10.28.2009
The Sorceress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Michael Scott, 488pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: C
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel book 3
Sequel to 'The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel'.
Scott gets props for including the Horned God. That rocked. Otherwise I kept asking, this isn't the end? I thought this was a trilogy. Oh, no, there's no ending in sight. And he tries to pack in so much mythology it ends up squirting out the sides. At last Perenelle gets some time in the light.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: historical, genre: mythological, genre: YA, media: book, series: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
The Affinity Bridge
by George Mann, 334pgs, hardcover
Series: A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation book 1
Overall Grade: A
No dull moments here. Take your Steampunk Victorian-era setting, toss in zombies, a glowing policeman, an airship crash, automata, an epileptic girl with visions of future events, and add a dashing Sherlock Holmes-esque investigative duo (plus sexual tension of the male/female kind) and you have 'The Affinity Bridge'. It has a very cloy ending, so I expect to see more of Newbury & Hobbes in the future.
Labels: genre: fiction, genre: mystery, genre: steampunk, media: book, series: Newbury and Hobbes
The Ides of March
by Thornton Wilder, 246pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A+
You've probably never heard of Thornton Wilder before... unless you've see/read the play 'Our Town'. Yep, he won a Pultizer for that. Wilder is the only person ever to win Pulitzers for both a play and a novel. Yeah, I didn't know that until I read an article about him in Newsweek. And as I was perusing his eclectic list of novels (all different styles and genres) I found this one that sounded right up my alley.
As you might have guessed from the title, this novel is about the assassination of Caesar. Wilder takes a very interesting way to relay the events building up that climax. He gives exerpts from correspondence between Caesar, his family, associates, collegues and enemies. Some of it is really, most of it is made up. Very very interesting. And I liked how he managed to make their voices sound so authentically Roman - which I base off my hours of translation for Latin class. Ancient Romans definitely had a distinct manner of speech and Wilder reproduces it well.
Labels: genre: fiction, genre: historical, media: book
10.12.2009
By Heresies Distressed
by David Weber, 496pgs, hardcover,
Official Grade: B+
Series: Safehold book 3
Yea, things happen in this installment of Weber's Safehold series! Cayleb and his new bride Sharleyan don't get to spend much time together in this book because Cayleb is off to fight Corisande. And with Merlin's "visions" and the Charisians' superior arms/tactics, I bet you can guess how that turns out. Also we get another assassination attempt - this time on the new Empress. And more time watching the inner Group of Four slowly splinter. Weber simultaneously plows the plot forward, and sets up for future novels in the series. Sequel to 'By Schism Rent Asunder'.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: scifi, media: book, series: Safehold
Ink
by Hal Duncan, 544pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B-
Sequel to Vellum. Still very confusing, but at least this one seems like there's a plot (maybe) driving the whole thing. Ending sucks.
Labels: genre: fiction, genre: historical, genre: mythological, genre: scifi, media: book
The Lives of the Monster Dogs
by Kirsten Bakis, 288pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+
The bizarre and haunting tale of the race of 'monster dogs'. Dogs specifically altered to have prosthetic human hands and voice boxes according to the vision of Augustus Rank. I don't want to give the story away, but it's very good.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, media: book
