REVIEW: BANISHED

Cover design by Jo Thomson using Shutterstock images.

BANISHED

THE BLACKHART LEGACY: BOOK ONE

BY

LIZ DE JAGER

ISBN: 978-4472-4765-4

Pages: 387

Publisher: Tor UK

Published: 27 February 2014

On the cover:

A Blackhart's Calling:

to banish evil and hold back the night

Kit is proud to be a Blackhart, now she's living with her unorthodox cousins and sharing their strange lives. Especially since their home-schooling includes spells, fighting enemy fae and using ancient weapons.

But it's not until she rescues a rather handsome fae prince, fighting for his life on the edge of Blackhart Manor, that her training really kicks in. With her family away on various missions, Kit must protect Prince Thorn, rely on new friends and use her own unfamiliar magic to stay ahead of Thorn's enemies.

As things go from bad to apocalyptic, fae battle fae in a war that threatens to spill into the human world. Then Kit pits herself against the Elder Gods themselves - it's that or lose everyone she's learnt to love.

   What do you get if you cross Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tale retelling, Lovecraftian Elder Gods, and add a bit of romance? Well, if you are Liz de Jager you'd have the mix necessary to write a great book.

   After a very nice introduction to our main character, Kit Blackheart, we quickly learn about how special she is. This may give you a moments pause, it did for me, there are a lot of characters that have something special about them or who outright are the chosen one in modern Urban Fantasy/Portal Fantasy. (Harry Potter arguably belongs to that "slash"-genre.) Actually, that is an unnecessary worry. It didn't take long before I completely forgot about it, and it doesn't come into play in that sense in the story.
   Kit is nowhere near a carbon copy chosen one, she comes across as a fully formed person that isn't necessarily the brightest, strongest, fastest, etc. in the room. And that made her all the better in my opinion. Even though she is not an average young woman, she is very relateable. She seems like the sort of person you will meet at some point in your life, someone who despite what makes her special is not too far removed from someone you might meet in your local bookshop.
   This is the type of Fantasy that demands good characters, and de Jager handles characters very well. Kit isn't the only one that feels very real, all of them comes vividly to life on the page. Even the villains of this story are really fleshed out, and although their motives are definitely otherworldly they make perfect sense in context. Something I feel is a necessity for immersion into Fantasy, and something de Jager delivers on.

   Characters aren't everything in Urban Fantasy/Portal Fantasy, and once you are satisfied they are up to scratch (, which they certainly are here), what you usually look at is the setting. The Fae world as a setting predates Fantasy as a genre, and it takes a deft touch to use it without it feeling stale. De Jager manages it with aplomb though. It's clear that she has done her research, but she has made her own spin on the source material, the myths and Fairy Tales, and made a world of her own that feels fresh to the reader.
   Infodumping can sometimes be a problem in Fantasy, de Jager manages to avoid it by integrating it very well into the text. A lot of information is passed to the reader in conversations and other character interactions, but it always flows very well and never feels like showing off the structural supports of the story. Some extra bits are left for chapter introductions, and I really liked those. They give lots of interesting little snippets of information that feels like garnish on a good meal.

   So far I've spent a lot of time on the framework the story is built on, the characters and their world, time to move on to the story itself. It's a really fast-paced one. Not that it always moves along at break-neck pace, because it doesn't. There are some passages where we get to know the characters, and discover what is really going on. Those passages are however far from boring. However de Jager has a tendency to drip feed things, and I did get impatient at times. Although I have to stress that it wasn't the bad impatience, but the good type where you just have to keep reading to see what will happen next.
   I said above that this was fast-paced, and there is a lot going on. At times there is so much happening that it leaves you almost breathless. Fortunately de Jager manages to steer the reader through events with a deft hand. Even when there is a multitude of things happening at once the author manages to keep it focused so that it never gets confusing. Tension levels are high throughout, and there are some cliff-hangers that does not make stopping reading a real option. The last quarter of the book is not a good place to take a break from reading, you'll probably need to know how it will end at that point - I did.

