Not a typical Alastair Reynolds novel
355608
Reynolds must have watched the "Serenity" movie, and decided that he could do it better. Outposts in space that would remind you of 1890's American West, where women are subservient and wear long dresses, books are in print only and in short supply, so few people were educated. My guess is that if you liked "Terminal World", you'll like this book too.
2973313
JK Rowling, of course, needs little introduction. Having written the larger-than-life Harry Potter series, she followed up years of silence with The Casual Vacancy, a very dark adult novel that turned out to be a very difficult read. Though I gave it a shot, I ultimately lost interest in the dozens and dozens of characters that I had to keep track of, and the abrasive tone and jumpy nature of the narrative resulted in me never finishing it.

Here we have Rowling attempting another novel for adults, and this one, a work of crime fiction, is far more in line with what I expected from her. Gone are the abrupt shifts in tone and endless parenthesis from Casual Vacancy, replaced with a much more elegant writing style whose descriptions put you right there.

It's an incredibly visual novel, with likable characters and an interesting mystery. I don't want to give away much of the plot, as the fun of crime fiction is discovering these things for yourself. But in Strike, we have an instantly likable main character. The others who he comes across all have their time to shine as well, and this time Rowling is noticeably more generous with the context, so that the narrative subtly reminds you who the characters are when they come back into the picture.

If you're into crime fiction or just want to see what JK Rowling has secretly been up to, I recommend this book. If there are some flaws, it's that things become a little bit muddled towards the end, and being an avid reader of crime fiction, I did see certain aspects of the big resolution coming. But that said, I was still surprised by others.

The nature of this novel's mystery (more or less a cold case) means that there isn't a ton of action, though the stakes do eventually increase. People should expect a deliberately paced (but not slow) mystery novel.

All in all, I found The Cuckoo's Calling to be a lot of fun, and at times a beautifully written book with some great characters and good old fashioned investigating. I'd definitely be interested in seeing what mysteries Strike tackles next, especially if it's a more action-packed case.
2806748
Despite the title this book is not straight fantasy.  It is a blending of fantasy and alturnative universe novel. There is both tecnology and magic in this universe. The book is a weird blend of Law and Order episode and fantasy novel that shouldn't work, but does.  The magical forensics scenes are the best part of the first half of the book.
The plots builds slowly  but by the time you get to the end you will be turning the pages as fast as you can read.  There are a few holes in the storyline that it seems a writer of Ms. Duane's skill could have closed(the origin of the madrin for example). These few logic flaws keep the book from being perfect, but they do not ruin it.
I would like to see other stories written in this universe and I hope there are more in the works. If you like stories that are a little differnt this book should be on your to be read list.
3821972
I received a free copy of this novel from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. I was confused when I started reading, because the novel is written in someone giving directions for a movie. A really interesting way to write a novel but it took me a while to get with the program, but after a while I was enthralled.

Black Dance is told from technically one point of view, but told from three different people all related in one way or another. The first is Milo who is a small boy in the beginning, growing up in cruel foster homes and constantly being told what a piece of trash he is because he's half Indian. The next is Neil, who is Milo's grandfather and his story takes place way before Milo was ever thought of, Neil is a writer from Ireland. The next is Milo's mother Awinita, a teenage Indian prostitute. Throughout the story Milo is now grown and dying, beside his lover who's telling the story.

My favorite part in the novel were definitely Awinita's parts. I guess she just had a more dramatic thing going on, like the life of a prostitute, heroine, and pregnancy's. Milo was my second favorite because he had a sympathetic plight, a terrible family and some pretty awful things that happen in his life because of his family. Neil was my least favorite, I just couldn't get interested in him, he felt in his younger years to be stupidly ambitious even if it would cost him his family. I just couldn't like him until he became Milo's grandfather.

There are some reasons why someone might not want to read this book, there are homosexual relationships, rape, prostitution, and some other sexual deviant things discussed in the book. But I'd lie it known that a lot of these are necessary to the story and enhance it to make it more life like, to give the characters a more real feeling.

I like the style of writing of this novel, it gives it a different kind of depth then the kind we see in novels that are written as they usually would be. A new perspective on scenes because the person telling it gives there own opinion on what's going on or talks to Milo on his deathbed.
1359759
Having read both Border Princes and Another Life in the past few days, and finding Border Princes to be much better, I was really surprised to see such a different opinion reflected in the ratings and reviews! To me, it was Another Life where the characters seemed, well, out of character. Let's not forget that, when this was written, we'd yet to see a substantial amount of material with our lead five. Even once we had, in series two, most of them seemed to have changed, or be in the process of changing, quite fundamentally from who they may have appeared to be in series one.

