The Horns of Ruin is a fun, rather frenetic steampunk adventure with a very kickass heroine. There’s a lot of fascinating ideas in the world-building The Horns of Ruin is a fun, rather frenetic steampunk adventure with a very kickass heroine. There’s a lot of fascinating ideas in the world-building — the gods and the way divinity works, the invocations which are based on stories about the divinities, the interplay between the three gods… It feels like a piece of a larger world, maybe a tie-in for a game. Eva refers to her spells as buffs at one point, even!
This doesn’t always lead to the best storytelling, and it is a very linear plot which just features Eva bashing heads in, then briefly recuperating before going off to do it again. But it has its charms, and I enjoyed the ride.
I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages, and seeing that there are now three books in the series (which I think I read is complete as a trilogy?)I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages, and seeing that there are now three books in the series (which I think I read is complete as a trilogy?), I thought it was about time I got round to it. I’m not necessarily a reader of steampunk for steampunk’s sake, but the set-up intrigued me, and especially the double life lived by the protagonist.
I have to say that I missed some things which other reviewers spotted, like the date this is set, but I enjoyed it all the same. It does feel a bit gimmicky and faux-Victorian, and I’d like to see more of the whys and wherefores of the level of technology maintained, but overall it works quite well.
I’m not majorly entranced by the story, but I’m curious enough to read on. Elizabeth is a fun character – capable, determined, intelligent – and the fact that the title defines her as someone’s daughter feels all the weirder because that person never appears and doesn’t really define her as a person at all. She’s independent and, in fact, so much of the novel is driven by her determination to be her own person and keep her own freedom.
The supporting characters are okay; it’s great that Elizabeth has a female friend who, though different from her, ends up drawn into her adventures and helping her. There’s also a good range of characters helping and hindering her, for many reasons, and sometimes the hindering is well-meaning. That makes it feel all the more real; things don’t go smoothly for Elizabeth, and sometimes that is due to well-intentioned people.
Like the first book, this YA book set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate is a fun romp with slightly less sex talk than the Parasol ProtectorateLike the first book, this YA book set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate is a fun romp with slightly less sex talk than the Parasol Protectorate books. It still has a bit of romance, but it’s mostly banter in keeping with the age of the girls, with a touch of teenage confusion and angst as regards having feelings for anyone. They’re not books with great depth: the perfect description is a ‘romp’, as many people have said before me.
It annoys me that people complain about Sophronia being a ‘Mary Sue’, when a boy doing excellently at school in the same way wouldn’t be questioned. This is what she’s good at, with the help of her friends, and without them and some helpful coincidences, she wouldn’t be so good at what she does. Nor is she gracefully immune to everything the other girls say or think — she can be hurt by them, and do them injustices.
So yes, it’s a little piece of fluffy wish fulfilment. And it’s fun, and positive about female characters who can stand up for themselves and take care of themselves.
I’ve been meaning to get to this one for ages, and then Robert suggested I read it while I was feeling cranky and not like reading anything. I’m torn I’ve been meaning to get to this one for ages, and then Robert suggested I read it while I was feeling cranky and not like reading anything. I’m torn on the rating; I did enjoy reading it a lot, but I also felt like it was a bit scatterbrained, a bit… well, disorganised. Lawless. Chaotic. Which is part of the point of the story, I know, but I felt it also on a narrative level. Something just didn’t quite gel for me. Still, I thought it was a lot of fun and I’ll pick up future books. It’s just that this felt very much like a first book; it reminds me a little of Gail Carriger, in that it hits some of the same highpoints but doesn’t delve into the absurdity that turns me off in the Parasol Protectorate books.
And hey, this is a book about a secret organisation that collect books from alternate worlds and keep them in a timeless dimension where they’re safe. Of course I like that aspect. Even if the mechanical centipedes and armoured alligators gave me some pause, I can quite get behind a whole society dedicated to saving books, and of course books are ties to other worlds. I liked the background with Alberich; liked the slight mystery about Kai and where exactly he’s from, what he is; liked the weird mix of mythology that gives us mechanical centipedes and vampires in the same world. And I especially liked that Vale was an archetype of a great detective, that that appealed to Irene, that part of the background was that chaotic worlds like Vale’s cause people to begin to fall in with the story, and Irene does.
