Initial Reaction: Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian C. Esslemont
This is a tough reaction to write, coming on the heels of my thoughts on Reaper's Gale a week ago. I've actually been attempting to read Return of the Crimson Guard (RotCG henceforth) for 3 weeks now, and just can't get into it. I know its a long book, but I'm around 250 pages in, which is 25%...so it should have done something to reel me in by this point. Unfortunately, it hasn't. In fact, combined with my slight disappointment with Reaper's Gale, RotCG might force me to take an extended Malazan break. RotCG just isn't doing it for me in many ways. I don't find the overall writing as engaging as Erikson, and the language just feels clunky in (many) places. I'm not interested in any of the characters thus far (though Kyle has potential), and the story seems even harder to understand than the Erikson books. The latter surprises me, but Erikson has improved on that area as the series has progressed. Maybe it is my lack of interest that is the root of my confusion...I might not be reading carefully enough to keep everything in my head. And I will admit I have bounced around in several different books while trying to read RotCG.
So, I am wondering if i just need to take a break from Malazan. Or if I should just skip the ICE books and read the 10 Erikson books. As I have mentioned, I would like to finish the "core" books to gain a feeling of accomplishment, considering I have spent a good part of the last 18+ months reading the first 7 Erikson books. On the other hand, I would like to give myself a chance to enjoy the ending of the series. Maybe some time away would do me good, even if it bugs me to be so close to finally wrapping up the main series. I know I will miss some plot elements if I read the ICE books separately (after reading all 10 Erikson books), but after struggling with them so much, I think it would be better to try them at a later date.
At this point, I'm not sure what I will do. You might see an "Initial Reaction" post for Toll the Hounds in the next few days. Or you might see me talk about some indie books. At least once a year I make a pledge to read some of the popular indie books that show up on the Kindle fantasy bestseller lists, and usually within a day or two I abandon that pledge. I've been feeling the itch to try some indie works again, but given my horrible track record with my promises to cover them here....who knows if I'll actually read any of the indie samples I sent to my Kindle earlier today.
Reaction: Reaper’s Gale by Steven Erikson
I finally finished Reaper's Gale (book 7 in the Malazan Book of the Fallen) a couple of weeks ago and wanted to give a brief writeup.
I must say that this one is probably my least favorite in the series so far. That's not to say I didn't like it, because I did (mostly). But I just didn't quite get into it as much as the previous books. I would even go so far as to say that there has been a little drop off for me, as I really liked the first 5 books, liked The Bonehunters a little less, and now this was another small step down.
The story is still almost as confusing to me as it has been the entire series, though I feel Erikson is doing a better job of overtly helping the reader follow some of the (seemingly) several thousand plot threads. I think there are 2 main reasons I struggled a bit with Reaper's Gale. First, at this point in the series, I feel like most of the Malazan soldiers are blurring together for me. Its getting harder and harder to really tell them apart. I'm not sure if it is due to my bad memory, the sheer number of them, or if there are just a few different character types for the soldiers. I guess it is probably a little of all 3. The other hindrance to my enjoyment is that, for the most part, it didn't heavily feature the characters I have enjoyed. I've never been a big fan of Udinaas or Karsa, unfortunately (forgive any mispellings...too lazy to look them up, and I don't have the book with me at the moment).
It seems like the last couple hundred pages were the best part, as usual for this series. I know it is impossible to maintain that pace for 1200 pages...and I love me some BFF (Big Fat Fantasy). But I find myself wishing the books had been trimmed back to maybe 800 pages or something.
While this might seem like a negative review (lacking positive feedback), I still highly enjoy this series, and (mostly) enjoyed this book. Part of the problem might be due to a bit of Malazan burn out. I would still highly recommend this series, and look forward to continuing with the next book.
In fact, I've spent the last 2 weeks trying to read Return of the Crimson Guard. But more on that tomorrow....
Reaction: The Breach & Ghost Country by Patrick Lee
Over the last few months, I've spent just as much time reading thrillers as I have reading fantasy. I had read some interesting things about The Breach by Patrick Lee, so when it went on sale (in December I think) for $0.99, I decided to buy it. Then in February, the price of the sequel, Ghost Country , dropped to $0.99. I bought that one, too, and decided it might be a good time to start reading the series (especially since the last book in the trilogy came out last December).
Below is a quote from the Publisher's Weekly review on Amazon for book 1 (The Breach):
Lee's debut thriller pits ex-con ex-cop Travis Chase against increasingly dire odds as the action ratchets up like levels in a complex video game. Fresh out of prison, Travis sets out on a solo Alaskan trek, wanting nothing more than quiet time for introspection. Then he encounters a downed plane containing the dead bodies of the United States's first lady and several others, plus hints about a mysterious missing item. Armed with superior firepower and the instincts and savvy of a good cop, Travis tracks down the murderers, who are torturing hostage Paige Campbell to get her father, Peter, to reveal another clue. Travis manages to rescue Paige just as Peter confesses the information and is killed. His last words send Paige and Travis into a dangerous world of secrets and conspiracies, where they slowly learn about the eponymous Breach and meet progressively more menacing foes. It's all here: brilliantly devious enemies; nifty, innovative gadgets and weaponry; hang-on-to-your-hat action; and razor-sharp plot twists aplenty.