In Border Princes, yes, there is a new character we've never heard of, but he's presented immediately and in a very 'Adam'-like way: he's obviously someone who's not supposed to be there. Rather than make the story about who he may be, though, the author slowly but surely builds a portrait of him as though he were any other character, while the rest of the story continues along, weaving together several plots. The reader spends at least half of the book trying to figure out which part of the plot is meant to be the important bit, but I think that's the story's strength, rather than its weakness - it never gets boring, and, with one or two minor exceptions, you never really know what's coming around the next turn.
1648567
Elin Peer is one of my favorite new authors. Her novels are very imaginative, and this one is no exception. Perhaps because I am not a fan of sci-fi, I had a harder time engaging with this novel than with those in the Color or Slave series, and ultimately did not like it as much as her previous works. Issues concerning misogyny were presented in a very interesting manner here, although they were not resolved. Certain details about the futuristic society of the Nmen left me scratching my head, wondering if people would really behave that way-I can't say that they wouldn't, but at times the mix of very current cultural attitudes with futuristic inventions and primitive throwbacks was a bit jarring. I wished at times that the characters had more angst and depth, and imagine that the upcoming story of Magni might deliver more in that respect. Regardless of any flaws, I have to admit I blew off my chores all day and kept sneaking back to the book to read more.
2300563
I have avidly enjoyed Alastair Reynolds' 'Revelation Space' series, which combines mind-boggling galactic history, imaginative technological speculation, complex intertwined plots and a range of interesting characters. However I've found that his stand-alone novels and stories tend to be somewhat lacking in comparison.

'Terminal World' is a perfectly adequate story and has many memorable elements. We pick up the narrative on Earth at an unspecified period in the future, when human life is constrained by the existence of 'zones' of atomic force that only allow particular types of molecular complexity (and hence technology) depending on the type of zone. Spearpoint is a city built on a mountainous substance which is stratified into layers of technology from the pre-industrial up to the 'angels' who can alter genetics and use nanotechnology. Doctor Quillon finds himself caught up within a web of forces that are set to alter the balance of power and determine the destiny of Earth itself.

As I mentioned, there are many interesting elements in 'Terminal World'. The concept of zones is new to me and gives an excellent physical constraint that uncovers the mechanics of social structures. Some of the factions on Earth are novel and interesting to contemplate, particularly the Swarm and the 'vorgs'. However, the overall story is overly simple, following a very linear arc with little tension or surprise in how it unfolds. I compare this particularly with 'Chasm City' which showed that Reynolds is capable of thoughtful plotting. The characters are unfortunately lacking in depth or distinctiveness, and we are frequently 'told' about them rather than being 'shown'. I found Quillon to be quite bland and it is not obvious that he would be able to inspire the radical changes that he brings to the people and groups that he meets. The world of 'Terminal World' also feels a little under-realised, and I echo the complaint of another reviewer that one is constantly asking questions such as how the Skullboys manage to obtain or produce their equipment and weaponry. Also I personally found the 'anti-zonal' drugs to be more of a plot device than an explicable part of the world, since they are never explained but constantly used to move the story forward.

In summary, this is a competent sci-fi novel which suffers from a lack of development and what feels like a rushed execution. It is certainly not amongst Alastair Reynolds' best.
343416
I would recommend this novel, but be forewarned: it's not the typical Travis McGee adventure.

I looked at the other reviews. A mixed bag. Some thought this McGee novel was one of MacDonald's best. Other's thought it was one of his lesser undertakings. As I read the novel, from start to finish, I think I came to understand the reasons for this polarity.

My opinion? After having read this story twice, I would say that One Fearful Yellow Eye might be both: one his best stories, but also one of his weakest McGee stories. But please know that my final opinion rests on the side with those reviewers who liked this McGee novel. I liked the change in pace.

