lisally

Monsters of Men, like The Ask and the Answer, picks up right where the previous book left off. The third book is very much a war story, with the divided settlers now facing a massive army of the native “Spackle.” Todd and Viola remain separated between Mayor Prentiss’ army and Mistress Coyle’s Answer, with Viola now joined by two of her fellow settlers from another scout ship.

A third narrator is added in “The Return,” the lone Spackle survivor of the Mayor’s massacre. The Spackle are joined by their noise into form of collective consciousness and consider themselves all part of a greater “Land.” The Return is still an outsider, and Ness does a great job of making him alien yet also a relatable character.

This final volume makes for another tense yet disturbing read. There’s pretty much nonstop action, including some disturbing scenes that are to be expected of a war story. A very satisfying conclusion to a very inventive series.

After killing his father, Lord Blaine McFadden is stripped of his title and sent to the harsh penal colony of Velant in the far north. Six years later, “Mick” has earned the rights of a colonist and has made a comfortable life for himself. However, war has broken out in the home country of Donderath, and the colony soon finds itself cut off from home, as well as the magic that pervades nearly all aspects of daily life.

Ice Forged has a very rushed and weak start. The prologue is good example of why the old “show, don’t tell” maxim is important. Characters are introduced, each gets an infodump paragraph, and a plot point happens in another couple of paragraphs.

The story gets much better once the main characters are introduced. The country of Donderath is in a war with a rival nation, and the use of magical attacks has been causing widespread disturbances. Connor, the deuteragonist, is sent after a mysterious map that may hold the key to the very nature of magic in this world. Magic is pervasive in the world of Ice Forged, and most people are capable of using some form to enhance natural talents and skills. There are also the more skilled mages, and even vampires, which oddly do work in this setting.

As a protagonist, Blaine is a bit bland and a little too perfect. He’s known for being level-headed and a skilled arbiter, talents which lend him to a council position in Edgeland. Even his crime is justified, as his father is widely regarded as an awful person. Fortunately, none of this sticks out enough to become overly annoying.

This is a solid fantasy novel, and surprisingly quick read for almost 600 pages. The mysteries are intriguing enough to keep you reading, and there are some good characters as well. Skip the clunky prologue and get lost in the story.

A review copy was provided through the goodreads.com first reads program.

Shades of Earth ends the Across the Universe trilogy with Amy and Elder finally arriving on the new planet. The other frozen passengers are finally revived, including Amy’s parents, and much of the novel deals with the tensions between Earth- and ship-born people as they forced to work together to survive.

Revis’ alien world is very Earth-like, populated with similar trees and animals; however, this actually plays into the plot as the colonists discover ruins that seems a bit too suited for human habitation. It soon becomes apparent that others are already living on the planet, and are not too keen on the new arrivals. The central mystery is pretty well done, and ties together Godspeed and its funding source, the FRX; the 500 year duration of the mission has meant changes back on Earth as well.

The romance between Amy and Elder is still present, but as it is already well established by this point it’s much less interesting compared to the action. Chris, a young soldier, seems a potential rival for Amy’s affections, but fortunately the reader is spared any love triangles. Chris also plays a larger role in the main plot as well, so his increasing presence is not merely a romantic distraction.

There were a few liberties with science, the largest being large scale genetic transformation, although this can be attributed to advances in technology. The use of the term “hybrid” was a bit of a distraction for me personally, as this usually refers to the offspring of two genetic variants in terms of breeding. Ordinarily, a transformant would not be referred to as a hybrid, but as “transgenic” or “genetically modified.” Another small annoyance was the cover redesign, although this shouldn’t really be a deterrent to reading the book. It would have been nice to include a reversible dust jacket though, as with the original hardcover of Across the Universe.

Overall, this was yet another addictive page turner with well-developed characters, and a fairly satisfying conclusion to a great series. I’m looking forward to what Beth Revis comes out with next.

When Pepper has an altercation with some NYPD detectives, he figures he’s been arrested and on his way to prison. Instead, Pepper finds himself dumped in the mental ward of New Hyde Hospital, a run down public hospital where he is kept under observation and medication. However New Hyde has another resident aside from the patients and overworked staff; a violent inmate who drops through the ceiling and attacks Pepper in the middle of the night. The staff claims it’s just another patient, but the inmates claim it’s something far worse-the actual Devil.

The Devil in Silver is an uneven, meandering story that sheds light on the plight of those still institutionalized despite innovations in mental health care. The characters and setting are both well-drawn here; it’s easy to picture the decaying New Hyde mental ward and the struggles of both patients and staff. The dehumanizing nature of the place is even emphasized through the use of patient nicknames; most of the characters real names are not revealed until later in the story. Despite this, both patients and staff feel like real people with real issues.

