Category :: Review :: Page 68

Oh man. I don’t even hardly know where to begin. It seems like only yesterday that Pyr’s Lou Anders was talking up this new series he had acquired. It all started with Tom Lloyd‘s THE STORMCALLER, and Lou Anders was telling everyone who would listen that it was the start of a series that would please all those rabid Steven Erikson fans. Being one of those Erikson fans myself, I was intrigued. I personally picked it up based solely on Anders’ description.

Fast-forward several years later, and here we are with the fifth and final novel in The Twilight Reign. THE DUSK WATCHMAN (Amazon). I had the privilege of reading this novel quite a while ago, and it’s been absolute agony not having anyone to talk with about it. I was going to wait for the US release of the novel to write up this review, but I just can’t do it. Not enough willpower.

I’m just too dang excited to tell you what I think of this novel, and the series as a whole.
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The irony of the title of ALL MEN OF GENIUS (Amazon) by newcomer Lev A.C. Rosen is that the main character is 17-year-old Violet. While not exactly a tomboy, she’s a scientist at heart and isn’t afraid of the grime, oil, and dirt involved in her love of making machines. Unfortunately for her, the exclusive London-based science university, Illyria, doesn’t accept women. Violet, however, is reckless enough to concoct a scheme that allows her to attend the university–posing as her twin brother Ashton.

ALL MEN OF GENIUS is Rosen’s steampunk re-telling combination of Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Ernest” and Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” It’s more a comedy of manners than anything resembling the conspiracy mystery he prologues the book with. While fun, creative, and entertaining, I can sum up GENIUS with two words: heavy handed.
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It’s that time of the year again folks. That magical time signaling the announcement of another book release from the reigning champion of urban fantasy. May I humbly present to you MONSTER HUNTER LEGION (Amazon), fourth book of the New York Times Best-Selling series written by pulp fiction juggernaut Larry Correia.

Disclaimer: Larry Correia is my favorite author. I am a Monster Hunter/Grimnoir Chronicles fanboy. This does not, however, mean that I will ever give Larry a free pass when it comes to a review. I am a critic first and foremost and I do not believe in coddling authors. That said, MONSTER HUNTER LEGION is Larry’s most flawless book to date. Not my favorite of his novels, mind you, but certainly the most complete and substantial.
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Huh. Have this ever happened to you? You finish a book, and after you turned that last page you thought, “Huh. Not sure what I think about that.”

Believe it or not, this doesn’t happen to me very often. Usually I know right away if I love, like, or hate a book. I know if a book is mediocre once I read the final page. I know if it has cemented itself on my “Best of the Year” list. With Myke Cole‘s debut novel, SHADOW OPS: CONTROL POINT (Amazon)… I just don’t know. Hopefully I come to a decision by the end of the review, otherwise this will get awkward.
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I love reading short fiction by my favorite novelists. There is a nice sense of focus in these works, and they serve as a refreshing change of pace and scope while usually maintaining the integrity of that author’s writing ability. See, I really like Brandon Sanderson‘s work. But sometimes I just don’t want to read a 1000 page Stormlight Archive novel.

LEGION (Amazon) is a novella by Brandon Sanderson, published by the fantastic Subterranean Press. This novella follows Stephen Leeds–or Mr Legion as he is sometimes called–a man with a unique condition. Leeds has multiple personalities, but this just isn’t a normal case of a man who hallucinates. His hallucinations live with him in his massive mansion. Each of these aspects help Leeds by offering their own specialized skill sets, and Leeds uses these skills as a consultant of sorts.

You see, Leeds is a genius, and those aspects help him channel it.
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Carrie Vaughn‘s first love was the short story, having published more than 50 in various Science Fiction and Fantasy publications over the years. Today she’s best known for her Kitty Norville series, but KITTY’S GREATEST HITS (Amazon) represents Vaughn’s considerable talents with shorter fiction. This is a compilation of mostly previously published works, and a few new pieces.
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I have an awesome boss.  Well, all of us are pretty cool here at EBR, but Mr. Steve is a class act.  He’s smart, he’s debonaire, he’s… what’s that? Why all the sycophantic flattery?  It doesn’t even sound like I’m talking to you? Dang. Well, here’s the thing.  You might have noticed the title of this book review already, and maybe even more than that you might remember the fact that Mr. Steve was going to have another short story in this anthology. Yeah. Well, his story rocked, but… um… wow, I better just get into it.
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I don’t often read outside of my comfort zone. I love Science Fiction and I love Fantasy and not much else holds my interest. Every once and a while though I’ll take a risk and venture outside my safety bubble. GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn (Amazon) was recommended to me with infectious enthusiasm. It wasn’t my usual cup of tea, but the premise was perplexing and so I decided to give it a shot. WOW, I am so glad I did not let this one pass me by.

On the morning of Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary she goes missing. As the investigation gets rolling evidence leads the police and the public to suspect the obvious: it’s always the husband. There is more to the story than Nick Dunne will let on but does that necessarily mean he is to blame for the disappearance of his wife?
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After the Great Khan’s death his heirs fought over his empire, wiping out entire armies. A grandson of the Khan, Temur is left for dead on the battlefield and miraculously survives to join the refugees fleeing the Steppes. But in order to avoid notice by an enemy that would kill him, he hides his identity.

Samarkar, former princess and now a widow, is close to completing her training to become a wizard. But despite great sacrifice, there’s no guarantee that she will actually be able to wield magic at all.

The necromancer al-Sepehr is aiding Temur’s cousin to re-conquer the Khaganate, and he will do anything to win, even raise the dead to fight the living.
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Once I’d finally managed to get past my irrational dislike of anything with hype attached to it, I gave Mark Lawrence‘s THE PRINCE OF THORNS (EBR Review) a read. You may remember from that review that I was completely and utterly blown away. It was just soooooo good. Then the sequel, THE KING OF THORNS (Amazon) showed up in my mail box.

I may, or may not have wept from the joy I felt. Then I may, or may not have babbled excitedly at my wife while thrusting the book in her face. She may or may not have wondered why she married me.
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