An Amazing 5 Stars from the Master of the Character Novel
Random Ramblings
"You can never go home again, but the tru My #2 favorite read for 2013
An Amazing 5 Stars from the Master of the Character Novel
Random Ramblings
"You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right." ~Maya Angelou
Can you really leave your life behind. If you run from everything that held you back, can you go back home as a different person. When you find yourself back from where you came, can you convince yourself that you left in the first place. Faithful Place explores the tensions between leaving a life that you despise and the fears and beliefs that you can never become better or are currently better than who you or your upbringing.
Without a doubt, Faithful Place is the best of her first three novels. She shows both growth in her writing and growth in her storytelling. The story in taunt and emotional and is complete with bad decisions and selfish choices for which Tana French's characters are known.
While this is technically book 3 in a series, you can read it with confidence if you have never read another Tana French Novel. Frank Mackey is the only character that showed up in a previous book and there is not discussion or inference to previous characters or storylines. This book can stand alone.
With the utmost respect to James Rollins,Ben Aaronovitch, Jack Whyte, Jim Butcher, I believe I have a new favorite author. Three books into her series, I been touched, entertained, saddened and angered by her human, selfish, caring and broken characters. Her novels are an experience to be savored.
Plot summary
Frank Mackey, the undercover officer who appeared in The Likeness is the main character in the current story. Having left his family and hometown 22 years previous after he was jilted by his young love, he is suddenly thrust back into his past when evidence surfaces that his girlfriend may not have left him and may have instead come to violent a end. The story explores the disappearance and the emotion of reintegrating with a family that Frank had abandoned many years before.
The Good
The novel is filled with "The Good". I do not believe that I have read a novel with more believable characters. Time after time I found myself shaking my head and disagreeing with Frank and believing he was making the wrong or the selfish decision. He rarely had the perfect words in the situation and his emotions would often overrule his better judgment. This lead to a believable and human character.
Tana French will never be accused of writing a novel that wraps up a story as neatly as episode of the Brady Bunch. Questions always remain and issues between remained unresolved. Again, this leads to a believable story.
Unlike the previous novels in the series, the story moves at a much brisker pace while the plot plays a more integral role in the book as a whole. This was a failing in the previous two books that brought my ratings down. Faithful Place is complete novel in my opinion.
The Bad
There was nothing in the book that was bad enough to bring my rating down. If I had any complaint it would be the manner in which the answer to the mystery was unveiled at the end of the story. I certainly do not want to spoil the ending by revealing too much but I will say that although the ending used a tried and true plot device, it fit in the overall story and was true to the characters.
Audiobook Notes
Again, the narration in the Tana French Novels is superb, 5-Star narration. Unfortunately, the narrator didn't have the great singing voice of the narrator in The Likeness.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2
There reference to sexual encounter from one of the characters past. It is spoken of respectfully and there are no graphic descriptions. There are a few other minor comments to sex in the book but nothing graphic.
Language - 4
There is significantly more adult language than in the previous novels. There is moderately high use of the f-word in the story. The story revolves around a highly emotional and volatile Irish Family and adult language is used frequently in their conversations. It is in many ways atmospheric but it may not be appropriate for younger readers or readers that prefer to avoid adult language.
Violence - 3
There is significant descriptions of encounters with an abusive father. The descriptions are moderately graphic are physical in nature. There is a moderately graphic description of a murder and moderately graphic bloody fight. ...more
Tana French stuns again with another beautiful, character driven murder mystery. This time around, Cassie Maddox is focus of th A Mesmerising 4 Stars
Tana French stuns again with another beautiful, character driven murder mystery. This time around, Cassie Maddox is focus of the story as she is struggling with the aftermath of events of the first novel.
The book is so beautifully written and the characters so deeply engaging that I would love to give this 5 stars. The plot is the only reason I was unable to do so. The story opens with dead body carrying ID in the name of one of Cassie Maddox's undercover identities. Things become absurd when it is revealed that the body is a nearly perfect "likeness" to Cassie Maddox. If this is not unlikely enough, Frank, Cassie's former boss in undercover, hatches a plan to take on the dead girls identity and insert her back in the home where she had lived with 4 other university students for the previous two or so years.
Had this story been written by a lesser writer, I would have abandoned the book long before the end. The unbelievable storyline would have had me rolling my eyes as the ceiling while I picked apart the enormous logical issues in the plan. As a testament to Tana French, the plot did not deter me. The beautiful, flowing writing style and the engaging characters allowed me to suspend my disbelief and enjoy this book.
This series will not be for everyone. If you only enjoy a fast paced murder mystery or a sharp police procedural that keeps you guessing at the killer, this book is not for you. While there is a murder mystery and a killer on the loose, it is secondary to the characters. The character's drive this story and their past and desires for the future drive their actions and drive the plot. I can count on one hand the books that have had equal or better character development.
Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it highly.
A note on the Audiobook
This review is for the audiobook version of the novel. The narrator is superb. She had an easy to listen to (an understand) Irish accent. Her character voices are excellent and she infuses the right amount of emotion. As an added bonus, she has a very good singing voice. One of the characters would sing from time to time and the narrator would sing lines. Very well done....more
It's official. I have a man crush on Peter Grant. I can't help myself :)
For me, this series stands at the t Urban Fantasy that can't be beat. 5 Stars
It's official. I have a man crush on Peter Grant. I can't help myself :)
For me, this series stands at the top of UF. Maybe because he is British and as a Canadian I still feel beholden to Her Majesty. Whatever it is, I prefer the British crime wizard. In part, he is willing to work with other people unlike a certain wizard from Chicago (I'm talking about Harry Dresden for those of you who are not catching my drift) who prefers to be the good old American cowboy. Don't get me wrong, both are superb pieces of fiction but not only does Ben Aaronovitch craft a wonderful plot, he captures the feel and tone of the City of London. Not that I actually know what its like, but the story makes the city and the people come alive.
The book is atmospheric. Our unlikely hero, Peter Grant, describe the characters and places he visits by smell and sound. A certain character who may be immortal, 90 years old but look they are 20 may smell like lavender and brick dust. It may seem strange but there is always a reason.
I have to hand it to Aaronovich. He is not adverse to shockers. (view spoiler)[ Peter's love interest in the first book has her face fall off. There is, at least at this point, no magic bullet to fix her. She is now horribly deformed and barely able to talk. Most author would be afraid to damage a powerful supporting character like this but it works with the story and we are not left wanting (hide spoiler)] Hold on to your seat.
The pace of this book varies from quick to slow but your are never left bored.
One final note. Some may not like this as much as other UF as the magic plays a lesser role. It is more an UF/Police Procedural that involves magical elements. I personally find Peter Grant's attempts to explain and understand magic through the eyes of science to be an interesting and original. I highly recommend this series....more
Quite probably the best UF I have read/listened to. That said, the only other UF I have read are the first 6 books in the Dres A very solid 4.5 Stars
Quite probably the best UF I have read/listened to. That said, the only other UF I have read are the first 6 books in the Dresden Files. High company indeed. The writing was wonderful and fluid and filled with dry British humour that this Canuck can appreciate. Unlike other UF, human reasoning and regular investigation played an equally large role (if not more) than magic.
The characters were very entertaining. The inspector and Beverly were particular favourites. The last 1/4 or 1/5 of the book was were it lost the last half star. It seemed that the story may have become a bit too big for its britches and the final details were not well explained. (view spoiler)[ I was particularly annoyed in that he seemed to forget about his wannabe love interest after her possession. Out of sight out of mind I guess (hide spoiler)]
audiobook specifics
The narrator MADE this audiobook. His accent, pace, tone and were 5 star. Probably my favourite narration to date. At one point I questioned if I would enjoy the book as much if I were reading it. ...more
Wowza! Hang on to your pants and shield your eyes because monster gore is flying everywhere! My #4 favorite read of 2013
Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! 5 Stars
Wowza! Hang on to your pants and shield your eyes because monster gore is flying everywhere! If you would rather hug your vampires or believe your ghouls are just misunderstood, this is not the book for you. Changes are, the you will be splattered with ichor while MHI blows the head off the monster you are attempting to reason with. While there are a few minor things I didn't like about the book, I was engaged overall and have enjoyed the experience more than most books this year. This is not your average Urban Fantasy. Monster Hunter International is not a group of Wizards pitting their power against the power of evil. Instead, MHI is a group of mercenaries killing monsters for money. There is no magic involved, just good old fashioned "shoot first, ask questions later". If you ever wondered how many rounds it would take to kill a master vampire, look no further.
Plot summary
After learning his boss is a werewolf and subsequently throwing his werewolf boss out of a 10th story window, our MC Owen Z. Pitt, is recruited by MHI. We learn what it takes to become a monster hunter, the training and the absurd number of guns available to one. Over the course of his training, we learn of a great and ancient evil ready to take over earth for another dimension(sure, this is hardly a new concept but how many ancient evils are ten thousand foot crustaceans?) Owen learn he has an inside track into the mind of the "cursed one", an evil being who is the catalyst for the ancient evil. In between, scores of zombies and vampires and a few other monsters are sliced, diced, impaled, beheaded, vaporized, burned, bullet-riddled, crushed, exploded, flayed and at least one was run over by a car.
The Good
Explosions and monster gore. This is largely the plot and the draw of the book. If you have ever wanted to explore the many ways to effectively kill the undead, you really should read this book. There is non-stop action. The opening chapter feature a rather exciting man vs. werewolf battle. After page 1, the stakes are continually raised, the monsters get bigger and the guns and explosion even bigger.