The novel could have used an editor in places; the narration can be choppy in places, with copious sentence fragments. The narrator also addresses the reader directly at times, and often comes across as if he/she will be revealed as a character. This comes off even stranger when such a reveal never comes. There are also a couple of interruptions discussing the tragic cases of some real NYC mental health patients. Although a couple of characters do collect news clippings of such forgotten cases, these chapters read like breaks in the story.

About midway through the novel, the focus switches from dealings with the “Devil” to Pepper’s relationship with another inmate. While still interesting and well written, the Devil plot seems pushed to the side for awhile; it may have been better to weave in this subplot with the Devil story instead.

The good parts definitely outweigh the bad, and the final climax is absolutely excellent. The Devil in Silver is a strange story, but overall a worthwhile read.

A review copy was provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.

The Twelve is the sequel to The Passage, in which humanity has been ravaged by vampire-like monsters. There are a lot of details and story threads to follow, and it would definitely benefit to read the reread The Passage immediately prior to starting The Twelve. There is a really unique recap at the beginning done in the style of the Bible, but I still found myself going back to the earlier book at points to refresh certain plot threads.

The main story picks up five years later, with Peter, Alicia, Michael, and the other California survivors having settled in Texas. As in The Passage, about the half the novel occurs in the near future, in the immediate aftermath of the viral outbreak. Some characters from the first book are revisited, along with the some new characters who have survived the initial onslaught. While this does provide for a good read, the addition of yet more characters seems somewhat unnecessary, especially since main characters form the first book have been seemingly killed off in between.

Cronin does do a great job tying both parts of the story together, past and present. The story centers around “The Homeland,” a city of survivors in Iowa ruled by the former director of Project NOAH. The Homeland is very unsettling and all too believable, a mix of concentration camp and totalitarian dictatorship.

The Homeland story does tie in to the main plot of the titular twelve remaining virals, but the connection is not revealed until late of the story. Thus, most the novel feels more like a side story set in the same universe of The Passage, and tends to drag a bit. Introducing the connection to the main plot sooner may have worked better, and made the final battle a bit less anticlimactic. Still, the novel is just as well written and the characters well drawn as the first book. Not as good as The Passage, but there are some promising story threads that are still unresolved; hopefully Cronin will deliver in the final installment.

Arthur Pfefferkorn is college professor who always dreamed of a writing career. His estranged best friend, famed thriller writer William de Vallee, seemed to live the life Pfefferkorn always wanted, even marrying Arthur’s sweetheart. When Bill is presumed dead at sea, Pfefferkorn seizes the chance to reconnect with his lost love, and possibly restart his career as well. When Arthur passes off his best friend’s unfinished novel as his own, he learns that being a blockbuster author comes at a cost.

The beginning of Potboiler is mostly a character study, with few hints to the absurdist later half. Much of the first half explores the relationship between Pfefferkorn and Bill, and Pfefferkorn’s rekindled relationship with Bill’s wife, Carlotta. This section is fairly realistic, save for the occasional reference to conflict in the region of Zlabia, and some improbably shaped food.

The novel switches to an absurdist spy pastiche when Pfefferkorn learns that nearly everyone in his life is part of a secret literary spy ring. Blockbuster novels are revealed to contain secret codes, and are suggested to be so formulaic that they may be generated by computer.

When Carlotta is kidnapped, Pfefferkorn must travel himself as a spy to West Zlabia, depicted as a backwards former Eastern Bloc nation filled with goats and root vegetables. This half of the novel focuses on absurd and improbable plot twists. Many of the jokes are actually laugh-out-loud funny, although the cliche goats and turnips Ruritania jokes get a bit stale.

Potboiler makes for a well-written and often genuinely funny read. It’s a bit uneven, but certainly enjoyable and definitely worth a try.

A review copy was provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.

Cas Lowood hunts ghosts, hunting murderous spirits bent on repeating their last moments and taking the living with them. His next stop is Thunder Bay, Ontario, home to a ghost known as Anna Dressed in Blood, said to have murdered over 27 people who had come across her former home. Cas expected a challenge in Anna, but he didn’t expect her to be so strong and aware, or that she might need his help.

This is a fun, spooky read with a great narrator; Cas is snarky, genre-savvy, and even a bit noir. The ghosts are a bit over the top, although Anna is a surprisingly well-developed character. The horror comes not from the ghosts themselves, but more in the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Anna’s death is particularly disturbing in its realism.

Anna Dressed in Blood is an entertaining story with good characters, and makes a great read for Halloween.

