Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review - The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman

2012-01-27T09:02:00.002-05:00

I have to admit, the cover got me. The cool looking sword, the hazy Big Ben in the background, the shades of blue, it's just a great cover. I'm sorry to say the rest of the book didn't quite live up to it.

For some reason I thought The Thirteen Hallows [US] [UK] [Kindle] would be YA, but that's far from the truth. It's probably because Scott wrote The Alchemyst series (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel). Lots of bloody rituals, sex, and more bloody rituals.

Thirteen people, the keepers, charged with watching over the thirteen hallows, powerful objects that when brought together, well, that's just a bad idea. Evil and bad with a touch of scary happens.

The thirteen keepers are charged with keeping their respective hallow safe and never to bring them together. Judith Walker is a keeper and she's noticed that, while the police and media aren't acknowledging it, the keepers are being killed one by one and she's number four...wait, sorry, wrong book.

Did I mention Judith Walker is 77? So, we start out with a 77 year old protagonist, and while I felt bad about it, I had a hard time with a 77 year old running around trying to solve a mystery. It just breaks all kinds of tension. It could have also been the fact that I was picturing a nonexistent walker. That really never helps.

Luckily, there are more people who get involved and Judith doesn't remain the main protag for very long.

So, why didn't I like The Thirteen Hallows?

It's pretty simple. The characters are pretty shoddy. They are stale and boring to be honest. There's nothing that makes you want to hang out with the leads, buy them a drink. They aren't even sympathetic. Sarah Miller is in her 20s and repressed by her parents, so she stays and continues to take it? No, I have no sympathy. Grow a pair.

And then the antagonists are just evil for evil's sake. They're killing children brutally (luckily we're saved from that description for the most part) and they revel in it, have sex in it. It was pretty disgusting actually. There's some attempt at explaining why they're that way, but I wasn't ever convinced.

I ended up sticking it out to the end, so The Thirteen Hallows wasn't terrible, it just wasn't good. Okay is really the best way to describe it. I really can't recommend wasting your time, there's too much out there that's really good.

2 out of 5 Stars (Just Okay)

Ps. If you were wondering, yes, The Thirteen Hallows does mention Harry Potter. Thought you were wondering. :)

Pps. No, it's not the same Michael Scott as you're thinking.

Epic Wheel of Time Giveaway #1: The Eye of the World

2012-01-24T10:41:00.002-05:00

Just like I said a little while ago, we're going to be giving away each of the audiobooks leading up the release of A Memory of Light in November.

So, now's your chance to listen to the first book in The Wheel of Time, The Eye of the World.

This book is probably my favorite in the series. I just loved being introduced to all these new ideas and magical places and it was just as good in my "reread" on audio.

Kate Reading and Michael Kramer do an incredible job; they really bring the point of views to life.

Here's a clip to get you going:

Giveaway Rules

If you are interested in getting your hands on the The Eye of the World on audiobook, then follow the exceedingly simple instructions below.

E-mail me your name and address at onlythebestsff@[removethis]gmail.com, with "I've got something in my eye...of the world" as the subject of the email (or at least something that lets me know what the email is about). This goes without saying, but double emails get you disqualified.

Snarky comments increase your chances of winning and win bonus entries for future giveaways. I'm sorry to say this is open in the US only as long as delivery doesn't require the mounting of an expedition into remote wilderness.

Review - Perfect Shadow: A Night Angel Novella by Brent Weeks

2012-01-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

Assassins going to assassinate people all assassin-like. Add crazy awesome magical abilities, immortality, love, shadows, betrayals, and constant action. You may just have Perfect Shadow: A Night Angel Novella [US] [UK Kindle] [Kindle - only $2.99].

I don't think I'd recommend diving into Perfect Shadow without having already read the rest of the Night Angel Trilogy, or at least the first book, The Way of Shadows. It's a great series especially if you want a book/series that's really hard to put down. With all its faults, it's so much fun.

If you haven't read the trilogy, or at least book one, then you may not want to read further...

Perfect Shadow takes us back in Durzo Blint's history. He's just around 700 years old, so he's got plenty to go around. We learn things not only from his distant past, but also how he got to where he is at the start of the main sequence, just before Kylar comes into the picture.

In a kind of Name of the Wind style (but a little more confusing), Durzo Blint, tells us his story as he sees it.

As I mentioned above, there's plenty of assassinining going on and a nice little plot with Momma K, to take out all the wetboys (super-assassins) in the city.

The writing isn't going to win any awards, but the action and imagination are what keep me coming back.

4 out of 5 Stars

Goals - Looking Ahead To 2012

2012-01-20T09:20:00.002-05:00

As I've alluded to before, I will be revising my goals for this year. I still want to have some solid numbers, but nothing too much in stone. I obviously can't deal with that.

1. Read 50 Books

This is down from last year but only because I'll be taking the bar this summer. I'm giving myself a couple months break. I'll probably still be reading/posting through May/June/July (although I will probably cut down quite a bit) and maybe I'll change this number if it's too easy. I just don't want any pressure in any way whatsoever. This baby does not lend itself well to multiple takings.

2. Finish more than 2 series

I finished only two series last year and I really want to do better. Finish and then move on so I don't have to waste time figuring out what was going on before. Blogging has really taken a toll on my ability to stick with a series. It has nothing to do with how good the series is, only that there's always something new and shiny coming through the door that MUST be read before the series is completed. Luckily this is the year of series completions as you can see here.

Series I'm debating finishing given the mood: Malazan Book of the Fallen by Erikson (1 more), Shadow Saga by Sprunk (1 more), Macht by Kearney (1 more), John Cleaver by wells (2 more), Riyria Revelations by Sullivan (2 more omnibi), Dark Tower by King (4 more), Wheel of Time by Jordan/Sanderson (9 more - this will be a toughy).

Also, if you were curious, I've been keeping track of the series' I'm working through at my other blog. It's pretty ridiculous. I would really like to take some of these off the list.

3. Read more from my shelves

(This shelf is now 2 rows thick and piled to the top, one of many and all unread)

I have hundreds of books just sitting there on my shelves and plenty of completed-yet-unread trilogies (before I started my "Read one book before buying more to see if you actually like it" rule). Last year, only 10 of the 58 came from my shelves.

As I mentioned before, the new and shiny is so easy to jump into, but then I look at my shelves that are overflowing and see that none have been touched. Where did all my plans of reading go?

-----------
And that's it. Nothing too complicated, yet I think I'll have to stretch a bit to get to some of these. I want this year to be the year of finishing. Finishing series' I've been working on for years and moving on.

UPDATE: The Epic Wheel of Time Giveaway I said would start this week is having a couple of technical difficulties. We're still on for the giveaway, but it may not begin until next week seeing as how today is Friday.

Review - The World House by Guy Adams

2012-01-18T16:07:00.007-05:00

I heard a lot of different things before I started The World House [US] [UK] [Kindle - only $2.99] by Guy Adams. Some good, some not so good, but mostly I heard that it was weird. Really, I have to admit that they were pretty much all right.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Well, maybe that's not exactly it. I got into it really easily, but then 80 or so pages in, it was hard to keep going.

There was a great mystery going on with this box and this weird house...and then there's character after character introduced and slowly I wasn't quite as interested. The mystery didn't matter quite as much with my growing frustration at the lack of plot movement.

Kinda like my relationship with the show Lost. I had to take a break around the middle of season two.

But then, and just like Lost, I got back into it and it was kinda good.

You see, there's this mysterious house that people keep showing up at and the only way they end up there is when they have contact with this box, except that they have to be in a life or death situation and suddenly they're transported to a house...that's trying to kill them at every turn.

There's more underlying mystery, but I don't want to spoil too much now do I?

So, we meet character after character, but once the house starts trying to kill them in unique and interesting ways, it was pretty fun.

For instance, there are stuffed animals (both toy and taxidermy) that come alive at "night", worms with jagged teeth, wraiths, oh my!

One of the coolest [possible spoiler, but only because this occurs later in the book] was an entire ocean in the bathroom and the accompanying way it tries to kill you.

The main problems I had were with some of the characters and dialogue. I'll tackle dialogue first. The dialogue killed a lot of the tension in many of the scenes. They would joke, and usually I'm fine with joking and breaking some tension (Jim Butcher does it fine), but this joking was just a bit too much in terms of quantity.

Now the characters. Without spoiling too much, obviously this book is hard to talk about without spoilers, the characters were often just caricatures of their time period. Tom, from the '20s, drove me nuts cat. Yes, he said "cat" every other word.

This is not to mention a couple more who just made no sense, like Pablo, who seemed to be there for comic effect even though he really wasn't funny.