I found it enjoyable to read an urban fantasy that was not dependent on magic. There is little discussion about the origin of monsters other than to say some are caused by virus contracted by bites. I would categorize this more of a monster western. Our cowboys are MHI in the grand American tradition of "Guns are our birthright, so lets shoot some d@mn monsters!" (There may be no such American tradition, but hey, I'm Canadian and we love to make stuff up about you Americans :)
The book is filled with vibrant and interesting characters. We learn at least a portion of most of the backstories and the characters are more than one-dimensional.
Overall, the book grabs you by the gonads, tosses you into the action and doesn't let you go until the last page. ( That does sound rather uncomfortable, but trust me, its more enjoyable than it sounds)
The Bad
There were a few things that bothered me. I do not know why the author could not use the occasional contraction for I did not enjoy the pervasive use of formal English. Seriously Larry, use a contraction. Here are few to choose from, "don't", "didn't", "can't", "won't". These were gun toting, monster hating rough and tumble good guys. The occasional contraction give a feeling of realism in the conversation and the writing. This may not have bothered me as much if I hadn't (see what I did there) been listening to the audio book. I heard "cannot", "did not" and "do not" so often that it began to grate on me.
In all first books, there is a large world to build and backstories to be told. The author occasionally fell into the trap of telling and not showing. There were a few instances where the info dumping was simply told to the reader and took away from the story.
Regardless, I enjoyed listening to the book so much, I had to give it five stars regardless of these minor issues.
Audiobook Notes
A+ narration. There was a wide variety of voice and wide variety of yells and screams. The narrator did a commendable job doing both men and woman voices. There was nothing to complain about as this is one of the best audiobooks to which I have listened.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2
The sexual content was minor in nature. There was a love story that played a minor role in the book. This resulted in a few kisses and longing looks. There was one scene that was a precursor to sex scene but the act was "interrupted". Lets just say, there were guns involved. There was no sexual content that would make your grandmother cover your ears or eyes.
Language - 4
I have to say that it might be possible this rating should be higher. There was a significant amount of adult language in the book. It ran the gambit from the mundane to the highly creative. The majority of the adult language occurred during intense battle scene and during monster attacks. Admittedly, when I am engaged in the action, I am less prone to notice the adult language. Regardless, there is significant use throughout the book.
Violence - 5
Uhh.... Yes....there is bit of violence.... It might be easier to say what scenes did not include violence. The book is all about killing monsters and kill them in a variety of creative ways. There is monster blood and gore flying left and right and occasionally human gore. At times the descriptions are graphic but rarely fall into what I would consider to be "horror" or gore with the intent to disturb. This gets a 5 because of the pervasive violence. If you do not like guns and violence, steer clear of this book. This rivals a Matthew Reilly on body account in AA type novels....more
Unlike the previous novel in the series, Cliff Walk is much darker and grittier. In large part, this is because of the books pl A Gut Turning 4 Stars
Unlike the previous novel in the series, Cliff Walk is much darker and grittier. In large part, this is because of the books plot which involves, in part, the child porn business and the murder of children. It is at times, a disturbing look into this despicable world. A few time could feel the characters anger as I imagined what I would do to someone who hurt my children like the villians in story. At no time is Bruce DeSilva insensitive to this serious and delicate topic.
As in his debut novel, DeSilva shows how masterful he is in developing characters. The characters are as vibrant, dull or twisted as DeSilva wants them to be. DeSilva also excels and slowing unfolding his mystery until the end. In this book, I had figured out most of the mystery by the end but I didn't care. The characters were compelling enough to keep me interested.
Liked it better than the Jack West series. Quite enjoyed the killer whales and massive seals. It was Matthew Rielly channelling his inner James RollinLiked it better than the Jack West series. Quite enjoyed the killer whales and massive seals. It was Matthew Rielly channelling his inner James Rollins. It had plenty of action and adventure without going too over the top. ...more
Not as good as the other books in the series. The hunt for the treasure and the numerous bad guys were simply not as engaging at the others in the serNot as good as the other books in the series. The hunt for the treasure and the numerous bad guys were simply not as engaging at the others in the series. Regardless, filled with plenty of action to keep the listener interested and overall a likable listen. The book is narrated by Scott Brick which is my absolute favorite narrator which alone is worth the listening time.
I listened to the audiobook version of this while waiting for my new kindle. Rollins steps away from his more notable mat My #8 Favorite read of 2013
I listened to the audiobook version of this while waiting for my new kindle. Rollins steps away from his more notable material and delves into the world of vampires. I won't lie. I loved it. Who doesn't love a good bloodsucker. Rollins and Cantrell collaborated very well. Rollins never disappoints ...more
Tim The Enchanter
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