A VERY HIGH 4/5. I think I might have enjoyed this book a bit more than the first (Silver in the Wood), but they read well together, and will both be A VERY HIGH 4/5. I think I might have enjoyed this book a bit more than the first (Silver in the Wood), but they read well together, and will both be re-read at some point in the near future. A really wonderful mix of fantasy/magical forests, monster hunting, and LGBTQ characters. The quiet moments within are really the best moments for me....more
**spoiler alert** Pulse is the second novel (first in a series) by Canadian indie author B.A. Bellec. It's labelled as Dystopian, though to me, it fel**spoiler alert** Pulse is the second novel (first in a series) by Canadian indie author B.A. Bellec. It's labelled as Dystopian, though to me, it felt more like a "near future sci-fi/horror" (which I suppose could be argued as being in the realm of the same thing).
Style: The cover has a cool graphic novel sort of style to it. My only criticism is the silhouette of the monster (the "Pulser") is hard to make out if you haven't already seen the image of the creature. It would have been great to include the full monster artwork somewhere in the book. The "screenplay" format (in terms of how character dialogue is written) had the potential for disaster, but it works really, really well in this book. Excellent, and unique, choice!
Pros: The horror aspect in Pulse has been done really good, and there are a couple of VERY gruesomely memorable scenes along the way (*cough* port-o-potty *cough*). I'm not a big reader of horror, but this also didn't make me feel as though I had to have been in order to enjoy. The monsters are really well-conceived, and Bellec deserves a ton of credit for their creation. The pace is amazing. I ended up blowing through the last third of the novel in a couple of sittings, which I don't usually do, but the frenetic pace was really great and it was hard to simply not keep going. The ending is well done, also. And it's a really good place to leave readers looking forward to Book 2!
Critiques: There are A LOT of characters in Pulse, at times hard to keep track of, and at the rate of fatalities that occurred in the last quarter, it was also difficult to remember which of them were still left. I wish there was a sense of a "main character" in Pulse. Maybe it doesn't need an MC, but it does feel odd not having one. I could have done with fewer chapters highlighting the men who ran Pulse (the greedy, "Google-y" corporation that has their fingers deep into the whole planet). Their story got a bit tedious and repetitive, and didn't wholly enhance the overall story for me. The monster reveals started to feel a little redundant. I understand that each character ends up witnessing the Pulsers for the first time and there should be a "what the hell is this?" reaction, but as a reader, I don't need to keep experiencing it every time....more
Let's call it 4.5 stars. Really got lost in this book (in a good way!), and I'm certain I'll be re-reading it again before long.Let's call it 4.5 stars. Really got lost in this book (in a good way!), and I'm certain I'll be re-reading it again before long....more
The writing is just as strong as Book I (Rosenberg definitely has a mastery of her language) and the world-building/lore is incredibly mind-blowing, bThe writing is just as strong as Book I (Rosenberg definitely has a mastery of her language) and the world-building/lore is incredibly mind-blowing, but I found Book II to be a little harder to follow. A LOT of characters were coming and going and returning again, to the point where I lost track of who a few of them were, and what their specific roles & relationships were within the book's world. I'd recommend Witch Gold for readers who love fantasy/magical worlds with a Steampunk edge, along with a mix of political intrigue, as well as a bit of frightening monsters for good measure. Book III should be fun!...more
I picked up a copy of Age of the Almek for my library as part of my drive to help spread the words of indie authors. I decided to read Age of the AlmeI picked up a copy of Age of the Almek for my library as part of my drive to help spread the words of indie authors. I decided to read Age of the Almek simply because it sounded cool, and I don’t typically read dystopian fiction.
Premise: Man’s pollution of the Earth has made all the planet’s water toxic, with the exception of one underground, uncontaminated spring in Michigan. The last living humans have come together here and formed the Almek civilization. But nearly twenty years later, the spring is depleting and the Almek must find an answer or become extinct.