I actually enjoyed the character of Sophie, who's a mentally challenged young girl who thinks in the oddest way comparing everything to what she sees as "Right" and "Wrong" and sometimes what's "Just Have To Do," which she doesn't really understand (I might have the quote wrong since I don't have the book right here with me while I write this).

And yet despite these problems I had, I'm really looking forward to the next book, The World House: Restoration. That could be because of the largish cliffhanger ending, but I also really started to like it by then too.

Adams' imagination is vast and demented and I love it. His characters need some work (not all of them), but they'll work for now if only to see what other craziness exists in this world.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (Really liked it)

Review - The Great Bazaar and Other Stories (A Demon Cycle Novella) by Peter V. Brett

2012-01-16T09:43:00.005-05:00

I probably don't need to mention this again, but I love the Demon Cycle by Peter Brett. It just gets me. It's not perfect, but there are so many great things about it that I can easily dismiss/overlook/completely ignore any shortcomings. I keep reading and I can't get enough.

Brett has created literary crack.

The Great Bazaar and Other Stories [US] [UK] [Kindle - only $4.99] takes place somewhere in the middle (time-wise) of The Warded Man, book one of the Demon Cycle. Our hero, Arlen Bales, is working as a messenger -those who brave the night and accompanying demons to bring messages to different towns. Brett explains in the introduction that this was a hugely fertile ground for stories that were mostly skipped over in the main sequence of novels because they would have taken a toll on the timing and pace.

Let me just say that I greatly appreciate authors who do this, streamlining the main sequence and releasing other stories, less important stories, that fans will read anyway, but that drag down an otherwise excellent book. Something I wish other authors would replicate...*looks to Erikson*.

So what's included in The Great Bazaar and Other Stories you may ask. Well, let me tell you...

The Great Bazaar is the main bulk of this book, as you can imagine, but also included are deleted scenes (one of which was the original beginning written for a writing class project), a Krasian Dictionary, and a Ward Grimoire.

The Great Bazaar is an excellent story of one of Arlen's visits to Krasia. Having already built up a name for himself as the only non-Krasian to enter alagai'sharak, the Krasian's nightly fight against the demons, Arlen learns of places that haven't been visited in ages, but which are supposed to contain many riches.

Sadly, they neglected to mention the clay demons, against which Arlen had no protecting wards. The Great Bazaar also delves into Arlen's relationship with the kaffit (essentially means coward), Abban, who helps Arlen out in The Warded Man.

The Krasians are a very interesting, hardly putting any value in anyone who can't fight, which means women and the weak are not much thought of. While I loved the action and adventure that was Arlen's trek through the desert, my favorite parts were probably in the bazaar where a former warrior picks a fight with Abban and Arlen.

I have to say I enjoyed The Great Bazaar more even more than I did Brayan's Gold. While Brayan's Gold was high in action, there wasn't a whole lot of incite into the story, Brett's intention being only to showcase Snow demons and that's about it. Go read it, it's great.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

It's News To Me - The Kitchies and Final Cover for Shadow's Master by Jon Sprunk

2012-01-13T15:35:00.004-05:00

If you were wondering, yes, I do randomly call some news "It's News To Me" and other news whatever that happens to be. I guess some is news for everyone and some just for me. That's the extent of an explanation I can give. :)

The Kitschies: The finalists for the Kitschies have been announced, so check out Pornokitsch.com right now. I can't think of a better award than multiple colored tentacles. Also, here's an interview with the Pornokitsch editors at Staffer's Musings.

Shadow's Master: The final volume in the Shadow Saga by Jon Sprunk gets a new cover. Disregard the cover I posted yesterday.

2011 Stats and Books I'm Looking Forward To

2012-01-12T09:20:00.002-05:00

In my continuing series of posts concluding 2011 about goals/top reads/etc., I thought I'd put together some stats as well. I still have a goals post for 2012 under my sleeve, but it won't be much so don't get your hopes up too high. :)

Books read: 58 (5 books more than last year, and goodreads says )

Audiobooks: 7

Fantasy: 29

Science Fiction: 6 (Need to work on this one)

Urban Fantasy: 6

First in a Series (Series started this year): 13

Continuing a Series (Books in a series read other than first book): 12

Series Finished: 2

Small Press: 9

Authors New To Me: 33

I'd really like to do better in the science fiction category, although Alec does a good job in that area as far as the blog goes. I own some Reynolds and Hamilton so I think I'll start there.

Looking Forward to 2012 Books:
(I've also included where I am in the series in [brackets])

Orb, Sceptre, Throne by Iain C. Esslemont (Malazan Empire Book 4) - January (UK), May (US)
[Read books 1, 2]

Darujhistan, city of dreams, city of blue flames, is peaceful at last; its citizens free to return to politicking, bickering, trading and, above all, enjoying the good things in life. Yet there are those who will not allow the past to remain buried. A scholar digging in the plains stumbles across an ancient sealed vault. The merchant Humble Measure schemes to drive out the remaining Malazan invaders. And the surviving agents of a long-lost power are stirring, for they sense change and so, opportunity. While, as ever at the centre of everything, a thief in a red waistcoat and of rotund proportions walks the streets, juggling in one hand custard pastries, and in the other the fate of the city itself.

Far to the south, fragments of the titanic Moon's Spawn have crashed into the Rivan Sea creating a series of isles... and a fortune hunter's dream. A Malazan veteran calling himself 'Red' ventures out to try his luck -- and perhaps say goodbye to old friends. But there he finds far more than he'd bargained for as the rush to claim the Spawn's treasures descends into a mad scramble of chaos and bloodshed. For powers from across the world have gathered here, searching for the legendary Throne of Night. The impact of these events are far reaching, it seems. On an unremarkable island off the coast of Genabackis, a people who had turned their backs upon all such strivings now lift their masked faces towards the mainland and recall the ancient prophesy of a return.

And what about the ex-Claw of the Malazan Empire who now walks the uttermost edge of creation? His mission -- the success or failure of which the Queen of Dreams saw long ago -- is destined to shape far more than anyone could have ever imagined.

Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan (Riyria Revelations ominbus 3 and conclusion) - January
[Read omnibus 1]

The New Empire intends to mark its victory over the Nationalists with a bloody celebration. On the high holiday of Wintertide, the Witch of Melengar will be burned and the Heir of Novron executed. On that same day the Empress faces a forced marriage, with a fatal accident soon follow. The New Empire is confident in the totality of its triumph but there's just one problem-Royce and Hadrian have finally found the true Heir of Novron---and they have their own holiday plans. When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations series online, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere. Heir of Novron is the final volume of The Riyria Revelations and includes "Wintertide" and ---available for the first time--- the final volume, "Percepliquis." BOOKS IN THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS Theft of Swords (The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha) Rise of Empire (Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm) Heir of Novron (Wintertide & Percepliquis)

Shadow's Master by Jon Sprunk (Shadow Saga book 3 and conclusion) - March
[Read books 1, 2 - caught up]

The northern wastes. . . .

A land of death and shadow where only the strongest survive. Yet that is where Caim must go to follow the mystery at the heart of his life. Armed only with his knives and his companions, he plunges into a world of eternal night where the sun is never seen and every hand is turned against him.

Caim has buried his father’s sword and found some measure of peace, but deep in the north an unfathomable power lays waiting. To succeed on this mission, Caim will have to more than just survive. He must face the Shadow’s Master.

The Kings of the Morning by Paul Kearney (Macht Trilogy book 3) - March
[Read books 1, 2 - caught up]

For the first time in recorded history, the ferocious city-states of the Macht now acknowledge a single man as their overlord. Corvus, the strange and brilliant boy-general, is now High King, having united his people in a fearsome, bloody series of battles and sieges. He is not yet thirty years old.
A generation ago, ten thousand of the Macht marched into the heart of the ancient Asurian Empire, and then fought their way back out again, passing into legend. It has been the enduring myth of Corvus' life, for his father was one of those who undertook that march, and his most trusted general, Rictus, was leader of those ten thousand. But he intends to do more. The preparations will take years, but when they are complete, Corvus will lead an invasion the like of which the world of Kuf has never seen. Under him, the Macht will undertake nothing less than the overthrow of the entire Asurian Empire.

King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (Broken Empire book 2) - August
[Read book 1 - caught up]

The Broken Empire burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords and petty kings battle for the all-throne. The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother and brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. He saw the game and vowed to sweep the board. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, and discover how to break them.

A six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg's gates, led by a champion beloved of the people. Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire and heal its wounds. Every omen says he will. Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people and their lands. But King Jorg is not a good king.

Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But playing fair was never part of Jorg’s game plan.

Forge of Darkness by Stephen Erikson (Kharkanas Trilogy book 1) - August
[Read Malazan books 1-9]

No blurbage, but it's Malazan, so that's really all you need to know.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (Gentlemen Bastards book 3) - October (UK), Unknown (US)
[Read book 1]

Having pulled off the greatest heist of their career, Locke and his trusted partner in thievery, Jean, have escaped with a tidy fortune. But Locke's body is paying the price. Poisoned by an enemy from his past, he is slowly dying. And no physiker or alchemist can help him. Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmagi offers Locke an opportunity that will either save him - or finish him off once and for all.

Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body - though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean's imploring - and the Bondsmagi's mention of a woman from Locke's past . . . Sabetha. The love of his life. His equal in skill and wit. And now his greatest rival.

Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow-orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha - or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (WoT book 14 and conclusion) - November
[Read books 1-5]

No blurbage here either, but again, it's Wheel of Time and a conclusion, this has been a long time coming. I need to get back to my reread.

Not only do we get some great conclusions this year, but some new books in series that I love. Now if I could just catch up in time.

Review - Draculas by Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson

2012-01-11T09:09:00.003-05:00

The author, Joe Konrath (aka Jack Kilborn), writes in the introduction to Draculas that this is an attempt to make vampires scary again. As he explains, "There are no sexy teen heartthrobs herein." This had me salivating. I'm a sucker for a scary vampire.

Draculas [US] [UK] [Kindle - Free!!] begins with a pretty simple story premise - there's a skull found in Romania that the insanely rich, but dying Mortimer Moorcoock buys for a small fortune. Upon receiving the skull, which is very close to being human except it is filled with huge fangs, he proceeds to bite himself with the skull.

He is taken to the hospital...and all hell breaks lose.

You might be wary of a book with four different authors, and you would be right to question this, but it's amazingly seamless. I'm not an expert by any means, but I couldn't tell you when there was a switch in writers.

Because there's not much to the plot, I won't go into too much detail there, I just want to explain a couple things I thought were interesting and unique to these authors' take on vampires.

These vampires are scary as hell. They have more fangs than your average vamp. and superhuman strength to go along with it. In addition, they also have the ability to think rationally, the only problem is that they have an insane thirst that makes them go crazy for blood and do anything to get it.

This aspect had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time. While some Draculas, as the characters refer to them, don't think outside the blood (hehe), but others are a little more patient and cunning when it comes to tracking their prey. What are the authors trying to do to me here, give me a heart attack?

Then there's the characters. Not only did I love those trying to escape the Draculas, but we even see the point of views of some of the Draculas themselves. Of course they're pretty focused on BLOODBLOODBLOODBLOOD, but it shows their rational sides as well as they track our favorites (and not so favorites).

My favorite Draculas had to be one, the clown. Every time I read, "Squeak, squeak, squeak." I was terrified. And two, the little girl, who just wants some red candy. It's sick, but I couldn't help but kinda root for her, at least against the adult Draculas.

If I haven't yet convinced you to start, Draculas, it's the best horror novel I've ever read. It's full of violence and gore aplenty, so beware, but it's also full of great characters and situations that had me reading until late in the night multiple times. And I was on a cruise while I read this. I still couldn't put it down.

5 out of 5 Stars

Note on the eBook version: This book actually ends at the 50% mark. I was a little confused with the climax was happening around 45%, I wondered what the heck they were going to do for the rest of the book.

The authors include a lot of extras, including three short stories, which are collaborations between pairs of the authors, previews of all the authors work, and an interview where the authors interview themselves and talk about writing a book with four authors. It's pretty interesting.

Ps. Here's a great/hilarious review and the reason why I picked this book up in the first place.

Exciting News - Epic Wheel of Time Giveaway

2012-01-10T15:33:00.005-05:00

I was way too excited about this, I had to share immediately.

I just talked to a publicist at Macmillan Audio (I don't know whether she wants her name here, so I'll leave it at that) and we are going to host a giveaway for each of the audiobooks of the Wheel of Time leading up to the publication of A Memory of Light in November (not including A Memory of Light or New Spring).

(and The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight, minus New Spring)

These are amazingly well done, read by Kate Reading and Michael Cramer, and I think it's the perfect way to do a reread.

(My collection)

We'll start next week and hold a giveaway every few weeks until the final volume comes out in November. Anyone excited?

Goals - Looking Back at 2011

2012-01-10T09:42:00.002-05:00

This is the update post looking back at 2011 goals and later this week I'll put up my goals for this year. I didn't do the best this year at achieving my goals, so I'll be doing things a little different this year.

In bold are the goals from last year, followed by a non-bold number or update on the goal and then some thoughts.

Read 60 books in 2011 - 58 (not completed)

To be honest, I didn't think I could even get this close. I'm actually pretty proud of this. I projected 5 books a month, but then I started reading some rather long books and that set me back a bit. To compensate, I cheated a bit by throwing in some novellas at the end, but what with the couple thousand-pagers I read throughout the year, I don't feel too bad. :)

Read at least two of these authors (Tad Williams, Stephen R. Donaldson, Glen Cook) - Songs of the Dying Earth (completed)

This was a bit of a cop-out since all three authors wrote short stories in Songs of the Dying Earth, but then again, I didn't specify. :)

Read one of these books by Melanie Rawn (The Golden Key, Stronghold) - Neither read. (not completed)

I read a page or two of The Golden Key, but got side-tracked and didn't pick it up again. Whoops.

Read at least one of these trilogies (Coldfire, Rai Kirah) - Neither read. (not completed)

Yep, almost started Rai Kirah by Carol Berg, but no dice.

Read further in the Dark Tower series - The Drawing of the Three and The Wastelands (completed)

My goal was only to read one more and I read two. I'm excited to get back into this series and hopefully finish it this year.

Read further in the Dresden Files - Summer Knight, Book 4 (completed)

Yay, I need to get some more read this year. Great series.

Added Goal:

Finish the Malazan Book of the Fallen series - Dust of Dreams, Book 9 (not completed)

I thought I could finish the series, but I just didn't get there. I better read The Crippled God before the new Forge of Darkness (Kharkanas book 1) comes out this year.

Final Thoughts:

Out of 7 goals, I only completed 3, although I was very close with completing my 60 books goal. I'm not too proud of this, but it's caused me to rethink how I make my goals.

I've learned I don't do well with a set list of books I have to read. For some reason being locked into certain books gives me absolutely no desire to read them, so I won't be doing that again.

Here's to 2012, Happy New Year!

Review - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

2012-01-09T11:49:00.005-05:00

I always have a hard time reviewing the "classics." Not so much because I don't have anything new to say - I have my own impressions at least - but more because what if I didn't like it? Does that make me poorly read or did I just not get what everyone else got? There's a very good chance of the latter no matter what I'm reading, let's be honest.

But that's not that I didn't like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I really enjoyed it, but I didn't love it as I thought I would.

What sucked me into reading this book was the writing. Lewis Carroll takes everything from Alice's perspective, her very young perspective. And it's hilarious. The way she sees things is just like you would picture in a child. She looks at everything the way she's learned, but also according to how she's put things together in her young life.

Then, she also rambles and ends up on tangents that had me chuckling. You ever start thinking of one thing and suddenly you're at a whole new place and you have no idea how you got there and you can't help but laugh out loud? And then other people look at you weird. It's like that.

I do the same, as I'm sure many others do.

I'm sure you know the story, I won't bore you with the details, but there are some differences from the movie(s)...at least I think. I better not say what I think they are before I watch the movie again. :) Here's some blurbage:

Weary of her storybook, one "without pictures or conversations," the young and imaginitive[sic] Alice follows a hasty hare underground -- to come face-to-face with some of the strangest adventures and most fantastic characters in all of literature. The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the weeping Mock Turtle, the diabolical Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat -- each more eccentric than the last -- could only have come from that master of sublime nonsense, Lewis Carroll. In penning this brilliant burlesque of children's literature, this farcical satire of rigid Victorian society, this arresting parody of the fears, anxieties, and complexities of growing up, Carroll was one of the few adult writers to enter successfully the children's world of make-believe, where the impossible becomes possible, the unreal, real, and where the heights of adventure are limited only by the depths of imagination.

I think the thing that brought this book down a peg or two for me was the ending. That's right the ending. Skip this paragraph if you don't wanna go there. But come on Carroll. Really? It was all a dream. I've heard that one before - I'm looking at you Oz.