   This is an excellent Urban Fantasy novel, especially for those that like a helping of Fairy Tale in their Fantasy. Kit Blackhart is an excellent main character, and the supporting cast are also a joy to get to know. Add in great worldbuilding and a fast-paced story that refuses to let the reader go, and you have the ingredients for what is in my opinion a must-read for fans of both Contemporary Fantasy and Fairy Tale retellings.
   De Jager's debut leaves you with an appetite for more. I am certainly looking forward to the next volume in The Blackhart Legacy.

LINKS: Liz de Jager  PanMacmillan (Tor UK)  Tor UK Blog
  

REVIEW: FIDDLEHEAD

Cover art by Angelo Rinaldi

FIDDLEHEAD

A CLOCKWORK CENTURY NOVEL/

CLOCKWORK CENTURY BOOK 5

BY

CHERIE PRIEST

ISBN: 978-1-447-22558-4
Pages: 366
Publisher: Tor UK
Published: 21 November 2013

On the cover:
(From the publisher's website.)

Ex-spy ‘Belle Boyd’ is retired – more or less. Retired from spying on the Confederacy anyway. Her short-lived marriage to a Union navy boy cast suspicion on those Southern loyalties, so her mid-forties found her unemployed, widowed and disgraced. Until her life-changing job offer from the staunchly Union Pinkerton Detective Agency.

When she’s required to assist Abraham Lincoln himself, she has to put any old loyalties firmly aside – for a man she spied against twenty years ago. Lincoln’s friend Gideon Bardsley, colleague and ex-slave, is targeted for assassination after the young inventor made a breakthrough. Fiddlehead, Bardsley’s calculating engine, has proved the world is facing an extraordinary threat. Meaning it's not the time for civil war.

Now Bardsley and Fiddlehead are in great danger as forces conspire to keep this potentially unifying secret, the war moving and the money flowing. With spies from both camps gunning for her, can even the notorious Belle Boyd hold the war-hawks at bay?

   With this book we're coming to the end of The Clockwork Century series. In some small ways that changes how I look at the book. I've loved this series from the first book (links to reviews), and I want it to end well. I was never really worried that it wouldn't though, Priest has written a great series, that I hold as a must-read among recent Alternate History works.

    Like the other books in this series this is not a direct sequel to those that have preceded it. It does however follow quite nicely on from Clementine, and there is  plenty of little tidbits that point back to previous volumes. None of them are really essential reading, and Priest is good at giving the new reader an idea of what has gone before.  But there's no doubt that it will give you a richer reading experience if you are familiar with at least some of what happened previously.

   Returning from Clementine is the heroine, Belle Boyd, who is given some more depth here than in her previous outing. She is a great character, and a really good spy/action heroine. Boyd would have been adequate as a sole main character, but she's not alone here. There are other main characters that we get to follow, Abraham Lincoln is one of them.
   Lincoln being a main character is a sign that we are getting a more political story this time. We are at the high reaches of government, and that means that the stakes are higher than they have been before in the series. Things that have been building up are now coming to a head.

   This starts out intriguingly, with a sort of recap, or at least a good reminder of what has come before. From there it builds slowly, at times you want to drag the story forwards. Don't get me wrong, it never gets boring, and neither does it feel like you are reading filler material.It's just a story that has a deliberately slow pace. One that actually fits very well with what is going on. It can be a bit frustrating at times though, you really want things to happen now, you're at the edge of your seat waiting for things to happen, but this really drives you to read on. And when things start happening your patience, or what little is left of it, is rewarded with an excellent series of events.

   Some of the slow burn of the plot continues throughout, but there is a lot of action interspersed with the other developments and there are events that create a lot of suspense. A lot of the suspense is created by the reader not knowing how this is going to end. Although you assume the good guys will win, it is never clear what the cost will have been when this story ends. And it is never clear who will be making it to the end of the book either, no-one is really essential here and the body count has the potential to be really high.

   Although I am not a big fan of open-ended series I feel this book is a bit hampered by it's "end of an era" feel, but that was pretty inevitable seeing as this is the end of the series. It's not even really a problem with the book itself, it's a problem with the reader - in this case me. I had a sort of separation anxiety before I started reading this book, I even put off starting it for quite a while. In hindsight I need not have done that, and in some ways it made finishing it more of a melancholy experience than it had to be. But now that I am at the end of it, I can say that I am very satisfied with the stories that Priest has shared with me as a reader. This is an excellent Steampunk series with a strong Alternate History component.

