Latest Book Reviews

	Pippa wrote a review (2020-06-19) The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett I fell in love with this author by the second paragraph. Here is a delightful satirical writing style, full of humour and eloquent in its execution. It’s clear right away if you are going to connect with the dry wit and the prose so beautifully crowded with lighthearted potshots at humanity. The first of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, this novel plays with conventional ideas about the world, especially mythological archetypes and their use in the sword and sorcery fantasy ... (more) genre. His tongue-in-cheek physics adds a pinch of Sci-Fi to the mix. The Color of Magic is often compared to Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for its humour but is written with more finesse. It lightened my heart to read this book. Surges of delight from the clever turns of phrase alternated with laughter as I read along. I particularly enjoyed this satire of fantasy because I am fascinated with the concept of reality and all its interpretations. Here is a snippet of Pratchett's description of a wizard appearing out of thin air, an effect you might experience in a movie: “Now the turning wizard was half man-size. At that point the growth was faster, there was a sudden crowded moment, a rush of air, and an explosion of sound. Rincewind tumbled out of the air, screaming. He hit the floor hard, choked, then rolled over with his head cradled in his arms and his body curled up tightly." Birds are shown to carry messages, and a few pages later a man about to dispatch a message approaches a cage of white doves. But there are other cages there, and, “From one cage he removed a glossy coated rat, rolled the parchment into the phial attached to a hind leg, and let the animal go. It sniffed around the floor for a moment, then disappeared down a hole in the far wall.” The image of rats scurrying through underground tunnels with notes tied to their rear legs fits well into this city in a world of scoundrels. Terry Pratchett obviously had a great time writing these books. He was a masterful writer and it's easy to see why so many have had fun reading the Discworld series. I thoroughly enjoyed The Color Of Magic and am on to read The Light Fantastic. I mentioned this review in a blog post here: https://habyrd.com/blog/important-message.html
	Pippa wrote a review (2020-06-19) Alphabet of Thorn - Patricia A. McKillip Well-loved Sci-Fi/Fantasy author Patricia A. McKillip released this book in 2005. Alphabet of Thorn is a story about the magic of words, about obsession, and about love. An orphan has been raised by the librarians of a great castle. At sixteen, through her job as translator, the magic of a book tangles her life with that of the young queen and others of the realm. This history written in a language of thorns unveils secrets that will change everything. The story is ... (more) reminiscent of Arthurian tales, and Le Guin, with a touch of Harry Potter. Soon after I began reading, I felt a fondness for the author. Her language is beautiful, but I found the strange word order and her use of pronouns confusing. As this is the first book of McKillip’s I’ve read, I’m not sure if she wrote this way on purpose or not. The story does, after all, center on a brambly language. I like McKillip’s patterns of thought, and the timing of her plot elements. Plenty of well-paced hints lit the way to the outcome. There are gems among her phrases, and interesting metaphors such as the enormity of night with its eye at the window, spying on comfort and fragile peace. My favorite line is, “. . .even in the long, tumultuous history of Raine, the rulers had never had to go to war with their librarians.” The final chapter or two make me feel that the author was already busy in her mind with her next book. The structure is there, but primary characters have oddly melted away and the writing has lost its flow. There is a beautiful resolution, but it was a tricky one that needed a little more care to make someone’s transition believable. I've blogged about my process in creating this review. https://habyrd.com/ Baby Sees Its Shadow For The First Time, Again.
