May 23, 2006

Memories of Ice

Memories of Ice - Volume Three of the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.

In book three, Erikson picks back up with the heros from book one. This is not surprising since practically everyone from book two is dead. In book three, a new evil is discovered and our troop of heros broker and tenative truce with their enemies to fight a larger foe. Again, lots of heros and blood and valor. And then, once again, Erikson pulls the carpet out from under me and kills off everyone! Again! I couldn't believe it. Those few that managed to survive book one and two and once again slaughtered in the last battle. I just can't take it! Erikson does such a great job of creating this incredible flawed heros that you love and root for and then. Bam-o. He mows them down. There are another 7 books in this series but I've decided to take a break. I just can't have my heart broken again by watching them die one by one. I love the writing and the characters too much to keep going in the is series. I'll definately come back to this series but I need some fluff inbetween to keep me happy!

Posted by Chrissie at 10:20 AM

Deadhouse Gates

Deadhouse Gates - Volume Two of the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.

Having just finished the first, I was anxious to find out what happens next. Imagine my surprise when one four original characters continued into this novel!! Yup, we have a while new cast of characters, places and plots to digest in this tale. Like the first, it's very gritty, grim and bloody. So bloody that very few remain standing at the end of the tale. I really loved the plot and could barely but this book down but.... everyone dies! After 800 pages of watching the heros slog through, it was soul retching to watch them fall, one by one, before the end. I was crushed by the end. I couldn't believe they were all dead. I just couldn't believe it. I figured there must be a twist for I found the next in the series and held on to my belief that things must turn around in Memories of Ice, the third in the series.

Posted by Chrissie at 10:15 AM

Gardens of the Moon

Gardens of the Moon - Volume One of the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.

I have been on a mystery kick for a while so I thought I'd switch gears and picked up an epic fantasy that had been on my shelf for a while. Don't remember who recommended it but it seemed like a typical sword and sorcery book so I thought to give it a shot.

At first, I didn't like this book. It seemed like a rip of of Glen Cook's Black Company with a band of mercenaries caught up in an epic battle between relms. But then, as I read, I found myself engulfed. They say there is nothing wrong with copying a good idea if you make it your own and Steven Erikson does just that. This is not a poor Tolkien knock-off. Erikson takes tried and true stories and makes them all his own. It's a bloody war full of extreme exhaustion, valor, and betrayal. It's one of those books that has a cast of characters and an index of places and terms you have to use to remember who is aligned with who. Gods meddle with mortals and mortals slay Gods. No one is safe in Erikson's hand and some of my favorites died.

After finishing this book, I decided to continue the series while the names and plots were still in my head so I launched into the next in the series, Deadhouse Gates./

Posted by Chrissie at 10:10 AM

March 27, 2006

Ill Wind

Ill Wind- Weather Warden Book 1- by Rachel Caine

This book was recommended to me because I like the Jim Butcher series starring Harry Dresden and there are a lot of parallels. Here, there is a group of people who controll the earth, air, water and fire. Their job is to try and tame Mother Nature's natural disasters. They rein in hurricanes, smother wild-fires and downgrade earthquakes. The heroine is Joanna Baldwin who works with air and water. She's leading a normal Weather Warden life until she is nabbed and given a Demon Mark. Running out of time, she tries to rid herself of the Demon before it takes her over. She meets and befriends a Djinn who helps her along the way.

I like the book but there was quite a bit of romance novel mixed in her. Joanna is, of course, gorgeous and every man she meets falls for her. There's quite a few love scenes strewn about the book quite liberally. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for love but it seemed a bit much. The ending was definately unexpected and I'll probaby checkout the next in this series but it hasn't made it to my Must Read shelf quite yet. Not bad, but I'm sticking with Jim Butcher so far.

Posted by Chrissie at 08:47 PM

March 19, 2006

Priestess of the White

Priestess of the White (Age of the Five Trilogy, Book 1) by Trudi Canavan

I don't remember why or where I picked this book up. It is a new sword and sorcery series that focuses on five people who are given magical powers to act as the hands of the gods to a realm. I'm only luke warm about this book. The good characters are 100% good and have no real depth. The five "good" sorcerers discover five "evil" sorcerers and the climax of the book is a big magical battle. There's a race of small flying people and one individual manages to become crucial in the final battle and swings the battle to the side of good. Yes, yet another nod to Lord of the Rings. Nothing bad here but nothing original. Lots of stereotypes to the extent of the good guys wear white and the baddies wear black. Duh. This may be one of five but I think for me, it's going to be one of one.

Posted by Chrissie at 08:39 PM

February 04, 2006

The Ill-Made Mute

The Ill-Made Mute The Bitterbynde - Book 1 by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

This was another book I grabbed during my .5 seconds of browsing. It was a new fanstasy novel so I thought, what the heck. When I got it home, I found was compared to The Fellowship of the Rings. Hmmm. Not my favorite series but I gave it a go.