   This is an excellent book, and I am confident it will satisfy those that have taken a liking to Priest's Clockwork Century series. It is well written, with a very well developed, but slow-burning, storyline. There's plenty of action here, and political intrigue on the top level. Somewhat of a political thriller with a good dose of action.
   It will work as a standalone, but it is definitely a book that works best as the end of an era in the alternate history of the United States. Both Steampunk and Alternate History fans should do themselves a favour and check out this series. For Priest's fans this is of course a must, but I assume most of them have already finished this one.

REVIEWS: A Clockwork Century reviews.

LINKS: Cherie Priest  Pan Macmillan (Tor UK)  Tor UK Blog

REVIEW: THE SKINNER

Cover illustration: Jon Sullivan

THE SKINNER

SPATTERJAY BOOK ONE

BY

NEAL ASHER

ISBN: 978-0-330-51252-7

Pages: 582

Publisher: Tor UK

First published: 22 March 2002

This edition published: 2 October 2009

On the cover:

WELCOME TO SPATTERJAY...WHERE SUDDEN DEATH IS THE NORMAL WAY OF LIFE

Three travellers arrive on the remote planet Spatterjay - Janer, bringing the eyes of the hornet Hive mind; Erlin, searching for the ancient sea captain who can teach her to live; and Sable Keech, on a vendetta he cannot abandon, though he himself has been dead for seven hundred years.

On its vast waterscapes only the native hoppers dare risk the voracious appetites of the planet's wildlife. Somewhere out there is Spatterjay Hoop himself - and other notorious villains who need bringing to justice for the hideous crimes committed centuries ago during the Prador Wars.

But time is running out. For one of the most brutal Prador is about to arrive, intent on exterminating all remaining witnesses to his wartime atrocities...

Major hell is about to erupt in a chaotic world - where minor hell is already a remorseless fact of everyday life...and death.

   This is one of those SFF novels that can be hard to define into a sub-genre. There's no doubt that it is Science Fiction, but much of the story is set in an environment that is much more typical of Fantasy. Ships sailing on an ocean is usually something that you find in Fantasy, or perhaps more often in Historical Fiction. Added to that there is also an element of Horror here. Not only in the titular character, but in many of the indigenous creatures of Spatterjay.

   So the question then is if this somewhat strange mix comes together and works as more than a collage? -I have to say it does, more than that - it is one of the greatest strengths of the novel.  Asher manages to use the elements from the different sub-genres to create a world that is in many ways more alien than it could have been by not being constricted by only Science Fiction "rules".

   Despite being as unfriendly as it is, Spatterjay is a very interesting world. It is well realised and by the end of the novel you'll have had a good introduction to its history and how it works in the narrative's present.

   The story is a really compelling one. It takes a while before it gets going, and there are layers added to it throughout. The pace starts out as rather slow, but like a steam-train once it gets going it builds up speed rather quickly and at times reaches a breakneck pace. 

   There are several threads that drive the story, each of them related to a different character, and each of them interesting in themselves. Asher manages to weave these threads in and out of each other with a deft hand, creating a story that comes together very satisfyingly.

   Asher has populated his world with a pretty large cast of characters. They are a varied cast, and they all feel real. Of course not all of them get the same amount of pages to give them depth, but they are still given enough time to show us who they are. 

   The main characters are an interesting group of different beings. And following their journey is an enjoyable experience. There's room for different races, species, and even artificial intelligence in the cast. They are diverse enough to not get close to boring, and they have different motivations and agendas that creates tension and excitement.

   The only problem I had with the novel was the different POVs. They change frequently, and I at times felt this made it difficult to get a feel for what was happening. It did in no way ruin the story, but it did make it a bit harder to stay immersed in it. 

   Towards the end I felt this worked much better, and I am not completely sure if it was because this mode of storytelling works better when the pace of events is greater, or if I was just getting used to it. Either way, I don't think this should discourage anyone from picking up the book unless they hate frequent POV changes.