That quote does a pretty good job of explaining the early parts of the story (and the series as a whole), and mostly makes the book sound like a normal, above average thriller. What you don't know, unless you read the other reviews on Amazon, is that there is a healthy sci-fi element in the story, too. There are so many twists and neat tricks in the series that its tough to talk about anything in detail. I know I say that quite often in reviews, but in this case it is very definitely true. Giving out further details would ruin the surprises Lee has in store. All you need to know is that if you like thrillers, with some cool sci-fi elements, you really need to read these books. The action is non-stop..there is literally no time to catch your breath in either of these books. The story in each book takes place in a very short period of time (a few days unless I am mistaken), though there is a 2 year gap between the ending of The Breach and the beginning of Ghost Country. While the compressed timeline within each book creates a built-in momentum, Lee does a great job with the pacing of the story. And despite the fact that it seems all hell is breaking loose, Lee finds a way to sufficiently develop the main characters, especially the lead, Travis Chase. When you first find out he is an ex-con, you might think he is going to be one of those leads who is hard to like. But as his past is explained, it is easy to become attached to him. The sci-fi elements are handled well, and are pretty dang creative, too. A few times I thought the story might get a little too over-the-top crazy, but Lee is fully in charge of the story, and things always end up making sense. (And the time travel bit in Ghost Country is pretty cool).
Overall, I thought these 2 books were excellent. It has been awhile since I have read a story with such a relentless pace. If you are into thrillers, or sci-fi, I would highly recommend these. Heck, these make for a perfect vacation read. I just bought Deep Sky, the 3rd and final book. I can't wait to see how the story ends, though I know I'll be a little disappointed it's over. These books are SCREAMING to be made into a movie(s).
Read It: Thief’s Covenant by Ari Marmell
Once again, almost 2 weeks goes by between finishing a book and writing the review..which for me is never a good thing. But I did want to throw out a recommendation for Thief's Covenant, if nothing else. Because I thought that overall, it was a great read. It is the first YA book published by Pyr (I believe), and it happens to be the first in the Widdershins Adventures series. Don't let that YA moniker fool you, though, as if this book was a movie, I would rate it PG-13. It has its share of violence, and I would say the target audience for this is teens and up. Most of the time, I had to remind myself that I was not reading an adult novel.
...next was is a bunch of stuff I typed up and deleted. While writing this post, I read another new review of this book, and since I agree with everything he said, I will save you the agony of reading more of my review and tell you to go read Stefan's review at Civilian Reader.
I will close by saying I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Thief's Covenant. I stayed up a little later each night cuz I couldn't make myself top reading. And it definitely made my gym time (I read while riding the bike/elliptical machine) go by a lot faster. I'm even expecting it to make my top 10 of 2012 list.
Reaction: Shadow’s Son by Jon Sprunk
So I finished reading Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk today at lunch. Finally. And I've decided I'm gonna have to keep this reaction post on the short side, as I don't like writing negative reactions. I wish I could think of some positive things to say to counterbalance the negatives, but I can't. On paper (pun intended) this should be a book I like...an old school, sword & sorcery fantasy. And for the most part, I've liked the assassin books that have been published in increasing numbers lately. But this book failed for me in just about every way. While I like the main character, Caim, that's pretty much where my positive feelings stop. Josey seemed like a total stereotype, and I didn't believe her transformation during the book. I also didn't like how the Shadow magic was handled..everything was too vague. I understand that is most likely due to Caim's limited knowledge of his heritage (to be deliberately vague), but the effect, for me, was to make the shadow "magic" feel shallow. Finally, the usage of similes was way over the top. I felt like every page there was a "like" simile. For example:
-It gathered around him like a cloak.
-The arrow sped across the hall like a diving falcon.
-The soldiers flitted about like bees from a jostled hive.
-Dappled moonlight splashed over him like a gossamer rainstorm.
-Kit danced ahead of him in the distance like a will-o'-the-wisp.
-Apprehension welled up inside him, rising up like the deep arm of the sea...
Note the above were ALL on page 17.
To be fair, they were less frequent as the novel progressed. And maybe I could find something similar in most books, but it just jumped out at me in this one. I don't ever remember feeling the need to mention similes in any other review.
Anyway, the good news is that I am in the minority, as the reviews on amazon and goodreads are way more positive than mine. I follow the author's blog, and feel bad for writing a less than positive reaction. But I had to force myself to finish it, after putting it down several times thinking I was done for good. I kept hoping it would get better, and it did for awhile in the 2nd half, but at the end, I was just glad it was over. Part of me wants to read the 2nd book to see how it starts, to redeem this negative review with a positive one on the 2nd book. The other part of me thinks maybe I need some time away to let the negative vibes fade away a bit, before attempting the next book.
Grade: You don't want to know.
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