I also like that she’s a capable but not infallible person; skilled enough to use the Language (also a great concept), to think outside the box, but enough of a person to have conflicts with other people, to be not the best at what she does and able to admit that. Some of her interpersonal relationships were a bit too much: her tolerance for Kai, her easy decision not to push him for information; her decision at the end to ask Bradamant not to waste energy hating her. It didn’t ring true there.
Still, pretty fun. Honestly, though? I’d have liked to spend more time exploring the Library itself.
I was in such a hurry to read this when it came out that I bought it on release day, started reading and — promptly got distracted, because I’d been rI was in such a hurry to read this when it came out that I bought it on release day, started reading and — promptly got distracted, because I’d been reading it at clinic and then I didn’t go to clinic for a few weeks, and lost the thread, etc, etc. So I started it again today, and devoured it all in one go. I love the colloquial narration, which manages to skirt the line between feeling genuine and being annoying really well. I love the casual way characters of all colours and persuasions are a part of the story, and the way Karen describes the world around her, taking some things for granted and explaining others. For those with pet peeves about narrators, I promise there’s a reason for Karen to be telling the story the way she is, though that isn’t made explicit until the end.
Speaking of explicit, you’ve got to admire the way Bear manages to come up with euphemisms so that a story about “soiled doves” isn’t actually explicit at all, and bar some of the language, isn’t more than a PG rating.
When I started reading it, I had no idea it would actually be a lesbian love story, with a happy ending. But Priya and Karen are so darn adorable it’s worth saying up front: they never get beyond some kissing and holding hands, it’s all making eyes and getting fluttery feelings and figuring out how the heck to tell someone you care without making a mess of it. It works really well, without ever being a big crisis or the most important thing about the whole plot.
Which is a point: if you’re reading this for the steampunk, or the LGBT, or the Wild West, and you’re not so interested in the other aspects… it’s probably one to skip. It’s all of those things and a mystery story, but it’s all those things together, and not focusing just on any one thread. In fact, the mystery/thriller aspect is more prominent than the rest; the rest is background, colouring the story and shaping it, but not foregrounded as such.
I’m gonna need a hard copy of this at some point, because I just love the cover art. But my first priority is getting my sister a copy, ’cause I’m pretty sure she’ll love this one.
I was pretty excited for Emilie & The Sky World, so I moved it up the reading queue when I got the ARC, along with the previous book which I only receI was pretty excited for Emilie & The Sky World, so I moved it up the reading queue when I got the ARC, along with the previous book which I only recently finished. It really is a great girl's own adventure story, with plenty of strong, capable women and some intriguing other races -- in the previous book, Rani and Kenar, in this book, Hyacinth. I love that while Wells has a fertile imagination, she doesn't tell all she knows -- Hyacinth leaves at the end of the book, with so many questions still hovering around it.
The Emilie books are very fast-paced, and I agree with people who say they feel quite slight. Definitely not the same audience as City of Bones (my other read by Wells), but it's not the book's fault if it doesn't work with an audience it's not meant for. I mean, it's on the Strange Chemistry imprint, not Angry Robot: I'm expecting YA, and that's what you get here -- perfectly pitched, to my mind.
There are a couple of nitpicks, maybe. Emilie vacillates a bit between being a total kid and a capable person, but... that happens, with teenagers, so it isn't so strange. I enjoyed the realism of her relationship with Efrain, her younger brother, and the bit at the end where she resolves things with her uncle. It isn't perfect -- it's awkward as heck -- but it feels genuine.