   This was the first time I read a book by Neal Asher, and although he comes highly recommended by bloggers I trust, I didn't really know what to expect. (I tend to avoid reading too much about books I know I'm going to read.) I was not disappointed by those who recommended the book. This is a type of adventurous story that I enjoy very much. 

   I would say that this is one of the Science Fiction books I have read that would be easiest for Fantasy fans to pick up. And I would urge anyone who enjoys Fantasy, and is curious about Science Fiction to pick it up.

   All in all this is a great story set in a well realised world, with lots of action, and enough mystery and depth to make it really interesting. I'm certainly going to pick up more of Asher's books in the future.

Links: Neal Asher  Tor UK  Tor UK Blog

REVIEW: CITY OF RUIN

Cover illustration: Benjamin Carré

CITY OF RUIN

LEGENDS OF THE RED SUN BOOK TWO

BY

MARK CHARAN NEWTON

ISBN: 978-0-230-71259-1

Pages: 466

Publisher: Tor UK

Publishing date: 4 June 2010

On the cover:

Villiren: a city of sin that is being torn apart from the inside. Hybrid creatures shamble through shadows and barely human gangs fight turf wars for control of the streets.

Amidst this chaos, Commander Brynd Lathraea, commander of the Night Guard, must plan the defence of Viliren against a race that has broken through from some other realm and already slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the Empire’s people.

When a Night Guard soldier goes missing, Brynd requests help from the recently arrived Investigator Jeryd. He discovers this is not the only disappearance the streets of Villiren. It seems that a serial killer of the most horrific kind is on the loose, taking hundreds of people from their own homes. A killer that cannot possibly be human.

The entire population of Villiren must unite to face an impossible surge of violent and unnatural enemies or the city will fall. 

But how can anyone save a city that is already a ruin?

   The second book in a series can be a tricky one, but Newton pulls it of with his effort. We pick up the story a short while after the events of Nights of Villjamur. All the main characters have relocated, and most of them is now to be found in the city of Villiren.

   Newton doesn't waste any time here. By the end of the first chapter we are already re-introduced to some of the main characters from book one, and have gotten our first glimpse of their new situation.

   Again most of the story is bound to a city, with only the occasional foray to other locations. But although the overall structure of City of Ruin is similar to Nights of Villjamur, this is not in any way a retelling of the story of book one. In fact the differences between the two cities serve to flesh out the world Newton has created, and also gives the reader an appetite for more.

   The action is on a much grander scale than in the last book, we get a battle that in some ways reminded me of the real world battle of Stalingrad. Newton handles the battle action very well., and as in real life, you are never quite certain who is going to survive in the end.

   There's a second story-thread following other characters from the first book, this is in many ways different from what I expected. This part of the story is pretty weird compared to the other. And I had a bit of trouble getting them to fit together in my mind at first. But as the story progresses Newton manages to make it not only understandable, but important to the overall story.

    I had one problem with this book, and that was connected to a death. Newton brings one character I was interested to know more about back from book one only to kill him almost instantly. This felt unnecessary to me, and it annoyed me for quite a while.

    In fact it seems like Newton has a predisposition to kill off characters that he has finished with instead of letting them fade away from the story. 

    This is not a major issue, but just a small annoyance for me personally, that I think not everyone will notice or be affected by.

    I'll end this review by saying that I find Newton's ideas and writing engaging and intriguing. City of Ruin got me even more hooked on this world than I was after Nights of Villjamur, and I am certainly looking forward to the next installment: The Book of Transformations.

My review of Nights of Villjamur can be found here.

Links: Mark Charan Newton  Tor UK

REVIEW UPDATE - JUNE 2010

About "Review Update".

   At the beginning of every month I'm going to do one of these update posts where I tell you what is happening with the books I have reviewed previously. News about new editions, be it paperback releases or release in another territory, and new volumes in a series that is released. Since I am Norwegian myself, I will also try to do updates on releases in other languages, but will not hunt for those all over the internet.

   But if you are an author, publicist, publisher or agent who has had a book reviewed here and know of an upcoming event, please contact me by e-mail: weirdmage[at]yahoo[dot]com , and I will post about it.

