Excerpt: Embassytown by China Mieville
May
18
2011

Yesterday Embassytown, the latest book by China Mieville, was released, and Tor.com posted an excerpt.  I’ve read the first 60 pages or so of this book, which is what I am reading now, and it’s very interesting so far.

About Embassytown:

 

China Miéville doesn’t follow trends, he sets them. Relentlessly pushing his own boundaries as a writer—and in the process expanding the boundaries of the entire field—with Embassytown, Miéville has crafted an extraordinary novel that is not only a moving personal drama but a gripping adventure of alien contact and war.

In the far future, humans have colonized a distant planet, home to the enigmatic Ariekei, sentient beings famed for a language unique in the universe, one that only a few altered human ambassadors can speak.

Avice Benner Cho, a human colonist, has returned to Embassytown after years of deep-space adventure. She cannot speak the Ariekei tongue, but she is an indelible part of it, having long ago been made a figure of speech, a living simile in their language.

When distant political machinations deliver a new ambassador to Arieka, the fragile equilibrium between humans and aliens is violently upset. Catastrophe looms, and Avice is torn between competing loyalties—to a husband she no longer loves, to a system she no longer trusts, and to her place in a language she cannot speak yet speaks through her.

The Leaning Pile of Books
May
15
2011

It will most likely be a busy week with last minute preparations for going to Book Expo America next week, but there will at least be a review of The Fear Principle by B. A. Chepaitis this week.  I’m hoping to review Eona by Alison Goodman (or maybe Embassytown by China Mieville if I can finish it on time) before leaving as well, but we’ll have to see how it goes – there doesn’t seem to have been as much spare time as usual this month.

This week 3 review copies showed up at my front door.

Divergent by Veronica RothDivergent by Veronica Roth

This is the first book in a young adult dystopian trilogy by a debut author, and it was just released the beginning of this month.  The next book doesn’t have a title yet, but the books should be coming out about a year apart with book two in spring/summer 2012 and book three in spring/summer 2013, according to the author’s FAQ page.  An excerpt is available on the Harper Collins website.

The premise seems pretty interesting:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

The Gathering by Kelley ArmstrongThe Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

This is the first book in Darkness Rising series, a new young adult trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.  I’ve been wanting to try a book by Kelley Armstrong, but I’ve only received/been offered books that are several books into her other series so I’m thrilled to get to start with the first book in one of her series.  This book came out in April, and the next book in the trilogy, The Calling, will most likely be released in April 2012.  An excerpt from The Gathering is available on the publisher’s website.

Strange things are happening in Maya’s tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya’s home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.

It doesn’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

Chasing the Moon by A. Lee MartinezChasing the Moon by A. Lee Martinez

The latest novel by A. Lee Martinez will be released on May 25 (in hardcover and as an ebook).  I haven’t read of his books yet, but they’re supposed to be humorous.

Diana’s life was in a rut – she hated her job, she was perpetually single, and she needed a place to live. But then the perfect apartment came along. It seemed too good to be true – because it was.

As it turns out, the apartment was already inhabited – by monsters. Vom the Hungering was the first to greet Diana and to warn her that his sole purpose in life was to eat everything in his path. This poses a problem for Diana since she’s in his path…and is forbidden from ever leaving the apartment.

It turns out though that there are older and more ancient monstrous entities afoot – ones who want to devour the moon and destroy the world as we know it. Can Diana, Vom, and the other horrors stop this from happening? Maybe if they can get Vom to stop eating everything…and everyone.

April Reading
May
14
2011

Just like March, I finished one book on the first of the month and just missed 5 books for the month.  This is a little late, but I decided to post it anyway since I’ve decided to try to say a little bit about each book in these each month – just in case you don’t want to read the whole verbose review.

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente (Review)
It’s Catherynne M. Valente, which means it’s a pretty awesome book – incredibly well-written, clever, and creative.  I loved the basis on Russian folk tales and the way it was written, both the prose and the wording.  If I’d been able to connect to the characters a little more and had enjoyed the last part of the book as much as the first, I would have loved it at least as much as The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden (which remains my favorite of Valente’s books so far).  Overall, it’s a fantastic book.

