Review

Review – A Storm of Swords

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A Storm of Swords

By George RR Martin

Bantam Spectra (Random House)

eISBN: 9780553897876

5 stars

Dear Mr. Martin:

You are the Maester.

Sincerely,

Amy @ Just Book Reading

I held out for months.  I argued with myself about when to read this book.  Start it now!  No, save it for vacation.  I came close to the vacation timeline giving in a few days before.  I wanted time to savor and oh, did I savor.

Spoiler rule is in effect from here on out. It’s book three in a proposed seven book series. I see no other way to write this review without a few spoilers here and there but I’ll do my best to keep it somewhat vague.  But, you’ve been warned.

Stannis Baratheon is in retreat; defeated at King’s Landing by the combined forces of the Lannisters and Tyrells.  Joffrey Baratheon is now sitting on the iron throne, something very few people wanted to see.  Tyrion Lannister is recovering from injuries sustained at the King’s Landing battle and has lost all the power he once held.  Robb Stark is deep in problems of his own; now looking to appease House Frey after backing out of an arranged marriage.  Jaime Lannister is on the road as a hostage of Brienne of Barth; a pawn to get Catelyn Stark’s daughters, Sansa and Arya, back.  Sansa is finally out of Joffrey’s line of torture but she holds little hope for happiness.  And Arya, poor Arya, is still running toward Riverrun.  A host of wildings is marching toward the Wall and questions about John Snow’s loyalties dog him. And in the West, Daenerys Targaryen is making her move to take control of the Iron Throne.

At times, I found myself wondering how this story was going to continue because Martin is a man unafraid of killing off his characters.  I mean it. He’ll kill anyone!  A Song of Ice and Fire is already a monster when it comes to character lists and he’s killing off and adding on like no one’s business.  OK, maybe it’s his business, but anyway.  My point — I don’t want new characters, I want these characters.  Truthfully, I was happy to see a few go but it was still brutal. Also, there’s something to be said for the pace at which these books move and Martin’s ability to keep readers tied to the page through all the drama is utterly amazing. And drama there is. Not one character gets off easy, even the minor ones that at some point you forgot about manage to find their way back in to the story making you wonder where he’s actually going with all this.

It’s difficult to describe these books adequately because of the scope.  There’s so much going on — every Lannister, Stark, Baratheon is in deep.  There were times when I wanted to put the book down because it was all too much but I couldn’t.  I needed to know what would happen.  I had to stop myself from buying the next two books knowing I need to pace myself.  The emotional toll is too much and I don’t want to find myself wanting more and find one day there are no more books.  This will happen soon enough.  I don’t want to bring on the end too soon.

I haven’t bought the fourth book, A Feast for Crows, but I will soon. I won’t be able to hold out that much longer. The fate of a few characters has me wondering where Martin is going with all this. I was late to this series, but if you’ve haven’t read them yet, consider it. You won’t be sorry.

Review – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

By Jules Verne

Halcyon Classic Series

eISBN: 2940012152060

3 stars

A classic science fiction tale.  How could I not love this?  Maybe I should rephrase that.  How could I love this?  Because truthfully, I wanted to love it, but didn’t.  I didn’t hate it.  I never stopped reading but I more or less meandered through and even skimmed a few passages.

Ships are reporting strange sightings of a creature in oceans across the globe.  Theories abound about what this strange creature could be and it’s Professor Aronnox, a French marine naturalist, who comes up with the best theory.  He believes it’s a huge narwhale attacking ships.  He takes to sea on the Abraham Lincoln with a crew of skillful men to destroy it.  The crew finds the supposed whale and sets about trying to kill it.  Unfortunately, the ship is attacked and the Professor and his manservant, Conseil, are thrown overboard with the ship’s harpooner, Ned Land.  The three get picked up by the Natulis; the underwater ship that was the means of the crash and is the Professor’s supposed narwhale.  Upon meeting Captain Nemo, they’re told they will not be allowed to leave, and with few options left to them, reluctantly, settle in for the ride.  The Professor and Conseil take better to their confinement than Ned, finding the trip an amazing study in nature almost willingly enjoying the sightings and underwater expeditions.  Ned, however, wants his freedom and will stop at nothing to once more set foot on dry land.

There were times I felt bombarded.  There are lists and lists of fish with their classifications.  There are lists of grasses with their classifications.  There are long paragraphs about ocean depths and temperatures.  There are long paragraphs about pressurization.  There are long paragraphs where nothing much happens.  It was these times when I felt myself drifting off.  There are redeeming parts to this story — the underwater expeditions hunting sharks and exploration of an underwater volcano — where I found myself fascinated but those parts didn’t last long.  Also, Captain Nemo, while a mysterious figure, is in parts slightly too mysterious for me.  I know we only see him from one point of view and he’s supposed to be this mythical person but why, even if you’re a marine naturalist fascinated by the things you’re seeing, would you want to stay onboard the ship of a man obviously so depressed and manic?