	Pippa wrote a review (2020-06-19) The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle Authors are warned not to expect literary fiction to succeed commercially. Yet one of the most popular fantasies ever is a beautiful example of literary fantasy. I read The Last Unicorn recently for the first time. No story is the same for every reader. We shape our own version with our widely varied personal memories and perspective. This is especially true with literary fiction, which relies on the audience's interest in such things as allusions and undercurrents of meaning. more) /> If one approaches The Last Unicorn with expectations of a cheesy 1960s romance in the back of their mind, there is a danger that this is what they will experience. As the story points out, when people come across a unicorn they often can’t see what’s right there in front of them. At some point in the book, though, the reader must make a choice. Is this story to be read with a modern and critical eye, peeved and scoffing over this and that? Or is it better to plunge into the magic, to enjoy every nuance and smell every flower of the language? There is much to experience in the warp and weft of Mr. Beagle’s writing, constantly reminding us that there is more to our world than we can see. A butterfly speaks in a flittering gibberish of overheard songs and phrases. His life is only a blip in time. And yet he holds the truth. A wicked witch uses the public’s fears and gullibility against them for profit, only to be eaten by her own deepest forebodings. A wretched king lives in a prison of stale magic and his own dour imagination. Characters are the backbone of this book. The personalities are based on archetypes, and the heroes of the story blossom into a satisfying modernness. Beagle’s lyrical flow-of-thought style of writing pulled me right into this fairy tale, despite my preconceived ideas and wariness. Before I read the story, I had been put off by the saccharine image of the unicorn which comes from the film. The creature with oversized human eyes has a head shape which disturbs and offends me and my idea of a unicorn. It’s a cultural thing, I realize. Despite all this, I watched the film a few days ago. The animation has a simple but lovely artistry, and the unicorn moves enchantingly like a real horse. The beauty of the film opened my mind about anime-style unicorns. Although the screenplay was done by Mr. Beagle, the film is toned down and less thought-provoking than the book. For example, in the movie it is not implicit that the cause of the people’s sadness and pathetic blindness to the world is the fact that the unicorns have gone. I recommend the film, but read the book first! For me, The Last Unicorn is a story about facing our humanity. It’s a reminder to live life with joy.
	Spaced_out wrote a review (2020-05-29) Blue Shift - Jane O'Reilly [ SPOILERS - click to open ] I don´t really think Science Fiction and porn is a good match. The story was readable, but the sex scenes totally ridiculous and unnecessary. Does it make science fiction that someone is trapped in a laser cage? Full of cliché really. A romance novelist just placed the story in space. I don´t know if that makes it science fiction. Maybe I rated it too high… but I don´t like to give mean scores. After all, someone has spent a whole lot of time and trouble writing this.
	Spaced_out wrote a review (2020-05-28) The Tabit Genesis - Tony Gonzales I like the world, I like the premise, good imagination and rather good writing. On the other hand, so many characters (who may have many names) that I got lost at times. This is written to be a Book 1 of a series, a setup for an upsell. That I don't really like. Things are left unsolved mainly. I don´t know if I´m going to buy the sequels, but I would definitely like to know how this all ends. Maybe my library can help me when the time comes. Mr. Gonzales is a great writer in my opinion, I ... (more) hope to see a lot of new work from him. Maybe the problem with this novel was caused by the publisher. I still recommend this one. You can buy it for 5 bucks online, delivered. Worth it 100%.
	Spaced_out wrote a review (2020-05-28) Revenger - Alastair Reynolds I like Mr. Reynolds´ writing, he is good. This book has maybe a little thin plot and the events maybe happen a little too easy for the characters, but it is a good book and worth reading. I like the World especially in this one, and the characters, and of course will read the sequels in time. I´m a fan! Good job.
	Noel O'Neil wrote a review (2020-05-13) Blackthorns of the Forgotten - Bree T. Donovan This book was a surprising treat. I bought it because of my interest in Irish folklore. I loved the way the author used this idea as a backdrop for a very unusual, but believable romance. If you want a good laugh, cry and a little bit of magic, I highly recommend! J.O.N.
	HourglassEyes wrote a review (2020-05-12) The Red Scrolls of Magic - Cassandra Clare, Wesley Chu This is purely to Malec fans.
	Blue Six wrote a review (2019-09-25) Moonrise - Mike Ashley An eclectic collection of stories some of which are ridiculous by today's standards but are worth reading just to appreciate how ideas have changed. The stand out story is"Dead Centre" by Judith Merrill which concentrates on the heroes family but worthy contributions are also made by Edmond Hamilton, Paul Ernst and Gordon R Dickson. Mike Ashley's Introduction is also very good and clearly well researched
	Curtis wrote a review (2019-04-25) A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine Wow, to compare this to a Culture novel is an affront. I tried so hard to like this book but just couldn’t connect. Please avoid unless you want to read something to fall asleep to...
	Michelle Chaisson wrote a review (2019-04-05) The Scribbly Man - Terry Goodkind I absolutely loved this book! I had been tempted to wait to read it, but I am so glad that I didn't! It was wonderful to be with Richard and Kahlan again, and I was thrilled to see how intricately he wove so many previous story-lines into this fresh and haunting new plot. I was thoroughly hooked by chapter two. One new character has me almost as intrigued as the ending, and both have me happily anticipating the next book in the series already.