This is author Tara A. Lake’s debut novel, the first book in a series. Lake’s world-building is astounding, and she clearly spent a lot of time laying down all the complex rules and traditions of the Almek’s two feuding tribes. The prologue for the book was a great choice, and does a lot for the reader to make them familiar with a few of the important characters. I’m not always a fan of consistently short chapters, but this, too, was also done well here. The condensed chapter length really helped to keep things moving, especially considering this was a 500-page book with somewhat difficult formatting (small font & margins meant each page was probably 1 ½ normal pages).
But Age of the Almek did lose me in places. Not because I was confused (again, Lake does a wonderful job at allowing the reader to understand each of her characters’ motivations), but because things just seem to happen at random throughout the book. It does not have a conventional beginning, middle, and end, and because of this, the story oftentimes feels more like snippets from the lives of the Almek, going to and from the many tribulations & ceremonies (birthing, re-birthing, merging, etc). Some characters & premises felt a bit wasted, but I’m certain a lot of this can brought more into focus in future books. Speaking of which, the ending to Book 1 happened way too fast--things were just escalating! What a great way to hook a reader!
In all, an admirable debut that could have been another star for me with a bit more editing....more
3.5 stars. Still one of the best graphic novels to look at and hold in your hands, but the story does jump around. And in Piskor's attempts to Coles N3.5 stars. Still one of the best graphic novels to look at and hold in your hands, but the story does jump around. And in Piskor's attempts to Coles Notes his way through X-History, he does tend to condense some stories into single panels while dwelling on others for a few pages, which makes the book lose its flow a little....more
Brimstone is the debut novella from a wonderfully talented emerging writer. It is Book 1 of the Metals Trilogy, but it’s SHORT, so the entire trilogy Brimstone is the debut novella from a wonderfully talented emerging writer. It is Book 1 of the Metals Trilogy, but it’s SHORT, so the entire trilogy may end up being the length of a single book, which would definitely favour a collected volume. Every single paragraph is stuffed with wonderful description, and bubbling with backstory that you have to work hard to piece together, making this book actually feel like a 300-page novel. This is nice, but the drawback is that there’s not a whole lot that actually HAPPENS throughout. The pleasure in reading Brimstone comes from the prose, the indirect world-building, and the rich + dirty qualities the author brings to both. One bit of frustration for me as a reader: there are no “traditional” chapters here, and the breaks are at curious intervals (“chapters” are in 15, 15, 56, 6, and 70 pages), so there’s no real comfortable time to stop reading. (Oh, and reader advisory: there are some sexy-time moments and strong language, but nothing *too* explicit) There’s some really cool concepts here, and I’m curious as to where it’s all headed, which is really the sign of a good book. Check it out, and support indie authors!...more
Oh my god. WHEN did I start this book? I feel guilty for having taken so long to finish Authority, especially seeing as how I enjoyed the first book (Oh my god. WHEN did I start this book? I feel guilty for having taken so long to finish Authority, especially seeing as how I enjoyed the first book (Annihilation) so much. I feel that Authority is the kind of book that needs to be digested in a single-reading, maybe two. There's so many clues and conversations with numerous characters that you need to keep in the back of your mind as you go along. The way I'd gone about it (15-20 pages every couple of days, sometimes every three or four) was just not helping me enjoy it. Sure, there are excuses, the major one being the birth of my second son (for those taking notes: reading hard science fiction plus sleeping in 3-hour bursts does not a winning combo make). Excuses! No one wants to hear excuses! The truth is that Authority is not as solid a book as the first in the Southern Reach Trilogy. It's longer for one thing and I felt that although our protagonist is incredibly well-developed, such a rich character is almost unnecessary in a book like this. The setting and the mystery was what really worked in Annihilation, not the believable detailed characters. Of course I'm in no way saying books do not need believable characters; it simply felt less critical here. As book two in the trilogy it seemed that Authority really didn't give us much more new information and I'm hoping this is made up for in the third part. But I'm going to do my brain a favor and read something a bit lighter next, before trudging back into Southern Reach....more
At only 200 pages, this book (the first part of the Southern Reach Trilogy) is a VERY accessible novel. When I say that, what I refer to is a few thinAt only 200 pages, this book (the first part of the Southern Reach Trilogy) is a VERY accessible novel. When I say that, what I refer to is a few things: 1) Book Length: 200 pages certainly will not intimidate potential readers. Plus, one (not me though) could probably read it in a single sitting; 2) Characters: the characters here are sparse (there's really only five of them) and they are simple, though quite complex in their stripped-down-ness. There are no names for the characters, only their job titles (Biologist, Psychologist, etc) and it works. We know instantly what their roles are and there are no names to keep remembering; 3) Genre: Southern Reach is billed as Sci-Fi, and though it is, it is also an exploration into Horror and Psychological fiction.