Another problem I had was the extreme use of the exclamation point.  They! Were! Everywhere!  I was annoyed but then mostly it made me laugh.  I stopped heeding them somewhere around chapter seven but toward the last few pages, they popped back up making me happy to see the end in sight.

I thought I read this book but what I remember about this story actually came from an old movie I watched years ago. My memories of the story were movie based and I had certain expectations that weren’t fulfilled.  But that’s all right.  While the story wasn’t what I was expecting, it was a decent read and I’m glad I stuck it out to the very end.  Exclamation points be damned!

As a note, the cover isn’t the one from my book.  I couldn’t find that cover and this one is much more interesting.

Review – A Long-Forgotten Truth

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A Long-Forgotten Truth

By Rachel Ballard

Rozlyn Press

ISBN: 9780983326007

3.75 stars

I picked up A Long-Forgotten Truth after finishing an epic fantasy knowing I needed something completely different.  It turned out to be something so very different from the previous book I became worried it would throw me off.  I shouldn’t have worried; this was an enjoyable book.

Eighteen year-old Gail Cavanaugh finds herself accidentally stumbling upon a family secret looking for money to pay the rent while her father is in rehab.  When she confronts her father about her birth and her mother, his honesty is not what she needs.  And in a way, it wasn’t something she was looking for either.  Taking the old, beat up car, the only real family possession, she sets out on a journey to find her origins and understand a mother who has consciously stayed out of her life.  Landing in the small town of Sylver, Washington thanks to car trouble, she gets caught up in the lives of three people with too many problems of their own to count.

For a first novel, this one is well put together and the story, while rather straight forward, feels much bigger than a simple road trip which is actually a large part of the story.  Gail is a mixed up kid with problems that shouldn’t be hers — a mother who seems to have forgotten her existence, a father who can’t hold anything together without alcohol, grandparents who are tired from trying, and a ghost (a voice in her head she refers to as a ghost) of her own that won’t shut up making you wonder about Gail’s own sanity at times.  She’s one of those kids that get lost in the system so fast everyone forgets they even existed at all.  Gail is a sad character but you don’t feel sorry for her in the usual way because for some reason she’s too well put together for that.  But there are times when you can see how easily it would be for her to curl up and try to forget how to breathe.  Incapacitating depression doesn’t seem far off for anyone in her family.  She knows things are bad but keeps going anyway and decides to even look for a reason or a possible solution to all the bad in her life.  She doesn’t find the answer she’s looking for but you’re not bothered by that; rarely does that happen with the type of problems she faces.

I won’t say this is a feel good story and I wasn’t expecting it to be but the ending is satisfactory and there’s no let down even with characters that are as intensely flawed as these are.  Sometimes the only resolution is to understand there isn’t one and I’m good when characters come to this conclusion.  I was looking for something outside of my comfort zone and got it with A Long-Forgotten Truth and I wasn’t disappointed.  The writing is strong and the story engrossing.  A Long-Forgotten Truth was good a read.

As I said, this is the first book for the author but also the first story for the small press, Rozlyn Press.  I’m interested to see the next move for both.

Review – The Darling Strumpet: A Novel of Nell Gwynn, Who Captured the Heart of England and King Charles II

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The Darling Strumpet: A Novel of Nell Gwynn, Who Captured the Heart of England and King Charles II

By Gillian Bagwell

Penguin Group

ISBN: 9781101478431

3.5 stars

This is the second book I’ve read about Nell Gwynn, the mistress of King Charles II. I like the character, the reason I keep reading the books about her, but for whatever reason, I can’t come to love these books; I like them but not love them.  Maybe I like the real life person too much and want all of these fictional ones to live up to her.  She was known as an incredible comic and was a well-known stage actress adored in her lifetime.  I’m wondering if what I know of her real life has become too mixed up with the fictional one for me.

Nell Gwynn is recovering from another beating from her mother when she realizes this is the day the king will return to England.  She celebrates the king’s return with several men but unfortunately it doesn’t end happily for her.  Needing comfort, she seeks out her sister Rose at the whore house where she works.  Nell is taken on as another girl and begins earning her keep as many women without other means do.  She does her best to stay safe but things aren’t easy for her.  She finds her escape in a regular customer but what she really wants is to be part of the theatre life.  She manages to get herself and Rose jobs selling oranges to theatre patrons and does eventually convince others to teach her to act.   Nell becomes a hit on stage known for her comedic abilities but when her affair with a fellow actor comes to an end, she sets her sights on the king and the position of mistress.