Also Tweedledee and Tweedledum don't appear in this one, I'm guessing they do in Through the Looking Glass, the sequel. I was a bit disappointed when I didn't see them, but I'm now looking forward to Looking Glass.

Overall this was a highly enjoyable book and at only 93 pages (and free on Kindle), it's worth a go. Come on, it's a classic.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Ps. I have yet to read Through the Looking Glass, but it's on my Kindle and ready whenever the mood strikes.

The Kindle Conundrum

2012-01-05T12:02:00.001-05:00

I love my Kindle. It gets me books on the fly, wherever I am, and is actually starting to generate some fairly good recommendations. But there is a problem, and its a big one.

Page numbers. When you hold a dusty old paperback, that relic of a previous age, you feel its weight, you fold its pages (I do at least), and you have a very good idea of how close to the end of it you are. You can't help but realize that the story is about to end. The bittersweet sense of ending that comes with those final few chapters always heightens the denouement. Bibliophiles of all sorts manage their expectations and readjust their predictions when entering the homestretch. This hard learned skill, which comes with years of reading, doesn't work with the Kindle.

Case in point, I was reading Leviathan Wakes (★★★★☆) at 48% completion on the Kindle when the book ended. That made me mad. To be fair it felt like an ending but I didn't know it was the ending. I wasn't ready for it. I was expecting another 52% of adventure and intrigue. Instead I got a second book I had absolutely no interest in. This made me even more mad.

I don't mind moving from paper to digital. For me it makes a lot of sense. Lower costs and fewer bookshelves are big advantages of the digital revolution. Well, perhaps not costs. If you read spec fic most of the hot items are at a premium, but that is a conversation for another day. After I go buy a pitchfork or two.

Back to premature endings. I hate them. I hate endings to start with, but with the knowledge that they are coming, I can get myself ready. In the words of a somewhat popular television show, I can "brace for impact". Not so with the Kindle. With the Kindle the ending is thrust upon me without warning or explanation because some industrious publisher thinks that giving me a free book (the first book in a 5 part series I might add) makes good business sense. And maybe it does. But it also destroys the illusion that what I am reading is an old-fashioned book. And I like my illusions.

Hear me o Kindle gods and place dividers in your books so that your endings are no longer premature. No one likes premature endings.

Quick Update

2012-01-04T11:53:00.003-05:00

Hope you have enjoyed the posts the last few weeks. I just got back from a cruise down to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and La Paz, Mexico. Yeah, life has been rough, I've been in a food coma for a solid week.

Anyway, I finished a number of books, so I'll have reviews up soon. Plus, I'll be reviewing my goals from last year and add some new goals for this year...ones that aren't nearly as constraining.

Oh, and lastly, we're going to be starting a challenge soon dealing with judging a book by its cover. It'll be good.

Review - Tisarian's Treasure by J. M. Martin

2012-01-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Pyr author Jon Sprunk (SHADOW’S SON, SHADOW’S LURE) says, “Martin weaves a breath-taking tale of pirates, treasure, sorcery, and uncommon bravery. Here is a yarn from a true storyteller, rife with traditional fantasy influences. I couldn’t put it down.”

Tisarian's Treasure [US] [UK] [Kindle - only $0.99] is a rip-roarin' pirate's tale along the lines of one of my all-time favorites from Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island.

I met the author through Goodreads and while I usually don't get books from that outlet, he was never pushy and actually shared a lot of good recommendations with me, so I decided to give it a try.

The beginning was a little difficult to get into, since there are lots of characters to introduce, but once it gets going, it's a stellar read. I couldn't put it down.

The most feared pirate on the seas, Thadieus Drake, has tracked our protagonist Doctor Alex Mallory and his mysterious companion to an island and through the jungle, seeking the fabled treasure.

Filled with romance, action, twists and turns, and a surprising ending, Tisarian's Treasure is a wonderful novella and Highly Recommended.

Only the Best of 2011 - End of the Year Wrap-Up and Top 10

2011-12-28T10:33:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year, I've always wondered why we do best of lists before the year's even over, I mean, there's still time to finish books. I also fully realize the end of a year is a time for reflection and the new year is a time for new beginnings. At least awards for books occur in the following year, they know what they're doing.

Top 5 (2011 Releases)

5. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
4. Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk
3. The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer
2. Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

1. Heaven's Needle by Liane Merciel

It's really sad there won't be any more books in the Ithelas series as the publisher has discontinued it. I still say it's worth a read along with the first book, The River Kings' Road.

Honorable Mentions

I could pretty much place these in my top 5, it was THAT hard of a decision.

Low Town by Daniel Polansky
Demon Squad: Resurrection by Tim Marquitz

What's Missing? (I stole this from The Speculative Scotsman)

Well, I decided to take my time with some of the biggies this year, you know, wait until there's a bit more progress in the series before I do my big reread... so A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin and Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.

Oh, and remember The Unremembered (that was on purpose)? It was enjoyable, but not quite an end of the year best.

Top 10 (Published any year)

There wasn't really a big chance for the new kids on the block with some of the classics I read this year and I decided not to count the books from The Wheel of Time that I listened to because that's just not fair. I also didn't include any of the novellas that I snuck in the last few weeks.

10. The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer
9. I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
8. Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan
7. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
6. The Waste Lands and The Drawing of the Three by Steven King (same series, same number, doesn't make sense I know)
5. Heaven's Needle by Liane Merciel
4. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
3. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (Even got my wife to read it and she's loving it)

1. Songs of the Dying Earth Edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

I'll have some posts about goals and how I did this year (sadly not all were met) probably sometime in the new year. Otherwise Happy Holidays and see ya in 2012!

Review - Brayan's Gold (A Demon Cycle Novella) by Peter V. Brett

2011-12-27T09:24:00.001-05:00

Brayan's Gold [US] [UK] [Kindle] is a novella set in the Demon Cycle universe (The Warded Man, The Desert Spear) covering a short portion in Arlen's life...you know...before he became superman.

This story occurs during Arlen's time as an apprentice messenger technically before The Great Bazaar and Other Stories (another novella in this universe) in time, but not publication. Both novellas are available on Kindle for only $4.99, whereas they're a bit harder to come by in the Subterranean Press edition.

Messenger's are the brave and daring souls who brave the night and the corelings to deliver messages and other materials. His task, along with his master, Curk, is to escort a wagonload of easily combustible firesticks up into the high mountains to Brayan's Gold, where Count Brayan has found his riches.

Mixing the perilous trail, firesticks, and possibly even the rumored snow demon, Arlen has some work cut out for him, along with some other surprises.

Now, I have to admit, I'm extremely biased when it comes to this series. This is one of my all-time favorite series and only two books in at that. There's something about this fear of the night and the demons that stalk and the magic of the wards. I have to have more and more, it's like crack.

So, needless to say, I loved Brayan's Gold and I think you will too.

4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)

Guest Post - A Christmas Story From Tad Williams

2011-12-23T12:30:00.011-05:00

I was lucky enough to be on Twitter at the right time to respond to Tad Williams (author of the Shadowmarch series and Memory, Sorrow and Thorn among others) about posting a short story to our blog. Here's that story and Merry Christmas:

******************

Tad Williams’ new short story collection, A Stark And Wormy Knight, is available now, worldwide, as an ebook, $4.99 (or equivalent) for one month

http://www.amazon.com/Stark-Wormy-Knight-ebook/dp/B006P2QX3U

The following story is unique to this blog and a few others. Happy Holidays.

THE SUGARPLUM FAVOR

(A Christmas Story)

Tad Williams

Danny Mendoza counted his change three times in while the teacher talked about what they were all supposed to bring for the class winter holiday party tomorrow. It was really a Christmas party, at least in Danny's class, because that's what all the kids' families' celebrated. Danny had his party contribution covered. He had volunteered to bring napkins and paper plates and cups because his family had some left over from his little brother's birthday party with characters from Gabba Gabba Hey on them. He’d get teased about that, he knew, but he didn’t want to ask his mother to make something because she was so busy with his little brothers and the baby, and now that Danny’s stepfather Luis had lost his job they had a Money Situation. Danny could live with a little teasing.

Danny was going to buy a candy bar for his mother, one of those big ones. That was going to be his Christmas present to her and Danny knew how much she'd like it -- he hadn't just inherited his small size and nimble fingers from her, he'd got her sweet tooth, too. And she had just been talking about the Christmas a few years ago when Luis had a good job with the Sanitation Department and he'd brought her a whole box of See's chocolates. Danny knew he couldn't match that, but the last of the money he'd saved up from raking leaves in the neighborhood and walking old Mrs. Rosales' wheezy little dog should be enough to buy a big old Hershey bar that would make Mama smile. No, what to get wasn't a problem. The thing that had him thinking so hard as he went down the street at a hurried walk, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, was whether he dared to get it now or should wait another day.

