Reviews :: Book Rating :: Books We Love :: Page 20

Every so often I run through the list of books I’ve recently read and try to find follow-ups to those I liked. The sequel to Edward Lazellari’s debut novel, AWAKENINGS (EBR Review), was one that pestered me for what seemed a very long time. I kept looking for something but never saw any news about a sequel. And then Steve plopped it in my lap, and I was absolutely floored when I realized that it has been less than a year since the debut. In all fairness, having a newbie author get a 500+ page fantasy novel out within a year is actually, in my opinion, quite decent. I guess some part of me was just really looking forward to this one.
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I’m the mother of two boys: 10 and 9 years old. One is an avid reader and one isn’t, but I read as part of their bedtime ritual and search far and wide to find books all of us will enjoy.

Enter Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda series. The man is a genius: middle grade kids, a mystery, Star Wars, and origami? There’s something in there for everyone. Oh, and they’re hysterical.
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When you first novel is THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA (EBR Review), you’ve made things very difficult on yourself. Scott Lynch’s first novel was incredible. So incredible that it set the expectations for RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES (Amazon) incredibly high. I remember reading RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES and feeling a bit disappointed. Why? Because it wasn’t the best novel ever, of course. How could I expect anything less after reading the first novel? It wasn’t fair, and now that I’ve finished a re-read, I have a much better point of view on the novel than I did originally.
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I love Horror novels. I absolutely love them. I love when an author can terrify me with things that prey on the most basic fears we feel as humans. A great story teller can spin a tale in which I’m scared to look at the next page, and yet I’m equally thrilled to do just that. I also love the unexplained, and it is in short fiction that the unexplained aspect of Horror really shines. If you want great Horror short fiction, the place to look right now, in my opinion, is either with Subterranean Press or with Tachyon Publications. For this review, I want to draw the attention of every reader to IMPOSSIBLE MONSTERS (Amazon), which is edited by Kasey Lansdale.
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I know, I know. The book is old. You already know I love it. But here’s the thing, THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES (Amazon) is finally about to be released. Before I jumped into Scott Lynch’s newest, I needed to go back and revisit both THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA (Amazon) and RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES (Amazon). So I’m taking the opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you discerning readers. Think of this as a re-read review.
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It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book in three days.  (You have to understand that I work two jobs and have four kids, one of which is a two-month old, so reading a book in three days is kind of like reading it in one sitting for me.)  From the prologue, STEELHEART by Brandon Sanderson (Amazon) hooked me in and never let me go.  This is the type of book that begged me to slip away from family and read for just a few minutes more; to let the dishes sit in the sink for just a bit longer so I could read another chapter; to stay up late, no matter that I had work early the next day. I just had to know what was coming next.
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Neil Gaiman’s last published novel, ANANSI BOYS (Amazon), was clear back in 2005, so imagine the squees of fans (female and male alike) with the knowledge that June 2013 meant the relief of the drought with THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE (Amazon).
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EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Burton & Swinburne books to continue in amazing new adventure of intrigue and mayhem! Deviltry! Betrayal! Vampires! It’ll cost ya more than a dime, but will be worth every ha’penny you spend to get it!
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I’ve been suffering a bit of a reading slump of late. I’ve got plenty of awesome material to pick from and a complete and utter lack of motivation to read. Maybe it’s the summer heat? Regardless, NEXUS by Ramez Naam (Amazon) has shattered that lethargy and cleansed it in napalm. Optioned for a film by Paramount and Darren Aronofsky, NEXUS is probably the best book of 2012 that I’ve read in 2013. It’s a perfect summer beach read, a stimulating near-future thriller loaded with equal amounts action and speculation. NEXUS offers human characters, real (scary) science, and deep ethical dilemmas. This fiction debut is the contemporary evolution of cyberpunk: the future isn’t about virtual reality but augmented reality. Pardon my drooling, I had a blast reading this.
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Here at EBR we love our RPGs, but we’ve yet to really review any of them. We’ve decided to rectify this with a review of the latest book from Legend of the Five Rings (L5R), Imperial Histories 2.

So, enjoy this review by Alan Bahr – screenplay writer, Warmachine aficionado, and L5R (both RPG and CCG) genius.
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