This is the eighth volume in the Travis McGee series. Up until this volume, the locations have been southerly and predictable. The tone of the first seven volumes has been quite Florida'ish, the Busted Flush somehow playing a role in the events, the Florida characters mingling in the events as well, etc. etc. Seven volumes which firmly established McGee, his Florida/Bahamas/Bermuda lifestyle, his philosophies, his Florida friends and neighbors, and his methods of earning retirement income. And then here comes the eighth novel in the series and the location and tone is completely different.

This story takes place in Chicago in the winter, the antitheist to McGee's balmy home territory. But that's not the problem. The problem is that McGee hates Chicago and throughout the novel throws in various soliloquies and many snippets which reveal his distaste for the Windy City. The reader can't help but wonder if MacDonald was expressing his own opinions, which would then border on author intrusion, something that many readers prefer to not notice. In addition, if the reader feels aligned to Travis McGee, which might be the expected outcome after reading seven of his stories, then the reader is also predisposed to dislike what McGee dislikes.

As a side note, I think MacDonald made an authorial mistake in disparaging the city of Chicago. MacDonald may have, in fact, totally disliked Chicago personally, but that's not reason enough to make McGee dislike it as well. Why tell a whole story in a place that constantly gets negative comments from the storyteller. It seems so counterproductive to me. I actually think the reviewers would've responded more favorably to the story had McGee not been so critical of the city in which it took place. Especially since MacDonald had worked so hard to make readers love McGee's Florida existence, which tells me MacDonald knew the strengths and advantages of having the location presented positively and appeal to the reader. If I ever write a novel, I will make sure that I don't present the main location of the story in a negative light.

Back to the story. It's a mystery, more so than any previous McGee novels. A pretty good whodunit. One of the reviewers said s/he figured out the "who" right away, which made the rest of the story anticlimactic. I'm not sure I would agree that it was so easy to figure out. There are clearly 4-5 good suspects, plus one or two remote suspects. Any amateur Sherlock Holmes who reads mysteries usually tries to figure things out and makes a guess. When there are only four possible suspects, every guesser has a 25% chance of being right. But even along those lines, I have to register a complaint. It's not kosher to introduce an important impact character late in the narrative, and this is what happens in this story. So while the reader is trying to put together the clues right along with McGee, a huge clue is left out until the very end. It sort of spoils the fun for an amateur sleuth.

But in the end, if you are a fan of Travis McGee, then I think this volume is worth reading. Maybe even a must read because it breaks the mold of the previous volumes and gives new insights into McGee's character that otherwise would never be revealed in the sunny regions of Florida and the Caribbean. It's different, and I enjoyed the difference.
4944169
Alaric, the minstrel, travels from place to place playing his lute for both rich and poor in exchange for a meal and shelter.  Between places he hunts wildlife for his meals.  Alaric has a fancy to see the Great Northern Sea and so has headed in that direction traveling over mountains as the climate becomes colder and harsher.  Then he stumbles upon a fertile valley where there is a small cluster of farms and a castle.  He learns that this is the abode of the Red Lord, a strangely taciturn figure who rules over an equally mysterious people.  Alaric is at first welcomed and treated well by the Red Lord.  Soon, however, Alaric becomes aware of strange goings on in the castle and his welcome wears thin.

This is a fantasy story set in a world similar to our own, but not identical.  Most travelers in the north of Europe, for example, would have great difficulty in understanding the many different languages and dialects that they encountered.  The story has a medieval feeling, but any historian would tell you that this is more literary invention than real history.  Castles, for example, were more the exception than the rule.  Like any fantasy story there is magic, but on this point Eisenstein has taken an unusual tack.  There are, for example, natural born psychic powers that could be described as 'magic', herbalism and other proto-sciences that seem like 'magic' to the uneducated mind, and ritualistic mumbo jumbo that impresses the gullible.  Alaric takes a surprisingly modern view of magic, viewing most of it with considerable skepticism, until the facts seem to prove otherwise.

Most of all this is a book about the aching need to find a place to belong.  For this reason it will especially appeal to teenagers, but I think we all can sympathize to some degree.  We never totally loose our sense of being individuals, and thus different and cut off from others.  Like the Romantics (Rousseau), Alaric wonders whether the answer to his loneliness lies in a reversion to primitivism.  Will he find acceptance among the herdsmen of the North?

If I have one criticism it is that the title implies that the Red Lord will be very prominent in the tale, but in fact this is not totally true.  I spent much of my time wondering: "When will we get back to the Red Lord?"  The text does eventually get there, but only after a long and winding mid-section.

This book is the sequel to&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Born-to-Exile/dp/0586207325/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Born to Exile</a>, which has similar themes, but this book takes the discussion deeper and is different enough not to be a complete repeat.  The story does not refer greatly to the first novel and could be enjoyed quite happily without reading the first book.
1918508
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. Thank you.

Anthony Rolls is not an author I have read before, but I enjoy reading the British Library's Crime Classics re-issues so I decided to try this one. The novel is quite different because the involvement with the characters takes place over a decade and a half. With a death happening fourteen years before the proof is gathered I found this book to be both fascinating and slow. I was on guard as soon as I read in the introduction by Martin Edwards that the pace was "leisurely". Yes, that it was. Scarweather is an isolated manor house on the coast of northern England, the story begins just months before the outbreak of World War I.

This mystery has archeology as the central theme so if you aren't interested in that subject you might take this as a warning. I know practically nothing about ancient burial sites in Britain or elsewhere so I found myself often wondering if the information was true or had been made up by the author. When so many experts in the same field have totally different opinions of what is fact and what is not it just confuses me more. Plus, I'm sorry to say I was correct very early on as to what was happening regarding the mystery ship and the death had a pretty obvious solution also. Yet in spite of all those things which would seem to be an impediment to enjoyment, I really did like the book. I certainly liked it enough to make it through the middle portions which slowed down from a crawl to a creep.

Read this novel if you want to see a different style of mystery writing done well.
4199632
Very different front he typical genre-ficiton D&D tie-in novel. Has some interesting horror-elements and jumps around to multiple protagonists. In  part I think this may have been because Lord Soth, the protagonist from the previous novel, is an anti-hero at best: a cursed knight with tons of magic powers who tends to be ruled by his impulses which results in him getting in more trouble.
254677
Malcolm MacDougall is born in the United States but of Irish heritage. On holiday in the 'old country' he comes across a patch of countryside which seems strangely familiar though he has never been there before. Following this familiar feeling he comes upon a stone tower where he encounters supernatural forces he could never have imagined possible. For years later Malcolm's brother Alan comes looking for him as he has become a missing person. On the same stretch of countryside Allan hears a gentle chimimg that leads him to the tower. There, after various supernatural events, Alan discovers a doorway to another world, a place he refers to as Tartarus, a place of the living dead. So begins a rollicking adventure in which Alan unwittingly becomes tired up with the fate of that world.

If you enjoy ripping yarns of alternate worlds, amazing cities, magic, Druids, Celtic dieties and repeated captures and escapes, this book is for you. The tale is not quite of the sword and sorcery genre, but something akin to that. Alan has a sword, but is not adept in using it. Also, he learns some sorcery, but only a little. He is more an unlikely hero. Eshbach is a Christian and there is some development of the theme of the nature of evil, but that is not a dominating part of text. This is much more escapist fantasy than a commentary on the nature of life. Eshbach writes in an easy to read, exciting style that is never boring. He continually introduces new material as Alan tours the alternate world, and of course sometimes includes the completely unexpected.

I have one criticism. In Chapter two we are told a long account of the earliy history of our own world, plus a description of the alternate world, its four cities, its various inhabitants and a description of various 'gods' resident in Tartarus. I found all of this a bit overwhelming and confusing, plus later in the story I had to glance back to this chapter as I had forgotten the whys and wherefores of various circumstance. Surely Eshbach could have found a better way of integrating this information into the story where and when it was needed. But this did not greatly depreciate my enjoyment of the story. It was just an annoyance.

