American Gods - Mini Review

Yet another Neil Gaiman success, the story of "American Gods" centers around a character named Shadow -- an enigmatic everyman who is hired by a shady con artist by the name of Mr. Wednesday.

The underlying premise of the book is that various waves of immigrants (going back to those who came over the land bridge) brought their gods with them to America. These gods, made physical by the worship and adoration of their believers, still exist today -- although largely in a diminished capacity.

Now Mr. Wednesday is rounding up all the gods of the ancient mythologies to do battle with the "new gods" of the American pantheon -- Media, Internet, and Mass Transit to name a few. Apparent there's only so much worship to go around and each group is somehow threatened by the others existence.

Nothing is as it seems in this book which I can safely label as a "fantasy thriller". "American Gods" is a delightfully layered read which remains engaging from cover to cover despite complication after complication after complication...

Recommended.

The Graveyard Book - Mini Review

With "The Graveyard Book", Neil Gaiman continues to define himself as one of the most original and inventive authors working in the business today. A fan of his work since the graphic series "Sandman", I picked up this book with the certain knowledge that I was in for a storytelling treat. I was not disappointed in the least.

The narrative centers around Nobody Owens, a boy who, as a toddler, was tragically orphaned by the brutal murder of his family. Adopted by the ghosts of a nearby graveyard and protected by a mysterious guardian, "Bod" grows up learning the ways of the dead and with the knowledge that the man who killed his family still hunts for him outside the protection of the graveyard.

Wonderfully illustrated by David McKean, "The Graveyard Book" is a fun and engaging read that easily exceeds all expectations. Highly recommended.

Incandescence - Mini Review

Wikipedia defines hard sci fi as "a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both."

By that definition "Incandescence" by Greg Egan is by far the hardest science fiction book I've read in my entire life. We're talking diamond hard here! If you're into the action-packed drama of space-time geometries, general relativity, and interstellar panspermia...have I got the book for you.

There is a decent story (lost alien race in peril at the forbidden center of the galaxy) buried throughout what amounts to a novel-length discussion of Einstein's theory of general relativity and Newtonian physics, but as a right-brained artist type, I found my eyes glazing over for significant chunks of this book.

Not at all the author's fault as you can tell it's a well-written and carefully reasoned book, but I'm not the kind of reader who's smart enough to appreciate the effort Mr. Egan put into it.

I like sci fi stories about people (alien or otherwise) who have an adventure. I don't need to know about the extremely complicated physics behind that adventure.

Seriously, if you're a gifted scientist/mathematician who delights in theorizing about plasma accretion disks around black holes, you'll totally groove on this book. If you're a dummy like me, not so much.

Stepsister Scheme - Mini Review

"The first in what looks to be a 4 or 5 book run, The Stepsister Scheme is an enjoyably cheeky examination of what happens to three famous fairy tale princesses after the "happily ever after".

Cinderella's Prince has been kidnapped so her magically powerful mother-in-law assembles the princesses (also Snow White and Sleeping Beauty) in what can be described as a sort of Charlie's Angels-style ninja strike force. They set off to rescue the Prince, encountering lots of danger, intrigue, and magic along the way. The tone is an interesting blend of heroics, humor, and some "darker" themes. Inventive and original, it does not disappoint by being a typical "mining" of the fairy tale world.

The only negatives are a somewhat gratuitous deus ex machina level character trait for one of the princesses and some rough sexual imagery that kept me from recommending the book to the pre-teens in my family. Yes, despite the cover art obviously designed to appeal to the younger set, this is a book for adults and older teens. Other than that minor quibble -- Recommended."

Blade of Tyshalle - Mini Review

"The second book of Matthew Stover's "Caine" series, "Blade of Tyshalle" is equally as entertaining and well-written as "Heroes Die".

This time around Hari must deal with an even more potent array of foes, both old and new, who have conspired to completely, and I do mean COMPLETELY ruin his life and those of the ones he loves. Their collective goal is to break Caine and make him suffer to the point of despair before killing him. If they were dealing with an ordinary man they might be justified in thinking they'd succeed -- but this is Caine. Never one to surrender, he begins fighting back with a ferocity that is both breath-taking and satisfying. Recommended."

Heroes Die - Mini Review

"I guess I'm a relative latecomer to the whole sci fi/fantasy mashup thing but dang! I am loving this sub genre!

Like Williams' "Implied Spaces", Stover's "Heroes Die" is a perfect blend of hard sci fi and sword and sorcery style fantasy. On Earth, Hari Michaelson is a wildly popular actor whose off world adventures are recorded through his eyes and sent back real-time for the amusement of his fans. On Ankhana, Hari is known as Caine, perhaps the most lethal assassin who has ever lived. When the "link" to his ex-wife, (also an actor) is mysteriously severed and a clock starts ticking toward her demise, Hari contracts to go to Ankhana and save her -- realizing that with the lethal forces arrayed against him, it may end up being his own personal "series finale".

Magic, technology, swordplay, and fey creatures abound in this richly told tale that is so well done and captivating, I'll be immediately moving on to the next book in the series. Highly recommended."

The Children of Hurin - Mini Review

"Based on a manuscript left unfinished by JRR Tolkien, this book suffers greatly from any comparison to the master's fully completed works.

The story itself revolves around the consequences suffered by Hurin's family after he dares to defy the evil Morgoth (Sauron from LOTR's bigger and badder boss). Chock full of unlikeable characters and relentless tragedies, it is a heavy and frankly depressing book to wade through.

(Son) Christopher Tolkien states that he completed the manuscript "with a minimum of editorial presence" and "without distortion or invention." But therein lies a large part of the problem. The Children of Hurin has a choppy, incomplete feel and was sorely in need of some vigorous "invention" to make it read more like a fully developed novel and not merely an expanded outline.

Interesting in a dry academic sort of way, it lacks any of the humor, warmth, and inspirational qualities of The Hobbit or LOTR. In short, The Children of Hurin is a dull and bleak read -- of interest, I'm afraid, to none but the most extreme Tolkien fans."

Bartimaeus Trilogy - Mini Review

In an effort to provide more frequent updates for my loyal readers (my humble thanks to all three of you), I've decided to do the occasional review on books that I've been reading. They'll be short and to the point -- mostly about sf and fantasy because those are the types of books I like to read.

I'm kicking things off with a fun and breezy read, "The Bartimaeus Trilogy" (Book One: "The Amulet of Samarkand", Book Two: "The Golem's Eye", Book Three: "Ptolemy's Gate").

One of the best fantasy series I've read in a long time. The titular character is an "always too smart for the room" djinni in service to (he would say "enslaved"by ) ambitious magical prodigy, John Mandrake. Crisply written and laugh out loud funny in many places, these books explore a bizarre yet familiar world full of intrigue, powerful spirits, and exciting action.
Highly recommended.