Eon by Alison Goodman (Review)
This one was incredibly difficult for me to put down, in spite of some issues I had with it.  Although I didn’t love the characters, I did have a lot of fun reading the story plus it featured a couple of things I loved – an Asian-based fantasy setting and some gender issues.  It was riveting enough that I read the sequel soon afterward (this would be the book that I finished on May 1 – well, technically 3:00 AM on May 2nd because I couldn’t put it down – and I absolutely LOVED Eona).

Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly (Review)
A lot of Barbara Hambly’s books have been out of print for a while but were recently re-released as ebooks. Dragonsbane was one of these and it was my second ebook I’ve read (yes, I’m still more of a paper book reader even after trying this one on the Kindle).  It was a very interesting fantasy book that had a very complex main female character, torn between her studies and love.  What started as a quest to slay a dragon turned into a less conventional story, and it had a very memorable ending.  There was some slow pacing and I didn’t find the part of the story with the villainess quite as intriguing, but it did make me want to read more by Hambly.

Passion Play by Beth Bernobich (Review)
This debut novel had some issues and largely seemed to be setting up the rest of the series, but I still found it to be a page-turner for the most part. A lot of the politics took place behind the scenes through conversations and letters, but I grew to really like the main character and I enjoyed reading about the discussions she had.  There was enough to like about this book that I’m really excited about the potential for the rest of the series and the YA novel the author has coming out later this year (Fox and Phoenix), particularly since I thought the related short story “River of Souls” was great.  Some may have issues with some of the content in the first part of the book (described in more detail in the review).

Favorite book of the month: Deathless, which was quite incredible.

What books did you read in April?  What did you think of them? Any particular new favorites?

Review of Passion Play by Beth Bernobich
May
10
2011
Passion Play
by Beth Bernobich
368pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 6/10
Amazon Rating: 3.6/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.7/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.31/5
 

Passion Play, a fantasy debut novel by Beth Bernobich, won Best Epic Fantasy in the 2010 RT Reviewer’s Choice Awards and was long-listed for both the 2010 Tiptree Award and the 2011 British Fantasy Awards.  It is the first book in the Erythandra series and will be followed by The Queen’s Hunt (in 2012), Allegiance, and The Edge of the Empire.  “River of Souls,” a short story set in the same world, is available for free on Tor.com.

As the main plot doesn’t really start until almost 100 pages in, the following plot description loosely sums up those pages. If you are worried that will spoil too much, you can skip it by going to the horizontal line and reading from there on.

When she is nearly sixteen years old, Therez (aka Ilse) Zhalina’s father announces to her that he has arranged her marriage to Maester Theodr Galt.  (Fairly early in the book Therez becomes known as “Ilse” so I’ll refer to her by this name from now on just to avoid confusion.) Ilse does her best to convince her father not to force her to marry this man, due to the fact that she found him creepy and has heard some suspicious rumors about the recent dissolution of his betrothal to another woman.  As this union would greatly profit his business, the Zhalina patriarch refuses to listen to his daughter’s wishes.  Fearing what her life with this man will be like, Ilse runs away, hoping to find a job as a secretary – and her freedom.

Instead, Ilse finds harsh treatment at the hands of the caravan master, who discovers her secret and will return her to her father unless she will be a prostitute for the men in the caravan.  Terrified of facing the rest of her life married to Theodr Galt, Therez agrees and pleases more than one man a night.  Eventually, she also escapes this and finds her way to Raul Kosenmark, owner of a pleasure house that is much more than it seems, and becomes involved in secrets and intrigue.

Overall, I thought Passion Play was flawed but promising, and it did enough well that I’m excited about the potential for the series.  After all, this is a debut novel so I’m expecting the following novels to improve, and it also felt like it was setting up the rest of the series.  Also, I read the aforementioned related short story “River of Souls” and thought it was very well done, so I’m hoping that with more practice writing novels the author will be able to construct a longer story with the same skill.  In Passion Play, I felt that the writing, particularly the dialogue, and the main character were great and kept it very readable, but the plotting and structure could have been better.

