Book Love Affair

Monday Coming Attractions #49: SFvF

logically@live.com (TJ) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Science Fiction v. Fantasy

This weekend I spent quite an alarming amount of time discussing Shakespeare and King Lear with Erika of Jawa's Read, Too!. However, that probably isn't probably isn't very interesting.

The more interesting topic that we were discussing was the state of science fiction. Erika currently has a giveaway going in support of Macmillan's authors after the Amazon-Macmillan fiasco for a great author: John Scalzi. I was pretty shocked that there weren't very many entries to the giveaway, but then I reflected on my own recently ended giveaway. In that giveaway, there were two books. One was clearly science fiction (Old Man's War by John Scalzi) and the other was a young adult urban fantasy title (How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier). Now, I realize that there's a large disparity in release dates of the two titles, but that aside, I can't account for the disproportionately large number of entries for the Larbalestier title--except for the genre. All in all, there was 90 entries--only 17 of these were entries for the Scalzi.

What a shock, eh?

But I started thinking about it and it's not really that shocking. Despite the equal treatment I try to give the genres, even I read two to three fantasy titles for every one science fiction title. I suspect that the numbers are reflected in what the publishers are releasing. People have certainly noticed the shift. Remember that David Hartwell book I reviewed not too long ago? One of the articles, entitled "When it Comes True, It's No Fun Anymore," was directly addressing the topic of the decline of true science fiction. And he's just one of many voices expressing the same thing.

Less academically-minded critics have suggested that during our times, the populace wants "escapist" fiction, meaning they turn to fantasy genres rather than science fiction. Although I dislike the rhetoric these critics often use, I think they're partially right. And I think Hartwell and those like-minded are right, too.

Of course, Hartwell's point (and the various similar other views) are correct: we simply do not keep our imaginations in the sky anymore. We looked into space and found nothing we were hoping for. The amazing, unbelievable technology of older science fiction novels? It either comes true or looks archaic in modern view. So, yes, that element is huge and definitely present.

I won't say that fantasy is "escapist," because I think it demeans the genre--and fantasy doesn't deserve that. In fact, I fully believe that both fantasy and science fiction are just as able to be of literary worth as any other genre. Now, I will propose that fantasy is often (not always) "easier" to assimilate into. This is particularly so with the "fluffier" sub-genres. (Yes, urban fantasy, I'm looking at your current manifestations.) The reader is lead along the comfortable quests, magics, and paths of a new world, but the integration is usually slow. With the exception of the brilliantly innovative Brandon Sanderson and those like him, a lot of the time the worlds of fantasy have strong basis in novels and settings that came before. On the other hand, science fiction can be a daunting genre. While it's fun to read, it's rarely a "fun read." By which I mean, science fiction is enjoyable, but unlike so many fantasies, it usually has an agenda and a learning curve.

As examples, I'll use both the SF novel I'm reading now (METAtropolis) and my previous SF read (Neuromancer) to demonstrate what I mean further. Reading Neuromancer, while fun and amazing, was also incredibly frustrating. Unlike many, many fantasy novels, there's no initiation period where the reader gets to know the protagonist and world. Instead, it's like diving headfirst into a pool only to realize you're not sure if you can swim. Neuromancer simply expects the reader to catch up with the novel-specific terminology and ideas and themes--all while keeping up with the developing plot. And then, to add to that difficulty, there's often an agenda. By agenda I don't particularly mean anything negative. Rather, I only mean to say that there's often a criticism of society, humankind, or something else or an idea of how things should be. Look at all the dystopia novels out there, if you don't believe me. METAtropolis, the novel I'm currently reading, is one of these SF novels. A common theme throughout all the novellas that make up the book is "greenness" or eco-friendly living. In fact, the point is all but beat upon the reader.

And somehow, SF novels are incompatible with the world of fantasy, or at least there isn't a direct pathway between them despite the elements they share. As an example, today I was listening (I'm actually trying an audiobook) to METAtropolis, but failed to load the last three CDs on my iPod. Lacking for reading/listening material between classes, I scrounged around in my book bag and turned up my copy of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Although on any other day I would have loved to run headlong into the strangely familiar (even though I haven't yet read the book) world Mead creates, I couldn't get the wheels in my head that were turning from METAtropolis to stop long enough to get my mind into Mead's story.

Okay, this is a bit longer than I intended, so I'll leave off here. I may pick up the same line of thought again next week, or--perhaps---I'll just hash out the rest of my thoughts in conversation with you guys in the comments. To leave off on a lighter note, here's a snippet of the conversation between Erika and I in which we try to determine the elements of SF and F that create such a division in readers (which amused me greatly and proves what a wonderful sense of humor she has):

Me: Let's face it. Reading about elves or vampires is just EASIER all around than SF.
JRT: Agree. People with pointy ears? Check. People with pointy teeth? Check. Extra hairy people (werewolves)? Check. Short people (dwarves)? Check!
Me: Hahahaha. ICE? Artificial Intelligence? Ecologically friendly agenda? Ruuuun awaaaaaaaay.
JRT: Okay kids, now let's examine Cthulhu!

What do you think? Do you read science fiction or just fantasy? I'd like to hear about what you like to read and what you like best about the genres. If you don't read SF, then I'd like to know what turns you off on the genre.

If any author or book review blogger would like to do a guest opinion column for Monday Coming Attractions, please contact me with what your proposed subject and what Monday you can have it ready by. For everyone else, if there's a topic you'd like to see covered in a Monday post, just let me know in a comment!

-----------------------------------------------------

Book Love Affair Poll:
The current poll will be running all through February. I admit this is an unusually long-running poll, but I'm incredibly curious to see what you all prefer to see in reviews. It's all completely anonymous, so please vote and let me know what you think!

Reviews and Events to Watch For at BLA:
These are reviews (in order of likelihood) that may or may not come to pass this week. Feel free to let me know which you're looking forward to (or not looking forward to).

Events:
None

Up Coming Reviews:
Kindred by Octavia Butler (Tuesday 2/9)
Apocalypse How by Rob Kutner (Thursday 2/11)

Giveaways:
Want a giveaway promoted? Let me know in a comment! Be sure to include the URL where the giveaway is located.

Jawa's Read, Too! is giving away a copy of Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi! Go enter and support both Macmillan's authors and science fiction! Giveaway ends 3/11!

BookReaderTimes has amazing monthly giveaways. In fact, Ivy has so many giveaways that I can't even keep up with them all. Check BRT out!

Giveaway Results: Larbalestier and Scalzi

logically@live.com (TJ) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:01:00 +0000

Dual Giveaway: Justine Larbalestier's How to Ditch Your Fairy and John Scalzi's Old Man's War
You guys were all so great! I really felt that the celebration of Book Love Affair's 1st anniversary was really something to be proud of! Now, before I tell you all the winners, I know some people got really curious about my trivia questions, so here are the answer, how many people got them right, and some answers that weren't quite what I was looking for (but amused me greatly and I love everyone who guessed). Now, on Twitter I gave out some hints, but these novels weren't all completely random. They all (with the exception of one), were novels reviewed here at BLA in 2009. And the trivia was meant to be hard, guys. Everyone actually did really well--despite the comments I was getting saying otherwise!

Oh yes, anyone who answered true/false or yes/no to the trivia, I shake my head at you in confusion.

Trivia & Giveaway Statistics:
Thank you to my husband Anthony for doing the math for my lazy self. ;)

Total # entered for HTDYF: 73
......% of trivia questions answered correctly by each person: 1.27
Total # entered for OMW: 17
......% of trivia questions answered correctly by each person: 0.70

Trivia Question #1: If you heard about controversy with this novel's cover it wasn't a lie.

Correct Answer: Liar by Justine Larbalestier
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 44
Some Interesting Other Answers: Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler; Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Trivia Question #2: A novelist writes a novel for the man married to the woman the novelist loves.

Correct Answer: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 3
Some Interesting Other Answers: Poor Man and the Lady by Thomas Hardy

Trivia Question #3: This girl brings a whole new meaning to persuasive beauty.

Correct Answer: Fire by Kristin Cashore
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 4
Some Interesting Other Answers: The Queen's Bastard by C. E. Murphy; Persuasion by Jane Austen

Trivia Question #4: A god who doesn't believe in his own religion.

Correct Answer: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 3
Some Interesting Other Answers: The God Engines by John Scalzi; Christ; Godless by Dan Barker; God Doesn't Believe in Atheists by Ray Comfort; The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

Trivia Question #5: Set in Seattle, a mother searches for her son.

Correct Answer: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 8
Some Interesting Other Answers: Postcards from a Dead Girl by Kirk Farber

Trivia Question #6: Two musical brothers fight to the death.

Correct Answer: Peter & Max by Bill Willingham
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 3
Some Interesting Other Answers: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Trivia Question #7: This novel is set literally between the normal and paranormal.

Correct Answer: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 2
Some Interesting Other Answers: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman; Interworld by Neil Gaiman; Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (2 guesses); Light and Play by N. D. Hansen-Hill

Trivia Question #8: A girl walks to an ocean she has never seen before.

Correct Answer: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 5
Some Interesting Other Answers: Sea Change by Aimee Friedman; 20 Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler; The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan; Bobbsey Twins at the Sea Shore by Laura Lee Hope; Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Trivia Question #9: The protagonist has a piece of paper that makes for an inconspicuous weapon.

Correct Answer: Child of Fire by Harry Connolly
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 1
Some Interesting Other Answers: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; Llight from Deathnote

Trivia Question #10: One antagonist has two dead girlfriends and a brain tumor.

Correct Answer: Under the Dome by Stephen King
# of People who Guessed Correctly: 1
Some Interesting Other Answers:

Want to know who won?

For this contest, there are a ton of prizes going to many different people:
- How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
- Old Man's War by John Scalzi
- 5x Book Lights
- 2x $10 Amazon gift e-certificates
- 1x Grand Prize

The winners have 3 days to respond to my email me with his/her mailing address or they will be disqualified and an alternative winner chosen. Without further ado, I bring to you the randomly chosen winners:

The winners of the 5 BOOK LIGHTS are:

1. Spav
2. Sherry
3. Miranda
4. Lanta
5. Pussreboots

The winners of the 2 AMAZON $10 GIFT E-CARDS are:

1. Lu
2. Aik

The winner of the OLD MAN'S WAR BY JOHN SCALZI is:

Min

The winner of the HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY BY JUSTINE LARBALESTIER is:

Erika

The winner of the GRAND PRIZE: YOUR CHOICE OF 1 MASS MARKET BOOK is:

Raquel

I already have the next contest in mind, guys. If you missed out in this one, perhaps your luck will be better next time.

Book Signing: Connie Willis

logically@live.com (TJ) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Book Signing in San Franciso with Connie Willis:
I just discovered Connie Willis this year, thanks to Calico Reaction's book club/challenge. I'm currently reading my first novel by her: To Say Nothing Of The Dog. And so, because I'm not qualified to explain all the reasons she's now on my radar to learn more about, I ganked the following from her website: "Connie Willis is the award winning author of Doomsday Book, Passage, To Say Nothing of the Dog and Bellwether. Connie has been awarded 10 Hugo Awards, 11 Locus Poll Awards and 6 Nebula Awards. Her stories have an epic feel to them and range from laugh out loud funny to deadly serious. The first half of her newest novel, Blackout, is being published in February 2010 with the second half, All Clear, being published in the fall."

Yet again my proper book-signing plans were thwarted because of Bay Area traffic. I suppose that just shows that I'm a city "noob", though. We finally arrived to the signing, drenched from the rain, about 30 minutes late. However, I was able to catch the last of the question/answer session, which I really enjoyed, because Willis was pretty entertaining. She had a self-deprecating sort of humor and determination that I found appealing.

I would like to add a note on Borderlands (the bookstore in San Francisco this took place at). I have a love-hate relationship with this store. On one hand, they're all about speculative fiction and have great book signings--these things I love. On the other hand, they can be pretty rude (about half the staff will sooner scowl at you than ask if you need help with anything--or harass you to buy a book at a signing, until you've proven that you have). Also, they're new cafe is a bust, in my opinion. The $5 small mocha we got (and shared) was not worth the price, definitely. Also, it's unattached from the main store (it's next door), so it's a bit of a bummer to have to switch between the two.