To me, Annihilation is part H.P. Lovecraft and part Stanislav Lem's Solaris, which is a cool mix. There were a couple of truly terrifying moments where I couldn't wait to turn the page. Hard to do these days. The title choice is interesting, and readers will know why when they reach the part in the story. Its use in the novel sort of sums up everything and sort of doesn't, but it still makes sense as a title, which is important. I've now read this twice, read Book 2 once, and Book 3 still not at all. There were some cool moments in Book 2, but overall I feel like I'm happy recommending just Book 1 to new readers, and see where they want to go from there. After two reads, Annihilation remains a wonderfully original, creepily beautiful book. READ IT!...more
First of all, MIRAGE definitely does not fit into my preferred genre of reading. Fantasy just never really grabs my attention. I will say that MIRAGE First of all, MIRAGE definitely does not fit into my preferred genre of reading. Fantasy just never really grabs my attention. I will say that MIRAGE has an extremely interesting concept but falls short on many levels. The fact that it's a work of fantasy cannot be counted against it since this is mostly my fault for not being a fan of magical worlds filled with powerful sorcerers, hordes of scary monsters, heroes who inevitably rise above them and characters and locations with names that have too many vowels in them. That's just me.
No, MIRAGE has enough other things going for it that made it difficult to fully grasp. Like I said, the concept was very intriguing: an alternate world, Nascentia, made up entirely of characters from stories and legends. It's a world inhabited by nosferatu, leprechauns and the tiger from The Jungle Book. Even Santa Claus is kicking around in Nascentia which is kind of cool. It's a lengthy and admirable first work by a new author and there are plenty of moments where I stopped and thought about how wonderful a description within a particular sentence was.
But then there's everything else about it. Our hero, Kellen, arrives in Nascentia and is (of course) sent on a perilous mission of dire consequence with the hottest girl in town. Now because Kellen is the proverbial fish out of water, our tour guide (Mirage, for whom the book is named after) explains the lay of the land to him. What follows is 400+ pages of serious info dump. Mirage explains everything to Kellen, and I mean everything. And she doesn't skip on the detail either. I admire the author for having crafted such a richly detailed world, but the story stops from being a straightforward quest and it reads more like a Nascentia guidebook. At times I forgot what the characters were supposed to be doing, having been bogged down with so much explanatory dialogue after every corner they turn. MIRAGE includes an appendices at the end of the novel, so much of the information within the story can actually be found again at the end. As such, I feel as though I could have been reading more actual story along the way.
The editing in the book borders on appalling, with so much arbitrary capitalization of words as well as word duplication, typos, and ignorant document settings like paragraph indentation and extra spaces between sentences within paragraphs. I also prefer reading novels with a "justified" typeset, rather than the harder to read left-aligned one withing these pages.
Will I read Volume Two of The Book of Nascentia (it's fantasy, so of course there's more volumes to come!)? Probably not. But if you like richly detailed worlds of fantasy that don't ever have to end then you should check out MIRAGE, and help support self-published works of all kinds!...more
The problem I had with this book was trying to identify the correct audience. If it's aimed towards younger readers (which I believe it is) then the lThe problem I had with this book was trying to identify the correct audience. If it's aimed towards younger readers (which I believe it is) then the length of the novel may be a bit bewildering and there is quite a lot of political jargon amongst the denizens of Wildwood. If it is meant to be enjoyed by older readers I fear it is simply too predictable with far too many character/plot cliches. Also the main character, Prue, really doesn't have much depth and we see far more change in the characters around her. Meloy is an excellent writer however, and aside from a Wildwood sequel, I would still not hesitate to read what he comes up with next. I can say that the artwork does add a lot to the story and was a welcome addition....more
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