Before I discuss what worked and didn’t in more detail, I do want to give a word of warning that some people may have some difficulty with some of the content and suggest you read this post if you want more of the details of how some people will react to it.  Personally, I found this particular aspect to be more subdued than I had been expecting, but I’m also not terribly easily upset or offended by a book’s contents.  If you want it in brief (er, briefer than the post linked to, at least) along with how much it influences the rest of the book, read the spoiler below:

What I really liked about Passion Play was the dialogue, the main character, and the premise of retaining some memories from past lives.  The prose was fairly simple but effective in that it flowed without the need to really stop and think about it. A lot of the story was told through dialogue and Ilse’s internal thoughts, and the fact that I found it so absorbing in spite of that says a lot for how well-written some of the discussions were.  In fact, although the latter half of the book was heavily focused on politics, most of this was behind the scenes.  A lot of the intrigue was through letters and conversations about these letters and political situations without very much action or firsthand influence in events.  Many of the characters introduced as being important to the overall scheme never actually make an appearance, which can make it a little difficult to keep track of some of the key players who will most likely be more important later in the series.  Yet, I still found these parts interesting to read about, and that may also be due to the fact that I really liked Ilse and wanted her to succeed.

From the beginning, Ilse is very easy to sympathize with since she’s essentially being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want. While her decision to run away may seem rather ill-advised, I also didn’t think it seemed completely unreasonable for a girl in her position.  It’s not like she had anywhere else to go since no one in her family was willing to stand up to her father, and she was quite obviously terrified of the man her father picked for her to marry (and he didn’t pick the man because he thought it would be good for Ilse but because he thought it would be good for his financial situation).  Plus I don’t think she wanted to end up like her mother, who always had to tiptoe around her father.  Perhaps she could have at least tried a little longer to convince the rest of her family to listen to her, but it really did sound like a losing battle from the start from what was said of her father and family life. So she saw her options as either submitting to her father’s will or taking matters into her own hands by leaving.  Leaving home lead to some really bad situations, but in the end she got what she wanted so although it seemed like she understood she’d been a bit naive, I don’t think she had any real regrets either.

In addition to being sympathetic, Ilse is just likable – she’s clever and a fast learner who enjoys reading.  At times, she may seem a bit too intelligent and mature for her age, but there’s also a possible explanation for this.  In this book, people remember bits and pieces of their past lives through dreams, and Ilse has memories of being a scholar.  Who one was in a previous life can influence who one is in the present, so it seems reasonable that Ilse could have greater wisdom than a typical teenager due to this. I really love this concept and hope to see it explored further in the next books.

Other than Ilse, I didn’t find any of the other characters particularly stood out as memorable.  There was a romance between her and one other character that seemed rather sudden in spite of the fact that it did develop over time.  This may have been because there were a couple of small hints that they liked each other, then it was suddenly revealed, and from that point forward (the last 50 pages or so) it was rather heavily focused on this romantic relationship.  That was one issue I had with the novel – that it didn’t feel like the plot threads were tied together, moving forward naturally toward a conclusion.  It felt like it was split into parts: Ilse’s beginning that lead to the rest of the story, her rise to learning about the political schemes, and then her romance.  All of the story really felt like a prologue for things to come since there was not a lot of action, and some may find it rather slow moving if they don’t enjoy the dialogue or care about Ilse since there was not a lot of plot progression in this novel.  It largely feels like it is setting up the rest of the series.

Passion Play was not a perfect book, and it did seem to be setting the stage for future volumes in the series since there was not a lot of forward momentum in the story.  There was a lot of discussion about politics without a lot of action or even time spent with a lot of the characters discussed (who will most likely become more prominent later). However, since I really liked the main character and feel the parts that were introduced in this book has a lot of potential to become an interesting series, I am very likely to pick up the next book (although I wouldn’t pay for the hardcover).  This book was never a struggle to get through once it got past the time in the caravan (which I found somewhat dull) and was in fact very readable in general.  Those reasons, combined with the fact that this is a debut novel and I was rather impressed by the short story set in the same world, actually has me rather eager to see if this promising first installment sets a solid foundation for the next book.