Another thing: Yes, it's polite to buy a book at a book signings, guys. Especially if you bring a stack of your own books from home. Alternately, book sellers, this rule is that of politeness, so act accordingly. Anyone who doesn't buy a book isn't a criminal, just be nice and they'll probably get one anyway.

Here's a picture of Connie Willis and me. I am, as usual, hunched forward in an incredibly uncomfortable manner and having balancing issues. Pretty suave of me, eh? Also, my husband keeps looking at this photo and saying, "You two look like you're related!"

Here I am gesturing idiotically at poor Connie Willis. (Really, what does that sort of gesture even mean?) Note to self: stop gesturing.

Willis answering questions.

Willis answering more questions (she was quite expressive!).

And the crowd at Borderlands that came to see her.

Review: William Gibson

logically@live.com (TJ) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:07:00 +0000

Title: Neuromancer
Author: William Gibson
Format: MM
Available Formats: TC, TP, Kindle, Sony eBook, Barnes and Noble eBook
Page Count: 271
Genre: Cyberpunk/Science Fiction
Publisher: Ace
Pub. Date: July 1, 1984
ISBN-13: 9780441569595
Series: #1 in the Sprawl trilogy
Rating: 8 of 10

Summary:
Henry Dorsett Case, called "Case", was once a star hacker. However, after stealing from an employer, in punishment they damaged his nervous system with a mycotoxin that renders him unable to interface and continue his work as a "console cowboy". Unable to do what he was once so good at, he becomes a self-destructive thug in Japan until his downwards spiral is halted by Molly, a "street samurai" with blades in her fingers and mirrored sunglass insets over her eyes, and Armitage. They offer Case the opportunity to be a cowboy again, if only he does what they say... Only, the scheme is a lot larger than Case could ever guess.

TL;DR Version:
This is the classic science fiction novel that helped jump start the cyberpunk movement. It can be a bit hard to follow, but the jumpy energy of the book is undeniable.

Review:
Neuromancer is a difficult novel for me to discuss. In many ways, I enjoyed the novel immensely, but in others, I became very frustrated. Of course, I immediately felt incredibly guilty for being frustrated with the novel, because it's considered classic. Not to mention Gibson is credited with anticipating and legitimizing the entire genre of cyberpunk. I can see why. Neuromancer has a ton of fabulous details, a sweeping plot, and a strange jittery energy that propels the reader straight to the ending.

What annoyed me was that even as I was racing through the book, I felt as if the world of the book was somehow blurring around me, becoming indistinct and hard to define and understand. I'm not entirely sure if this was because of the short, jumpy sections and chapters--or if it was because Case spends a good portion of the book under the influence of one drug or another--or if it's because Case himself doesn't have a very good grasp of what's going on a lot of the time... Well, I'm just not sure. But this aspect frustrated me, especially because I wanted to absorb the world of the book the more I found out and the more I read, but instead got the opposite effect. In a way, I felt like I was swept along without a handhold a lot of the time.

That aside, there were a lot of things that intrigued me and pleased me about Neuromancer. That "jittery energy" I mentioned? I've never quite felt that from a book before. I felt like I was along for the ride, hitting every bump along the way, and somehow experiencing the same haze of mystery and confusion that Case has to deal with.

I'm not quire sure how Gibson accomplishes that. It probably has to do with his hold over language. Entering Neuromancer was a little difficult for me perhaps because there's an entirely new vocabulary one must learn to understand the story. It's easy enough to sort out AI, coffin, razorgirl, street samurai, console cowboy, and ICE, but then I ended up second-guessing myself a lot of the novel. Did I really know what he meant by ICE? Console cowboy? And then there are a bunch of little jokes I'd have missed completely had I not just had a philosophy class that covered functionalism and minds/computers. A lot of the dialogue about the intelligence of computers/AI or Turing is enhanced unbelievably with a little background in that section of philosophy. That's something I'd have completely missed otherwise--and who knows what I did miss?

I suppose another drawback for me was the characters. Case and Molly are both incredibly interesting. In fact, I particularly loved Molly. However, I don't feel like I got to know either of them at all in the story. I am, for better or worse, a very character-driven reader. This story definitely was not character-oriented, but instead plot-driven. When a story is so driven by the plot, even if information is given about the characters and their motivations, they can still remain enigmas or mere pieces being moved about a game board rather than people. This was my greatest disappointment, because I really wanted to understand Case and Molly, but by the end of the book I had no better grasp on their characters than I did before.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
I think I just might have the ugliest cover ever made for Neuromancer. I suppose it's 'classic' status exempts it from having to try to look attractive. Luckily, I found the first line much more compelling than the cover: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." It's great in so many ways. It manages to grab the tone and the elements of technology that has become so intersected with human life ("dead", "port", "television"). I love it absolutely.

Rating: 8 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]
Rating a classic is always hard. On one hand, it's hard to ignore what the book has done for the genre, but on the other hand, I really had some trouble enjoying the novel completely. In the end, I have to evaluate the novel on my own, personal enjoyment level and how impressed I was by disregarding all outside factors.

This book was purchased from an independent bookstore.

Reading Challenges

logically@live.com (TJ) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:30:00 +0000

So, I've realized that I've joined too many reading challenges (probably too many for my own good). My old system of tracking them in the sidebar was just too cluttered...and so this post was born. Not only do I hold myself to reading all the books for a challenge, but I don't actually tick them off a challenge until I review them as well. Thus, every title name should link straight to my review. Some challenges (quite a lot actually) will overlap with others.

Reading Challenges 2010

Challenge #1: The Wheel of Time Challenge

A challenge hosted here at Book Love Affair to read the first 12 books in the Wheel of Time series! Also, is sort of a giveaway/book club as well as reading challenge. So far it's been a lot of fun!

1. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
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Challenge #2: Calico Reaction's Book Club

This is really a book club, rather than a "reading challenge," but I love Calico Reaction's selections so much that I'm challenging myself to participate at least every other month. Hopefully more, if I can.

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Challenge #3: BCC's Anita Blake Challenge

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Challenge #4: Literary Escapism's New Author Challenge

1. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
3. Numbers by Rachel Ward
4. Age of Wonders by David G. Hartwell
5. Deadtown by Nancy Holzner
6. Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
7. Neuromancer by William Gibson
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Challenge #5: Literary Escapism's League of Reluctant Adults Mini-Challenge (Feb)

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Challenge #6: BCC's Speculative Fiction Challenge

1. Neuromancer by William Gibson
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Monday Coming Attractions #48: A Bit Behind

logically@live.com (TJ) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:30:00 +0000

A Bit Behind

This is just a small note to say that I have to use a good portion of this week to catch up with my coursework. (Despite that I finally just conceded that I had loaded up on to many credits and dropped one course this weekend, I still have a ton of work to do.) Therefore, there will be a Thursday and Saturday review rather than Tuesday and Thursday. Also, there won't be a real "Monday" post. Sorry, guys!

If any author or book review blogger would like to do a guest opinion column for Monday Coming Attractions, please contact me with what your proposed subject and what Monday you can have it ready by. For everyone else, if there's a topic you'd like to see covered in a Monday post, just let me know in a comment!

-----------------------------------------------------

Book Love Affair Poll:
The current poll will be running all through February. I admit this is an unusually long-running poll, but I'm incredibly curious to see what you all prefer to see in reviews. It's all completely anonymous, so please vote and let me know what you think!

Reviews and Events to Watch For at BLA:
These are reviews (in order of likelihood) that may or may not come to pass this week. Feel free to let me know which you're looking forward to (or not looking forward to).

Events:
Giveaway: Larbalestier, Scalzi, book lights, and $10 Amazon gift e-cards--and now a surprise, too! [Ends 2/4]

Up Coming Reviews:
Neuromancer by William Gibson (Thursday 2/4)
Apocalypse How by Rob Kutner (Saturday 2/6)

Giveaways:
Want a giveaway promoted? Let me know in a comment! Be sure to include the URL where the giveaway is located.

As mentioned above, Book Love Affair has its own giveaway going right now to celebrate our first year in the blogosphere! We're giving away John Scalzi's Old Man's War, Justine Larbalestier's How to Ditch Your Fairy, book lights, and $10 Amazon gift certificates, so be sure to enter! Giveaway ends 2/4!

BookReaderTimes has amazing monthly giveaways. In fact, Ivy has so many giveaways that I can't even keep up with them all. Check BRT out!

Cleverly Inked is having some well-timed giveaways in show of support for the debut author Jaclyn Dolamore, who's caught up in some cover controversy with previous offending publisher Bloomsbury. Go show your support and win some books!

Monthly Retrospective: January 2010

logically@live.com (TJ) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Monthly Retrospective: January 2010
Since the last Monthly Retrospective post, I've implemented a more regimented system of posting. I think it's working out nicely! Although I'm still debating moving Friday Finds to a bi-monthly feature (highly likely), the 2-3 reviews a week is keeping the number of reviews at a much nicer average than the haphazard system before. What do you guys think? Do you like knowing when to expect reviews, or did you prefer the surprise?

Rating: 7	Rating: 10
Rating: 4	Rating: 8
Rating: 9	Rating: 9
Rating: 8	Rating: 5
Rating: 9

Books Reviewed:
9

Most Anticipated:
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
(I really couldn't choose between these three titles. I was dying to read them all!)

Biggest Let Down:
Deadtown by Nancy Holzner
(Unlike Numbers, I was really expecting to love this novel. But it just didn't quite work out for me.)

Favorite Read:
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Highest Rating:
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (Rating: 10 out of 10; only one book was given this score this month); but A Local Habitation tickled me in all sorts of other ways that aren't comparable (Plus I get to brag about it for months yet! Rating: 9 out of 10; 3 books were given this score this month).

Lowest Rating:
Numbers by Rachel Ward (Rating: 4 out of 10; only one book was given this score this month.)

Overall Reflections:
I'm busy, but I'm reading. Not only am I reading, but if this month's selections are any indication, I'm picking better books. Getting four books that scored 9 and above is simple amazing.

Review & Discussion: Robert Jordan

logically@live.com (TJ) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:30:00 +0000

Title: The Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Format: MM
Available Formats: TP, Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook, Sony eBook, Audio Download, Audio CD
Page Count: 782
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Pub. Date: November 15, 1990
ISBN-13: 9780812511819
Series: #1 in the Wheel of Time series
Rating: 9 of 10

Summary:
When Edmond's Field is attacked by Trollocs, it seems that they were after three young men in particular. These sheltered young men must then leave their city (with an ever-growing party) because the Dark One wants them. Moiraine, an Aes Sedai, and her Warder, Lan, are determined to keep the boys from the Dark One's grasp by heading to Tar Valon. Only the journey to Tar Valon is a perilous one during which the party faces many dangers and begins to learn more about themselves...

TL;DR Version:
A book that is heavily reminiscent of Tolkien, but deeper and--dare I say--more fun. A huge cast of characters, but a slow and delicious plot to array them within.

Review:
In this top portion, I'll be reviewing the book in my normal format. This will contain my own ideas and impressions on the book. After the review will be included topics to help start discussions.

I'm new to the Wheel of Time series. I've been aware of Wot for a while now, but until Brandon Sanderson was chosen as the author who would continue after the unfortunate death of Robert Jordan, I wasn't convinced enough to pick it up. Hey, the series is quite a commitment at 800+ pages per installment.

How does one start talking about a behemoth like Eye of the World? I mean, the task is truly daunting. The plot goes so far, the number of characters, and the are so many nuances in the book... But I'll try to the best of my abilities.