Also loved the casual inclusion of an LGBT relationship. It just feels so... normal. Martha Wells isn't making that dumb mistake of just taking the mores of our (past) societies just to borrow the steampunk motifs that work for her. I like that a lot....more
I read Soulless a while ago, and liked it enough that I had a vague intention of reading more, but not so much I was in a hurry. Likewise, I only realI read Soulless a while ago, and liked it enough that I had a vague intention of reading more, but not so much I was in a hurry. Likewise, I only really picked up Etiquette & Espionage because I know that Carriger’s work is pretty fun, and it was in a 3 for £5 deal in the Works. And then it languished on my to read pile for… well, just over a year. But I was feeling a bit bleh about the other books I had lying around, so I decided to just go for it and try this — and I promptly read it in one go.
It’s not a book I love like I loved, say, The Goblin Emperor. It’s more like frothy fun. It works well for that, though: 19th century sensibilities in a steampunk alternate history, girls learning to be spies, and a sprinkling of adventure. I liked Sophronia; she’s not perfect, but she tries to be decent, she doesn’t have prejudices, she does her best for the people around her, and she lets nothing get in the way of her curiosity. I guess the best term might be ‘spirited’, which does make me sound like some faintly disapproving adult…
It’s fun, and I’d definitely recommend it to teens who want a bit of adventure and supernatural stuff, without accompanying sparkles or plagiarism. (Sorry, they’re easy targets.)...more
I've only read one of Martha Wells' books before, but that was enough to make me a fan. Compared to that one, City of Bones, Emilie and the Hollow WorI've only read one of Martha Wells' books before, but that was enough to make me a fan. Compared to that one, City of Bones, Emilie and the Hollow World is a much more simplistic story, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Someone described it as a "girl's own adventure" story, which I think is pretty accurate. The main character Emilie is resourceful: I don't understand people who are criticising it saying she spends the first half of the book just following people around. She runs away from home, stows on board a ship, saves someone's life with impulsive action, and immediately starts making sensible suggestions to the crew of said ship.
Now, if you were to say she's a bit wish-fulfillmenty, well yeah, maybe. But heck, I loved Emilie's adventures and her resourcefulness; I don't see why it should be odder for a girl to be plucky and resourceful than for a boy. There's also people complaining that she doesn't act like a Victorian girl, but... this isn't meant to be set in the Victorian period? It's plainly another world entirely, for all that the vaguely steampunkish trappings might make you think it's just alternate Victoriana, and there's a hint of Victorian-ish morals around Emilie's family. Still, those're parallels; that doesn't mean Wells has to stick with it.
Which brings me to another point I really liked -- the world-building. I expected that, from the standard City of Bones set, and while this is lighter, that imagination is still there. I loved, for example, the half-underwater city. I don't think I've ever come across anything quite like that before. There's other stuff to appreciate, too, like the casual flipping of gender roles where Rani talks about Kenar pining for her, and when they reunite, she spins him around in her arms!
Overall, very much looking forward to my ARC of Emilie & The Sky World....more
I wasn't a fan of the other work by Maurice Broaddus I've read, and this didn't reaaaally change my mind. I got it free from LibraryThing's giveaway pI wasn't a fan of the other work by Maurice Broaddus I've read, and this didn't reaaaally change my mind. I got it free from LibraryThing's giveaway program, so I thought it'd be worth trying anyway, and there certainly were redeeming factors -- I liked his take on the buddy cop trope (Ade is a pretty awesome character), and some of his turns of phrase are just perfect.
But mostly, there's something about his writing that just doesn't grab me. I finished reading it more out of a sense of obligation to finish a giveaway book than because I was really interested. Sometimes short stories in general hit me like that, though, so maybe I might try another Maurice Broaddus novel some day......more
Agatha H. and the Airship City is based on a number of graphic novels by the same authors. And it's... okay. It's a fun adventure story, female protagAgatha H. and the Airship City is based on a number of graphic novels by the same authors. And it's... okay. It's a fun adventure story, female protagonist with brains, etc. But something felt off to me -- the way her figure was constantly emphasised, the whole bit where she was in her underwear... I don't know what the context of that is, but if it worked in the comics, it didn't work here. Especially since the opening made her seem so very young, and then suddenly it's all about her being a young woman and people perving on her. Bleh.
