Review of Badass: The Birth of a Legend by Ben Thompson
Mar
28
2011
Badass: The Birth of a Legend
by Ben Thompson
384pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 7/10
Amazon Rating: 5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.17/5
 

Badass: The Birth of a Legend is by Ben Thompson, who has been running the website Badass of the Week since 2004.  He has also written numerous articles on badasses, and this is his second book on the subject.  The first book published on this topic, Badass, is about various figures from history (and is perhaps the most awesome use of a degree in history ever).  The newest book, which just came out last week, is about various tough men, women, gods, goddesses, and creatures from mythology, folklore, literature, movies, and television.

The book is divided into 4 main sections:

  1. Gods, Goddesses, and Other Kickass Celestial Beings
  2. Heroes, Heroines, and Over-the-Top Do-Gooders
  3. Villains, Sorcerers, Antiheroes, and Psychotic Merciless Bastards
  4. Monsters, Fiends, Hellspawn, and Worse

Each of these 4 sections  focuses on 10 main characters (or in a few cases groups of people or monsters), and some of them feature a little bit more information on a related topic at the end of the section.  For instance, one of the featured characters is Baba Yaga and at the end it also has a short piece on another figure from Russian folklore, Koschei the Deathless.  Sometimes these are more loosely related, such as Thor’s chapter being followed with a little bit on figures from mythology whose names appear in Final Fantasy summon spells.

Subjects covered are drawn from a wide variety of sources throughout the world, including everything from myths and legends from various cultures, classic literature, pop culture, and even cartoons from the 1980s.  Some of the highlighted figures include but are not limited to:

  • Oya (African goddess)
  • Anubis (Egyptian god)
  • Huitzilopochtli (Aztec god)
  • Finn McCool (Irish leader of the Fianna Knights)
  • Bradamant (female medieval knight from the Orlando Furioso)
  • Professor Moriarty (nemesis of Sherlock Holmes)
  • Sauron (Middle Earth’s ultimate villain)
  • