Review of All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen
Oct
25
2011
All Men of Genius
by Lev AC Rosen
462pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 8/10
Amazon Rating: 4.7/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.10/5
 

All Men of Genius is a debut novel by Lev AC Rosen. It’s a steampunk story set in England that draws inspiration from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

Violet Adams is a mechanical genius of extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, she’s also not allowed into Illyria, the world’s best college for the sciences, which only admits men as students. When Violet’s father is away for a year to go to a series of conferences in America, she and her twin brother Ashton devise a scheme to get Violet into the academy of her dreams – Violet will pretend to be Ashton and at the end of the year she will reveal her gender, proving that women can be just as good as men at the sciences.

After submitting her application, Violet-as-Ashton is invited to show her work to the faculty and is later accepted as one of five new students at Illyria. On her first day, Violet has to contend with mad scientist professors and the yearly prank played on all new students where they are taken into the school’s spooky basement and must find their way out – a basement that it seems is hiding some rather big secrets after further exploration throughout the year. While at school, Violet makes friends but also finds some of her relationships rather hindered by her gender pretense, particularly that with the Duke of Illyria and his ward Cecily. Cecily believes herself to be in love with sensitive “Ashton” and seeks to reform him when his sister Violet tries to convince her it’s really better not to get involved with him. Ernest, the Duke of Illyria, finds himself falling for Violet the more he gets to know this intelligent young woman but is confused by some encounters with her brother at the college. What Ernest’s father never revealed to him about his past history is the root of bigger concerns, though – and all their lives may be in danger as a result.

All Men of Genius is a great book and a very impressive and polished debut novel. It’s definitely one of the better books I’ve read this year with a fun storyline, strong writing, and well-written dialogue. (For examples of the writing and dialogue, I suggest checking out the excerpts linked to toward the end of this post which I think will give you a very good idea of if it will work for you as well.) It also manages to be entertaining and comedic while at the same time making statements about roles in society.

Since seventeen-year-old Violet is masquerading as a boy of the same age with very few people realizing she is not in fact a young man, it does require some suspension of disbelief. Much like Twelfth Night, there are humorous situations as a result of this pretense, but I also enjoyed the fact that there were some reasonable explanations behind some of them. For instance, when the Duke of Illyria’s ward Cecily falls for “Ashton,” it’s not completely random. Cecily is a talented chemist who is often just seen as a pretty face by all the male scientists around her. Yet Ashton is different because he takes her work seriously and treats her as an equal. He doesn’t chase after her or look down on her for being a female in a man’s world. While these circumstances are mainly to provide humor, it also makes sense that Cecily would become fixated on someone like Ashton (at least if you can get past the fact that she’s also met Violet and never suspects they are the same person).

In general, I really like what was done with the setting. It can be risky for an author to choose to write about a time period in which discrimination against certain people exists and is understood to be the way it was. Some people will be irritated if the facts of the time are changed, while others may not be want to read about it even if it is accurate for the time. In this particular case, the general attitude is true to the time period yet it’s also partially about instigating social change with the underlying message that all people are equal regardless of gender, race, or sexual preference. It doesn’t beat you over the head with a big message and manages to keep itself light and fun, though – it’s woven in but it’s shown more through the characters who are part of those minorities. That said, I did think social change was accepted rather too easily by many of the characters in the end, but then, that is keeping in tone with the rest of the book which doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The only real downside for me was that there wasn’t a lot of character development, but that’s really just the way the book was – the characters were more a conduit for dialogue and action than evolving people. They were likable and had some fantastic exchanges, but it wasn’t about examining their personalities or why they did the things they did. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the characters because I did, especially Violet. I loved her determination and fierce intelligence and the way she didn’t let society’s standards get in the way of what she wanted. Watching her start for fall for Ernest was also wonderful, and I loved the way she seemed to accept her feminine side more the longer she was pretending to be a man. It did have the problem of being rather black and white, though. The villain tended to have only bad character traits, as well as one of the professors who didn’t seem to like the students very much. However, this was only a minor detraction when compared to the rest of the novel and the number of things it did very well.