I might check out the graphic novels, but I'm not going to read any more of the books. I don't think they make good adaptations, or the authors don't translate their ideas well to a novel rather than a webcomic. It felt pretty mediocre, which is kinda disappointing since I know people adore the series....more
I'd have liked Engn a lot more if it wasn't so clearly a product of recent trends -- steampunk, dystopian fiction, YA with the boy-boy-girl triad at tI'd have liked Engn a lot more if it wasn't so clearly a product of recent trends -- steampunk, dystopian fiction, YA with the boy-boy-girl triad at the centre... (Not saying that's deliberate at all: that's just something that happens.) But it was still pretty fun, if a bit predictable in many ways (e.g. who escapes, when certain people meet, people's identities -- partially because it's very convenient). And I think it'd be less predictable to a less experienced reader.
Overall, the setting is quite interesting, but my favourite thing was the accuracy of descriptions from the point of view of characters -- e.g. Finn, who has never been to Engn before, comparing what he sees to things he does know, the boles of trees, and jumps he used to make between branches...
Not highly original, but fun. I wasn't going to give it a fair chance, I don't think: if it weren't a promotional copy I was sent to review honestly, I wouldn't have finished it. I don't know that I'd have missed out that much, but it did convince me to keep going....more
The number of literary references dizzy and delight me, but somehow don't make up for the fact that I'm still left with so many questions. This trilogThe number of literary references dizzy and delight me, but somehow don't make up for the fact that I'm still left with so many questions. This trilogy is a lot of fun, quick-paced and full of allusions and minglings of history and fiction and a possible future. There are some great kickass female characters (and I don't just mean Lucy Westenra, Action Heroine, I mean Havisham as well, and Irene Adler, and Queen Victoria).
It's hard to take it seriously, though, partly because it's such a mass of allusions and homages. The plots of a dozen other stories swirl up with Lavie Tidhar's plot and I just can't keep them separate -- and I imagine anyone who hasn't read a fair few of the books referenced would be equally confused in the other direction....more
Camera Obscura is another fun action-filled story -- gore-filled, too. Milady De Winter is a more compelling character than Orphan: she seems less wisCamera Obscura is another fun action-filled story -- gore-filled, too. Milady De Winter is a more compelling character than Orphan: she seems less wishy-washy. Still, both of them are at the mercy of the plot: they're pawns, being moved by peripheral characters. Which... is a little too obvious to the reader, all along. So I can't say it impresses me or is likely to stick in my mind.
But it's also not to be totally dismissed. It really is fun, and the world Lavie Tidhar has created is bizarre and colourful and fascinating....more
I don't know what to think about this. I read about halfway through this, and then by chance read the reviews here on goodreads, and my suspicions werI don't know what to think about this. I read about halfway through this, and then by chance read the reviews here on goodreads, and my suspicions were confirmed. I was enjoying it in a way -- the world at least, the ideas -- but I couldn't enjoy the characters because there seemed to be very little to them. I never got an idea of what drove any particular character or why -- I didn't get enough of a sense of any of them to really like them.
Add to that the problems raised in other reviews, and I decided not to waste my time. I skimmed through and peeked at some of the bits other people highlighted. I suggest you read this review for a clearer idea -- for a start....more
This has to get five stars because it kept me up at night, tantalised me when I didn't get chance to read, and enchanted me totally. While it's marketThis has to get five stars because it kept me up at night, tantalised me when I didn't get chance to read, and enchanted me totally. While it's marketed (and shelved by me) as YA, it's China Miéville: there's plenty to keep you guessing no matter how old you are.
I love the ideas, the bits of other stories (Moby Dick being a prominent one), the worldbuilding, the pace of it... The use of & for "and" took some getting used to, but all in all I loved it, and I think the prose was pretty awesome. The whole bit about the & being like a trainline...
The end, what they discover, sort of made me laugh, and then the sailing off at the end -- perfect. The characters are all interesting, sympathetic in their own weird ways -- I have huge affection for Daybe, and Captain Narphi fascinated me.