In Danny's San Jose neighborhood the Mercado Estrella was like an African water hole, not only a crucial source of nurture but also the haunt of the most fearsome predator in his 3rd grade world. Any stop at the little market meant he risked running into Hector Villaba, the big, mean fifth-grade kid who haunted Danny's days and often his nights as well. Danny couldn't even begin to guess how much candy and other goodies Hector had stolen from him and the other kids over the years, but it was a lot -- Hector was the elementary school's Public Enemy Number One. About half the time his victims got shoved around, too, or even hit, and none of the grown-ups ever did anything about it except to tell their humiliated sons they should learn how to fight back. That was probably because Hector Villaba’s father was a violent, drunken brute who didn't care what Hector did and everyone in the neighborhood was as scared of him as the kids at school were scared of his son. The last time someone in the neighborhood had called the police on Hector’s dad, all their windows had been broken while they were at church and their car scratched from one end to another.

Danny was still trying to make up his mind whether to risk stopping at the market today or wait for better odds tomorrow (when class ended early because of the holiday) when he saw Mrs. Rosales walking Pinto, her little spotted dog. He almost crossed the street because he knew she'd want to talk to him and he'd spent a lot of time doing that already last week when went to her house to get Pinto nearly every day. He was too close, though, she’d seen him, and Jesus hated being rude to old people almost as much as he hated it when kids lied, or at least that was what his mama always told him. Danny wasn't expecting much from Santa anyway, but if Jesus got upset things would probably be even worse. He sighed and continued toward her.

"Look who's here!" Mrs. Rosales said when she saw him. "Look, Pinto mi querida, it's your friend Danny!" But when he waved and would have passed by she told him, "Hold on a moment, young man, I want to talk to you."

He stopped, but he was really worried that Hector and his friends might catch up if he stood around too long. "Yes, Mrs. Rosales?"

"I short-changed you the other day." She took out a little coin purse. It took her a long time to get it open with her knobby old fingers. "I owe you a dollar."

“Really?” Danny was astonished.

She pulled out a piece of paper that looked like it had been folded and unfolded a hundred times and handed it to him. "I know boys need money this time of year!"

He thanked her, petted Pinto (who growled despite all their time together, because Pinto was a spoiled brat) and hurried toward the market. Another dollar! It was like one of those Christmas miracles on a television show – like the Grinch’s heart growing so much it made the x-ray machine go sproing! This changed everything. He could not only buy his mom's present, he could buy something for himself, too. He briefly considered blowing the whole dollar on a Butterfinger, his very favorite, but he knew hard candies would be a better investment -- he could share them with his younger brothers, and it was Christmas-time, after all. But whatever he got, he didn't want to wait for tomorrow, not now that he had something to spend on himself. Danny Mendoza had been candy-starved for days. Nothing sweeter than the baby's butterscotch pudding had passed his lips that week, and the pudding hadn't been by his own choice. (His baby sister had discovered that if she waved her spoon things flew and splattered, and she liked that new trick a lot.) If he hurried to the market he should still get there long before Hector and his friends, who had many children to harass and humiliate on their way home. It was a risk, of course, but with an unexpected dollar in his pocket Danny felt strangely confident. There had to be such a thing as Christmas luck, didn't there? After all, it was a whole holiday about Jesus getting born, and Jesus was kind to everybody. Although it sure hadn’t seemed like a lucky Christmas when Luis, Danny’s stepfather, had lost his job in the first week of December. But maybe things were going to get better now -- maybe, as his mama sometimes said, the Mendoza family’s luck was going to change.

He was even more willing to believe in miracles when he saw no sign of Hector and his friends at the market. As he walked in Christmas music was playing loudly on the radio, that "Joy to the World" song sung by some smooth television star. Tia Marisol, the little old lady who ran the place on her own since her husband died, was trying to hang some lights above the cigarettes behind the cash register. She wasn’t his real aunt, of course. Everybody in the neighbohood just called her “Tia.”

"Oye, little man," she called when she turned around and saw him. "How's your mama?"

"Fine, Tia Marisol. I'm getting her a present." He made his way past the postres to the long candy rack. So many colors, so many kinds! It almost seemed to glow, like in one of those cartoons where children found a treasure-cave. When Danny was little, it was what he had imagined when the minister at the church talked about Heaven. The only better thing he had ever seen in his whole life was the huge piñata at one of his school friends’ birthday party, years and years ago. When the birthday boy knocked the piñata open and candy came showering out and all the kids could jump in and take what they want – that had been amazing. Like winning a game show on television. Danny still dreamed about it sometimes.

Danny realized that he was staring like a dummy at the rack of candy when every second the danger that Hector and his friends would arrive kept growing. He quickly examined the big Hershey bars until he found one with a perfect wrapper, a massive candy bar that looked as if it had been made special for a commercial. He would have loved to spend more time browsing -- how often did he have a whole dollar to spend just on candy? -- but he knew time was short, so he grabbed a good-sized handful of hard, sour candies for sucking, took several different colors of candy ropes; then, as worry grew inside him, as uncomfortable as needing to pee, he finally snatched up a handful of bubble gum and ran to the front counter.

"What's your hurry, m'hijo?" Tia Marisol asked.

"Mom needs me," he said, which he hoped was not enough of a lie to ruin Jesus' upcoming celebration. After all, Mom did always need his help, especially by this time in the day when she'd been on her own with the baby and the littlest brother since morning, and had just walked the other brother home from preschool. He pulled the three dollars worth of much-counted change out of one pocket and mounded it in front of Tia Marisol, then put the Hershey bar and his own handful of candy down beside it before digging out the crumpled dollar Mrs. Rosales had given him. She slid her glasses a little way down her nose while she looked at it all.

"Where'd you get so much money, Danny?"

"Raking lawns. Taking Mrs. Rosales dog for walks."

Tia Marisol smiled, handed him back twenty-three cents, and put everything into a paper bag. "You're a good boy. You and your family have a happy Christmas. Tell your mama I said hello, would you?"

"Sure." He was already halfway through the door, heart beating.

The Christmas miracle continued outside: other than a couple of young mothers with strollers and bundled-up babies, and the old men who sat on the bus bench across the street drinking from bottles in paper bags, the area around the store was still clear. Danny began to walk toward home as fast as he could without running, because he had the bag under his coat now and he didn't want to melt Mama's candy bar. Still, he was almost skipping, he was so happy. Joy to the world, the Lord is come...!

"Hey, Mendoza," someone shouted in a hoarse voice. "What's in the bag, maricon?"

Danny stopped, frozen for a moment like a cornered animal, but then he began to walk again, faster and faster until he was running. There was no question whose voice that was. Pretty much every kid in his school knew it and feared it.

"Hold up, Mendoza, or I'll kick your ass good!" The voice was getting closer. He could hear the whir of bike tires on the sidewalk coming up behind him fast. He looked back and saw that Hector Villaba and his big, stupid friends Rojo and Chuy were bearing down on him on their bikes, and in another second or two would ride him down. He lunged to the side just as Hector stuck out his foot and shoved him, sending Danny crashing into the low wire fence of the house he was passing. He bounced off and tumbled painfully to the sidewalk as Hector and his gang stopped just a few yards ahead, now blocking the sidewalk that led Danny home. The hard candies had fallen out of his bag and were scattered across the sidewalk. He got down on his knees, hurrying to pick them up, doing everything he could to avoid eye contact with Hector and the others, but when he reached for the last one Hector's big, stupid basketball-shoe was on top of it. The older boy leaned over and picked it up. "Jolly Rancher, huh? Not bad. Not great, but not bad." He waved it in Danny's face, making him look up from all fours like a dog at its master. "I asked you what's in the bag, Mendoza?"

"Nothing! It's for my mama."

"For your mama? Oh, iddn't dat sweet?" Hector's fingers hooked under Danny's chin and lifted. Danny didn't fight -- he knew it wasn't going to help -- but he still flinched when he saw Hector's round, sweaty face so close, the angry, pale yellow-brown eyes. Hector Villaba even had the beginnings of a real mustache, a hairy smudge on his upper lip. It was one of the things that made him so scary, one of the reasons why even bigger twelve year olds like Chuy and Rojo let him lead them -- a fifth-grader with a mustache!