The ending is rather predictable, but this didn’t bother me at all since this wasn’t a book I was reading for plot twists. The strength was the story and the way it was written, and I think I actually would have been really disappointed if it didn’t end the way I expected it to.

All Men of Genius is a delightful book, and I definitely recommend it to people who enjoy the same type of comedy as Twelfth Night or the girl pretending to be a boy storyline. It sets up some humorous situations that are just all the more fun for being in on the joke. It’s also well written with well-crafted dialogue and contains some mad science – what’s not to like? I will definitely be eagerly awaiting Lev AC Rosen’s next novel.

My Rating: 8/10

Where I got my reading copy: Review copy from the publisher.

Excerpts:

Other Reviews:

The Leaning Pile of Books
Oct
23
2011

This week brought a book I purchased because I must read it and an ebook for review consideration.

Cold Fire by Kate ElliottCold Fire by Kate Elliott

This is the second book in the Spiritwalker trilogy following Cold Magic. I really enjoyed Cold Magic (review), so when Cold Fire was recently released I had to make sure to get a copy. I’m not sure when I’ll get to read it since I have my next few books to read lined up, but I knew I’d want to have it around for later because I’m really curious about what happens to Cat!

The first chapter is available online as well as a bonus chapter that is not from Cat’s perspective and takes place between chapters 31 and 32 in Cold Fire.

Only one thing is certain: when Hallows’ Night comes, the Wild Hunt will ride – and it feeds on mortal blood.

Cat and her cousin Bee are caught in a maze of intrigue, treachery, and magic. Everyone seems to want something from them: the Cold Mages are trying to take them prisoner, and the warlord who wants to conquer all of Europa seems sure they have a special destiny to aid him whether they want to or not. Worse, hidden powers deep in the spirit world are rising, and they are the most dangerous of all. Cat must seek allies and figure out who she can trust in order to save the ones she loves. For if she doesn’t, everything will be lost.

The Fallen Queen by Jane KindredThe Fallen Queen by Jane Kindred

The first book in The House of Arkhangel’sk trilogy will be available in paperbook and ebook formats December 6. According to the author’s website, the next two books The Midnight Court and The Armies of Heaven will be released in early 2012.

I have a copy of the e-ARC to look at, and after skimming the first chapter, I’m intrigued.

Heaven can go to hell.

Until her cousin slaughtered the supernal family, Anazakia’s father ruled the Heavens, governing noble Host and Fallen peasants alike. Now Anazakia is the last grand duchess of the House of Arkhangel’sk, and all she wants is to stay alive.

Hunted by Seraph assassins, Anazakia flees Heaven with two Fallen thieves–fire demon Vasily and air demon Belphagor, each with their own nefarious agenda–who hide her in the world of Man. The line between vice and virtue soon blurs, and when Belphagor is imprisoned, the unexpected passion of Vasily warms her through the Russian winter.

Heaven seems a distant dream, but when Anazakia learns the truth behind the celestial coup, she will have to return to fight for the throne–even if it means saving the man who murdered everyone she loved.

Review of The Dread Hammer by Trey Shiels
Oct
18
2011
The Dread Hammer
by Trey Shiels
218pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 6/10
Amazon Rating: 5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.75/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.86/5
 

The Dread Hammer is the first fantasy book by Trey Sheils, who has written more books as science fiction writer Linda Nagata. Linda Nagata has won the Locus Award for Best Science First Novel for The Bohr Maker and the Nebula Award for Best Novella for Goddesses.

When Ketty’s father decides she is to marry an old man who has been married twice already, she runs away and desperately prays to the Dread Hammer for help when these two men pursue her. Instead of being rescued by the Dread Hammer, she is rescued by Smoke, a handsome young man who often hears prayers. Smoke is one of the Bidden, a descendant of the spirit Koráy who left her home to aid an oppressed people when she heard their pleas to the Dread Hammer.  Yet Smoke is different from the other Bidden and is also trying to escape his past.