Gene is a human in a world of vampires. He has survived by living among them, going to school at night, sleeping in the day, and hiding his natural functions and mannerisms. When a lottery is announced, the prize a chance to hunt some captive humans, Gene is unexpectedly a winner. Now, Gene must find a way out of the hunt, while under the constant watch of people who would devour him in a second.

The Hunt has a great premise, and it’s good to see a different perspective on vampires. Early parts of the story regarding the lottery seem a bit too reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but fortunately the story focuses lest on the competition than on Gene’s alienation and rediscovery of his own humanity. The story certainly kept me reading, but problems with the underlying logic hampered much of my enjoyment.

There’s an earnest attempt at making the vampires unique for this story, but the depiction seems inconsistent. The vampires act almost human one moment, and then like complete monsters the next; it’s hard to believe that the sight of a food source (a human) would eliminate most rational thought. It’s also unclear whether vampires are born or made. There are vampire children and elderly, yet at one point it seems Gene’s father is going to transform into one after being bitten. The vampires also don’t sweat, yet they apparently urinate. It’s also odd that in a society not too different from our own, the vampires don’t seem to give each other names.

The world building is weak also. Being a vampire is the norm, and humans are considered extinct. How long has been the case? Is vampirism fairly recent, or have vampires dominated for most of history? There is also a strange mix of technology; the vampires have the internet, but no cars. How does email work if no one has a name? The vampires also refer to humans as “hepers” which doesn’t make much sense. The prefix “hepa” refers to the liver; does this mean the vampires don’t have livers?

The novel is still entertaining despite these inconsistencies, and there are some good hints at some larger mysteries. The Hunt has potential, but unfortunately its problems are a bit too many to ignore.

A review copy was provided through Goodreads.com First Reads program.

Cloud Atlas is less a traditional novel and more a collection of inter-related short stories. The book begins as the journal of Adam Ewing, an American traveling in the Pacific near New Zealand in the mid 1800s. Ewing’s diary is subsequently discovered and read in 1930 by Robert Frobisher, an English music student who has apprenticed himself to a renowned composer. Frobisher has escaped to Belgium both to elude his creditors and pursue his musical ambitions; his story is told in letters to his friend Rufus Sixsmith. Sixsmith appears as a character in a novella set in 1970s, in which reporter Luisa Rey seeks to expose a coverup regarding to safety of a California nuclear power plant. This novella is submitted for publication in the next story to Timothy Cavendish, who comically finds himself trapped in a nursing home against his will. A film version of Cavendish’s story survives into a dystopian future, where it is watched by Sonmi 451, a genetically engineered clone made to work in a fast-food restaurant. A holographic recording of Sonmi is finally discovered by Zachry, a member of a post-apocalyptic civilization on the island of Hawaii.

What’s unique about Cloud Atlas is the arrangement of the stories; each is interrupted midway due to the circumstances of the next character. Frobisher, for example, finds half of Ewing’s diary to be missing. The stories are nested such that they resume in reverse order as the future characters discover or resume the remaining half themselves.

Mitchell plays with different narrative styles and genres, and is able to pull each of them off rather well. Some of the stories are a bit stronger than others, and I personally liked the two future stories the best. Frobisher’s story was the slowest, but may appeal to those who prefer historical fiction.

While overall a bit misanthropic, there is a feeling of hope underlying each story as well. It’s also hinted that many of the characters may in fact be the same souls reincarnated. There’s a little something for everyone in Cloud Atlas, from historical fiction to science fiction dystopia. Regardless of whether the upcoming movie is successful, the novel is definitely worth checking out.

The Earth is slowing down; days and nights are continuing to get longer with no explanation. At the same time, 12 year old Julia is entering the age where both bodies and interests change, friendships are altered, and love blossoms. The Age of Miracles is a story of how even in the face of uncertain change, life continues to go on.

This was overall a great story with beautiful writing and well drawn characters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the author did much research on the physics of the “slowing.” My physics is limited, but I do know that the effects on gravity would actually be quite minimal, if any. It’s also doubtful that a “gravity sickness” would occur, or that birds would experience massive die-offs as a result. Some animals would likely have problems with the altered daylight cycle, but it’s unlikely that captive birds would be affected in the same manner.

That said, Walker depicts a lot of the issues very believably. The issue of variable day length is handled well, with most people adhering to a 24 hour cycle regardless, and others choosing to live according to the natural day. The disruptions of plant growth cycles and the subsequent food shortages are also pretty believable.