"C'mon, open it up," Hector told him. "Let's see what you got for your mama." When Danny still didn't offer up the bag, Hector's friend Chuy put a foot on Danny's back and pushed down so hard that Danny had to brace himself to keep from being shoved against the sidewalk. “I said show me, maricon," said Hector. "Chuy gonna break your spine. He knows karate."

Danny handed Hector the bag, biting his lip, determined not to cry. Hector pulled out the big Hershey Bar. "Hijole!" he said. "Look at that! Something for your mama, shit -- you were going to eat that all by yourself. Not even share none with us. That's cold, man."

"It is for my mother! It is!" Danny pushed up against Chuy's heavy hiking boot trying to reach the candy bar, which didn't look anywhere near so huge clamped in Hector Villaba's plump, dirty fingers. Chuy took his weight off for a moment, then kicked Danny in the ribs hard enough to make him drop to the concrete and hug himself in pain.

"If you try any more shit, we'll hurt you good," said Hector, laughing as he unwrapped the candy bar. He tossed a piece to Chuy, then another to Rojo, who grabbed it out of the air and shoved it in his mouth like a starving dog, then licked his fingers. Hector leaned down and gave Danny another shove, hard enough to crash him against the fence again. "Don't you ever try to hide anything from me. I know where you live, dude. I'll come over and slap the bitch out of you and your mama both." He pointed to the hard candies still clutched in Danny's hands. "Get that other shit, too, yo," Hector told Rojo, and the big, freckled kid bent Danny's fingers back until he surrendered it all.

The Christmas chocolate bar, looking sad and naked with half its foil peeled away, was still clutched in Hector's hand as he and his friends rode away laughing, sharing the hard candy out of the bag.

For a while Danny just sat on the cold sidewalk and wished he had a knife or even a gun and he could kill Hector Villaba, even if it made Jesus unhappy for weeks. At that moment Danny almost felt like he could do it. The rotten, mean bastard had taken his mom's present!

At last Danny wiped his eyes and continued home. It was starting to get dark and the wind was suddenly cold, which made his scratched-up hands ache. When he reached the apartment he let himself in, dropped his book bag by the door, then called a greeting to his mama feeding Danny's baby sister in the kitchen as he hurried on to the bathroom so he could clean up his scratches and tear-stained face and do his best to hide the damage to the knees of his pants before she saw him up close. It wouldn't do any good to tell her what had happened – she couldn’t do anything and it would make her very sad. Danny was used to keeping quiet about what went on between home and school, school and home.

After a while he went out and sat at the table and watched as his mother fed green goop to the baby. Even her smile for Danny looked tired. Mama worked so hard to keep them all fed and dressed, hardly ever yelled, and even sang old songs from Mexico for Danny and his brothers when she wasn't too tired...

And now that cabron Hector had stolen her present, and he didn’t have any money left to get her something else.

Later that night, when the house was quiet and everyone was asleep, Danny found himself crying again. It was so unfair! What had happened to the Christmas luck? Or did that kind of thing only happen to other kids, other families?

“Please, Jesus,” he prayed quietly. “I just have to get Mama something for Christmas – something Hector can’t take. If that’s a miracle, okay – I mean, I know you can’t do them all the time, but if you got one...an extra one...”

Something woke him up – a strange noise in the living room. For a moment he lay in bed wondering if Santa Claus might have come, but then he remembered it was still three days until Christmas. Still, he could definitely hear something moving, a kind of quiet fluttery sound. His brothers were both sprawled in boneless, little-boy sleep across the mattress they shared, so he climbed carefully over them and made his way out to the living room. At first he saw nothing more unusual than the small Christmas tree on top of the coffee table, but as he stared, his eyes trying to get used to the dark, he saw the tree was...moving? Yes, moving, the top of the pine wagging like a dog’s tail.

Danny had never heard of a Christmas tree coming to life, not even in a TV movie, and it scared him. He picked up the tennis racket with the missing strings Luis kept promising to fix, then crawled toward the scraggly tree with its ornaments of foil and cut paper.

As he got closer he could see that something small was caught in the tree’s topmost branch, trying to fly away but not succeeding. He could hear its wings beating so fast they almost buzzed. A bird, trapped in the apartment? A really big moth?

Danny looked for one of the baby's bowls to trap it, then had a better idea and crept to the kitchen cabinet where his mom kept the washed jars. He picked a big one that had held sandwich spread and slithered commando-style back to the living room. Whatever the thing was, it was really stuck, tugging and thrashing as it tried to free itself from the pine needles. He dropped the jar over it and pulled carefully on the branch until the thing could finally get free, then Danny clapped the lid on the jar to keep it from escaping.

The thing inside the jar went crazy now, flying against the glass, the wings going so fast that it made it hard for him to see for certain what it was. The strange thing was, it actually looked like a person -- a tiny, tiny little person no bigger than a sparrow. That was crazy. Danny knew it was crazy. He knew he had to be dreaming.

"What are you doing?" the thing said in a tiny, rasping voice. It didn’t sound happy at all. "Let me go!"

Danny was so startled to hear it talk that he nearly dropped the jar. He held it up to the light coming in from the street lamp to get a better look. The prisoner in the jar was a little lady -- a lady with wings! A real, honest-to-goodness Christmas miracle! "Are you...an angel?" he asked.

"Let me out, young man, and we'll talk about it." She didn't sound much like an angel. Actually, she sounded a lot like that scratchy-voiced nanny on that TV show his mama watched sometimes. Her hair was yellow and kind of wild and sticky-uppy, and she wore a funny little dancing dress. She was also carrying a bag over her shoulder like Santa did, except that hers wasn’t much bigger than Danny’s thumb .

"P-Promise you won't fly away?" he asked this strange small person. "If I let you out?"

She had her tiny hands pressed up against the inside of the jar. She shook her head so hard her little sparkly crown almost fell off. "Promise. But hurry up -- I don't like enclosed places. Honest, it makes me want to scream. Let me out, please."

"Okay. But no cheating." He unscrewed the lid on the jar and slowly turned it over. The tiny lady rose up, fluttering into the light that streamed through the living room window.

“Oh, that’s so much better,” she said. “I got stuck in a panoramic Easter egg once, wedged between a frosting bunny and a cardboard flower pot. Thought I was going to lose my mind.”

"Wow,” he said. “Who are you? What are you?"

She carefully landed on the floor near his knee. "I'm a sugarplum fairy," she said. "Like in that ballet."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Look, thanks for getting me loose from that tree.” She turned herself around trying to look down at herself. “Rats! Ripped my skirt. I hate conifers.” She turned back to Danny. “I didn't mean to scare you, I was just passing through the neighborhood when I felt somebody thinking candy thoughts -- real serious candy thoughts. I mean, it was like someone shouting. Anyway, that’s what we do, us sugarplum fairies -- we handle the candy action, especially at Christmas time. So I thought I should come and check it out. Was it you? Because if it was, you’ve got the fever bad, kid.” She reached into her bag and produced a lollypop bigger than she was, something that couldn’t possibly have fit in there. “Here, have one on me. You look like you need it.”

"Wow. Wow!" He suddenly realized he was talking out loud and dropped his voice, worried that he would wake up his mama and Luis. He reached out for the lollypop. "You're really a fairy. Do you know Jesus?"

She shrugged. "I think he’s in another department. What's your name? It's Danny, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah.” It suddenly struck him. “You know my name...?"

"I've got it all written down somewhere." She started riffling through her bag again, then pulled out something that looked like a tiny phone book. She took out an equally small pair of glasses, opened the book and began reading. “For some reason you fell off the list here, Danny. No wonder you're so desperate -- you haven't had a sugarplum delivery in quite a while! Well, that at least I can do something about.” She frowned as she took a pen out of the apparently bottomless bag and made a correction. “Of course, they may not process the new order until early next year, and I’m not scheduled back in this area until Valentines Day.” She frowned. “Doesn’t seem fair...” A moment later her tiny face brightened. “Hey, since you saved me from that tree branch I think I’m allowed to give you a wish. Would you like that?”

“Really? A wish?”

“Yes. I can do that.”

“You’ll give me a wish? Like magic? A wish?”

She frowned again. “Come on, kid, I know you’ve been shorted on candy the last couple of years but is your blood sugar really that low? I just very clearly said I will give you a wish. We’re allowed to when someone helps us out."

He was so excited he could barely sit still. It was a Christmas miracle after all, a real one! "Could I wish for, like, a million dollars?" Then even if Luis didn't find another job for a while, the family would be okay. More than okay.

She shook her head. "Sorry, kid, no. I only do candy-related wishes. You want one of those extra big gummy bears? I hear those are popular this year. I could bend some rules and get it to you by Christmas."