While Smoke often responds to the cries for help he hears, he’s never felt drawn to any of them as he does Ketty. Ketty is rather attractive, and Smoke almost immediately decides she must be his wife. At first, Ketty is resistant to this idea, but she does find Smoke rather alluring and soon gives in. The two retire to Smoke’s cottage, where they live together rather happily and even have a child together, a rarity for one of the Bidden. However, when Smoke becomes careless about remaining in hiding out of concern for Ketty, he has no choice but to return to the past he thought he had finally escaped – at least, if he values the well-being of his new family.

The Dread Hammer is a fairly short, quick read and is a somewhat entertaining book. Although it is a good story, I do think it’s a rare instance of a fantasy book that would have benefited from having more length. There’s a lot packed into it with a world full of legends, peoples in conflict with each other, a dysfunctional family, a love story, and a lot of background on the Bidden and Smoke himself. Yet it flits so much between all these different parts that it feels somewhat rushed. While there is some depth to it in the natures of the various characters and the fact that neither side in the war seems entirely pure of heart, it ends up feeling shallow because there is no time to get to know the characters or really become immersed in it.

The highlight of this book as far as I was concerned were the myths and legends and how they influenced Smoke’s family. As the story progresses, much of the background is filled in by one of Smoke’s sisters. These vital pieces of information and her insights add a lot to the story even though they are short and spread out. It’s through her that we learn of how Koráy was bidden to come to the aid of what would become the Koráyos people when she heard their prayers to the Dread Hammer. The story is also divided between Smoke and the rest of his family in the beginning when they separated. These sections supplied what it means to be direct ancestors of Koráy who have some magic because of this – and the fact that Smoke is still both more and less than they are somehow. It also filled in more of the continuing conflict between the Koráyos and the Fitáwan people, whom Koráy had come to protect them from in the first place.

Smoke’s family and their life in the Puzzle Lands was a lot more compelling than Smoke’s life. It’s not that he’s not an interesting character in his own right, because he is. He has this carefree, playful side when he’s around Ketty, but Smoke has a dark side that makes it hard to be completely sympathetic toward him. He is a killer who has killed women and children in the past, although he hates to. Yet he doesn’t have great respect for human life and will kill without a second thought if he thinks it’s necessary, especially when it comes to protecting himself and his family. That’s not to say he’ll only take a life when faced with an immediate threat, though – he’ll kill someone just for knowing of his existence so they can’t let others know. For all that, he doesn’t quite seem cold-blooded, though, as he’s more practical than cruel and doesn’t seem to enjoy killing as long as he doesn’t have a personal cause. He also obviously loves Ketty and his daughter, although I was a bit confounded by how quickly he decided he was in love with Ketty. He was obviously intrigued by her courage, and perhaps he felt her a kindred spirit since she was also trying to unburden herself from the plans her family had for her. I was more puzzled by Ketty’s response to Smoke’s sudden affections. While she was initially hesitant to become the wife of a man who appeared out of nowhere and offered to kill her father and would-be husband, it wasn’t long before she changed her mind and went home with Smoke. She didn’t have a lot of good options if she didn’t want to go home, but they had just met and Smoke did seem a bit like a sinister character (even if one that had a bit of charm and was supposed to be rather handsome).

Once Smoke was reunited with his family, it got a lot more interesting, though.  Smoke’s father despises him and is a jealous, cruel, and hardhearted individual. Despite his murderous tendencies, Smoke never comes across as outright evil, but his father certainly does – and much of the darker side of Smoke can be attributed to his father. Smoke also seems to have a greater capacity to truly care for people than his father does. In contrast, Smoke’s twin sisters (who are beloved by their father) love him and raised him due to the death of their mother. There’s some major drama with Smoke’s father manipulating him and one of Smoke’s sisters falling in love with a man Smoke has a rather unpleasant history with. Through it all, the only one who remains measured is Tayval, the twin who never speaks yet has been gifted with great power and insight.

While the story is entertaining, I do think the writing could have been a bit stronger. The dialogue between Ketty and Smoke was sometimes a bit abrupt and clunky, even though there was quite a bit of it that was also full of playful affection that rang true. Other than the sections belonging to Smoke’s sister, which had a bit more poetic flair and were some of my favorite parts, the sentences were very short and simple. In some cases, this works, but in this case I was sometimes thinking about this more than the story. There was also the occasional cheesiness of referring to the vagina as the “sacred gate” anytime it was referenced, which was a very distracting phrase.

All in all, The Dread Hammer is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours since it’s a good story and the unraveling of Smoke’s origins makes for an intriguing mysterious element. Since it is very short for the amount that happens in it, though, it seems rushed. It could have been a much better book if only some time had been spent really getting to know the characters, and if the writing, particularly the dialogue, was a little more complex or inventive. It’s not a bad book by any means, but it’s also not one that would have me clamoring to read the sequel were there ever to be one.

My Rating: 6/10

Where I got my reading copy: Review copy from the author.

Read an Excerpt

The Emperor’s Knife by Mazarkis Williams
Oct
17
2011

This is one of the posts where I just want to talk about a book that looks interesting that I recently came across (I have a long mental list of next year’s books I’m saving for later this year). Night Shade Books linked to the starred Publisher’s Weekly review for The Emperor’s Knife on their Facebook page, and I was intrigued enough to look it up since they used the magic phrase “compelling characterizations.” This debut novel will be available December 6, and I noticed that the author is giving away a signed copy on Goodreads (and people from LOTS of countries can enter)!

The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams

About The Emperor’s Knife:

There is a cancer at the heart of the mighty Cerani Empire: a plague that attacks young and old, rich and poor alike, marking each victim with a fragment of a greater pattern. Anyone showing the marks is put to death. That is Emperor Beyon’s law . . .

But now the pattern is reaching closer to the palace than ever before. In a hidden room, a forgotten prince has grown from child to man, and as the empire sickens, Sarmin, the emperor’s only surviving brother, is remembered. He awaits the bride his mother has chosen: a chieftain’s daughter from the northern plains.

Mesema travels from her homeland, an offering for the empire’s favour. She is a Windreader, used to riding free across the grasslands, not posing and primping in rare silks. She finds the Imperial Court’s protocols stifling, but she doesn’t take long to realise the politicking and intrigues are not a game, but deadly earnest.

Eyul is burdened both by years and by the horrors he has carried out in service to the throne. At his emperor’s command he bears the emperor’s Knife to the desert in search of a cure for the pattern-markings.

As long-planned conspiracies boil over into open violence and rebellion, the enemy moves toward victory. Now only three people stand in his way: a lost prince, a world-weary killer, and a young girl from the steppes who once saw a path through a pattern, among the waving grasses.

Mazarkis Williams pieces together a complex mosaic of personality and ambition in a brilliant work of magic and mystery set in a richly imagined world, the first book in a fantastic new series.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Oct
16
2011

First of all, sorry for the lack of reviews around here lately. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes. I thought the long weekend last weekend would be a great opportunity to start getting caught up, but then I got sick (and of course, read more books to review since that’s about all I felt up to doing). There should be reviews this week, though, since I have a draft of a review of The Dread Hammer by Trey Shiels and have one halfway written for The Magician King by Lev Grossman.

Only one review copy to talk about this week, but it’s one I’m very excited about and will be starting as soon as I finish the book I’m reading now. I also had a rather pleasant surprise…

The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. JemisinThe Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin

This is the final book in the Inheritance trilogy, following The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (review) and The Broken Kingdoms (review). The books all follow different main characters and this book is about Sieh, the trickster godling. Although the official release date is October 27th in the US, it seems to be shipping from Amazon already, and it is out in the UK. It’s available in trade paperback and ebook. There are sample chapters on the author’s website: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three .

I loved the first two books, as did many others. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy Award, and the Hugo Award. I was pretty thrilled when this was waiting for me when I came home. It made my week when I opened it up and saw a quote from fantasybookcafe.com in the “Praise for the Inheritance Trilogy” section! It was from my review of The Broken Kingdoms. I couldn’t believe it!

Here’s the book blurb:

For two thousand years the Arameri family has ruled the world by enslaving the very gods that created mortalkind. Now the gods are free, and the Arameri’s ruthless grip is slipping. Yet they are all that stands between peace and world-spanning, unending war.

Shahar, last scion of the family, must choose her loyalties. She yearns to trust Sieh, the godling she loves. Yet her duty as Arameri heir is to uphold the family’s interests, even if that means using and destroying everyone she cares for.

As long-suppressed rage and terrible new magics consume the world, the Maelstrom — which even gods fear — is summoned forth. Shahar and Sieh: mortal and god, lovers and enemies. Can they stand together against the chaos that threatens the Kingdom of the Gods?

Guest Post: C.J. Hill on Dragons
Oct
10
2011

Today I have a guest post by C.J. Hill, the author of the new book Slayers. Since her book is about dragon slayers, this post is all about dragons – dragons in different cultures, favorite dragons, and why she featured them in her book. Hope you enjoy it!

Slayers by C. J. Hill

For a creature that never existed, dragons certainly get a lot of publicity (I would have said air-time, but it seemed a bit much to put a pun in the blog’s first sentence.)

Just about every ancient culture had a dragon mythology.  Most people are familiar with European and Chinese dragons, but Japanese and Koreans had them too.  The Aztecs had Quetzalcoatl the flying feathered serpent, the Native Americans had Thunderbirds—birds so big that when they flapped their wings, it sounded like thunder.  The Bible has dragon references in both the New and Old Testaments.  Even the Hawaiians have a dragon mythology.  When the dragon goddess, Kihawahine, needed help retrieving her runaway human husband, she called on all the dragons from the Islands to fly over and help her.

I bet you never knew dragons provided that service, did you?  They fly, breathe fire, and provide marriage counseling.  Can a creature get cooler than that?

As a child I loved fairy tales.  When adults asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said a princess. I was totally ticked off when I found out that wasn’t a viable career option.  I was more into poofy dresses, unicorns, and tiaras than dragons, but they were always a part of that fantasy world.


As far as favorite dragons go—Smaug, from The Hobbit, is high on the list.  I was a Lord of the Rings fan long before Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen made the series cool.  Great books.  Smaug was not only smart, powerful, and wealthy, he also had a name that sounded like pollution.  Fitting and dangerous at the same time. Of course, I don’t recall anybody ever explaining what dragons do with all of that treasure they guard.  Just collect it?  There is perhaps a TV show possibility in all of this—Hoarders Through the Centuries.

Another favorite dragon of mine is much less known—Draco from the 1996 movie Dragonheart.  In it, Draco is not only powerful and self-sacrificing, but he also has a sense of humor and is not above being part of a knight-dragon con game.

And alright, I also admit to liking Puff the Magic Dragon and Pete’s Dragon too.  How can you not like dragons with snappy theme songs?

This said, I’m not sure I was drawn to write about dragons because of the dragons I’ve liked.  It was more what dragons symbolized that won them their focal point in my series.  Just like Don Quixote, sometimes we have to pick up our swords and fight the dragons in our lives.  Sometimes those dragons are only be windmills in disguise, but other times they’re big and fierce and can roast us like marshmallows.

How does a person find the courage to face those sorts of dragons?  When we come across dragon-sized problems, how many of us stick around to fight it out instead of taking off for safer ground?  I admit that part of the emotion behind this novel came from situations where I felt like I was facing dragons (large or small) and the people who were supposed to help, ditched the effort after the first flame.

The Slayers in this book know what it’s like to have comrades desert them, and that’s likely to be a theme throughout all of the books.  Don’t worry though. I like happy endings far too much to let things go too terribly wrong.  True, people will get burned, and DC will most likely get smacked around like Tokyo in a Godzilla movie.  There might be a fatality here or there, but the right people will prevail in the end.

About Slayers by C. J. Hill:

 

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?