Characters are always a large portion of my enjoyment of a novel. For me, well-rendered characters can make a worthwhile while badly developed ones can be torture. This can realy be a difficult part of the epic fantasy novel, because the casts are often large and the character arcs span many books. However, when done well, it's amazing because one has so much time to get to know the characters. I'm not entirely sure where I stand with WoT's characters altogether. Here's how I feel so far, though. My favorites ended up being: Perrin, Lan, and Nynaeve. Perrin because he's so much more solid in my mind than Rand or Mat (both I'll discuss later) and I loved the connection he has with the wolves. Is it nerdy to be so easily won over by that sort of device? But when he began to more and more resemble the wolves... Well, I was probably overly thrilled. Lan was slower to grow on me, but I like his steady, quiet honor. And Nynaeve I couldn't help but loving for her stubborn, walled-off sense of honor and duty... The characters that did less for me were Rand and Mat. In fact, Mat spent much of the book annoying the living hell out of me. I'm hoping this is a trait he grows out of in the (very near) future... Rand only irked me in that his personality was so incredibly subdued. This may be because most of the book is told through a very limited third person perspective based on him, or it could be that he's just a slow-to-develop character. Either way, I'm hoping to see more distinctiveness from him in The Great Hunt.

As for the plot, it's epic. Of course it is! I thought I might have a problem with the slow pace, but was very surprised to find that I really enjoyed the novel and wanted to continue to see what would happen. I wasn't absolutely glued to the page, but I was definitely very interested throughout the entire novel. Even if the pacing can be described as a bit slow, the weaving plot is delicious. I couldn't help but think of Tokien's The Lord of the Rings series as I read. The elements are similar: a party of good guys on a journey while they are being stalked by evil. Although it might be heretical to say, I didn't enjoy Tolkien's telling as much as Eye of the World. Classic or no, I felt like Jordan's world was more welcoming and the characters had more potential for growth.
I won't extrapolate too much further, for fear of igniting a Tolkien-inspired war, but the series definitely begs comparison.

I'll wrap up my impressions with other random things I liked. I liked the discussion of the "Pattern". This tickles my philosopher side and makes me wonder about free will versus fate and how it'll all play out in the series... Also, am I the only one who (SLIGHT SPOILER) did not see the Lan/Nynaeve romance coming at all? In fact, I had vaguely had Lan paired up with Moraine in my mind until Nynaeve talks to him so directly in that beautiful scene in chapter 48... Then again, perhaps I was just being dense not to see it? The last point I'll bring up is the role of women in Eye of the World. Right now I'm a bit torn with Moiraine, Egwene, and Nynaeve. Each are powerful in their own way (Moiraine most obviously, but definitely Nynaeve in will--Egwene could go either way), but they all have incredibly weak/immature moments. Sometimes Nynaeve's stubbornness seems to border silly petulance. Egwene can be a bit hypocritical in what she forces/allows the men to do... I don't know. I really want to see the women stand up alongside the men in the series, but I think I may have to just satisfy myself with what we've got so far...

Anyway, I'll truly enjoy finding out in The Great Hunt after I take a little breather away from Jordan's world.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
I'm not a huge fan of the 90's cover art (does't Moiraine look like a ragdoll compared to all the others?), but find something strangely compelling about it at the same time. Must be my masochism again. Anyway, WoT is one of those things people tend to go asking for rather than finding, I think, so it doesn't much matter.

Rating: 9 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was purchased from Borders.

-------------------------------------------------------
Discussion

Helpful Links:

General:
1. Original WoT 2010 Challenge Post
2. Tor Re-Read for EotW

Reviews from Participants:
1. Kay's Bookshelf
2. Dirty Sexy Books
3. Paul's Blog
4. The Little Reader

Discussion Guidelines:
I want to put down a few guidelines for discussion before we begin.

1. This is the only guideline set in stone: respect others. And really, that shouldn't have to be said. Plus, I'm sure everyone here is quite mature and just excited to talk about such a great series, right? The other guidelines are only to help the discussion move smoothly.

2. If you're replying to someone directly, try using an @username at the top of your comment. This way others can either just scan for their name or CTRL+F to see if anyone wants their attention/conversation directly.

3. Don't be afraid to start conversations with others! Everyone is here to discuss and enjoy the series together.

4. If your post contains spoilers for books past The Eye of the World, please mark that clearly at the top of your comment. No one likes spoilers. Yet, there are both people here who have read the series before and those who have not. I don't want to be restrictive either, so this is the best way that we newbies can co-exist with you veterans.

Discussion Ideas:
Just in case anyone is stumped on where to start here are 5 things that struck me about the book and I'd like to talk about further.

- What do you think of the women in EotW? Which do you view as the strongest?
- Of the three young men (Perrin, Mat, and Rand) which are you most predisposed to like/dislike?
- What do you think of the role of fate/free choice in EotW?
- Did the end work for you? Did you immediately want to pick up The Great Hunt or were you ready for a break?
- What was your favorite scene and why?

Friday Finds #25

logically@live.com (TJ) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Seeing all the rest of my BCO order come in was incredibly depressing. (Apparently it was so big it was shipped in two boxes). I took on too many classes this semester and haven't even the time to finish all my coursework, much less read for fun. However, I did decide that one class has got to go, so maybe I'll have a little more free time and sanity. And maybe I'll have learned my lesson and never take three English courses, one philosophy course, and a research course all in one quarter!

I may have to skip the Tuesday review, but I'll let you guys know on Monday. Because until I figure out which class to drop, I'm still far too busy for my own good.

1. Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction by Justine Larbalestier
Calico Reaction and I have been having a on-and-off discussion of SF reference texts and she was kind enough to recommend this book to me. I had no idea that Justine Larbalestier, who wrote the amazing Liar, had non-fiction texts in her writings. I was further surprised to find out that this book was originally Justine Larbalestier's Ph.D thesis. Needless to say, it became a major priority for me to get. I even bought it new, because I know I'll want it around for reference. After all, this is a topic definitely close to my heart.
Genre: Reference/Science Fiction
Purchased from Amazon.

2. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
I've previously read and reviewed the first book in this series, My Soul to Keep. I liked the first well enough, so I accepted when I saw an offer for this one. Upon arrival I was immediately disappointed with two things. The first was that the publisher, Harlequin Teen, chose the more unfortunate cover of the two they were asking opinions on (this one seems to focus awkwardly on the girl's armpit, I think)... The second disappointment was the rather poor summary on the back (which I will not repeat here). Still, those things are completely out of the hands of the author, so I'm hoping that the content is as good or better than the first installment of the series.
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal Romance
Received for review.

3. Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
As of last year, I read my first Christopher Moore book. The humor hit me just right at the time (helped by the fact that the book was poking fun at Shakespeare). Since I've read a few of his others, but not his vampire series. I'm not entirely sure if they're meant to be read as stand-alones, but I'll be giving this one a shot without reading the two or so books that come before it. Wish me luck...
Genre: Humor/Urban Fantasy
Received for review.

4. The Language of the Night by Ursula K. Le Guin
This isn't the cover my copy has, but it's the cover I wish it had. I'm still very much interested in devouring essays and reference on SF/F. It only made sense to get my hands on the (very very unfortunately) out of print The Language of the Night by Ursula K. Le Guin. How can a book that is so referenced by authors and important people in the SF world be out of print? Methinks it's time for a new edition!
Genre: Reference/Science Fiction
Purchased from an individual seller on Amazon.

5. Worlds of Exile and Illusion by Ursula K. Le Guin
My Le Guin collecting continues. The hard part will be figuring out what order I need to read these all in. Maybe I'll just have myself a two week long Le Guin reading 'fest in Summer or something.
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

6. The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2006 ed. by Ellen Datlow, Gavin J. Grant, and Kelly Link
That dreaded bargain bin in my university store will be the death of me. They always have such good titles there for so cheap! There has to be something criminal about tempting poor college students. I couldn't leave this (which was the last available copy) on the bargain shelves for the price... So now I have 2006 and 2008. Maybe I can just collect the 'even years' or something.
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Anthology
Purchased from the bargain section at my university bookstore.

7. The Belgariad, Vol. 1 by David Eddings
I'm not entirely sure how Eddings ended up on my wishlist. He's just been there awhile, waiting for me to notice him. Lucky for him, he has two omnibuses for this series--which cover 6 books, I believe--and I got onto the wishlist at PBS in the early numbers. However, he's (sorry to say) still low-priority reading. At least until I can remember why I wanted these books...
Genre: Fantasy
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
I've been stubbornly not reading this book for too long. I even have John Scalzi's response novel. On a particularly rough day, I finally broke down and bought it as a 'pick me up'. Now if only I could find a store that sold me the time to actually get around to reading all these books I want to read so badly...
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from my university bookstore.

9 & 10. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame vol. 1 & 2B ed. by Robert Silverberg
These are from the same purchase as last week's Friday Finds. You'll note the anthologies here compliment the anthologies there. I now have the entire SF Hall of Fame series. Anthology-wise, they'll be coming right after I finish Hartwell's SF Century series.
Genre: Science Fiction/Anthology
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

11. Ender's Game ed. by Orson Scott Card
Does anyone else have a novel that they know they'll love, because everyone who knows their taste states very confidently that they will and yet simply keeps putting it off? This is my relationship with Ender's Game. I've owned this book in several incarnations (in fact, I traded out a used paperback version for this very pretty hardcover), but I always just let it sit unread. What's wrong with me? Why do I keep doing this?
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

12. Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier
Why, yes, I think Marillier has entered the territory of "collecting before reading". I will break this bad habit! Still, I don't think this particular case is breaking that resolution, because it's really from the same purchase as last week's FF, which means I hadn't yet devised my alternate plan. From now on, then.
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

13. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
It's probably pretty apparent that I'm impressed with Larbalestier. After all, she has two books in the post and is featured as one of the books in my giveaway. Even if I've only so far read Liar (which I think was good enough to judge by), I've also been dropping by her blog. I may have a lot more reading to do before I can officially be a fan, but from what I can tell, Larbalestier's got a good heart, a wise head, and has incredibly articulate arguments. I can't wait to finally read this book and Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction.
Genre: Young Adult/Urban Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

(While I had my back turned to pick up the last books for this picture, someone decided to stealthily set himself up for a photo shoot. I swear, he's such an attention-monger!)

Statistics:

Total # of Books: 13
Genre Breakdown:
        Science Fiction - 7
        Fantasy - 3
        Anthology - 2
        Reference - 2
        Young Adult - 2
        Urban Fantasy - 2
        Paranormal Romance - 1
        Humor - 1
        Horror - 1

Get anything good this week? Brag here! Even better, show the pictures of the loot!

Review: Nancy Holzner

logically@live.com (TJ) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Title: Deadtown
Author: Nancy Holzner
Format: MM
Available Formats: Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook, Audio Download
Page Count: 336
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Pub. Date: December 29, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780441018130
Series: #1 in the Victory Vaughn series
Rating: 5 of 10

Summary:
Vicky Vaughn has been trained since her teenage years to slay demons. As an "active demi-human", and namely a Welsh form of shapeshifter that can turn into any living creature up to three times a month, she's suited for the dangerous job. She's dating a werewolf, lives with a vampire, and stays out of the "Paranormal American" debate as much as she can. When her clients, who hire her to slay their personal demons, is murdered by a Hellion, Vicky knows that trouble is on the horizon.

TL;DR Version:
An interesting debut painted on a backdrop of paranormal civil rights and Boston, has a unique taste, but is somewhat bogged down by particular issues with the characters. All the same, it's a fun enough light read that I hope to see improve with later installments.

Review:
Just a note: there's a light sprinkling of superficial spoilers in this review, but I do my best to keep everything as vague a possible.

Okay, it's been done before. In fact, X-Men did it best--created a world in which the "normal" people are prejudiced against those paranormal. They just want some rights, man! But seriously? I like the scenario and I think there are places that authors have yet to go with it that aren't covered in X-Men or the bunches of urban fantasy series to approach the issue (Patricia Briggs is the only one I can think of off the top of my head, but there are dozens more). So, I'm completely willing to go into a new area with this. Holzner creates her world, based in Boston, on the idea that paranormal creatures are fighting--through the courts--for the right of autonomy, but are currently looked on as less than human, only allowed to live in certain parts of the city, and otherwise mistreated. Especially the zombie populace that resulted from a plague that struck down part of Boston's population. I liked how much focus Deadtown put on the situation. I hope that Holzner will delve further into the topic rather than let it go, as it's one of the points I enjoyed most in Deadtown. Unfortunately, the main character, Victoria "Vicky" Vaughn, doesn't really care about these political happenings outside of how it pertains to her smooth, werewolf, lawyer sorta-boyfriend and Tina (though perhaps this will be changing after this first installment). Tina is the assistant Vicky never wanted and I wish she didn't have. She's a teenager who got caught in the plague and ended up a zombie.

Honestly, I can't remember having met a more annoying character in urban fantasy. And that's saying a lot. My annoyance with the teenage zombie only increased as Vicky kept forgiving/making excuses for her. "Oh she stole the sword that I need so that I (1) won't be killed horribly and (2) can stop Boston from being broiled from the inside out! Silly teenagers!" Okay, maybe not in those words exactly, but that's what the situation ends up seeming like. The fact that Vicky had agreed earlier to train Tina to be a demon slayer and doesn't revoke this promise after being put into danger by a teenager who put her in danger for no good reason and never really acknowledges the gravity of the situation bothers me immensely. And that's not even the first time Tina did something silly and life-threatening without getting the gravity of the situation, either. So annoyed am I with this character, that any time she was mentioned in the story, I was grinding my teeth in frustration. I gather the author wants Tina to be annoying, but sympathetic because of her rough lot in life, but somewhere along the "I'm a teenage zombie and I don't need to worry about anyone else" mentality, Tina lost any possibility for sympathy from me.

Then again, even if the characters are memorable, I have very mixed reactions to them. I more or less like Vicky, her boyfriend, and her roommate. Although I'm not entirely sure why I like Vicky or these others. I'll ponder on Vicky specifically a little more after I look at the other characters. It should be obvious that I really, really disliked Vicky's "assistant", who had the "talent" of popping up in the book to screw things up just when I though she might have got a lesson through her dense skull. But Tina isn't the only other character. After all, this is urban fantasy. A love interest or love triangle is almost a requirement. (Or maybe it is a requirement now.) Although the love interests of Deadtown could have been interesting, I ended up mostly just saying "Whaaaa?" when they came onto the page most of the time. Actually, it was pretty amusing that Alexander Kane (the werewolf sorta-boyfriend, always referred to as--of course--"Kane") was mostly more interested in his career and the rights of the paranormal community than Vicky. The other love interest Daniel will be interesting to watch (currently I don't trust him--and I hope I'm justified in that, because it would be a lot more fun if he had ulterior motives).

I think that all the things I don't particularly like about Vicky have to do with her love life. Ladies, if you ever suspect a possible love interest of trying to have you violently kidnapped, that relationship is simply not a good one. Just saying.

My last complaint is that the villain feels entirely unreal. If you think you know who it is half-way through the novel, then you do, because it's not a very difficult mystery. Also, that villain is not given any real motivations or humanity. Just another one-dimensional evil villain.

Still, I have to say that I enjoyed the novel. For the hiccups in characterization (mostly the villain, Tina, and a little with Vicky's love life/interests), which can hopefully be attributed to the fact that this book is actually Holzner's debut into the writing world. Otherwise, I'd say Holzner shows some promise. She is definitely heading down the right path with the unique mythology behind Vicky and her sister (Welsh shapeshifters with intricate rules) and their complex relationship. I really liked seeing the difficulty the two had reconciling their different life choices. Also, I have to say that Holzner has a good eye for how to pace a story and build suspense. Regardless of my criticisms of the book, I didn't put it down until I had finished. This probably has to do with Holzner's suspense and writing. The writing seemed smooth and easy to devour. And, perhaps, had the character Tina been moderated (or deleted) and the villain explained further, I think I'd barely have more than a complaint or two about the novel.

Altogether, Holzner's debut is intriguing. If I could judge the novel purely on the easy prose and suspense, the score would have been much higher. Then again, adding character development if probably easier than trying to figure out the mechanics of writing. I'll probably pick up the second to see what improvements Holzner makes.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
Honestly, I saw the cover of this one and I just couldn't say "no". What does it say about me that I see a leather-pants clad female with a big ass gun in one hand and a flaming sword in the other and only react with an awed: "Aweesssoooome"? Anyway, I found the cover interesting enough to pick up (and I wasn't even disappointed when Vicky never wields a big ass gun in the book--as far as I can remember).

Rating: 5 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was provided for the purpose of receiving a review courtesy of the publisher.

Twitter Giveaway: Charlaine Harris

logically@live.com (TJ) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Twitter Contest Results: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
The past few days, if you've been listening on Twitter or Facebook, I offered a contest to win Dead Until Dark. The challenge was to tweet @bookloveaffair an original vampire story...only using one tweet. It was really fun to see how people went about dealing with the challenge! Since I had a lot of fun with it, there will probably be more contests like this in the future.

For this contest, there will be 1 winner who will receive a copy of:
- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

The winner has 3 days to respond with his/her mailing address (either DM it to me on Twitter or email me) or they will be disqualified and an alternative winner chosen. The winner was selected by myself and two other judges. We first chose our favorites independently, then whittled down the list (which is much harder than it sounds)..!

Winner: @kittyism
She walks out into the rain, through the autumn chill. Her nightie swishes, sticks to pale legs. She will be the death of me.

Originally, I thought it would be a bad idea to tell the runner-up who they are, because there's no second place prize. However, I understand that a lot of people put quite a bit of thought into these snippets, so if that person is curious enough to want to know if they're the runner-up, then they can highlight [@starletfallen] between the brackets to see.

And because all the entries were so good, I've included them here for everyone to enjoy! (If anyone would like theirs not to be displayed here, just let me know and I'll remove it.)

@IntenseWhisper
Flashes of lightning, thunder. A hunter comes, rain dripping from jet black hair, eyes ice blue, fangs glistening. He stalks

@SharonWasBorn69
You think dieting is hard well try being a vampire in a blood bank! Eve volunteered because there are perks to the job tho!

@kittyism
She walks out into the rain, through the autumn chill. Her nightie swishes, sticks to pale legs. She will be the death of me.

@ikkle87
Aj was raped and fell pregnant.She gives birth 2 a boy,an immortal.She needs to protect her son from his sire and the world.

@chaoskay
Night falls,vampire rises,roams forest,drinks squirrel blood,and thinks they taste nothing like walkers crisps cajun flavor.

@minhirao
Vampire>Fangs>Neck>Blood>Death...Vamp>Fangs>New Neck>+ Blood>Another dead...Vamp again>No Fangs>No Neck>No Blood>He's dead.

@starletfallen
Hawaiian print didn't seem too threatening, but with his fangs in her neck, she couldn't deny that he was dangerous.

@MissingLynxx
She wondered how the combination of biting and screwing could be so erotic but soon she ceased to wonder lost in revelation

@skyla11377
Skyla Had Everything But Love Then Again Being A Vampire Didn't Help Until She Met Lucan The One Guy Who Loved Her Anyway.

@skyla11377
Dante Needed Blood Desperately But Were Was A Vampire Going To Get Blood At This Time Of Day & Then Zoey Rang His Door Bell.

@bianca_riot
suckin on a blood ice cube, to relieve the hunger and combat in mind, he saved her from hells hands-she was mortal once more

@SeriouslyKooky
vamp girl falls in love w/ human boy & wants 2 B human 2. tgthr they hunt 4 demonic spellbook 2 turn her back. fight demons

@chaoskay
Vampire paid to do ghost tours in York 'cos looks & sounds authentic.Picks off ocassional tourist when noones looking.

@theladya
The vampire caressed her neck and fell in love with the pale girl's scent. She was perfect in every way and was all his.

@SeriouslyKooky
vamp girl falls in love w/ human boy & wants 2 B human 2. tgthr they hunt 4 demonic spellbook 2 turn her back. fight demons

@ssalach21
Brielle isnt full vamp and she doesnt suck blood, but when a new guy shows up she starts 2 gets thirtsty, and not for water.

@LdyDisney
His cool breath caressed her shoulder as he kissed slowly up the curve of her neck. She tilted her head & welcomed his bite.

@chelleyreads
Vamp slowly stroked his familiar, a pink kitten w/ blue eyes, as he watched his enemy die. No one will dare mock kitty now!

@ashleyladd
She tried to run. Instead, she sank to the ground at the mercy of the fiend whose fangs dripped with her blood. #giveaway

@bbricke
Dark nights, wayward souls. My lust for you is on overload, 1 bite 2 be my mate 4 ever & a nite. Surrender 2 me.

Hockeyvampiress
Her tender skin erupted bringing him Xatcy bringing him sustenance bringing him joy bringing him life ...bringing her death

BLA currently has another contest going on here. Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway! And if you missed it, then keep your eyes on Twitter or Facebook.

Review: Brandon Sanderson

logically@live.com (TJ) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Title: Warbreaker
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Format: TC
Available Formats: TC, Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook, Sony eBook, Audio Download
Page Count: 588
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Pub. Date: June 9, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780765320308
Series: Stand Alone (at this time)
Rating: 8 of 10

Summary:
One daughter, Vivenna, is trained her entire life to marry the fearsome God-king of another land and by doing so attempt to staunch the political wound that seems to be leading the two peoples to war against each other. Instead, the younger sister, Siri, is sent. After all, the king has no illusions that whatever daughter he sends will be killed--and he cannot bear to send Vivenna to her death. Both sisters are incredibly displaced by the reversal of decisions. Siri seems to have no ability to maneuver politically while Vivenna feels left without a purpose. Siri accidentally sets to the task of mastering the politics of the strange land while Vivenna endeavors to rescue her sister.

TL;DR Version:
I'm pretty much convinced that everything that comes from Brandon Sanderson is going to have inherent qualities of (1) excellent world building, (2) beautifully imagined magic systems, and (3) a unique and varied cast. Though Warbreaker has some pacing issues, the novel definitely stands up in all these ways.

Review:
One problem with reading the next Brandon Sanderson book is that he has so much to live up to. I mean that after having read Mistborn, I sat back and said to myself, "Now that's how fantasy should be written!" In fact, one of the reasons I'm taking so very long to read the rest of his original books (I have Elantris, Hero of the Ages, and the young adult Alcatraz series remaining) is because I want to savor the reading, but also because I'm secretly worried that the Mistborn was a fluke of genius never to be repeated. Obviously, this is a completely irrational fear. After all, Sanderson hasn't let me down yet. In fact, after having read only roughly half of his works, I already consider him one of my favorite authors. Yet, how can one not be a little worried?

Warbreaker may not quite be as nuanced as Mistborn. However, Warbreaker definitely is a great work and read. If only a few issues (pacing and a few things with cast) were worked out, the premise and other aspects are just as good as his earlier books.

I don't know how Sanderson does it, but for the past few books I've read of his, I've gotten attached (meaning: unhealthily interested in) the most unexpected characters. In Well of Ascension it was "OreSeur", in Warbreaker it's Nightsblood. Of course, with both characters, there are incredible spoilers involved so I can't explain too much. However, I think it's a testament to Sanderson's talent that he can dream up characters that surprise and delight me to such an extent. For me, the cast began a little slowly in their developments. I found Siri fairly interesting, but my interest never really increased. Rather it ended up being the characters I either didn't think much about at first (Nightsblood, Llarimar) or even vaguely didn't like at first (Lightsong) that I ended up loving fiercely. I mean, who couldn't love a cast that includes a god that takes it on himself to question those that follow his own religion at every opportunity? Quite honestly, of the few problems disrupting Warbreaker, the unevenness of the character development probably ranks pretty highly. And, now that I think about it, probably contributes to the secondary issue of pacing. The cast of Warbreaker is incredibly varied and interesting, but is a source of personal aggravation for me. I liked Vasher quite a lot--and he does factor into the beginning of the novel quite a lot--but I felt that he disappears throughout much of the middle and doesn't get enough development or explanation after. This is particularly true considering how important he becomes to the conclusion of the novel. This same complaint can be applied equally to several other characters, although he's the primary example.

The issue with pacing, I think, springs from the issue of how and when to develop the characters. The beginning of the novel starts off well, but lags shortly after before spurting ahead into action, then lagging a little, and then concluding in a burst of energy. It really makes for a strange reading experience being so interested in the story only to have to trudge through another portion.

Really though, outside those criticisms, I'm pretty enamored with the rest of the novel. It doesn't even need to be said that Sanderson devising a new and interesting magic system for the novel. This system involves "BioChroma" and "Breath". Each person has one breath, those that are powerful have more (which can be obtained by other people giving them away). The more Breath a person has, the more powerful they become. Not only are they more powerful, but they experience the world in a more profound way. Colors and beauty are bound to the magic. I rather like this aesthetically bound magic that can be given away, used up, or sought out. This magic fit well into the very detailed world. Also, the theme of religion becomes equally integral to the magic and world. I was happy to see a theme of religious tolerance for the beliefs of others amongst the conflicts of Warbreaker.

My final words on the novel are that I highly recommend anything written by Sanderson, Warbreaker whole-heartedly included. And, if you should think that the characters are not quite right for you, keep reading, because they all change drastically by the end. Although Nightsblood is my favorite character, all my favorite quotes from, er, him would be a little spoilery, so I'll include a quote from Lightsong instead that I particularly liked:

"I try to avoid having thoughts. They lead to other thoughts, and--if you're not careful--those lead to action. Actions make you tired. I have this on very good authority from someone who once read it in a book." [p87]

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
I'm a bit torn on the cover. I find that words covering the girl mar the perspective and make everything look awkward. However, I do love the white-haired woman (Siri, you think?) on the black background with the swirling colors. Although it wasn't at all like how I imagined BioChroma, I think that inclusion for the representation of the specific magic is nice.

Rating: 8 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]
If I could give this one an 8.5, I would. The sheer creativity and talent in this novel alone makes me pre-disposed to giving the higher score, but I'm still just a little too frustrated with the uneven pacing/character developments to take that extra step up to 9.

This book was purchased from Borders.

Monday Coming Attractions #47: The Book That Started It All

logically@live.com (TJ) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:30:00 +0000

The Book That Started It All

So you're probably thinking, "Oh, random books. How nice. Hasn't that Shade's Children been mentioned before?" Or something similar. Obviously, these books started many thing and at the same time didn't start very many things. But for me, they were the start of everything, you see.

I've mentioned Shade's Children and the impact on me previously. I want to read it again, now that I'm a bit older and wiser, but I almost am afraid of ruining what fantastic memories I have of it. Probably it wouldn't, because Garth Nix is a pretty solid author, but this was probably the first real dystopia/SF novel I stumbled upon in my pre-teens and ended up reading throughout high school. I loved it so very much that I would read the book multiple times in a year, just so it was fresh in my memory. However, I never searched other books like it. I simply clung to Shade's Children as if it was the only story of its type ever written.

In fact, it wasn't until I was made to read Fahrenheit 451 that I realized that there was a whole world of dystopia and SF. Even now, there are things about this book absolutely seared into my memory while the majority of the finer details have faded because there are so many years between me and the book. And yet, I know Montag. And I know Ecclesiastes. And sometimes when I read a fantastic new book, I wonder if it would be the one worth "becoming". It was this book that made me at first search out more Ray Bradbury (I became completely immersed in his stories) and then more speculative fiction. I began, first, with dystopia (1984, Brave New World, etc.) and moved on from there.

There is one more I should perhaps mention. That is the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, which I read around the same time as Fahrenheit 451--and which had a similar effect on me.

Now, after these books so long ago started me on the path of speculative fiction, I've almost completely eschewed (for better or worse) every other genre, because I love this one just too much to spend time elsewhere.

What were your "first" speculative fiction books, by which I mean the first that truly mattered and made you open your eyes/mind to the broad genre?

If any author or book review blogger would like to do a guest opinion column for Monday Coming Attractions, please contact me with what your proposed subject and what Monday you can have it ready by. For everyone else, if there's a topic you'd like to see covered in a Monday post, just let me know in a comment!

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Book Love Affair Poll:
The new poll will be up later today--and it's one I really would appreciate everyone voting in, so please take the time to stop by! And in regards to the lsat poll: yeah, I mostly visit blogs to find new books, too, guys.

Reviews and Events to Watch For at BLA:
These are reviews (in order of likelihood) that may or may not come to pass this week. Feel free to let me know which you're looking forward to (or not looking forward to).

Events:
Giveaway: Larbalestier, Scalzi, book lights, and $10 Amazon gift certificates [Ends 2/4]

Up Coming Reviews:
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (Tuesday 1/26)
Deadtown by Nancy Holzner (Thursday 1/28)

Giveaways:
Want a giveaway promoted? Let me know in a comment! Be sure to include the URL where the giveaway is located.

BookReaderTimes has amazing monthly giveaways. In fact, Ivy has so many giveaways that I can't even keep up with them all. Check BRT out!

Lily's Bookshelf is holding her (to my knowledge) first giveaway. Depending on how many followers she gains, she may give away up to three books in her favorite series: Morganville Vampires, Weather Warden, or Sookie Stackhouse. And trust me, she deserves the followers. Great blog, great contest--so check it out! Giveaway ends 1/31.

Friday Finds #24 (on Saturday)

logically@live.com (TJ) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:00:00 +0000

My order from BookCloseOuts finally came! At the beginning of every quarter I treat myself to a 'book binge' with the influx of money. Otherwise, as I said in the last post, I've held off on buying any books. I still just don't have much time to read for leisure!

I should say a few words (consider it a mini-review) on the website BookCloseOuts.com. If you haven't ever been to the website, I highly recommend it. All of the books there are bargain, remainder, or slightly damaged copies. If you stick with the remainder/bargains, the books invariably show up in great condition. The remainder marks are often barely noticable (my last few orders have come with only one very slight permanent marker dot on one of the sides)--and the prices are amazing. The selection varies, often has a bunch of hardcovers, and is always changing. Anyway, like I said, a highly recommended website. The only negative is that shipping is (a) rarely ever free and (b) pretty slow. Small prices to pay, in my opinion. They also have coupons going pretty often (such as the one you get for signing up for their newsletter).

1. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 2A ed. by Ben Bova
I love anthologies. And I have to admit that when I saw a bunch of anthologies at BCO that were on my wishlist, I moved them to my cart without so much as a thought. One series of 'best of' anthologies I've been looking at is the series edited by Ben Bova. I have the remaining volumes on the way--all in hardcover. Seriously, if you're looking for SF anthologies, go grab these while BCO still has them.
Genre: Science Fiction/Anthology
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

2, 3, & 4. Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Wings to the Kingdom, and Not Flesh Nor Feathers by Cherie Priest
I was curious about Cherie Priest ever since I read her Boneshaker this past year. I browsed her other books briefly, but never got around to putting them on the wishlist until Calico Reaction recommended them. And then, when I saw all three of the Eden Moore series posted up at BCO for bargain prices...
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

5. The Last Colony by John Scalzi
It's a horrible, horrible habit to collect series before reading them. Really, I'm not even sure why I do it. I suppose I'm always afraid that I'll love the first book so much that I'll combust or something if I can't have the next immediately. And thus, I'm starting to obtain odds and ends in this Scalzi series before even cracking the first book open... On the other hand, I've heard only good things from all the normal, reliable sources (Jawas Read, Too! & Calico Reaction).
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

6. China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
There are a few topics that will always, always ignite my interest when mentioned in the context of science fiction and fantasy. And generally these topics have a lot to do with gender. I'm particularly interested in any book that takes up the themes of questioning the gender 'norms', femininity, or sexuality. This book popped up in a discussion of those topcis a long time ago (and with someone I've forgotten, sorry!). The book was on my list immediately after I saw it's huge list of awards and nominations. This is one of those I'm looking forward to eagerly and cursing my lack of free time over...
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

7. Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Back when I was still working at the book store, I borrowed this book from my manager. However, I wasn't able to finish the book as I had to return it so that her husband could read it! Since I enjoyed the parts I had read, I decided to get the book once I could find it somewhere fairly cheap. BCO to the rescue again.
Genre: Horror
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

8. The Collected Short Fiction of C.J. Cherryh by C. J. Cherryh
I've had my eye on this book from around the same time that I picked up Cherryh's omnibus a few weeks back. I figured that short fiction is a great way to get to know an author before 'committing' to more. Plus, I have a soft spot for short stories/novellas...
Genre: Science Fiction/Anthology
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

9 & 10. The Science Fiction Century 1 & 2 ed. by David G. Hartwell
Speaking of my affection for anthologies, short stories, and novellas... I recently read and reviewed Age of Wonders, a collection of essays on science fiction written by David G. Hartwell, that I liked very much. I wanted to see some of his work as an editor, so I grabbed these up to see what selections he made for these massive two volumes. I'm already reading the first of them--the great thing about short stories is that they're guilt-free because they only take a few minutes!
Genre: Science Fiction/Anthology
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

11. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
I've mentioned that bad habit about acculumating series, haven't I? This post? Right... I don't even know how this 'parallel' series fits into the Enderverse and I have it. At least it's the first of that parallel series... I guess. And it was cheap?
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

12. The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008 ed. by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant
When I saw that Erika of Jawa's Read, Too! had picked this anthology up from BCO in hardcover I was incredibly jealous and ran to pick up one of the few remaining copies! I've seen Ellen Datlow on an obscene number of anthologies--and I adore both horror and fantasy...so I had trouble of thinking a reason not to pick it up!
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Anthology
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

13. The Dark Mirror ed. by Juliet Marillier
A while ago I was pretty impressed with Juliet Marillier. Unfortunately, because her books are quite long and my leisure time is non-existent, I haven't gotten to explore her writing further yet. Still, I have the feeling I'm going to like her, so I picked up this beginning to another of her series. Two words: hardcover and cheap.
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

14. Visions of Wonder by David G. Hartwell and Milton T. Wolf
I was actually pretty surprised to see this anthology on BCO. After all, Age of Wonders (mentioned above) is not exactly easy to find and it looks as if this is a companion of sorts (same hideous cover; the similarly themed titles). So, it's been added to the pil of anthologies I desperately want to read in my TBR. Hartwell better not let me down!
Genre: Science Fiction/Anthology
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

15. Hawkspar by Holly Lisle
Here's the obligatory random, I-know-nothing-about-this-novel-or-author book. Sadly, I just found out it's the second of the series, so I'm debating whether I need to pick up the first or not...
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

Statistics:

Total # of Books: 16
Genre Breakdown:
        Science Fiction - 8
        Fantasy - 6
        Anthology - 6
        Horror - 2

Get anything good this week? Brag here! Even better, show the pictures of the loot!

Review: David G. Hartwell

logically@live.com (TJ) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Title: Age of Wonders
Editor: David G. Hartwell
Format: TP
Available Formats: TC
Page Count: 319
Genre: Reference/Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Pub. Date: October 15, 1996
ISBN-13: 9780312862350
Series: Stand Alone
Rating: 9 of 10

Summary:
Hartwell, who is obviously a great lover of science fiction, explores (in an academic manner) major issues of the SF genre in his Age of Wonders. From discussing why some fans fall out of SF at teens while others stay for the duration of their entire lives to the recent decline of SF to great recommendations--it's all there.

TL;DR Version:
A highly recommended read for those looking to learn more about the history and literary merit of SF. Keep in mind that it's an academic read, but well worth the time.

Review:
Although it's not 14 years after the revised publication of Age of Wonders, Hartwell's book still provides a comprehensive look at the genre that can be appreciated by the SF veteran, neophyte, and stranger alike. -- Although, I contend that the neophyte will get the most use out of the book, the veteran the next most, and the stranger the least. I'll explain my reasoning as I go on.

Age of Wonders is written in essay format. The 12 essays (plus 6 appendices) are divided into three categories: "The Source and Power of SF's Appeal", "Exploring the Worlds of SF", and "Writer's, Fans, and Critics". As someone who probably falls into the 'very dedicated, but antisocial neophyte' class of SF fan, I found that I was mildly interested with most of the "Source and Appeal" section, ravenous for "Exploring the Worlds" and more or less uninterested in the "Fans, Critics" section. Strangely enough, my absolutely favorite portions of the book were the appendices. Throughout the entire book I found myself jotting down titles and author names from the different recommendations Hartwell made from many categories. He really approaches nearly every topic (to include my pet: feminist writings) within the span of these essays. Then I got to the end and saw the most beautiful appendices: "Sixty Books Important to the Development of SF, Published Before the Name was Invented", "The Best 105 SF Books Since the Invention fo the Field in the Twenties", and "Teaching SF". If anyone is looking to bring themselves up to speed through SF's history and best works, not only are Hartwell's lists well thought, but he explains his selections and even puts together a "Introduction to Science Fiction" and "A Course in the Literary History of SF". I plan to cover both 'courses' in my reading.