He was tempted -- he'd seen an ad on television -- but now it was his turn to shake his head. "Could I just get a big Hershey bar? One of those extra-big ones? For my mother?"

The little woman tilted her head up so she could see him better from where she stood down on the ground. "Truly? Is that all you want? Gee, kid, I could feel the desperation coming off this house like weird off an elf. You sure you don't want something a little more...substantial? A pile of candy, maybe? A year's supply of gumdrops or something? As long as it's candy-related, I can probably get it done for you, but you better decide quick.” She pulled quite a large pocket watch on a chain out of her bag, then put on her glasses again. “After midnight, and I’ve still got half my rounds to go." She looked up at him. "You seem like a nice kid, Danny, and it doesn't look like you guys are exactly swimming in presents and stuff. How about a nice pile of candy, assorted types? Or if you'd rather just concentrate on -- what did you say, Hershey Bars? -- I could probably arrange a shopping bag of those or something..."

For a moment his head swam at the prospect of a grocery bag full of giant chocolate bars, more than Hector the Butt-head Villaba could ever dream of having now matter how much he stole...but then another idea came floating up from deep down in Danny’s thoughts – a strange, dark idea.

"Can you do all kinds of wishes? Really all kinds?"

"Yeah, but just one. And it definitely has to be candy-related. I'm not a miracle worker or anything."

"Okay. Then I'll tell you what I want." Danny could suddenly see it all in his imagination, and it was very, very good.

The school holiday party was nice. Danny and his classmates played games and sang songs and had a snack of fruit and cheese and crackers. Nobody brought Chips Ahoy cookies, but one of the mothers did indeed bring cupcakes, delicious chocolate ones with silver, green and red sprinkles for Christmas. There were even enough left over that although Danny had finished his long ago despite making it last as long as possible, he was allowed to take home the last two for his little brothers. He suspected that the teacher knew his family didn't have much money, but for this one day it didn't embarrass him at all.

After the bell rang Danny followed the other third-graders toward the school gate, holding one cupcake carefully in each hand, his book bag draped over his shoulder. He was watching his feet so carefully that he didn't see what made the other children suddenly scatter to either side, but as soon as he heard the voice he knew the reason.

"Look at that, it's Maricon Mendoza, yo," said Hector Villaba. "What'd you bring us for Christmas, kid?" Danny looked up. The mustached monster was sitting astride his bike just a few yards down the sidewalk, flanked by Rojo and Chuy. "Oh, yeah, dude -- cupcakes!" said Hector. “You remembered our Christmas presents." He scooted his bike forward until he stood directly over Danny, then reached out for the cupcakes. Danny couldn't help it -- he jerked back when Hector tried to take them, even though he knew it would probably earn him another bruising.

"Punch the little chulo’s face in," Rojo suggested.

Hector dropped his bike with a clatter. The other kids from school who had stopped to stare in horrified fascination jumped out of his way as he strode forward and grabbed the cupcakes out of Danny's hands. He peeled the paper off one and shoved the whole cupcake in his mouth, then tossed the other to Chuy. "You two split that," he said through a mouthful of devil's food, then turned his attention back to Danny, who was so scared and excited that he felt like electricity was running through him. "Next time, you better remember to bring one for each of us, Mendoza. You only bring two, that's going to get your ass kicked."

Danny backed away. It was hard to look into those yellow-brown eyes and not run crying, let alone keep thinking clearly, but Danny did his best. He dropped his book bag to the ground and out fell the stringless tennis racket that he had brought from home. Hector hooted with angry laughter as Danny snatched it up and held it before him as if it was a cross and Hector was a vampire.

"Que? You going to try to hit me, little boy?" Hector laughed again, but he didn't sound happy. He didn't like it when people stood up to him. "I'll take that away from you and beat your ass black and blue, Mendoza." The bully took a step nearer and held out his hand. "Give it to me or I'll break your fingers."

"No." Danny wasn't going to step back any farther. He lifted the racket, waved it around like a baseball bat. It was old and flimsy, but he had come to school determined today. "You can't have it...you fat asshole."

Behind Hector, Rojo let out a surprised chortle, but Hector Villaba didn’t think it was funny at all.

"That's it," he said, curling his hands into fists. "After I kick your ass, I'm gonna rub your face in dog shit. Then I'm gonna kick your ass again. You're gonna spend Christmas in the hospital." Without warning, he charged toward Danny.

Danny stepped to the side and swung the racket as hard as he could, hitting Hector right in the stomach. With a whoop of surprise and pain Hector bent double, but when he looked up he didn't look hurt, just really, really mad, his eyes staring like a crazy dog's eyes.

"That's...it. I'm...going...to...get...you...Mendoza..." he said, then sucked in air and stood up straight, but even as he did so a funny expression crossed his face and he looked down at where he was holding his belly. Hector’s hands were suddenly full of crackling, cellophane-wrapped hard candies, so many of them that they cascaded over his fingers and onto the ground. He lifted his hands in disbelief to look and dozens more of the candies slid out of the front of his open jacket -- candy bars, too, fun-size and even regular ones, Snickers bars, Mounds, Tootsie Rolls, lollipops, candy canes, even spicy tamarindos. The other children from the school stared in horrified fascination, guessing that Danny had broken a bag that Hector had been carrying under his coat. They were so scared of Hector that they didn’t move an inch toward any of the candy that was still slithering out of the big boy’s coat and pooling on the ground at his feet.

"Oh, man," one of the other third graders said in a hoarse whisper, "Mendoza's going to get beat up so bad...!"

But even more candy was pouring out of Hector’s belly now, as if someone had turned on a candy-faucet, a great river of sweets running out of the place where Danny had knocked him open with his old tennis racket.

"What the...?" Then Hector Villaba looked down at himself and began to scream in terror. Candy was showering out of him faster and faster onto the sidewalk, already piled as high as the cuffs of his pants and still coming.

"Hijole, dude!" said Rojo. "You're a piñata!"

Hector looked at him, eyes rolling with fear, then he turned sprinted away down the street squealing like a kindergartner, a flood of candy still pouring from him, Crunch Bars, M&Ms, (plain and peanut) as well as boxes of gumdrops and wax-wrapped pieces of taffy, all raining onto the street around the bully's legs and feet, bouncing and rolling.

Rojo and Chuy watched Hector run for a moment, then turned to stare at Danny with a mixture of apprehension and confusion. Then turned from him to look at each other, came to some kind of agreement, and threw themselves down on their knees to start scooping up the candy that had fallen out of Hector Villaba. Within a few seconds the other school kids were all scrambling across the ground beside them, everybody shoveling candy into their pockets as fast as they could.

Danny waited until he wasn't breathing so hard, then started for home, following the clear trail of candy that had gushed from Hector Villaba as he ran. He didn't bother to pick up everything, since for once in his life he could afford to be selective. He stuffed one pocket of his jacket with candy for his brothers, then filled the other just with Butterfinger Bars, at least six or seven, but kept walking with his head down until he spotted a nice, big Hershey Bar in good condition which he zipped in his book bag so it would stay safe for his mother. The rest of the way home he picked up whatever looked interesting and threw it into the book bag too, until by the time he reached home he was staggering with its weight up the apartment building walkway. For once, Hector Villaba had been the one who had run home crying.

He didn't feel sorry for Hector, either, not at all. Scared as the fifth-grader was now, he would be all right when he reached home. Danny had made that a part of the wish and the fairy had said she thought it was a good idea. Jesus didn't want even mean kids to die from having their guts really fall out, Danny felt pretty sure, so he had done his best not to spoil the Lord's birthday. Of course Hector Villaba probably wouldn't have a very merry Christmas, but Danny had decided that Jesus could probably live with that.

The Hobbit 2012 - Cinematic Trailer

2011-12-22T14:31:00.002-05:00

"Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. While I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it."

As a speculative fiction fan who found my way to the genre through the works of Tolkein, I can't help but have a soft spot in my heart for this particular tale. See you soon Bilbo.

Bastard Reaction - The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer

2011-12-21T09:17:00.001-05:00

You read fantasy and you wish you could become a wizard detective, a clever thief, Superman...but, a rock-climber? That's precisely what I wished to become after I was done with Courtney Schafer's debut novel, The Whitefire Crossing. Not that the book itself was about rock-climbing, but the passages in which it was featured, were quite compelling. I'm scared shitless of heights, so one can dream. It's the first book in The Shattered Sigil series, followed by The Tainted City projected for a 2012 release.

Dev is an outrider for caravans as they travel from one city to another, particularly through the mountains in which he uses his mountaineering expertise to scout for any danger. He also takes smuggling jobs on the side. He's been lauded to be very good at his job, though a risk taker for his love and thrill of rock climbing, he's been risk averse on the smuggling jobs he takes; until now. Losing all his savings due to some circumstances, savings he needed to save the life of someone he cares and is responsible for, he's forced into smuggling a young man, Kiran, into a city with a heavily guarded border against his better judgement. Unbeknownst to him, Kiran is a mage on the run from a very powerful and dangerous mage who'd stop at nothing to get him back.

The book is narrated in both first and third person limited perspectives. First person belongs to Dev, while the third person limited belongs to Kiran. I personally love this exercise, while I know some will find the style not to their liking, but I thought it was handled quite well. The switches in POV are marked preceding the passages, so there will be no confusion. I don't think readers will have problem getting into rhythm if that is of concern.

The Whitefire Crossing was a real treat of a novel. I'm not a fan of books that spend a good portion travelling, yet this novel packs some good energy and enthusiasm along with a thriller element through this making it quite entertaining and fresh. It's in fact the best part of novel. Two thirds of the novel in or so, the energy of the book drops substantially as the action and movement slows down and the plot not as interesting as what came before it. Main problem for me that some of the "reveals" were already heavily foreshadowed and easily inferred so they lost the impact when introduced along with the emotional impact in our characters. Picks right back up towards the end though with some exciting turn of events followed by an aftermath portion which sets up the next stage of the series in a manner which is of great interest to me with some promise of political intrigue which I enjoy very much.

The novel itself can be characterized as one about choices and consequences, juxtaposed with themes of trust and freedom. Throughout the whole novel both of our main characters are presented with a myriad of choices, choices that weigh heavy on them. It's these dilemmas that drive the character conflicts throughout the novel. There's a lot of introspection in which these struggles are depicted, in particular when they involve questions of trust versus risking freedom. If that isn't enough, both characters are confined by self-interest agendas that may force them to betray each other, and themselves for that matter, as they view it as an inevitability of their situation charged by shackles from their past and potential future, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The book features plenty of magic use, and I thought some of it was quite interesting when considering the cost-benefit analysis of magic usage. Personally would like to see more details of how the magic works and what limits does it actually have. For purposes of what was featured in this novel, they're not that important but some events towards the end hints to me that they might be in the future. The Whitefire Crossing is limited in scope as plot needs demand, so worldbuilding suffers a bit because of it. But don't ignore that which was featured coming to life in the pages, particularly through the mountain trek. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence throughout the novel though, which fuels the imagination about the possibilities in this world. Very much looking forward to how the boundaries of what we've been educated on expand in future installments.

Courtney Schafer has written a very promising debut which I highly recommend. Well written in an unorthodox style giving a fresh energy to some traditional ideas among the new. Main strength being the character conflicts presented throughout, and the enthusiastic and detailed narrative of mountaineering portions of the novel energized by Schafer's expertise of rock climbing. Plenty of action and a fast moving book which should keep readers entertained and turning the pages. Sequel of the novel is The Tainted City, very much looking forward to it, and hope many of you give this series a try.

******************

Thanks to Bastard for taking over Only the Best for today. Bastard is a good friend of mine and blogger at Bastard Books. We decided instead of doing a joint review, we'd just do a cross review on each other's blogs. Check out my review of The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer at the above link - I'll get a direct link once both are up and going.

Review - Betrayal: A Demon Squad Story by Tim Marquitz

2011-12-19T09:16:00.001-05:00

This is actually two short stories, Betrayal and Prohibition Black and Blues set in the Demon Squad universe, which is an amazing series that you should really read, especially if you like Urban Fantasy, hilarity, and a healthy amount of action. (Reviews: Book 1, Book 2)

Betrayal [Kindle] [Smashwords - Free] is a lead up to book 3, At the Gates. Usually this series is from the perspective of Frank Trigg (Triggaltheron), but Tim decided to go for a new perspective here, Frank's cousin Scarlett... and it totally works.

She's an angel and her story takes place up in heaven. Let's just say, I can't wait for At the Gates. Something's hitting the fan and it will be awesome.

Prohibition Black and Blues is a great tale, back in Frank Trigg's hands. Frank is working with his uncle, Lucifer, during the 20's and shows his dealings with the mob. Awesome. The more I read, the more I want to find out.

Both are a great read and extremely short, so you will definitely want to read them. Worth it for fans and as a first look at the series.

4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)

It's News To Me #31 - The 20 Unhappiest People You Meet in the Comments Section of Year-End Lists

2011-12-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

First off, this:

...your welcome.

Second:

The 20 Unhappiest People Commenting in End of the Year Lists: It's hilarious, it's also true, you must read this.

Review - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

2011-12-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

I watched the movie, Howl's Moving Castle [US] [UK], directed by Hayao Miyazaki, when I was going through my anime phase, not to mention I'm pretty much always going through a Christian Bale phase. I loved it, of course, it was so odd and just plain weird, exactly why I enjoy anime so much.

This was quite a while ago, and it wasn't until just recently that I started reading reviews of the book by Diana Wynne Jones, so I ordered it right away. And, because my "to read" pile is enormous, it sat on my shelf for another couple months.

So, to end this terribly interesting story, I somehow got into this "read the book after having already seen the movie because I had no idea there was a book to read" phase (see Stardust) and it was excellent.

The moral of this riveting story: don't wait, just read, you won't be disappointed.

Sophie is the eldest of three sisters and of course not much is expected of the eldest. She gets on the wrong side of the Witch of the Waste and is cursed to look 90 years old. She doesn't know what to do other than to leave her house without scaring her family and head into town. Not knowing what to do or who to go to, she continues heading outside of town and ends up walking to Howl's moving castle.

Howl's known for stealing little girls away, but she figures that's no longer her problem, she's old now...and who better to help her out than a wizard.

This really is such an endearing tale, I enjoyed the characters so much and I'm excited to have also found out that there are two more books to follow. I know, it sometimes baffles me how much I can enjoy these middle-grade books.

And because it's a middle-grade book, the writing is perfectly simplistic. It's told in third person, but from the perspective of Sophie, an adolescent. Howl's Moving Castle is so hard to put down, Sophie bumbles from problems with her curse to problems with the fickle Howl, who, as Sophie calls him, is a slitherer-outer, one who slithers out of doing anything.

On top of that, the magic is different than anything I've seen. It's so odd and quirky, it's so fun to read. For instance, the moving castle is also connected to two different places, Porthaven and Kingsbury. As long as the correct color is lined up on the door, you can connect to the requisite city or place. Then there's all the oddity that is Howl always chasing after different women, Calsifer (the devious fire demon), and Michael (Howl's apprentice).

When to Read Howl's Moving Castle?

This is perfect for a light reading mood. Howl's Moving Castle is full of magic and humor and great characters that are tons of fun to read about. Make sure to have some time on your hands because you won't be able to put it down.

4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)

My New Kindle Touch

2011-12-13T23:28:00.005-05:00

Yep, I've been talking about it so much lately, you probably didn't think it was going to happen... but you were wrong, I now have a Kindle Touch (cause it's my birthday). :)

I considered the Kindle Fire (as I mentioned here), but I already have a short enough attention span and more apps is the last thing I need. I also wanted something easier on my eyes than another computer screen.

So...I also found out it is WAY too easy to buy books for this thing. I blew $20 bucks in about 5 minutes, not even counting the 5 or 6 free copies I downloaded.

I also found out that while it says it can view .pdf's (and it does), it's pretty crappy. You can view the document, but the size is completely off. You do have the ability to zoom in, but then you have to keep scrolling across the screen to read the rest of each sentence.

Luckily I found a nice converter from any document type to any other document type (pretty much) and all online, there's nothing to download other than the file you converted.

It's News To Me #30 - Flowcharts and Lists and The Dark Knight Rises

2011-12-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

I just have two more finals left and I'm outta here... well, I'm done after the two finals and then a week later I'm outta here. Did I mention I'm going on a cruise for the holidays? It's my first one and I'm pretty excited. Any recommendations on what to bring/not waste my time with (besides my new Kindle)?

Flowchart for Holiday Purchases: SF Signal, the people behind the epic NPR recommendation flowchart, has put together a guide for the holiday season. Careful, make sure you have an hour or two.

Rules of Magic: Io9 put together a list of the rules of magic in fantasy books, movies, etc. It includes rules like who can use the magic, how it works, and how to defeat it.

So, who's excited? (Thanks to Sqt for bringing this to my attention)

Free eBook, The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells: This looks really good and the price is right. I don't know how long this lasts, but you might want to get on it now.