Category :: Review :: Page 68

I’ve been on a bit of an urban fantasy kick of late. So much of the genre is about gritty, inner city vampire staking that HIDDEN THINGS (Amazon) by Doyce Testerman registered to me as an original. HIDDEN THINGS isn’t urban fantasy so much as a modern rural fairytale. It features folkloric fantasy creatures (dragons and satyrs instead of vampires and werewolves) and tells a moral story. I found this novel approach endearing and as a result I quite liked HIDDEN THINGS despite some flaws.

Calliope’s partner has been declared dead. The police are investigating the matter and suspect foul play. Calliope knows little of the case Josh had been working but refuses to accept that he is gone for good… because she has a message on her answering machine from him that was taken two hours after his alleged demise. Now Calliope must travel to Iowa in search of answers with hopes of finding her ex-lover/best-friend/business-partner. The only clue she has is a warning, “Watch out for the hidden things.”
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Celia’s life hasn’t been easy since she was turned into an abomination in BLOOD SONG (EBR Review) — not quite human, but not quite vampire, either. At the same time her siren abilities manifested, giving her supernatural skills she only wished she had in a profession (bodyguard) that needs all the advantages she can get.

Be careful what you wish for.
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I like being proven wrong. Well, let my qualify that statement, because I hate being told that I’m wrong.  I do, however, enjoy being surprised by finding out for myself that something is not the way that I thought it was. After reading several short stories and a novel by Mr. Lake, I’d pretty much written him off as someone that I wouldn’t enjoy reading any more of.  So having this book land in my pile was an interesting experience to say the least.  As with my most recent foray into Science Fiction, I of course felt obligated to read the first book in the series before I read this one.

ENDURANCE (Amazon) is the second book in the “Green Universe” authored by the prolific Jay Lake.  I had previously read the first book in his “Mainspring Universe”, MAINSPRING (Amazon), and was less than enthused by what I found.  In essence, great writing, interesting characters, a decent–if slightly wandering–plot, with a horrible lack of an ending.  It is a tribute to Mr. Lake’s prose and storytelling ability that he made me forget about that final point when I dove into GREEN (Amazon) and subsequently with ENDURANCE.
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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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