My Rating: 6/10

Where I got my reading copy: Picked up an ARC at an author signing at Book Expo America last year.

Read an Excerpt

A Dance with Dragons Tour
May
09
2011

A couple of days ago George R. R. Martin announced the first few stops for the book tour for A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series (available on July 12).  The first few appearances will be in Boston, New York City, and Indianapolis, and Martin will also be appearing at San Diego Comicon.  Those planning to attend this year’s Readercon (July 14 – 17) may be interested in the fact that the first event will be at a Barnes and Noble also in Burlington, Massachusetts, on July 12.  So if you have time to leave a little earlier you could go to both the first tour event and Readercon, which would be pretty fantastic.  I was considering going to Readercon this year myself so I’m half tempted, but I highly doubt I will since if I go I’ll be trying to avoid having to take more than one day off from work.

A Dance With Dragons

The Leaning Pile of Books
May
08
2011

First, a quick update: This whole past week I was busy every single evening after work so I didn’t make any progress on book reviews.  I’m working on a review of Passion Play by Beth Bernobich and then I have a review of Eona by Alison Goodman to write (it kept me up until 3 in the morning – I absolutely loved it).  At the moment I’m reading two science fiction books – The Fear Principle by B. A. Chepaitis and Embassytown by China Mieville.

This week I bought one of my new most anticipated books of the year (after reading the first book a couple months ago) and received 4 unexpected review copies.  Have to love it when surprise books show up!

Oh, and in case any other Kate Daniels fans are interested – I pre-ordered a signed copy of Magic Slays from Powell’s.  Ilona and Gordon Andrews will be signing copies at the store at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton, Oregon, on May 31  at 7:00 PM along with Lili St. Crow (signing Defiance) and Devon Monk (signing Magic on the Hunt).  If only I lived closer so I could go to the signing… but I was thrilled for the opportunity to order one of the books.  It was a tough decision since that means I’ll have to wait a little longer for it to get here so I can read it, but I decided it was worth it to wait for a signed copy.

On the books I actually got this week!

The Hidden GoddessThe Hidden Goddess by M. K. Hobson

After reading The Native Star earlier this year as part of the Nebula Readathon, I of course had to get the sequel soon after it came out.  I debated whether or not to get it now since I have some other books I need to read and review first, but it’s one I definitely want to have on hand for when I do get a chance to read it.  If it had been out when I finished the first book, I would have read it immediately afterward.  It was one of those books I just loved that much that I wanted the next one NOW.   A recent interview with the author describing it as darker made me want to read it even more.  I was also interested to see from the interview that the next two books will most likely take place about 30 years after this one and will be about Emily’s son.

In a brilliant mix of magic, history, and romance, M. K. Hobson moves her feisty young Witch, Emily Edwards, from the Old West of 1876 to turn-of-the-nineteenth-century New York City, whose polished surfaces conceal as much danger as anything west of the Rockies.

Like it or not, Emily has fallen in love with Dreadnought Stanton, a New York Warlock as irresistible as he is insufferable. Newly engaged, she now must brave Dreadnought’s family and the magical elite of the nation’s wealthiest city. Not everyone is pleased with the impending nuptials, especially Emily’s future mother-in-law, a sociopathic socialite. But there are greater challenges still: confining couture, sinister Russian scientists, and a deathless Aztec goddess who dreams of plunging the world into apocalypse. With all they must confront, do Emily and Dreadnought have any hope of a happily-ever-after?

Promises to KeepPromises to Keep by Charles de Lint

This book will be available in paperback for the first time on May 15. It’s another Newford book about Jilly Coppercorn, and it takes place before The Onion Girl and Widdershins. I’ve only read one book by de Lint (Medicine Road) and I thought it was good, but it wasn’t really a book I personally was crazy about. This sounds very good to me, though, and I find myself wanting to read it.