I love historical fiction and the 17th Century is a rich time period.  I can’t fully explain the draw but it’s there.  And I can also say that these royal affairs are always fun; the backstabbing courtiers, the intrigue, and antics always amuse me.  This one didn’t satisfy on the regular level though and honestly, I think it was too much sex.  Yes, I said that and suddenly feel very prudish.

When you’re reading a book about a royal mistress you expect certain things, a lot of sex for one.  This one was brutal in some places and I don’t know about you but forced sex scenes, even when reading about a woman working as a whore, aren’t appealing even if expected.  It didn’t ruin the story for me but it did cause me to approach it with a quick eye.  I skimmed several passages here and there.

The story also felt as if it were being told in snippets.  A paragraph here and there and a year passed.  While it worked in some cases — I didn’t need extended explanations of Nell and Rose’s time at the brothel or Nell’s sexcapades with several men — I did want more when it came to her being the king’s mistress.   That’s when I felt it moved to fast.  I wanted more of the court, the jewels, the presents, the people…

But, all in all, I thought this was still a good read.  It moved fast, was entertaining, and if you’re looking for some bawdy historical fiction, this one fulfills completely on that level.

Review – Hellboy: Seed of Destruction

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Hellboy: Seed of Destruction

By Mike Mignola and John Byrne

Dark Horse Books

ISBN: 1-59307-094-2

3.75 stars

I don’t know where to start with this so please be patient.  It’ll probably be short anyway…not for lack of enjoyment or appeal but more from the fact that, as I said, I don’t know where to start.

Hellboy, on a trip back to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, finds Professor Bruttenholm struggling to remember something.  Before he is able to explain his thoughts to Hellboy, an attack takes place killing the Professor and sending Hellboy and his cohorts, Elizabeth Sherman and Abraham Sapien, on a dangerous mission that answers no questions and leaves them knowing more terror is to come.

I don’t read graphic novels nearly enough and I’ll even admit to buying most of those currently in our house knowing my husband likes them but really what I’m looking for is an excuse to buy more of them because I think they’re cool.  I have a not so secret love of the Hellboy movies and this one is the basis for the Hellboy II: The Golden Army movie although I will say that a lot is imagined in the movie because this one is rather bare on the details.  I’m all right with that and can see what was used and what was ditched.  I know there are a lot of bloggers out there that don’t like movie adaptations of books but with a graphic novel, I think you have to allow more leeway.

The artwork is done well but I don’t feel the horror that it’s supposed to inspire, hence the only 3.75 stars.  It does give you the same destructive feel that is always present with Hellboy though and I like that this personality trait came through.  If you aren’t familiar with these characters, I’m not sure this is a good starting place although this is the first in this particular series storyline but not the comic series itself.  Actually, that’s just what I think; I didn’t Google that so if I’m wrong, I’m wrong.  Without much background, you’re dropped in and moved along at a fast pace.  I enjoyed that but can see how it might induce confusion.

If you’re familiar with the story and characters, or share my guilty pleasure for the movies, I’d recommend this one.

Review – Mansfield Park

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Mansfield Park from The Complete Works of Jane Austen

By Jane Austen

Douglas Editions

ISBN: 2940000816981

3.5

I knew going in that Mansfield Park was not one of Austen’s most loved works but I had high hopes.  I’d yet to run into a story I didn’t like so why would this one be different?  Oh, what a question to be answered.  I struggled with Mansfield Park.  I never thought of quitting but when the general pattern I’m so happy to find in her books didn’t appear but a group of hateful characters did; it made me wonder what I was reading.  There was no one for me to become attached to.  No love story to speak of.  Scandal, debauchery, and laziness were in abundance though.

Fanny Price is all of 10 years-old when she’s packed off to live with her aunt, Lady Bertram, at Mansfield Park.  A timid creature, Fanny does her best to fade into the background.  Having been told since her arrival by her other aunt, Mrs. Norris, she knows she’s not much to look at, nor should she ever be ungrateful for all her aunt and uncle have done for her.  When the Crawford’s, a brother and sister duo of trouble, come to stay at the nearby parsonage, Fanny’s cultivated quiet life changes drastically.

There is a lot of Jane Austen here to like — it’s witty, humorous, there’s sharp dialogue, and societal mockery.  There’s also a boatload of dislikable characters.  For instance, Mrs. Norris.  She’s like the Mrs. Danvers of the Austen universe.  She’s mean, caustic, and cheap.  Oh so cheap.  While she never tries to get Fanny to off herself, she does all she can to make sure Fanny knows she’s no Bertram either and is certainly no help to her self-esteem.  I did find her amusing in a way though especially when she’s lifting things like jam and thread from others for her own personal use.  Lady Bertram is so lazy it’s a wonder she can breathe on her own.  She’s incapable of making any decisions and is forever asking her husband or sons if she likes something.  How can you not know if you like something?  Tom, Maria, and Julia Bertram are so self-centered they didn’t even register with me — even when scandal overtakes them.  Edmund is interesting, being the only one willing to speak his conscience, but he’s also annoying especially when he gets blind-sighted by Miss Crawford.  And now we come to the Crawford’s.  They do add life to the story and their scheming of course makes you love to hate them, but yes, there’s a but.  Because I saw it (I’m not going to tell you what it is.) coming I honestly wanted it to be over knowing good ol’ stout Fanny wouldn’t fall for it.