    May has been a "test month" for me on the blog, so I've only done three reviews, but there is still some updates.

MARK CHARAN NEWTON

June is a busy month for Mark Charan Newton. First is the UK Paperback release of Nights of Villjamur from Tor UK on the 4th of June.

ISBN: 978-0-330-46166-5

My review is found here .

Also out on the 4th of June, and also from Tor UK, is Book Two of Legends of the Red Sun - City of Ruin.

ISBN: 978-0-239-71269-1

I will read and review this later.

And finally, on the 29th of June the US edition of Nights of Villjamur will be published by Bantam Spectra (Random House).

ISBN: 978-0-345-52084-5

My review is (still) here .

REVIEW: NIGHTS OF VILLJAMUR BY MARK CHARAN NEWTON

Cover illustration: Benjamin Carré

NIGHTS OF VILLJAMUR

BOOK ONE OF LEGENDS OF THE RED SUN

BY

MARK CHARAN NEWTON

ISBN: 978-0-230-71258-4

Pages: 451

Publisher: Tor UK

Publishing date: 5 June 2009

Paperback out: 4 June 2010

On the cover:

An ice age strikes a chain of islands, and thousands come to seek sanctuary at the gates of Villjamur: a city of ancient spires and bridges, a place where cultists use forgotten technology for their own gain and where, further out, the dead have been seen walking across the tundra.

When the Emperor commits suicide, his elder daughter, Rika, is brought home to lead the Jamur Empire, but the sinister Chancellor plans to get rid of her and claim the throne for himself.

Meanwhile, a senior investigator in the city inquisition must solve the high-profile and savage murder of a city politician, whilst battling evils within his own life, and a handsome and serial womanizer manipulates his way into the imperial residence with a hidden agenda.

When reports are received that tens of thousands of citizens are dying in a bizarre genocide on the northern islands of the Empire, members of the elite Night Guard are sent to investigate. It seems that, in this land under a red sun, the long winter is bringing more than just snow...

   There is one thing that can annoy me to the point that it seriously hampers my enjoyment of a book: How a word is pronounced. This may have something to do with me being Norwegian, sometimes my Norwegian and English pronunciations will battle for superiority. It happened with the name Lathraea in this book. In Norwegian it would be Lath-ra-eh-ah. Fortunately Twitter exists so I could ask the author and get told that it is actually pronounced La-threy-a. -The wonders of modern technology put to good use.

   Nights of Villjamur is medieval fantasy of the type they used to make back when vampires didn't sparkle. It can seem pretty standard if you list the elements present: Princess, rogue, warrior, and conspiracy. But if you also list zombies, detective, and environmental disaster, it becomes clear that this is something that is fresh and exciting.

   One of the central storylines is that of a murder investigation. Newton uses this to show us much of the workings of the city of Villjamur. The investigation is also used to uncover several other strands of the story, and this is done in a way that feels natural and not forced. It is also done in a way that always leaves you wanting more. I found that as I progressed in the book my breaks became fewer and further apart. The pace of the story really drives you along, and the pages fly.

    Most of the story happens in the city of Villjamur, and we get glimpses of most parts of the city throughout the story. And I for one really got a good feeling of how the city functions. Both the architecture and the people of the city are well realized. I never felt that there was something left out that needed to be known about this location. That being said, there are only tantalizing glimpses of the world outside of the city. You get told there is a larger world out there, but you only gets to see parts of it. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact I think it helps the book that Newton has concentrated on showing us the city. And of course there will be sequels to the book that more than likely will show us much more.

    One thing that I really liked in this book was the way Newton handled the winter. Most people probably don't think much about that, but when you grow up in Norway with four months of snow a year you notice if it's done badly, and Newton has definitely pulled it off. The scenes with snowball-throwing made me both nostalgic and guilty about my own childhood.

   This book is definitely going onto my list of favourites. I would like to recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. It's brilliantly written, and sucks you in in the way all great books should.
   Mark Charan Newton is certainly an author to keep an eye on for the future.

Note: The sequel City of Ruin will be published in the UK 4 June 2010.

LINKS: Mark Charan Newton  Tor UK