With the help of a mentor and an anonymous benefactor, Jilly Coppercorn has overcome abuse, addiction, and a stint in juvie. Though she still struggles to stay clean, she has found safety and love in a newly formed family that includes her loyal best friend, a lovely artist, and her caseworker. Temptation comes knocking, however, when her best friend from the bad old days rides in on a motorcycle and takes Jilly to a beautiful, mysterious city full of wonderful opportunities. It seems perfect at first, until Jilly discovers that it was a one-way trip—and she still has unfinished business in Newford. At turns playful and serious, this urban fantasy introduces de Lint’s most enduring character and grapples with the realities of life-changing choices.

The Chaos CrystalThe Chaos Crystal by Jennifer Fallon

The fourth and final title in the Tide Lords series will be released in hardcover and as an ebook in the US on May 10.  The first three books in the series are The Immortal Prince, Gods of Amyrantha, and Palace of Impossible Dreams. I’ve been wanting to read a book by Jennifer Fallon for a while now, so I was thrilled to find this in the mail – until I read the dreaded “book 4 of a series” part. I did see that the hardcover version of the first book in the series is a bargain book on Amazon right now so I am tempted since I have some Amazon gift cards from my birthday last month.  But I’m still considering it (since I did want to get the new Mercy Thompson book, the new book coming out by Catherynne Valente this month, and Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay and none of those are cheap mass market paperbacks – plus this book still is about the trade paperback price as a bargain book).  Has anyone read the series?  What did you think of it?

The magical Tide has turned and the Immortal Lords once again have their full power. The Immortal Lord Cayal welcomes this power as a means to an end–his end, preferably.  Cayal has wanted to cease his existence for longer than human history and it looks like he might finally get his wish.  Rumors swirl that the Chaos Crystal, the mysterious prism that brought the Immortals to the world, has been found. Cayal is determined to seize the gem.

Among those who search for this long-lost object is Cayal’s former lover, the very mortal Lady Arkady.  She’s been captured by Jaxyn, a Tide Lord who is decidedly against Cayal and is seeking the Crystal for his own nefarious schemes. Arkady escapes, and is off on her desperate search…for if the gem falls into the hands of the Immortals, what will become of humanity?

The stakes are high, with mortal and immortal fighting to grasp this ultimate prize. Whoever holds the Crystal can decide the fate of the world.

Degrees of FreedomDegrees of Freedom by Simon Morden

The third book in the Samuil Petrovich series will be released on May 31.  The first two books are Equations of Life and Theories of Flight.  This series sounds pretty interesting, but I don’t have the first two books so it’s not something I’ll be likely to read anytime soon.

The Six Degrees of Petrovitch

Michael is an AI of incalculable complexity trapped under the remains of Oshicora tower. Petrovitch will free him one day, he just has to trust Michael will still be sane by the time he does.

Maddy and Petrovitch have trust issues. She’s left him, but Petrovitch is pretty sure she still loves him.

Sonja Oshicora loves Petrovitch too. But she’s playing a complicated game and it’s not clear that she means to save him from what’s coming.

The CIA wants to save the world. Well, just America, but they’ll call it what they like.

The New Machine Jihad is calling. But Petrovitch killed it. Didn’t he?

And the Armageddonists tried to kill pretty much everyone by blowing the world up. Now, they want to do it again.

Once again, all roads lead back to Petrovitch. Everyone wants something from him, but all he wants is to be free…

The Map of All ThingsThe Map of All Things by Kevin J. Anderson

The second book in the Terra Incognita series will be available in mass market paperback on May 31.  The first book in the series is The Edge of the World.  The third book, The Key to Creation, will be released in July.

After terrible atrocities by both sides, the religious war between Tierra and Uraba has spread and intensified, irreparably dividing the known world. What started as a series of skirmishes has erupted into a full-blown crusade.

Now that the Uraban leader, Soldan-Shah Omra, has captured the ruined city of Ishalem, his construction teams discover a priceless ancient map in an underground vault – a map that can guide brave explorers to the mysterious Key to Creation.