	Blue Six wrote a review (2019-03-10) Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow of the Rat & The Tangled Skein - David Stuart Davies A great many Sherlock Holmes stories have been written since the passing of the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but very few authors have managed to capture his style happily David Stuart Davies has done just this. Both stories are extremely well written and could very easily pass for the work of Conan Doyle were it not for the fact that they contain a supernatural element, in “The Shadow of the Rat” Holmes encounters a European Baroness with psychic ... (more) powers and in “The Tangled Skein” he crosses swords with the Prince of Darkness himself. Stuart Davies has written several other Holmes stories including “The Scroll of the Dead” which despite the promising title the antagonist proves to be no more spectral than the Sussex Vampire or the Hound of the Baskervilles. Recommended to anyone who just cannot get enough Sherlock Holmes
	recheal Jacobs wrote a review (2018-12-30) Salvation - Peter F. Hamilton I love the fact that Peter Hamilton continues to create engrossing books that one would rather read all night than sleep.
	Graham Arnott wrote a review (2018-11-20) Emperor of Mu - Jason Beveridge I really enjoyed reading this book! Great plot and the author paints an evocative sense of being in amongst the action. Highly recommend
	Sarah Towell wrote a review (2018-09-05) Fortune's Wheel - Lisanne Norman This was the book that got me into this series. Found it on my mom's book shelf about 20 years ago. I enjoyed the conflicts and the characters. Honestly if you like space operas, star trek and cats you'll like this series. It is broken into parts and takes place immediately after the first ends. I enjoyed getting to know more about the Sholans and their Talents.
	Sarah Towell wrote a review (2018-09-05) Turning Point - Lisanne Norman First book in a great series. It's a bit rough as it is her first book and just starting to flesh out the world's but over all is a good read. If you like space operas and cats you should read it. I've read it numerous times over the years and it still holds up for me. The first time being about 20 years ago when I had found the second in the series on my mom's book shelf. Read it loved it hunted down the rest of the series
	HourglassEyes wrote a review (2018-09-01) The Hidden World - Melinda Snodgrass Back on great. Snograss still manages to confuse. I'm loving it.
	Anthony wrote a review (2018-08-24) Sworn to the Night - Craig Schaefer I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I love Schaefer's Daniel Faust series but am not so keen on the Harmony Black books so I was prepared for the possibility that it wasn't going to grab me. What I wasn't prepared for was that I literally didn't want to put the book down, so I stayed up all through the night and read the book in one go. The main protagonists (no ... (more) spoilers) moved me, I even ended up caring for quite a few of the minor characters. This book does fit into the Daniel Faust and Harmony Black plots but you can read it quite independently, I think. On the other hand, why do that when you could have hours of good reading ahead of you? So, if you like dark urban adult fantasy get this book. If you like Schaefer's other books then get this book and be ready to not put it down until you have finished.
	Anthony wrote a review (2018-08-22) The Last Sun - K. D. Edwards [ SPOILERS - click to open ] This book is incredibly readable. The characters are well developed and the banter is witty. My only criticism is the resolution of what takes place in this book, a large part of it takes place 'off stage' and the outcomes are simply reported. Given how much fun this book is to read, and it is the author's first, my criticism is tiny. I am so looking forward to the next book in the sequence.
	al fraser wrote a review (2018-05-07) King of Ashes - Raymond E. Feist an excellent read, cannot wait for the next book in the series. All Feist readers will enjoy this book.
	al fraser wrote a review (2018-05-07) King of Ashes - Raymond E. Feist [ SPOILERS - click to open ] an excellent read, cannot wait for the next book in the series. All Feist readers will enjoy this book.
	al fraser wrote a review (2018-05-07) King of Ashes - Raymond E. Feist an excellent read, cannot wait for the next book in the series. All Feist readers will enjoy this book.
	al fraser wrote a review (2018-05-07) King of Ashes - Raymond E. Feist an excellent read, cannot wait for the next book in the series. All Feist readers will enjoy this book.
	al fraser wrote a review (2018-05-07) King of Ashes - Raymond E. Feist an excellent read, cannot wait for the next book in the series. All Feist readers will enjoy this book.
	al fraser wrote a review (2018-05-07) King of Ashes - Raymond E. Feist an excellent read, cannot wait for the next book in the series. All Feist readers will enjoy this book.

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