ELITIST BOOK REVIEWS

Once upon a time I read OLD MAN’S WAR by John Scalzi (Amazon) and it became my favorite book of all time. That said, REDSHIRTS (Amazon) has much more in common with Scalzi’s ANDROID’S DREAM (Amazon) than it does OLD MAN’S WAR. Sometimes a book is worth losing sleep over. Some books are basically begging to be read in one sitting. REDSHIRTS is one of these books.

Andrew Dahl, Ensign of the Universal Union, has a problem. He has been assigned to the capital ship Intrepid, a ship with an alarmingly high casualty rate for low ranking crew members. Recognizing a terrifying trend relating to away missions, Dahl and his friends seek to discover the origin of the trouble plaguing Intrepid. As death draws ever nearer, Dahl must race against fate to save himself and his friends from a most assuredly gruesome demise.
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In a perfect world reviewers would read books with no biases at all and based the work completely on its own merits and not compare it to other books, or other works of the same author.  No prejudices would sway the reviewer for good ill.  Wake up.  We don’t live in that world and perfect as we Elitists are, we still have our biases.  That being said I’m going to give you a review of SHADOWS IN FLIGHT (Amazon) the latest work in the Enderverse by Orson Scott Card.  Firstly let me lay my biases out for you so you can know understand where this review is coming from.
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Wow!

I finished reading Daniel Abraham’s new book, THE KING’S BLOOD (Amazon), the other day (second in his Dagger and Coin series) and my wife happened to be sitting next to me as I finished.  I looked up at her and all I could say was “WOW!”

Guys, this is a great book.  This is as good as it gets.  There’s a quote on the cover of the book from George R. R. Martin that says “Everything I look for in a fantasy book”.  The quote is talking about the first book in the series THE DRAGON’S PATH (EBR Review) and the second book is even better!

For those of you who haven’t read this series yet, STOP NOW!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING!  GO READ THESE BOOKS!  You’ve been warned!  For those of you who have read the first book, read on.
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NOCTURNAL by Scott Sigler (Amazon) is a most curious creature. In all my years of reading I can’t remember coming across a book quite like it. This isn’t because NOCTURNAL features some brand new theme or idea, but because it is a book that showcases Sigler’s evolution as an author and still manages to be an inferior novel than its predecessors. Considered to be Sigler’s most ambitious novel to date, NOCTURNAL is a supernatural police procedural with a score of highs and lows.

Monsters lurk in the ruins of San Francisco’s past, striking out at night to hunt for those who won’t be missed in order to sake their blood thirst. Homicide detective Bryan Clauser is drawn to this dark secret by a crop of serial murders that bear chilling resemblance to his own twisted dreams. With his partner, Pookie Chang by his side, Bryan must uncover the mystery of Marie’s Children and the shadowy vigilante known as Savior who kills the killers with supernatural strength.
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“What are you still doing at that house?” she bellowed.

“Trading Pokémon cards with the vampire hunters.”

Oh, Joe Ledger, how I love you.

Ever since reading PATIENT ZERO (EBR Review), one of the things I’ve looked forward to the most every year is a new Joe Ledger novel by Jonathan Maberry.  The series has tons of action, humor and monsters.  Even more that that, the series is full of terrific characters that compliment Joe Ledger.
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Occasionally I read the back of a book and an idea grabs me.  Honestly that’s what I love about SFF books.  There are tons of great ideas out there and I love when an author plays with one and lets me tag along for the ride.  The idea of personal incorporation in the Unincorporated Series was one such idea.  China Miéville’s works are so jam-packed with ideas that he often tosses a few of them out on a single page just to toy with your mind.  I read the back cover of THE NIGHT SESSIONS by Ken MacLeod (Amazon) and the only thing I remembered from it was “What if robots found religion?”

Holy Crap! Wow! What an idea! What a great, big, wonderful, let’s explore this and all of its ramifications, kind of idea!  I was hooked.  I needed to read this book right away.
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I really don’t know how Chris Wooding does it. I am insanely jealous. Though, I suppose this is why he is a published author while I am shopping things around. He’s just so good at storytelling. So freaking good.

If you have yet to read RETRIBUTION FALLS (EBR Review) or THE BLACK LUNG CAPTAIN (EBR Review), you need to to stop reading this review and go buy those two novels. They are some of the finest adventure novels I have ever read. You can get lost in these novels. Escape. Wooding’s Ketty Jay novels are full of magic, machinery, rogues, pirates, love and loss.
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Superheroes are extremely prevalent in pop-culture at the moment. It seems that half the books in my To-Read Pile feature some form of super human shenanigans. With all these options it takes a lot to rise above mediocrity and offer something truly gripping. Ayize Jama-Everett has written a book that does just that. THE LIMINAL PEOPLE (Amazon) is a supernatural crime thriller that reads like NBC’s failed television drama Heroes meets the hit action film Taken starring Liam Neeson.

I make the comparison because when I’m reading a review, comparisons often catch my interest and help me form a basis on which to start considering whether or not I should fork over the cash. THE LIMINAL PEOPLE undoubtedly reflects shades of Heroes and Taken, but in the end it eclipses both.
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I was pretty torn when I read WOLFSANGEL (EBR Review), the first in M. D. Lachlan’s historical fantasy series about the Norse god, Odin, and his eternal battle with the wolf, Fenrir. It had a whole lot that I loved and bundle more that really bothered me. Going into this book, I considered myself to be hopefully optimistic with a couple major concerns. Now that I’ve read Lachlan’s second offering, I again find myself torn but for completely different reasons. Because of this, I am going to do my best to give you my honest opinion.
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Over a year ago when Jayné Heller’s uncle died, he left her as his heir. Little did she know at the time that she’d be inheriting the equivalent of a small nation in money and property. Then she spent the next year learning what Uncle Eric really did for a living: he hunted riders, the demons or malevolent spirits that take over human bodies and minds. As a result, not only does she take over his fortune, she takes over his job. She has no idea what she’s really getting into.
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