Review Round-up August
1. Sleeping Late on Judgement Day by Tad Williams, Hodder and Stougthon
Though I expected a different type of story in Sleeping Late on Judgement Day
as I explained above, but no worries there, Tad Williams still went
above Heaven and through Hell to deliver one final, explosive and grande
plot twist that will leave you with an echoing WOW. Trust me you won't
see this one coming. It takes skill to write the story features in Sleeping Late in Judgement Day
the action takes places at the 3/4 mark of the book but this is
followed by how everything fit together with the Third Way initiative.
Tad Williams keeps up the lively and entertaining persona of Bobby
Dollar and his friends but also introducing a gritty undertone and
maintaining the dark visions of Hell in his story. It's been a wonderful two years enjoying three Bobby Dollar books on after the other. Sadly the series has now come to an end, or is it... You know I have a gut feeling about a certain something that happens right at the end of the book...
I cannot recommend Sleeping Late on Judgement Day or Happy Hour in Hell or The Dirty Street of Heaven often enough. These books are a lot of fun to read and breakthrough the current tropes of Urban Fantasy, I have read most of Tad Williams' other books and with the Bobby Dollar series he proves that he is on top of his game and knows how to write Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Children stories and Urban Fantasy. I hope he doesn't leave me waiting to long for his next book.
Read the full review here
2. The Incorruptibles by John Hornor Jacobs, Gollancz
Did I like The Incorruptibles. Hell
yes! I often mention that I like to see author going into new
directions with their books and this is definitely what John Hornor
Jacobs is doing, mashing up several genres, in a terrific way (mashing
up genres often goes horribly wrong), to create a completely never
before seen setting. This is one of a kind, in a bestest (i know it
isn't a word) way possible. From the world down to the characters, John
Hornor Jacobs has a great way of highlighting the bigger picture,
keeping enough obscure to be explored in the possible sequel, as well as
showing the minor details that make the character tick. Though The Incorruptibles
might start of slow for a lot of readers, for me this was just a great
build up of tension, getting grips on the richly imagined world that
features ever vividly be it in a grimdark setting in The Incorruptibles. The
same count for the characters, it might be a lengthy introduction but
it readily establishes a baseline for the remainder of the story. And
that remainder is a rapid dash to the ending of the book, too bad it is
over to soon. The Incorruptibles is a great opener to a new
series, you will learn a lot, some questions are answered but a lot more
raised. I am already a big fan of this series and am looking forward to
see just in which direction John Hornor Jacobs will take his story
next.Read the full review here
3. The Godless by Ben Peek, Tor
If you read all the parts above I do think you will understand that I enjoyed reading The Godless a lot.
It was one of my titles to look out for this year and Ben Peek made it
worth the wait. From the beginning of the book right until the end I was
glued to the pages. When using a existing theme, it's up to the author
to give his or her own spin to it and this is exactly what Ben Peek does
to Gods in The Godless. The world in which the story takes place
is engaging, exciting and never stops to move; the characters Ayae,
Zaifyr and Beuralan have a great narration to readily pull the story
forward. The story of The Godless is in essence a coming-of-age
and coming-to-terms-with-yourself kind of story and looking at the
overall development of the story Ben Peek does a great job with this.
Don't think that it is only talk in The Godless there are enough
fighting and battle scenes both sword and sword fighting and with a more
supernatural element thrown in the mix. I am going to repeat myself
again. The Godless is a DEBUT not to be missed. In the interview I
did with Ben Peek I asked him what to expect in the sequel, he said:
Innocence... if you have read The Godless you will know what he
means. I can't wait to see just to what heights Ben Peek will take his
sequel. High hopes! Next year can't come soon enough! Read the full review here
4. The Bullet-Catchers Daughter by Rod Duncan, Angry Robot Books
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter is off to a solid start. Rod Duncan has created a wonderful setting in The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter
taking in account the big as well as the small things that are needed
to make a world go round. He has struck a perfect balance between both
highlighting the characters, from our main protagonist Elizabeth
Barnabus down to the secondary characters, and the world itself, using
bits and pieces of exisiting history spinning it in his own way by
adding enough fantasy influences to make it one-of-a-kind. Angry Robot
recently has released another book, The Buried Life, that left me
with the same feeling. One where you would give everything to delve
into the sequel! It is with these kind of books that make sure the
fantasy genre is kept fresh. If you are looking for something new and
refreshing make sure you read The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter, it's is everything you want and much more! Read the full review here
5. The Wurms of Blearmouth by Steven Erikson, TorIt is hard to say what The Wurms of Blearmouth actually is. If you compare it to the epic ten volume Malazan Empire of the Fallen, it is very different. The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach are definitely dark, added to it they have a high dose of humor in it. So for me it would fall more or less in the "grimfunny" category. I read the previous books in the series but have to say that The Wurms of Blearmouth is the best so far. Steven Erikson again does a terrific job with showing one of the most memorable duo's from his series in a brilliant light. He will make you look away with some of the gritty and gruesome bits he writes, but will put a grin on your face on many other a occasion. The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach is good stuff for a quick and easy read, they are not as demanding as his others, but be warned they will wet your appetite for more Malazan goodness! Wurms of the Blearmouth is a must read.
Read the full review here
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