The Age of Miracles is largely about Julia’s attempt to live a normal life in spite of all the changes around her. Unfortunately, there isn’t much closure at the end of the story, which is presented as a retrospective by an older Julia. The cause of the “slowing” is never revealed, nor is the actual age of the protagonist, although she is at least 23. The story ends on a bittersweet note, with Julia hoping for the future despite living in a dying world.

A review copy was provided through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.

The Ask and the Answerimmediately follows The Knife of Never Letting Go; Todd and Viola have reached the capital of haven, only to find it already under the control of Mayor Prentiss and his army. Todd is imprisoned and made to work for Prentiss; Viola, horribly wounded, finds herself in the Houses of Healing under the care and auspices of Mistress Coyle.

This is a much different story than Knife, where urgency was created through the pursuit of Todd and Viola. There is no chase here, but Ness keeps up the tension as Mayor Prentiss exerts his totalitarian and misogynistic control over “New Prentisstown.” Todd’s sections alternate with Viola’s this time, and we get a much better view of her character. Todd is made to participate in Prentiss’ oppression of the native Spackle as they are rounded into a labor camp. Viola’s story follows the rebel “Answer,” who resist the regime using a mix of terrorism and guerrilla warfare.

Ask can be a disturbing read at times, and it’s to Ness’ credit that he could keep me reading despite the horrors of torture, concentration camps, and genocide. The novel raises a ton of thought provoking questions in a scenario that feels scarily all too real. Are Mistress Coyle’s actions in any way justified given the situation? How complicit is Todd in the mayor’s crimes?

Both Todd and Viola can be aggravating at times, acting extremely stupid out of concern over the other. Todd definitively breaks at one point, robotically following orders out of a belief that Viola may be complicit with the opposite side. Viola goes after Todd on her own at another point, willingly subjecting herself to personal injury.

That said, this is still a must read if you were intrigued by the ending of the previous book. Be aware, however, that Ness once again ends on a major cliffhanger.

Masque of the Red Death is based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name, in which a group of wealthy individuals seclude themselves at masquerade in an attempt to evade a mysterious plague, but ultimately fail. In Bethany Griffin’s novel, this masquerade ball is replaced by the Debauchery District, where the wealthy residents of a crumbling city seek escapism from pervasive death and decay. Here masks are not worn merely as ornament, but as respirators to prevent inhalation of the disease.

Among these wealthy club patrons is Araby Worth, whose father invented the titular masks. Araby can be a frustrating protagonist, especially at the beginning of the story. She is clearly suffering with depression and trauma, which is actually handled very well here. While this does explain many of her self-destructive actions, others seem a result of pure thoughtlessness and stupidity. Araby takes drugs from a stranger without knowing the contents, allows her friend to go off on her own at the club, and aids a purported revolutionary without questioning anything about him. She is well developed, however; characterization is definitely a strong point of the novel.

There is a love triangle, but it too is very well done and surprisingly tolerable. First is Will, a club employee who works to support his two younger siblings. Rather than going from zero to “true love,” Will and Araby act on their mutual feelings by showing they care for each other. Will looks after Araby following one of her self-destructive nights at the club, and Araby helps Will care for his younger brother and sister. Will’s family also highlights the inequality between rich and poor in this society, another thing the novel does well.

In the other corner is Elliott, brother of Araby’s friend and club partner April. Elliott is an idealist who hopes to reform society by rebelling against his uncle, the mysterious Prince Prospero. While Araby admires his ideals as well as feels attraction toward him, she recognizes he can be cold, calculating, and a bit of a jerk. Both Elliott and Will are well-drawn characters with good and bad points, and Araby’s mixed feelings come off as genuine.

The biggest weakness of the novel lies in the world building. The city is unnamed, and the setting is hard to pin down in both time and location. Characters travel by steam engine, yet have skyscrapers, elevators, air filter systems, and a clear understanding of disease. The handling of the disease itself is unfortunately a big problem; if the plague is as deadly and airborne as depicted, a mask alone will probably offer little protection. The wealthy also tend to expose their skin in an attempt to show their lack of disease lesions, which is of course one of the stupider things to do when disease is rampant. People are tested for infection upon entry into a building, but are in no way disinfected or disinfested in any way. Just because one is not sick does not mean he or she is not carrying any pathogens.

There is lots of promise in the political intrigue and family drama, as well as in the well drawn characters. While it is not made clear how this world became the way it is, there are hints toward answers to come. Here’s hoping Bethany Griffin delivers in the sequel.

A review copy was provided through Goodreads.com First Reads program.

After a hectic semester I’ve finally gotten around to finishing this one. The Orphan Master’s Son can be a frustrating, meandering read, but in the end it’s definitely worth it.

