's certainly fun.

More after the Jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst

SF/F Review: The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst (Queens of Renthia Book 2) https://t.co/q3y7IRNWCc Short Review: 7.5 out of 10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 10, 2017

Short Review (cont): The Sequel to the Queen of Blood is a solid sequel that expands the world of Renthia a little bit (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 10, 2017

Short Review (cont): but loses a little of the sense of wonder the world had in Book 1. Still thrilling at times but maybe too short (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 10, 2017

The Reluctant Queen is the sequel to The Queen of Blood, which I just reviewed favorably earlier this week.  This second tale doesn't expand our knowledge of the world of Renthia very much - we are still staying in the Country of Aratay although the neighboring country of Semo does play a major role - but does expand our knowledge of the people within Aratay.  As in the first book this is still a world where the Spirits of Nature exist en mass alongside humans and want to kill all of humanity, held back only by a powerful queen of each country who can command them to "Do No Harm." This book however further deals with the other people besides the heirs and Champions in the Country - in this case, a Deadly Poisoner, a Royal Guardsman, and just to some minor extent the other Civil Servants who try to serve the Queen.

It's a tale that is still very good and I tore through this book in 2 days - Durst writes really really well and the story is a bit enthralling....but it loses a little bit of the wonder of the first book as the interactions between spirits and humans becomes a little more cut and dry.

More after the Jump, including major spoilers for The Queen of Blood:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

SF/F Review: The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst https://t.co/GJ4KWcXf35 Short Review: 8.5 out of 10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 6, 2017

Short Review (cont.): A subversion of a (or cynical) fairy tail/chosen one story where a girl and Champion learn to control her weak (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 6, 2017

power to control murderous spirits as they attempt to save the Country from spirits&Queen who may be losing control. Dark but Very good(3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 6, 2017

The Queen of Blood is book 1 in Sarah Beth Durst's "Queens of Renthia" Series.  I've seen other reviews compare the book to Naomi Novik's "Uprooted" and the comparison makes sense to some extent - the book is a retelling/subversion of the classic chosen hero/fairy tale (but not "fae" - this is not a fae story) trope in a world dominated by woods (Cities are created from magically altering trees) and magic.  That said, the book is a lot more cynical than Uprooted, although it has its lighter moments as well.  But this is not a bad thing really - I enjoyed this book a lot (and just finished its sequel, review to come soon).

The World of Renthia is one in which mankind lives amongst Spirits of six different elements - ice, wood, water, fire, air, and earth - who created the world.  The problem is this: The Spirits hate humanity and one of their top two wants (in addition to wanting always to simply use their element to grow things) is always to kill/destroy humans.  In order to stop the Spirits from destroying humanity, nature seems to have evolved in the Spirits a desire for them to choose a human Queen from one of the many humans who has innate magical talent to speak/control the spirits.  These Queens, of which there are five - one for each of the 5 countries in the world, are given control of the spirits of their country and can command them to do no harm.  Should a Queen die or fall however, the Spirits would go wild and try to destroy everything.

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik

SF/F Review: Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik https://t.co/zxI8r2mS7s Short Review: 7 out of 10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 5, 2017

Short Review (cont): The 2nd Temeraire Novel features more worldbuilding as we learn about Chinese Dragons and Culture (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 5, 2017

Short Review (cont): but suffers a bit without much of the supporting cast from the First book. A slight step down. (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 5, 2017

I very much enjoyed His Majesty's Dragon, the first book in the Temeraire series, which I obtained a copy of in this year's Hugo Voters Packet (Temeraire was up for the trial run for the "Best Series" Hugo).  This alternate world where the Napoleonic Wars were fought between forces that included Dragons on both sides featured several great characters - not just the young dragon Temeraire and his Captain Laurence, but a cast of other Dragons and their crews.  It was a fun tale filled with some fun characters and I looked forward to Book 2.

Throne of Jade is Book 2 (of 9) and takes Laurence and Temeraire away from the cast in Britain on a voyage to China, Temeraire's homeland.  It's solid...but a step down from Book 1 as the newer characters aren't particularly interesting.

More after the Jump:

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Harbors of the Sun (Books of the Raksura #5) by Martha Wells

SF/F Review: The Harbors of the Sun (Books of the Raksura #5) by Martha Wells https://t.co/hx7fk0wHqH Short Review: 8 out of 10 (1/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 2, 2017

Short Review (cont): The final Raksuran book concludes the story began in The Edge of Worlds as the Raksura engage in a (2/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 2, 2017

Short Review (cont): multi-fronted epic battle for survival against both the Fell & other enemies. Amazing Characters shine yet again. (3/4)

— garik16 (@garik16) August 2, 2017

I'm running out of things to say about the Books of the Raksura series, which has emerged as one of my favorite series to read over the past two years (since I restarted my reading of the genre).  A reader might've noticed I haven't actually given any of the five books in this series a grade above 8.5 out of 10, which usually is my "Really good but with some flaws that make it just short of Great" rating, but the whole series somehow is better than its individual parts.  Throughout the series, Wells has crafted a cast of characters who are simply special and diverse in personalities, such that they're beyond a joy to read.  I'll miss these characters now that I've finished all the Raksuran stories (barring minor Patreon pieces) likely to come out in the near future, a lot.

But the Long Review of THIS book continues after the jump:

How to find new SciFi/Fantasy books to read (or really any genre)

So my last post talked about a bunch of books I'd recommend to new readers looking to break into modern SciFi/Fantasy literature.  I greatly enjoyed all of those books and many more books, but how did I find those books (as well as any others I've loved)?  Let's say you enjoy those books and any sequels to those series - how do you go about finding new books and new authors for you to read?  Let me try and explain how I find books: