The Book Plank

Review Round-up November 1. Willful Child by Steven Erikson, Bantam Press/Tor This venture of Steven Erikson into the dark reaches of was a very wild, fast and rip roaring adventure that for me succeeded in many ways. Not only does Steven Erikson show that he is a brilliant writer switching from writing Epic Fantasy to Science Fiction, also the story alone is jsut so much fun to read and this was clearly the intention that Steven Erikson had in mind, bringing down several tropes often seen in Science Fiction and creating humorous scenes around them. Captain Hadrian Sawback is really a piece of work, many will hate his arrogance but there is also much to like and I think deep down the reason why you might hate Hadrian is that he just does what he likes and we are often bound by rules and protocols. Willful Child is a superb read and excellent escape from reality. After an eventful mission, Captain Hadrian goes about his constitutive mission in space, so lets hope we w...

Review Round-up October Another month has passed, time for another Review Round-Up. These were some of the titles that I enjoyed very much. Which were your favorites? Cheers, Jasper ------------------------------------- 1. A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, Star Wars Rebels #1 A New Dawn is a great kick off for the animated Star Wars: Rebels series that will readily get you in the mood for watching the show. But if the notification of this new series has escaped your attention you can also read this book as a stand alone, and there it also offers an action packed story. You do not need to have read any books prior to this series, so it also offers a nice stepping stone for those who are just starting in the Star Wars Extended Universe books. Since I hadn't saw the show yet prior to picking up A New Dawn everything was new for me, the characters and the setting. I have to say that John Jackson Miller did a very nice job in showing the different characters of the...

Review Round-up September Here is my selection of the books that I most enjoyed in September, which were your favorites? Cheers, Jasper ------------------------------------------------------ 1. Age of Iron by Angus Watson, Orbit   From the start of Age of Iron , Angus Watson got my attention. This was just the book I was looking for, I hadn’t read such a story in a long while, it’s dark, gruesome Epic Fantasy. Given the day and age wherein the story of Age of Iron takes place around 40AD this whole dark setting definitely works it’s wonders and made me see several scenes quite vividly, especially  the fighting scenes. The build up of the story with focussing on every character individually then letting the story all converge into something much bigger was done in a clever way that with even though you were given a lot of information, about them all,  it was all easy to digest, which was needed given the fact that it has a pretty high page count. Orbit h...

Review Round-up July Here is my selection of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading last month. Which books did enjoy the most? Cheers, Jasper 1. A Plunder of Souls by D.B. Jackson, Tor A Plunder of Souls is a terrific addition to the Thieftaker Chronicles. D.B. Jackson shows once again that he knows how to pull all the right strings to create one creative story. As I have said if you though that Thieves Quarry was great wait till you get your hands on A Plunder of Souls, its even better, D.B. Jackson has really outdone himself. The story of A Plunder of Souls shows just how deadly conjuring can be but also shows how dangerous people can be when they are set out for revenge and when they don't shy away when it comes to sacrificing other for their gain. The alternate world wherein the Thieftaker Chronicles take place really has that historical sense working in it's favor, you can see the hardships of that time, just getting around earning enough mon...

Review Round-up June Last month of this half of the year! Don't know where the time has gone, it went over to fast for sure. I said that I wanted to read 175 books this year and I am pleased to say that I am on track and have already passed the half way maker. Only about 90ish more to go. These were my favourites of June Which books did you enjoy the most in June? Cheers, Jasper ---------------------------   1. Veil of the Deserters by Jeff Salyards, Night Shade Books Last year I read Jeff Salyards debut, Scourge of the Betrayer , it proved very soon that it was one of Scourge of the Betrayer was those books directly to my liking. a great read wait till you get your hands on this sequel. The wait was pretty long for the sequel but luckily for me and many other readers it was published last month in June. I had high expectations for Veil of the Deserters but what Jeff Salyards manages to pull of went wildly above my expectations. Jeff Salyard doesn't wait on...

 May Review Round-up 1. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, Tor/Gollancz In April I read the start of the Stormlight Archive, The Way of Kings and was immediately sucked into the amazingly rich world that Brandon Sanderson managed to show in it. I was fortunate enough not to have to wait a few years for the sequel to be released as it was already sitting on my TBR pile. In Words of Radiance , Brandon Sanderson nicely broadens the scope of his story still lying the focus on Kaladin and Shallan but also involving more and more different characters to neatly draw a complete picture. Both the books have been clocking in at about 1000-1100 pages and with such an epic scope it's can be hard to keep the focus on the main drive of the story, here it clearly comes to show that Brandon Sanderson has gained a lot of experience from continuing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. There is never a dull moment in Words of Radiance , Brandon Sanderson managed to grab me from start ...

It's that time of the month again, no not that one, the other! Time for another Review Round-up. I said many times that January was off to a good start but I read some very fine book in February as well. I am already at the 29/175 books that I plan to read, no time to waste typing too much. These are my favourite books of the past month! 1. Red Country by Joe Abercrombie, Gollancz  Yes yes, where to begin? Joe Abercrombie is well renowned writer in his genre and has been noted as perhaps a revolutionist in terms of breathing new life into the existing fantasy genre. From the first book that I read of Joe Abercrombie I was hooked. He introduces a dark and gritty texture to his stories that is just cool. His writing style is in many part straight to the point, immersing the reader in a action packed story. The fighting scenes are described in full color and he gives the reader a front row seat. Red Country is the sixth book the First Law series which first featured as a trilogy ...

Review Round-up January I just cant believe that January went by so fast! It feels that is was a two week month instead of the four weeks, maybe it's largely owed to the fact that I read some very exciting books or that I longed to get back to reviewing/blogging after the Christmas break. I don't know, all I can say is that January has already proven to an amazing month reading wise and I hope that the others months will proof to be just as fruitful. And with each finished month, you can expect an Review Round-up post wherein I highlight a few books that I thoroughly enjoyed in the past month. 1. The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley, Tor   The Emperor's Blades copy was already on my reading shelves and it kept lurking and lurking to be read but the pub date was in January so I really had to exert some control. But when I finally was allowed to read it I was awed. The story that Brian Staveley has put down in The Emperor's Blade is just amazing and exactly ...

November Review Round-up So the second last Review Round-up of the year! I have to say that I haven't read my forecast's in time, my apologies for this but like I said in the December forecast those remaining reviews are in bound asap!  Here is the highlight of books that I found noteworthy: 1. The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan (Orbit) Are you a fan of epic fantasy? with thieves? Have you read The Crown Tower yet? No? shame on you! Now you can say "you should be talking" well I have to admit this is the first introduction to the books of Michael J. Sullivan and his Riyria world but it has been a great introduction and I definitely want more. The Crown Tower is the first prequel to the original Riyria Revelation series, wherein Michael J. Sullivan takes the reader back to when it all first started between Hadrian and Royce or in my case introduces these two great characters for the first time. The story is just one big adventure and Hadrian and Royce a...