The titular son is Pak Jun Do, who bares the name of a North Korean hero like the orphans he grew up with. The story follows Jun Do’s life in North Korea as he goes from loyal soldier and citizen to a free-thinking human being. The plot jumps around quite a bit, and is especially jarring in the beginning; over the course of only three pages Jun Do goes from child to tunnel soldier to kidnapper. It’s a bit hard to root for Jun Do in the early chapters as well, given his role kidnapping innocent people from Japan and taking them to North Korea.

To reiterate, however, the story is worth continuing as Jun Do becomes a better human being and even gets a taste of the outside world. It soon becomes apparent that the rapid shifts reflect how the people’s lives are at the mercy and whims of the state. It’s much easier to become attached to the protagonist as he finally takes control of his own life.

The second half of the novel shifts to the interrogation of a previously mentioned character, Commander Ga, and shifts between Ga’s flashbacks and the first-person perspective of his torturer. It’s revealed that this “Commander Ga” is not the original, and that he may in fact be Pak Jun Do.

It is always fascinating to read about North Korea, and interest in the secluded nation has certainly grown since the recent death of Kim Jong Il. There are horrifying depictions of torture and the infamous prison camps, as well as the lives of everyday people. Given the closed nature of North Korean society it is hard to know how much is based on true events, but the North Korea depicted in The Orphan Master’s Son is certainly a believable one.

A review copy was provided through Goodreads.com First Reads program.

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, a failed space colony on New World. A war with the native Spackle has wiped out most of the population, and caused the surviving men and animals to spew their inner thoughts in an incessant stream of “Noise.” When Todd comes across a spot of pure silence, something seemingly impossible, he is forced to flee Prentisstown. He then comes across something even more impossible-a girl.

Todd’s narration is very stream of consciousness, filled with phonetic spellings and slang that reflect his uneducated upbringing. The “Noise” aspect of the story is handled really well, with other characters even interrupting his internal narration. Todd’s dog, Manchee, even has his own noise, but his thoughts are appropriately limited and clipped; he’s a very fun and likeable character. Viola, the girl Todd meets, is also well developed despite being silent for the first part of the book.

A major plot point revolves around the true history of Prentisstown, and the lack of answers to any major questions was often frustrating; this is made more annoying by the fact that most of the characters know and allude to this information but don’t share it with Todd (and the reader.) Fortunately, there is a payoff at the end of the novel, as well as major cliffhanger that will definitely make you want the next book in the series. A great read overall.

A Million Suns begins three months after the end of Across the Universe, and life aboard the spaceship Godspeed is full of tension. The ship’s inhabitants, no longer drugged into submission, have begun to question Elder’s role as leader. As Elder deals with mechanical issues as well as civil unrest, Amy discovers a series of clues that appear to lead to a great secret, and a decision she must make about the ship’s future.

Like Across the Universe, this was another excellent read. Amy and Elder continue to be very likeable, if flawed, protagonists. Amy does angst quite a bit about her situation, although it’s largely understandable and she does come to a realization about it. There is a major reveal about midway through the book, which answers a lot of questions and leads to an un-putdownable second half.

This is definitely one of the best YA series out there, and worth a look even if you’re not ordinarily into science fiction.

Many thanks to the author, Beth Revis, for sending a signed(!) review copy (although I would have enjoyed the book regardless)

The City and the City starts like most crime novels with the discovery of a murder victim; in this case a young woman in the vaguely Eastern European city of Beszel. Inspector Tyador Borlu of the extreme crime squad is called in to investigate, and a lead soon points to Beszel neighboring city-state of Ul Qoma. However, the border between the two titular cities is unlike any other, which soon becomes apparent to the reader.

The exact nature of Beszel and Ul Qoma has a fantastic reveal. Nothing seems strange about the setting at first, but Borlu increasingly makes cryptic references to “unseen crowds” and “crosshatched” areas. It soon becomes apparent to the reader that Beszel and Ul Qoma are effectively a single conurbation; some areas and neighborhoods are in one city entirely, whereas others are completely intertwined. A single street in these “crosshatched” areas can include adjoining buildings in different cities. The border is reinforced by the inhabitants of each city, who have learned to mentally block or “unsense” the neighboring city and its residents.

The premise sounds a bit absurd played straight, but Mieville’s world building is so thorough and believable that it works. The murder mystery is also tied into the nature of the cities itself, leading Borlu to contend with underground political movements(some seeking for one city to dominate, others to join the two as one,) his Ul Qoman counterparts, and the mysterious force that maintains the division between both cities.

A noir-influenced detective story with a unique setting, The City and The City is simply a must read.