This has me wondering about another Austen book, Emma.  I never liked that character either and never finished the book.  I’m willing to give it a go but it might be a long minute before I get to it.  Lady Susan is next on my Austen tome list.  I enjoy epistolary novels so my hopes are once again high.

In time, I may go back to this one for a re-read.  I might feel differently about it a second time.

Review – The Postmortal

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The Postmortal

By Drew Magary

Penguin Group

ISBN: 9780143119821

4.75 stars

In 2019, the cure for aging is discovered.  Three shots and you, barring cancer or mortal injury, can live forever.  Utopia has arrived.  Well, not so fast.  John Farrell all of 29 years-old gets the cure.  Always a bit of a self-doubter, but one with curiosity, he’s more interested in seeing if it works as opposed to thinking seriously about his actions and what the cure means for his city, state, country, or the world.

Told through John’s writings, blog posts, random thoughts, and news clips and feeds, readers are left with a unique, if sometimes, completely un-planned story and it’s fascinating.  It’s so fascinating in fact it’s almost believable — to a degree.  Scientific advances are made at astonishing rates and some of the scenarios in this book are not hard to buy-in to and I loved that.  Some of it is hard to read and sometimes John is infuriating but either way you want to see the total destruction you know is coming.  Magary ends the book in the only way possible and you want to thank him for it because you almost feel the world he created should be destroyed.  Over and over again.

John is an everyman who re-invests himself to stay alive — an estate lawyer turned divorce attorney turned globe-trotter turned end specialist.  Yes, he kills people for a living but not before offering them estate planning and tax advice.  It’s a sweet touch, really.  But John’s also a person stuck and even after his numerous years on the planet, still doesn’t know what he wants until the end.  Fortunately, it’s believable from him.

Magary has one freak of an imagination and I hope he keeps running with it.  The Postmortal is a true ride from start to finish but if you prefer less sociopathic behavior from characters, it might not be for you.  However, all that happens here could be attainable in a world with no death, at least not the naturally occurring kind.  That’s what I liked about it.  He goes radical, pulls it back, and goes after it again.

Do we know everything? No.  But neither does the main character so you go with it, sucked in hoping beyond hope he might find his way.  I highly recommend this one.

I requested this book from NetGalley.

Review – Tales of Terror and Mystery

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Tales of Terror and Mystery

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Penguin Books

ISBN: 0-14-004878-2

3.75 stars

I’ve been reading more short stories this year and have come to one conclusion — I prefer one author over several.  I enjoy the stories more if I become familiar with the author’s voice and I can then move along without feeling the need to stop and regain my footing at the end of each story.  In Tales of Terror and Mystery, this is exactly what happened.

There were 13 stories here; six tales of terror and seven tales of mystery.

Tales of Terror:

The Horror of the Heights follows a pilot who encounters giant jellyfish like aliens.  The Leather Funnel reminds us what a true nightmare can be.  The New Catacomb is a take on the value of friendship when a woman’s love is involved.  The Case of Lady Sannox is an affair gone wrong.  The Terror of Blue John Gap involves an imaginary monster made real.  The Brazilian Cat is a tale of family woe and backstabbing relatives.

Tales of Mystery:

The Lost Special is a recounting of a train kidnapping.  The Beetle-Hunter follows a young doctor and the horror he finds in answering an advertisement.  The Man with the Watches is about a train with missing persons.  The Japanned Box makes us wonder what a widower is doing alone in a room late at night.  The Black Doctor involves the disappearance and supposed murder of a well-liked town doctor.  The Jew’s Breastplate is a museum caper complete with a mummy.  The Nightmare Room is an odd scene with a séance to boot.

If you know anything about Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, these stories reflect many of his interests including his love of new technologies and preoccupation in the afterlife.  It’s endearing and somewhat uncomfortable at the same time as his prejudices also come through.  I’m not going into that here though.

I enjoyed the tales of terror more and there are a few gems among the mysteries as well but I did see a few endings coming which didn’t cause any disappointment.  With a short story, in some cases only pages, it’s going to happen.

If you’re a fan of Doyle, this one is worth a look.  It’s fast and the stories are entertaining.