This book is a complete novel, but it is also the first of a series of adventures surrounding Alan MacDougall and gateways to alternate worlds.  The series is called&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/THE-GATES-OF-LUCIFER-Book-1-One-The-Land-Beyond-the-Gate-Book-2-Two-The/dp/B0027TUXFY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">THE GATES OF LUCIFER: Book (1) One: The Land Beyond the Gate; Book (2) Two: The</a>.  The other books in the series are&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Armlet-of-the-Gods/dp/0345324633/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Armlet of the Gods</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Sorceress-of-Scath/dp/0345324641/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Sorceress of Scath</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Scroll-of-Lucifer/dp/034532465X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Scroll of Lucifer</a>. If you like this tale, as I did, there is plenty more to read when you once again get the fancy to dip into another entertaining, light hearted, fantasy world.
2906488
This book was a surprise.  It is set in the world of the Imperial Space Navy and is full of traditions and speech that derive from the Navy and the Marines.  In terms of plot and style, it is rather like some of Heinlein's work as in Starship Troopers.  Also, since York Ballin frequently has to dig himself out of impossible situations, there are similarities to Card's Ender Wiggins.  Throw in a culture of widespread corruption and purchased commissions and you get a bit of a taste of Hornblower or Sharpe.  This book details the story of York Ballin as he progresses from condemned criminal up through the ranks of the space navy starting out as the lowest of the low apprentice pod gunners.  There is an element of mystery concerning how York was saved from certain death in the mines - my betting is that in a subsequent novel we shall learn that he is an unrecognized member to the imperial royal family - much like Miles Vorkosigan/  Not bad reading - somewhat aimed at young adults but with some graphic violence and language.
870298
I haven't read any of the other Inspector Troy novels; I picked up this one because the jacket's reviews were attractive.  I realize now that the review excerpts focused on what I liked about the book (its terrific recreation of a time & place) and were silent on what didn't grab me (the characters & plot).

It's almost worth reading just for the "feel."  This is what it must've been like to sit around the kitchen table of a middle-class London policeman in Spring of 1941.

But while the novel is literate and well-written, there's something distancing about it.  I found Troy the less interesting and less sharply delineated of the two major characters (Troy and an American soldier, Cal Cormack), and Lawton spends much more time on Cormack.  The spy / murder-mystery plot plays out without much momentum; better are the glimpses of the internal politics of the police force and diplomatic services.

I expect I'd like Bluffing Mr. Churchill much more if I already had some investment in the continuing characters.  I doubt I'll hunt out the other books in the series.
3054904
I had not encountered the works of Scottish-born Canadian novelist, Dave Duncan, before receiving a copy of his latest book, "Against the Light", to review. Considering how prolific this author of fantasy fiction is, with more than three dozen titles in print, this is more than a little surprising; if the quality of this offering is anything to go by, it is also a great pity!

"Against the Light" is a thinly veiled blending of the state persecution of the Catholics (complete with gunpowder plot) and the fanatical hunting out of witchcraft that was prevalent throughout England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, here transported to a fictional land and embroidered with a few touches of fantasy along the way. The fantasy elements are cleverly and subtly handled, making the book read more as an historical fiction than as a fantasy story per se, though.

Dave Duncan writes with an accomplished and adult assurance that is a pleasure to read in the current age of dumbed-down and action-centred story-telling. If the book has a failing it is perhaps that it flows a little too quickly for its own good,  giving the story-line a somewhat contrived feel and introducing an element of predictability to it, at times, that just prevents me giving the book a full 5 stars. Towards the end, it tumbles to an only partially conclusive end, which gives the impression that it could be continued in a sequel, although the author on his blog page is adamant there will not be one.

In summary, "Against the Light" is a good solid yarn about the perennial struggle of the good and the meek against the corrupt and the powerful, with some interesting things to say along the way, and without the constraint of having to be historically accurate in any of its details. Its fanciful setting gives the author free reign to explore a couple of "what-if" scenarios, although sadly he doesn't take these as far as he really might.  The book is a fast and gripping read but be warned that there are also some tough sections that are most definitely not for the squeamish.

Recommended to adult lovers of fantasy or historical fiction.
4250849
I'm a big Reynolds fan although I didn't think much of Poseiden's Children.  This book is effectively the story of Dread Pirate Roberts expressed as a young adult science fiction novel based in a novel universe- the solar system after many cataclysms and alien occupations.  The universe-creating is rich, sharing a lot with the Revelation Space universe, but with a number of differences.  I found that he foreshadowed nearly every plot development so that the book was totally unsurprising.  I found the value in the back story, which is infinitely rich- like Golden Age or Revelation Space, there is so much history behind the book that practically any plot could be implemented by creating some cool new tech.

I have mixed feelings about the book.  My only hope is that Reynolds writes more in this universe.  I particularly want to learn more about the various occuptations and the technologies and stories- for example, Paladin's backstory would be a great book.
4771773
This novel was a good read with its strange fantastical elements, however it does not live up to Gaiman's other novels or graphic novel series, seemed a bit slow in parts.  However despite that it is still an excellent story just not up to my expected standards (5 stars) for Neil Gaiman.