READING HIGHLIGHTS OF 2011 AND PLANS FOR 2012

   This is a bit late. I was planning to post this on New Years Eve, but my internet has not been cooperating (again).
   The list below is not a list of "best books published in 2011", it's a list of what I feel are the highlights of what I have been reading in 2011, so some of the books were published some years back. Anyway, here we go:

READING HIGHLIGHTS OF 2011

GJENFERD by Jo Nesbø

This is the latest of Nesbø's Harry Hole books, it was published in Norwegian on 9 June 2011. The English (UK) edition is out 15 March 2012 and is called Phantom (, see here for more info on UK edition).

I love Nesbø's books and this was no exception. If you're reading his books in English you have a treat coming.

GARDENS OF THE MOON and DEADHOUSE GATES by Steven Erikson

After reading these two books, I can't help but wonder why it took me so long to get started on this series. I plan to read the rest of the books this year.

Review

VEGAS KNIGHTS by Matt Forbeck

This was fun and action filled, and I found it to be great entertainment. 

Forbeck was a new author for me, and I look forward to reading more of his books.

Review

EMBEDDED by Dan Abnett

This is actually the first Military Science Fiction novel I have read, and if this is representative for that genre I'll certainly read more of it.

Abnett was also a new author for me, and I'm eying several of his books for later reading.

Review

DISSOLUTION by C. J. Sansom

Historical (Medieval) Crime. I love history, and especially the Medieval period, so this book was perfect for me. I'm going to read more of Sansom's books in the future.
I would never have known this book existed if Amanda Rutter hadn't sent it to me as part of her World Book Night sharing. And I owe her a big thank you for that.

Thank you very much, Amanda!

THE ADAMANTINE PALACE, THE KING OF THE CRAGS AND
THE ORDER OF THE SCALES by Stephen Deas

These books are great Fantasy books. Anyone who doesn't hate dragons should read them. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.
Deas is another new author for me, and I will definitely seek out his other books.

BONESHAKER by Cherie Priest

This book falls into the Steampunk category. Unlike most Steampunk, it is set in the US or to be more specific, Seattle.
I thought this was great and look forward to reading the follow-up books.
This is becoming quite the trend in this post, but this is a new author to me, one I will be following.

HARBOR by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Swedish set psychological horror. A great book.
Blah, blah, new author etc...

Review






   Other authors who might as well be on this list (, but didn't make it because I felt it was long enough already); Sam Sykes, Mark Charan Newton, Gail Carriger, M. D. Lachlan, Blake Charlton, Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm, K. W. Jeter, Stephen King and K. J. Parker.

   You may notice that I haven't reviewed all of these books. The reason is my internet has been really crappy in 2011, but most of the books mentioned will get reviewed as soon as I can get to it.

PLANS FOR 2012

   I plan on getting an internet connection that works when I want to use it and not when it feels like it, so I can get back to blogging more regularly.

   As for reading, my goal is to read at least 100 books this year, and I plan to review all of them

   I hope 2012 turns out to be a great year for all of you :-)

REVIEW: VEGAS KNIGHTS

Cover: Spring London

VEGAS KNIGHTS

BY

MATT FORBECK

ISBN: 978-0-85776-086-2

Pages: 368

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Publishing date:  3 March 2011*

On the cover:

It’s a kind of magic...

 

When two college students decide to spend Spring Break using their magic to fleece the casinos of Las Vegas, little do they imagine that the city harbours some magical secrets of its own... And of course what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas – alive or dead.

   As you perhaps can see from the cover image, this book has been called "Ocean's Eleven meets Harry Potter". I don't disagree much with that assessment, and it is certainly a good description of the basics of the story for anyone not well versed in the genre.
   But I would rather describe it as Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic meets Las Vegas meets [good] Hollywood Action-Thriller.

    At first this seems to be a pretty standard story of two friends going to break the bank in Vegas, with the only added ingredient being the use of real magic. But it doesn't take long before you realize this novel is much more than that.

    Forbeck quickly pulls you into the story, I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.  It doesn't take long before you realize there is quite a complex back story here, and it is one that is revealed over the course of the novel. Something that works very well. You always feel that there is more to be revealed, and that makes this a book that is hard to put down once you have started it.
    It is a fast-paced story, there is lots of action and that is why I used Hollywood action-thriller as a description at the beginning of this review. But it doesn't feel like the action is placed there just to "up the ante", it is an integral part of the whole.

   Another strength of this novel is that Forbeck is very good at adding that little magical twist to our world that signifies good Urban Fantasy. Everything is slightly different from the reality we know, but never so much that it becomes too implausible. A couple of the revelations were of the kind that made perfect sense, and I actually wouldn't be too surprised if it really was the way Forbeck tells it in this book.

   The characters in this book are interesting, especially the main character. And even those that same pretty typical have something fresh about them.  I enjoyed following Jackson and Bill's journey through this version of Vegas, and I wouldn't mind following them to other places in the future.

   Overall this is a fresh and suspenseful Urban Fantasy novel.  It is great entertainment, and if you have a taste for fantasy in a contemporary setting this is definitely worth checking out.
   This will also make a great read for anyone interested in stage-magic, Las Vegas, and casino card games.

NOTE: An ARC of this book was supplied to me by the publisher.

*Release date 3 March 2011 is for UK and electronic editions. (Although it should be up on the UK Kindle store now.) Release in USA and Canada is 29 March 2011.

LINKS: Matt Forbeck  Angry Robot Books