Yeah, this book has all the things I didn't like about the Fellowship series. Lots of random poetry and songs that have no bearing on the plot but take up space. Lots of detailed description about odd plants and animals and creatures. The first third of the book consisted almost entirely of people telling scary creature stories that, as far as I can tell, are totally beside the point. The plot, when present, was ok and I found that my Tolkien technique worked well on this book. I basically read the first and last sentence of each long paragraph and skimmed down the page looking for dialogue. Unfortunately, the main character is mute and doesn't regain her voice until the last sentence of the book so dialogue was scarce to say the least.

I suppose this was a richly written book but I found it rather boring and dull. If you liked the detail of the Fellowship, you'll probably enjoy this story. If you are like me and found most of the Fellowship rather slow, pass this book by. Unless, of course, you need a good sleep aid!

Posted by Chrissie at 08:56 PM

December 07, 2005

Storm Front

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Oh my oh my oh my! A new favorite author! I don’t remember who recommended this one to me but good job! This book is a good, fun read. So very engrossing that I almost missed my stop on the MAX the other day I was so involved in this book. It’s fun not Deep Literature but it is a very good story with a great main character and just enough magic to make it all work beautifully. The party line is....

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he’s the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things - and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s were Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a - well, whatever.

There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get...Interesting.
Basically, take your typical Chicago private eye. Low on cash, wiley and street smart, with an eye for the ladies and a quick buck or two. Now, make him a wizard. Oh what fun this book it. Laugh out loud fun. It had demons and vampires and a White Council and love potions, and sexy reporters and tough cops. This is a book I enjoyed from cover to cover. I’m off to pick up the next in the series. Try it. You won’t regret it.

Posted by Chrissie at 05:01 PM

The Black Company

The Black Company by Glen Cook

Ah, one of my favorite series. This is the first is a long line of dark sword and sorcery novels. The story revolves around a band of mercenaries known as the Black Company. Sometimes they fight on the side of right, sometimes on the side of wrong. Once hired, they are loyal to the end.

The story is told through the eyes of the band’s surgeon and historian, Croaker. He isn’t big on descriptions and scene imagery - just jumps straight to the action. It appears that the forces of evil are on the rise. After a hundred years of captivity, the Lady has escaped her grave and returned. She has left behind her husband, the Dominator, still imprisoned and eager to be released. However, the Lady is quite content to rule in his stead. Through various twists and turns, the Black Company finds themselves in Her employ, routing out the Rebels and destroying the campions of good. Of course, these men have a consciences so fighting on the dark side doesn’t sit easily on their backs.

The party line is...


Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead. Until the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her.... Croaker spoke to the assembled Company. “In olden times the outfit consisted entirely of black soldiers. Thus the name. Its slow drift northward has seen not only its diminution but a shift in its makeup. One-Eye is the only black man with us today. We are the last of the Twelve True Companies. We have out-endured the others by more than a century, but I fear we’re into our twilight days. I fear this may be the Company’s final commission. A page of history is about to turn. Once it does, the great warrior brotherhoods will be gone and forgotten.” But Croaker was wrong...
And so Croaker and his cohorts play a very dangers game. Working for the Lady in order to ensure that the Dominator remains buried in his grave. At the same time, they begin searching for the White Rose to protect her from their mistresses grasp. Should they fail the Lady, the Dominator will be let lose once again. Should they succeed in capturing the White Rose, then they will doom their world to the rule of the Lady. Either way, not a pretty sight.

I have tried passing on these books to others but with little success. I think most people enjoy reading about good triumphing over evil. Maybe it just isn’t as much fun to root for the bad guys. I, however, love these stories. There isn’t a lot of description or pages about clothing and food and culture. No, this book is all about battles and sorcery and deception. Just what you want to be reading on a dark night.

The only drawback is after reading the first book, I’m hooked. Looks like I’m going to be dragged into the whole series again. Ah well, this is the risk of a good book I suppose.

Posted by Chrissie at 04:56 PM

The Thief's Gamble

The Thief’s Gamble Juliet McKeen

This book came highly recommended but it just didn’t sit well with me. It suffered from the “Hand of God” syndrome. Main character in a tight spot, looks likes no way out, when a totally random event frees her. You know, a random stranger who helps or finding that ring you picked up for no reason suddenly is the key to unlocking the mystery. Long, overly violent, with lots of loose ends and characters who eat up chapters but do nothing. Sorry but I just can’t recommend this one as a good read.

So last night I went back to the Permanent Shelf to decided which old favorite I was going to re-read to get me back into the saddle again. I think perhaps a little Glen Cook? We’ll see....

Posted by Chrissie at 04:55 PM