Really, even if you haven't got on with China Miéville's work before, I do recommend this one....more
I had this half-started for a while, and finally bit the bullet and read on. I'm not impressed by this series, really -- it doesn't stick in my head aI had this half-started for a while, and finally bit the bullet and read on. I'm not impressed by this series, really -- it doesn't stick in my head at all. I couldn't remember who was meant to be a recurring character, who was aligned with what... and I didn't read the other books that long ago.
As I recall it, the other books are kinda fun adventure stories, and there's plenty of shiny ideas going on, but I just can't get into this series. Next?...more
The Kingdom Beyond the Waves is much more coherent a narrative than The Court of the Air -- I suppose it probably helps that a lot of the world is estThe Kingdom Beyond the Waves is much more coherent a narrative than The Court of the Air -- I suppose it probably helps that a lot of the world is established already, and that some of the characters and concepts are familiar, but the story does seem to flow better too. Well enough that I think I will read the third book (if my library ever gets it in, anyway) and give Stephen Hunt the benefit of the doubt one more time. The last half of the book was genuinely gripping, though I did pause partway through for a long time before getting back into it.
It's fun to read, quite a lot of fun, but... I don't know. Too many characters, too few bonds between characters, too many improbable survivals and last minute rescues. ...more
I've been meaning to pick up The Court of the Air for a long time. Can't remember how Stephen Hunt got on my radar, but he's been sort of hanging arouI've been meaning to pick up The Court of the Air for a long time. Can't remember how Stephen Hunt got on my radar, but he's been sort of hanging around there for a while, so I grabbed this from the library on one of my recent trips there. I'm not entirely sure I want to read the sequel: The Court of the Air has some astonishing ideas, and some really great bits, and even some characters I found interesting, but it got tangled up in itself. The writing is competent enough but the planning leaves something to be desired: it's like looking at the wrong side of a bit of cross-stitching -- you can see what it's meant to look like, but it's a bit of a mess.
There is a lot to enjoy about it, but it's bogged down by that confusion. On the one hand, it's the start of a series which could well improve a lot; on the other, I took a break from reading it for a couple of days and struggled to get my feet when I came back to it. That's going to get worse with an ongoing series that's still getting new books.
Still, I have the second book out of the library too, so I might as well at least try it. Stephen Hunt's work doesn't fill me with the same excitement as Philip Palmer's work does, so it doesn't really help his case that I discovered Philip Palmer at the same time....more
Caveat: the edition I got from the Kindle store was badly edited. A fair few typos caught my attention, and there were probably more that didn't leap Caveat: the edition I got from the Kindle store was badly edited. A fair few typos caught my attention, and there were probably more that didn't leap out at me.
Still, in general, I found the stories entertaining. There are three in this volume, and honestly I liked the last one the best, because it had more humanity in it -- more emotion and a hint at character-depth, at least. But all three are interesting little stories; the first is the longest, and opens up a world that the other stories really don't show enough of: I'd read novels set in this 'verse, quite happily. The second amused me because of the references to old nursery rhymes and sayings, which I always like to wonder about -- are they nonsense, or is there some deeper meaning?
ETA: Reread 21/09/2016... and I'd forgotten I ever read it at all. Not a good sign. ...more
This book really annoyed me because it could've been quirky and sweet, and there were even some beautiful lines that I could cut out and keep, but theThis book really annoyed me because it could've been quirky and sweet, and there were even some beautiful lines that I could cut out and keep, but the tone kept vacillating and throwing me out of the story. It never quite settled down to being humour, or a fairytale, or a serious work of fantasy, or... anything. I felt jerked around by it and just ended up resentful.
Also, if you read the blurb and think it might be a children's book, it definitely isn't that. It is an adult book, with references to sex and prostitution and all sorts of things like that, and without any maturity to go with it, too.
Anyway, I got about three quarters of the way through and just didn't care. There are some lovely lines, lovely ideas, but it doesn't come together to be anything I could honestly say I liked....more