In fact, I've referenced Age of Wonders several times already for recommendations and information. Most of my notes come from the following essays (beloved appendices not included):

"Running Away From the Real World"
"When it Comes True, It's No Fun Anymore"
"SF Writers Can't Write for Sour Apples"
"Let's Get SF Back in the Gutter Where it Belongs"
"New Wave: The Great War of the 1960s"

Just as a note, Hartwell's focus is definitely on hard science fiction. By which I mean the real technology and science-driven sort of SF. Although there's an essay or two that includes fantasy or soft SF or the many other variations, it's the hard SF that's Hartwell's strongest (and best loved) topic.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
This cover is hideous. I suppose that's the style with most 'academic' material, though. These sort of books don't often sit on the shelf. All the same: Bleh. However, the title is entirely appropriate--and the reason I picked this one up.

Rating: 9 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]
It's a bit hard to rate a reference book for me, but I'm rating Hartwell's on overall excellence and utility.

This book was purchased used form an individual seller on Amazon.

Review: Seanan McGuire

logically@live.com (TJ) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Title: A Local Habitation
Author: Seanan McGuire
Format: ARC
Available Formats: Pre-order
Page Count: 377
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mystery
Publisher: Daw
Pub. Date: March 2, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780756405960
Series: #2 in the Toby Daye series
Rating: 9 of 10

Summary:
After the events of Rosemary and Rue, October "Toby" Daye is still trying to put her life back together. However, when Sylvester, the Duke of Shadowed Hills, needs Toby to go check in on his niece in the politically charged climate of Tamed Lightning, things are about to get rough again. Toby has to solve a murder before losing everything she went to Tamed Lightning to protect.

TL;DR Version:
Seanan McGuire takes the best parts of mystery, the best parts of urban fantasy, mixes them up, and mixes everything up. Her spin on the 'fantasy' is truly layered and unique; the 'urban' setting of San Francisco is rendered lovingly; the mystery kept me guessing until the end.

Review:
Firstly, I have to recommend only reading this series in order. So if you haven't yet picked up and read Rosemary and Rue then I highly recommend giving the series a shot. After all, Seanan McGuire is quickly becoming one of my more favored authors of urban fantasy; I'm a tough girl to please.

Secondly, for those of you who have read Rosemary and Rue, I have to say: A Local Habitation is even better. All the things that made Rosemary and Rue such a strong debut are still there: the wonderfully damaged heroine, the melancholy story, the gritty details, the perfect rendering of San Francisco, unique and varied fantastic creatures, and I could go on a long while. However, I would say without hesitation that A Local Habitation improves in many of these areas. Whereas I found the mystery interesting in the debut novel interesting, I thought A Local Habitation was compelling. I don't normally count myself as a mystery fan, but I literally found myself asking, "I wonder who did it?"

Toby Daye is probably one of my favorite protagonists in urban fantasy. Although the character does run across the slightly annoying characteristic of attracting every male she comes in contact with, it's forgivable because of how solid of a character she is otherwise. As I mentioned in my Rosemary and Rue review, Toby's back story is uncommon and McGuire writes the damage that results in Toby well. I suppose Toby's trauma and difficulties are a lot of what draws me to the character. The reader is given a real chance to experience Toby's life--as rough as it is--and see her grow and heal. And she has quite a bit of healing left to go. When the reader meets her in Rosemary and Rue, she's at the lowest point in her life and she's steadfastly trying to improve conditions in her own way. A Local Habitation presents a Toby that's slightly recovered, but still broken in man ways. I only can hope to see more of the healing process in Toby in the next book. I'm not sure how McGuire managed it, but Toby is really a character that I find myself wishing the best for--Toby certainly deserves it.

A Local Habitation begins to explore relationships that are only introduced in the first book. Tybalt, Connor, and Quentin all get much larger roles. My only real disappointment in this installment is there's not barely a mention of the family Toby lost. Although I can understand that not being the focus of the novel, I should think that a loss that traumatic would be enough to warrant a bit more discussion. I am very glad to see Tybalt play more of a role, though. Of all the men posturing in Toby's life, he's the only one who can really offer any balance or progression. Plus, I love how Toby and Tybalt snark at each other, it's adorable.

On a side note, I was a little disappointed that San Francisco wasn't the setting for this second installment, but found myself forgetting my grievance as the story moved along. It's only because Seanan McGuire speaks of San Francisco in terms that make anyone who's spent time in the city think, "Oh, that is totally San Francisco" that the change of setting could be considered a disappointment at all... But as I mentioned before, as a girl who loves the city herself, I'm completely biased in this regard.

Otherwise, I am completely devoted to the Toby Daye series and cannot wait for the third installment. (And, as a bonus for fans, McGuire is a hyperactive author. The third book, An Artificial Night, will be released this September!)

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
The covers of the Toby Daye novels are perfect. They're dark with Toby cast in a gritty light. It's perfect for her character: part strong, part vulnerable, part hero, part knight, part private eye, and ready to kick ass. Also, who can hate a series that takes titles from Shakespeare? An author after my very heart, I tell you.

Extras:
1. Sample chapter of A Local Habitation on the official website.
2. Interview with author Seanan McGuire at BLA.

Rating: 9 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was provided for the purpose of receiving a review courtesy of the publisher.

Monday Coming Attractions #46: One Year Later

logically@live.com (TJ) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:00:00 +0000

One Year Later
Although I've spoken about it obliquely elsewhere, I thought I should take a moment and use Monday Coming Attractions to extrapolate a bit further. Book Love Affair, as of January 1st, 2009, is a year old. In that year, I like to think I've come a long way as a reviewer. Of course, there's always more progress to be made, but it's hard not to sit back and be proud for a moment.

Book Love Affair developed from my personal blog. I realized that my book talk and book reviews were taking over that blog, so I decided to separate them out in they're own place. Thus, BLA was born. However, it wasn't long before BLA became much more important to me than my personal blog. In fact, that blog is fairly abandoned in favor of keeping up with the book world.

Looking back at those early days, oh I admit that things were bad. The layout was bad. The colors were bad. The reviews were, well, bad.

I'm now to a point where I'm more or less happy with BLA. Currently, we have 202 followers on Google; 42 on Facebook; 350 on Twitter; 294 by RSS. And the layout, if I may say so, is the best so far. Even so, there are many things I want to continue to improve.

And I want your help. Anyone who has a suggestion for improving BLA will earn an extra entry in our current contest:

How would you make BLA even better in 2010? (I have a thick skin, so critique or suggest away, because there's always room for improvement!)

If any author or book review blogger would like to do a guest opinion column for Monday Coming Attractions, please contact me with what your proposed subject and what Monday you can have it ready by. For everyone else, if there's a topic you'd like to see covered in a Monday post, just let me know in a comment!

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Book Love Affair Poll:
There's currently a poll running for 5 more days in the right sidebar. Get your vote in before it ends! The next poll will be asking about what you like to see in reviews--a topic very important to me!

Reviews and Events to Watch For at BLA:
These are reviews (in order of likelihood) that may or may not come to pass this week. Feel free to let me know which you're looking forward to (or not looking forward to).

Events:
Giveaway: Justine Larbalestier, John Scalzi, book lights, and $10 Amazon gift certificates

Up Coming Reviews:
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
Deadtown by Nancy Holzner
Age of Wonders by David G. Hartwell
Y the Last Man: Unmanned (#1-2) by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzán, Jr.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Apocalypse How by Rob Kuttner
Neuromancer by William Gibson

Giveaways:
Want a giveaway promoted? Let me know in a comment! Be sure to include the URL where the giveaway is located.

BookReaderTimes has amazing monthly giveaways. In fact, Ivy has so many giveaways that I can't even keep up with them all. Check BRT out!

Friday Finds #23

logically@live.com (TJ) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I'm getting into the busy part of the quarter, so I actually won't get around to reading these for awhile. Right now I plan on finishing A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire, Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, and Kindred by Octavia Butler by the end of the month, but otherwise...it's all essays and academic reading.

Also, this is finally the end of my PaperBackSwap points (at least until someone picks up the duplicate copy of Ender's Game I just posted). Now I'm just waiting on a Book Close Outs order or two, but otherwise don't plan on picking up any books for quite awhile...

1. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
My Le Guin collection is actually pretty strong now. I really, really, really want to start reading her soon (starting with The Left Hand of Darkness). As soon as I get some breathing room I plan to, truly. Maybe after this round of essays...
Genre: Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

2. The Faded Sun by C. J. Cherryh
I said it once and I'll say it again: I am such a sucker for an omnibus! Although I've forgotten where from, this was an author recommendation. Or why. Really, I think my brain is just getting away from me lately. Nonetheless, I took a chance to follow up the recommendation when I saw this omnibus over at PaperBackSwap.
Genre: Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

3. Swordpoint by Ellen Kushner
I was looking for sword-oriented fantasy and stumbled across Kushner's title. I don't really know anything else about it! Of course, I like to use PaperBackSwap to pick up titles that I might not have otherwise.
Genre: Fantasy
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

4. Warchild by Karin Lowachee
Awhile back I read a review by Calico Reaction on this novel and immediately put the book on my wishlist. The only problem was I ended up having a hell of a time finding it. For some reason, at Amazon the mass market is listed for $22.99! Thus, I was ecstatic to find it at PaperBackSwap...
Genre: Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

5. Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce
I am now up to 3 of the 4 books in this series. Now I only need In the Hand of the Goddess. I've been trying to dredge up what I remember about this series and have managed to call up a handful of scenes... I'm still quite curious to see how things will have 'changed' now that I've matured a bit.
Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

6. Oathbound by Mercedes Lackey
I can't remember which Lackey series I read as a teenager, so I'm gathering up a bunch of the firsts. I do remember rather liking her Valdemar world, so hopefully I can fall back into it! The only problem with such a large world is trying to find the right place to begin...
Genre: Fantasy
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

7. By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey
This is another Lackey I decided to pick up in my quest to re-discover my favorite teenage fantasy books. Again, I'm not entirely sure to begin with these...
Genre: Fantasy
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

8. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Forever and ever I've heard about Richelle Mead. Of course, I've only heard good things and yet I haven't gotten around to picking up any of her books. I entered Tynga's giveaway, which included this title, without ever hoping to win. I happened to be obscenely lucky. One of the original winners didn't respond and I inherited the prize! It's been awhile since I tore into an urban fantasy, so I'm hoping to get to this one quickly.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Won in a contest from Tynga's Reviews.

9. Bloodline by Kate Cary
Awhile ago--and I mean quite awhile ago--I won the second of this series from Book Reader Times. It took me awhile, but I finally requested the first book from Paper Back Swap so that I can read the series (in proper order)!
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

10. The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance ed. by Trisha Telep
While Book Reader Times still had their store open in which you could 'purchase' books with points that were generated from posting in the forum, I managed to earn enough to buy a 'big' item. I took Ivy's recommendation to get this book. I'm not huge on vampires, but then again I haven't really read much on them either.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Purchased from the Book Reader Times book store with points.

11. The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of by Thomas M. Disch
Another acquisition in my search for reference books on science fiction. I stumbled on the title randomly over at Amazon. I didn't want to spend money on it, so I searched PaperBackSwap, despite the fact I was sure it couldn't possibly be posted there. Imagine my shock when I managed to snag a like new copy!
Genre: Reference/Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

12. Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
I have been looking at and considering this book for years. Literally. I've known for awhile now that's it's based in a loosely apocalyptic world, but never quite committed to picking it up. When it became available from PaperBackSwap on my wishlist, I finally decided to get it.
Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction/Armageddon
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

13. Children of Men by P. D. James
Again, this one I know very little about. I am vaguely familiar with the premise via the movie trailers (although I didn't go see the movie, despite it starring Clive Owen). Otherwise...nothing. Anyone read it (or, erm, seen the movie)? Is it worth having picked up? A bit late to ask, I know...!
Genre: Science Fiction/Armageddon
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

14. Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
The second to last Sevenwaters book, but--from what I can gather--was thought to be the end of a trilogy for quite awhile. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens to Sorcha's brothers, but haven't the time yet to commit to these longer novels. How sad!
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from the Book Reader Times book store with points.

Statistics:

Total # of Books: 14
Genre Breakdown:
        Science Fiction - 6
        Fantasy - 5
        Armageddon - 2
        Urban Fantasy - 2
        Paranormal Romance - 1
        Young Adult - 1
        Reference - 1
        General Fiction - 1

Get anything good this week? Brag here! Even better, show the pictures of the loot!

Review: Brandon Sanderson

logically@live.com (TJ) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Title: Well of Ascension
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Format: MM
Available Formats: MM, TC, Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook, Sony eBook, Audio Download
Page Count: 763
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Pub. Date: June 3, 2008
ISBN-13: 9780765356130
Series: #2 in the Mistborn series
Rating: 8 of 10

Summary:
The Lord Ruler is dead, but Vin and Elend's troubles are just beginning. Even worse, they are unable to turn to the brilliant mind that engineered the entire rebellion. After all, Kelsier is dead. Luthadel is surrounded by armies. Inside the gates there is political turmoil that even a good-hearted king like Elend cannot suppress. Meanwhile, Vin is trying to find her place in this royal court by day; by night she hunts the streets for possible assassins. It's at night in the mists, that she meets a fellow allomancer and that meeting exacerbates her feelings of isolation...

TL;DR Version:
A solid middle novel in my favorite fantasy series. Like Mistborn there's a complete story in itself within Well of Ascension, but still manages to whet the reader's appetite for the third--and final--installment.

Review:
Mistborn was Kelsier's story. Yes, Vin has a very large part of the plot and emphasis, but it was Kelsier that moved everything along. A lot of Well of Ascension is the surviving cast trying to figure out how things work without Kelsier to guide the action. It is Elend and Vin's stories.

For me, I had a really hard time letting go of Kelsier, but I figured that this was how most of the characters felt as well, so I tried to transfer that grief (yes, I missed Kell that much) to work for the story rather than against it. I had a hard time getting into Elend and Vin's worries. Particularly Elend. For the first part of the book Elend is trying to get over self-esteem issues. In the second half he is more sufferable, but...well, I simply can't imagine him becoming one of my favored characters any time soon. Vin, on the other hand, is a bit more understandable. She's lost. Once an orphan and a thief, it's strange to find herself surrounded by friends and with her lover (though I use the term loosely) in a palace. I could identify with her struggles more, but felt as if I had missed where the more-or-less confident Vin of Mistborn.

I didn't expect either character to struggle with these inner issues for quite so much of the book. Nor did I expect to find Elend and Vin's relationship so bloody dull. One would think that two crazy young kids surrounded by possible death would have a bit more passion, but I was pretty cold to their interactions. And then I couldn't help almost tap my foot in anticipation for the action to begin. With so many interesting political and martial story lines, I was expecting action much sooner than it actually came.

That being said, I'm not disappointed at all with the plot or the twists that Sanderson throws in. The development getting to these points may be a bit slow, but entirely worth the time and effort. And although I have a personal issue with one part of the end, I otherwise truly appreciated the novel completely once the action and pacing started to ramp up.

Though many elements of the later portion of the novel really struck home, I was absolutely rocked by the OreSeur story. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that he became my favorite character in the Well of Ascension...

I have no doubt in my mind that Sanderson will have an amazing conclusion to the story in Hero of the Ages.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
I love, love the covers to this series. Well, Mistborn and Well of Ascension particularly. Vin makes for such a striking figure and the art is utterly perfect. Dramatic. The first line also is quite dramatic with some nice imagery: "The army crept like a dark stain across the horizon."

Rating: 8 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was purchased from an independent book store.

Review: Rachel Ward

logically@live.com (TJ) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Title: Numbers
Editor: Rachel Ward
Format: ARC
Available Formats: TC, Audio CD, Audio Download
Page Count: 325
Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction
Publisher: The Chicken House
Pub. Date: January 21, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780545142991
Series: #1 in the Numbers series
Rating: 4 of 10

Summary:
Ever since her mother died, Jem can see people's 'numbers'. It doesn't take long for her to figure out that these numbers are accurate indicators of the date each person will die. This knowledge alone would be enough to isolate Jem from forming meaningful attachments to other people; however, exacerbating matters is the fact that Jem comes from a bad home and seems destined to grow up only to amount to nothing. Then one day she meets Spider and begins to form a relationship with another person for the first time. From there, Jem's life seems to change quickly.

TL;DR Version:
Numbers takes an incredibly interesting idea and starts out strong, but falters about midway through and forces itself to trudge to the weak end.

Review:
I picked Numbers because I thought the premise was interesting. Although the idea of being able to predict the death of others is an idea that has been done before, I thought that Ward might take an interesting stance, especially with the hints I'd seen in summaries tying Numbers in with a terrorism plot.

I'll say straight out that I didn't come away from Numbers as the biggest fan. I will not be reading the next book in the series (which I am certain there will be by the ending in this one). But first I'd like to talk about the things that were working for me in the book, because it certainly started out strong.

The voice of Numbers is pretty unique. Jem is a troubled teenager--and rightly so. The voice of young adult fiction often forgets this side of society so it was nice to see some representation for a teenager who felt she was going no where, uncertain what she wants or even if she deserves/should want anything. Her friend, a gangly black boy with a hygiene problem, shares Jem's dilemma of isolation. These aren't the kids you are happy to see on the street; these are the kids that are muttered about as 'good for nothing' or even 'dangerous'. Ward begins by bringing a sympathetic humanity to the two characters by slowing opening them up to a friendship with each other. As Jem becomes more ingrained into Spider's life she begins to become a little more self aware--which seems to be the right direction for her to go.

Meanwhile, Jem's ability to see 'numbers' works through this beginning as an incredibly interesting facet to the book and character as well as adding to the suspense building around the friendship. After all, Spider's number looms closer and closer just as Jem comes to care more and more about the young man.

So, throughout the first half of the book, I was enjoying these elements quite a lot and curious to see what would pan out. Everything was going fine until the introduction of the terrorist subplot. After this point, any semblance of enjoyment I was getting from the book diminished in increasing amounts.

The terrorist subplot, almost completely forgotten after it's first mentioned, brings an excuse to throw the two young characters into 'action' and fast forward their friendship. The relationship between Jem and Spider (which until this point, has progressed so slowly and perfectly painfully) turns immediately into mutual love with little conflict or deeper truth to the starting portion of their relationship.

Despite the kink in the relationship, pacing, and plot I was still prepared to embrace a redeeming ending for the two characters. Unfortunately for me, the book only gains weaknesses until it whimpers to the end. Not only is the ending completely lacking fulfillment for the reader, it leaves Jem almost exactly where she started: with little hope of a future or real happiness.

After closing the book, I felt cheated. After such a strong start with an interesting voice, it left me to trudge to a shallow end. Thus, I cannot recommend the novel.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
I like the cover well enough, though the red scheme sort of bothers me on an arbitrary level. Otherwise, the eye gazing into a see of numbers is perfect to the plot and intriguing visually. So fitting, but unexciting. The first line, though, captures Jem and her unique voice pretty well: "There are places where kids like me go."

Rating: 4 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was provided for the purpose of receiving a review courtesy of Amazon Vine.

Monday Coming Attractions #45: Reading Challenges

logically@live.com (TJ) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Reading Challenges
Until last year I had never heard of "reading challenges". However, I in early 2009 a friend invited me to participate in the challenge she ran, which was to read 100 books in a year. Although I made the goal easily enough, I lost my list of books read about midway through the year. This year I not only resolved to maintain my records better (meaning: not lose them), but join a few more challenges. This year I wanted to join one easy challenge and a few that would truly stretch my reading limits. I think I managed to find a nice balance, so let me talk about the challenges I chose. If you like, you can join me in participating with them, of course.

Challenge #1: Calico Reaction's Book Club

Calico's is the only book club I try to participate in regularly. Sadly, I only get over there for 50% or so of the months, but I'm going to try for more this year. The great thing about Calico's club is how she themes each month and the titles she chooses. Above are some of the great titles she's chosen: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Also, for February, we're reading Kindred by Octavia Butler.
[Check out Calico Reaction's Book Club?]

Challenge #2: Anita Blake

I'm not entirely sure how much I'll be liking this challenge, because of the mix of things I've heard about the series. Regardless, I think that because Hamilton is such a big name in urban fantasy, I should find out for myself. The challenge to read all the Anita Blake books is being hosted by the very popular Book Chick City.
[Check out the Anita Blake Challenge?]

Challenge #3: 50 New Authors

This is my "easy" challenge of the year. Chances are I'd have tried 50 new authors anyway, so why not count and make sure? For those with less time than myself (read: more of a life), the same challenge can be taken up with a smaller number of authors, too, so that everyone can participate.
[Check out the New Authors Challenge?]

Challenge #4: Wheel of Time

This is the first book challenge I've hosted at Book Love Affair and I'm really excited to see how it goes. So far we have a promising start with over 50 participants signed up! I'm not quite sure how I'll beat this challenge next year, but...
[Check out the Wheel of Time Challenge?]

Are you participating in any reading challenges? If so, which ones?

If any author or book review blogger would like to do a guest opinion column for Monday Coming Attractions, please contact me with what your proposed subject and what Monday you can have it ready by. For everyone else, if there's a topic you'd like to see covered in a Monday post, just let me know in a comment!

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Book Love Affair Poll:
There's currently a new poll asking your opinion on what you like about book blogs in the sidebar. Please take the time to answer! There are 12 days remaining to vote.

Reviews and Events to Watch For at BLA:
These are reviews (in order of likelihood) that may or may not come to pass this week. Feel free to let me know which you're looking forward to (or not looking forward to).

Events:
Giveaway: Justine Larbalestier and John Scalzi [Ends: 2/4/2009]

Up Coming Reviews:
Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Numbers by Rachel Ward
Age of Wonders by David G. Hartwell
Y the Last Man: Unmanned (#1-2) by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and José Marzán, Jr.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Apocalypse How by Rob Kuttner
Deadtown by Nancy Holzner

Giveaways:
Want a giveaway promoted? Let me know in a comment! Be sure to include the URL where the giveaway is located.

BookReaderTimes has amazing monthly giveaways. In fact, Ivy has so many giveaways that I can't even keep up with them all. Definitely check BRT out!

Calico Reaction is giving away one of her favorite 10 books. The choices look great: Liar by Justine Larbalestier, Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey, Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica, Eyes like Stars by Lisa Mantchev and more!

Awards:
Thank you to GAL Novelty for this blog award!

Giveaway: Larbalestier and Scalzi

logically@live.com (TJ) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Dual Giveaway: Justine Larbalestier's How to Ditch Your Fairy and John Scalzi's Old Man's War
Book Love Affair has a lot to celebrate. The blog is officially over a year old now, has almost 200 Google followers, 300 Twitter followers, over 270 RSS subscribers, and I've worked closely with a publisher to promote one of my favorite authors. And 2010 is looking even better than 2009 already.

What better way to celebrate than do a giveaway? I took a long time selecting the titles for the giveaway. The 'theme' for this giveaway are titles that I want to read myself in the near future. There's a YA/fantasy choice and a science fiction choice. Justine Larbalestier impressed me with her Liar in 2009. And I've wanted to get to the Scalzi for quite awhile now. I'd be very happy if you could join in enjoying these books with me.

This giveaway is massive, firstly. There are tons of ways to earn bonus entries (trivia, referrals, etc). So I want to mention one last thing: if during this giveaway Book Love Affair hits 225 followers, I'm going to add in a secret prize that all giveaway participants will be entered for (and, trust me, it's going to be something good--maybe a giftcard)!

Update:
1. Everyone who enters the giveaway will also be entered to possibly win one of 5 booklights or 2 ($10) Amazon gift e-certificates. These items were donated by the lovely Ivy of Book Reader Times!
2. We did hit 210 followers, so I'm throwing in a surprise grand prize! All entrants will be entered for it.

Details:
To enter the contest, you need only fill out the first two parts of the following form. However, for this contest, there are many ways to earn extra entries--including answering some book trivia. The giveaway is open internationally (any country that The Book Depository ships to). The winners will have 3 days to respond to my email before forfeiting their prize to an alternate winner. Lastly, I do ask that no one post answers/hints in the comments to the book trivia!

Note:
If you have trouble reading all the question, I've left a bold comment with the entire text of the trivia questions.

Prizes:
Either How to Ditch Your Fairy OR Old Man's War
5x Book Lights
2x $10 Amazon gift e-certificates
1x Surprise Grand Prize

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This giveaway ends 2/4 at midnight. The winners will be announced 2/5.

Friday Finds #22

logically@live.com (TJ) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Classes have started up again, so I'm a bit slower with my comments both in Book Love Affair and around the blogosphere. I am (so far at least) adhering to the new schedule I've laid out for BLA, so everyone can at least know when to expect reviews and whatnot.

There are two interesting events popping up in the near future here. The first is a giveaway that will be popping up on Saturday (tomorrow!). The second I'll announce just as soon as I confirm all the details.

1. All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear
I had forgotten my book this week, so on the way to lunch I popped into my favorite downtown store to pick something up. I was only looking for one book, but ended up with two. This was the first of the two books I found, but not the one I started to read immediately. I've been hearing Bear's name pop up more often recently, so I thought I'd get a book or two and see if there was reason for it.
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased at an independent bookstore.

2. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
I plan on reading both Scalzi and Dick this year, so I thought this book would be a nice supplement for after. And, for the BookCloseOut price, I really couldn't say no to getting the hardcover, could I?
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

3. Exile's Valor by Mercedes Lackey
When I was a teenager, there were two fantasy authors I remember liking particularly: Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey. I've been itching to re-read both authors and see how what I remember reading compares to what I read now. I am waiting, however, until I accumulate a number of the books before I start re-reading. I believe once I have the Arrows books and Exile's Honor I can begin.
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
This is the other book I picked up on the same day as the Elizabeth Bear. This one I did immediately begin reading. Gibson, like Bear, is one of those authors I've heard a bit about, but nothing that I can remember specifically. I'm about half way through the novel already.
Genre: Science Fiction
Purchased from an independent bookstore.

5. Bring Down the Sun by Judith Tarr
This would be the book I picked up utterly spontaneously. I know nothing about it or Tarr, so I guess it'll be a surprise! If nothing else, the cover is gorgeous, isn't it?
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

6, 7, 8, & 9. New Spring, Knife of Dreams, Winter's Heart, and Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
Here's the final shipment of my Wheel of Time books for our 2010 Challenge. There's still time to join up if you're interested in reading through the entire series with Book Love Affair this year. We'll be discussing the first book, Eye of the World, at the end of the month!
Genre: Fantasy
Purchased from BookCloseOuts.

10. Glory Season by Daviv Brin
This book looked really interesting gender-wise, so I picked it up in my Paper Back Swap binge not long ago. I probably won't read it until I get through The Postman, but who knows? That's the fun part of random picks, I get to them when I want.
Genre: Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

11. Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon
Only one more book to collect in this series now! Actually, I'm looking much more forward to Moon's Remnant Population, but honestly, I want to snap up all her stuff after reading The Speed of Dark. This series I'm only less excited because I assume it'll be less innovative as an adventure sci-fi series, but I may be surprised yet.
Genre: Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

12. Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
Honestly, if any of Moon's books are in the same vein of emotion as The Speed of Dark, it'll be this one. Or so I'm hoping.
Genre: Science Fiction
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

13. Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H.P. Lovecraft
This author, believe it or not, I've not read despite being a huge horror buff. Thus, he's pretty near the top of my list, because I think that I need to rectify the fact pretty soon here.
Genre: Horror
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

14 & 15. Guilty Pleasures and The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton
Lastly, these two I picked up for one of my challenges. The Anita Blake challenge is hosted by Book Chick City. I joined because I really know very little about the series and have heard so much. Some say that Hamilton is a must-read as one of the early urban fantasists and others say she descends into worthless books without plot and only sex. I sort of want to figure it out for myself.
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Traded for on PaperBackSwap.

Statistics:

Total # of Books: 15
Genre Breakdown:
        Science Fiction - 6
        Fantasy - 6
        Urban Fantasy - 2
        Paranormal Romance - 2
        Horror - 1

Get anything good this week? Brag here! Even better, show the pictures of the loot!

Review: Daniel Keyes

logically@live.com (TJ) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Title: Flowers for Algernon
Author: Daniel Keyes
Format: MM
Available Formats: TC, TP, MM, Audio Download
Page Count: 311
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Harvest Books
Pub. Date: June 14, 2004
ISBN-13: 9780156030083
Series: Stand Alone
Rating: 10 of 10

Summary:
Charlie Gordon has always been on the very low side of the IQ spectrum. Now in his 30s, he works in a bakery, doing small errands for the benevolent owner, and goes to school to learn how to read and write. After experiments are conducted on mice, one named Algernon, that seem to raise the intelligence of the creatures. When human trials are ready to be conducted, Charlie is the candidate. The procedure works--both Algernon and Charlie become smarter and smarter rapidly. Only, Algernon, slightly ahead on the experimental curve than Charlie, begins to decline.

TL;DR Version:
This is a book that's touching and makes you think. I highly recommend everyone read it and, if enjoyed, read Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon to supplement.

Review:
After reading Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark, I had many people recommending Flowers for Algernon as a response. Now that I've read the book, I can see why the recommendation was made. Both are excellent books and both focus on different sides of the spectrum on similar ideas. I think reading both provides a unique view into both novels, actually. Whereas Moon focuses on the experiences, feelings, and humanity of her autistic protagonist, Keyes focuses more on external and internal recognition and action. Keyes' character, Charlie, begins his arc as a man with an IQ so low that he often doesn't understand what goes on around him, but a man who assumes the best of others with an innocent air. However, unlike Moon's character again, Charlie is forever trying to become smarter and more 'normal'. He attends classes to learn how to read and write, which in turn gets him a position as a test subject for a promising experimental surgery. A surgery that just might make him smarter--normal. Charlie, who only vaguely understands what's going on, consents.

This is where Keyes' story truly becomes interesting. Charlie's intellect begins rising exponentially. Where there was once a well-meaning, but mentally handicapped young man there is soon an emotionally confused and increasingly bitter intelligent man. In fact, Charlie must not only suffer coming to understand those people he thought he knew his entire life, but also becoming so intelligent that he cannot relate with anyone. This isolation is not unlike the isolation he experienced with his beginning IQ, only he is more lonely because his good nature has been torn from him because he now can see the truth about others. I also loved the contrast of the perceived relationship Charlie had with Algernon.

In many ways, this story is intriguing. Keyes creates a unique situation with Charlie and explains Charlie's story through diary-like "progress reports" that let the reader understand more about Charlie than Charlie understands about himself--regardless of Charlie's fluctuating intellect. The situation creates a unique opportunity for the reader to see more clearly the interesting situations that arise from Charlie's reactions to others and how others treat him.

Although I missed the incredibly endearing humanity given to Moon's protagonist, I was enthralled by Flowers for Algernon. My brain simply couldn't let the story down. Even when I wasn't reading the book, I was rolling scenes and thoughts around my head. Even know I'm fairly incoherent about all the things that make this book so moving and great. More than the story, it's how Keyes tells the story that makes Charlie's situation so important.

This one is a book everyone should read.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
Really, this one is a future classic, so it doesn't matter what's on the cover. I do, however, love that this version features Algernon. However, not only is this one a 'classic', but it's entertainment value is amazing as well.

Rating: 10 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was purchased from my university book store.

Review: Julier Marillier

logically@live.com (TJ) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Title: Daughter of the Forest
Author: Juliet Marillier
Format: MM
Available Formats: MM, TP
Page Count: 544
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Tor
Pub. Date: February 18, 2002
ISBN-13: 9780765343437
Series: #1 in the Sevenwaters series
Rating: 7 of 10

Summary:
Sorcha is the seventh child of Colum of Sevenwaters. All six of her older siblings are brothers--and, in fact, she was supposed to be the seventh son of a seventh son. Instead, Sorcha is a girl. The siblings are incredibly close, bound by blood and spirit. This bond is threatened by the siblings' new, evil step-mother, who lays a curse on the brothers that turns them into swans. It then falls on Sorcha to save her siblings from their fate...a price bought by her silence and pain.

TL;DR Version:
A mystical-feeling retelling of a Celtic myth involving brothers cursed into swans. More importantly, a moving tale about one girl's strength and the tribulations she faces to save her brothers. A little uneven, a little disjointed between the tale and the romance, but a great read.

Review:
I have to admit that my knowledge of Celtic lore is non-existent. And I'm not at all exaggerating. I didn't even know that Daughter of the Forest was based on a fairy tale until I stumbled on the information at Amazon. Why did I pick up Daughter of the Forest? The cover, of course. Well, that and I seemed to half remember that one of the people I used to talk with about books had liked Marillier quite a lot.

I should clarify a little on the Celtic myth aspect of the novel before moving on. I've admitted to being ignorant of the Celtic basis for The Daughter of the Forest, but I don't think I lost all that much due to being unfamiliar with the original tale. Perhaps it would have enhanced the story, but I didn't feel as if I was out of the loop. Everything the reader needs is contained within Marillier's novel.

There are two major elements to Daughter of the Forest: family and romance. I'll discuss both in that order, because that's how they come in the novel, really. The aspect of Sorcha's family bond is by far the strongest and most resonant in the novel. Marillier builds the family in a way that makes it the unshakable heart of the novel. Everything Sorcha does, it's to free her brothers. I've seen people whine that Sorcha doesn't act 'strong', but I just can't see where they're pulling this opinion from. Physically she may not be a match for anyone, but certainly her strength of will cannot be questioned. Sorcha not only willingly suffers to save her family, but remains silent about her trials the entire time. Sorcha's silence is particularly a well-suited trial for her because so much of her strength is derived from her spiritual nature and the related stories. This device is used frequently with female protagonists, but I thought it was wrought particularly well in Daughter of the Forest. I found Sorcha's silent strength incredibly refreshing.

Although a romance is hinted at early, around the midpoint the novel seems to divert from the strong familial path. The romance is fairly obvious and changes the entire tone. I liked a lot of the elements that the romance introduced (conflict between the two cultures, etc), but because the romance storyline is after the to the sibling-centric beginning it seems to fall a bit flat in the face of the beautifully woven family story. And, I might add, feels untrue to the romance hints in the beginning. (I will be vague to avoid spoilers, could have introduced interesting conflict but is just accepted. I hope that the second book will address this red herring-esque tease.)

The only other problem I had with the novel--and this is a spoiler--is the inclusion of the rape scene. I'm not entirely sure why this scene doesn't work for me, but I can get quite touchy about the portrayal of rape (or even just women) in fiction. Marillier tries to give the time necessary to this added trial of Sorcha's, but...well, as I said, it just doesn't quite ring true for me. This is completely a personal preference thing, I think, especially since I don't feel that I can articulate it any better than that.

I enjoyed and was pretty damn enthralled by Daughter of the Forest, which was surprising to me because I picked up the novel so spontaneously. Any qualms I have with it are small comparative to the entertainment value and the worth of reading about the incredible, unique family. The first book wraps up Sorcha's story nicely, but leaves enough plot threads hanging to keep the reader wondering. In fact, I found the ending quite disconcerting in that Sorcha's story was so finished, but the story of her family (who it's impossible not to become emotionally involved with) was left so open.

Cover/Title/First Line Critique:
I'm strangely drawn to old fantasy art styles. This one grabbed my eye because the female was so obviously the protagonist and had a tranquil look. I'm not sure if that marketing works for anyone other than me, but...

Rating: 7 of 10 [Learn more about the rating system?]

This book was purchased from Borders.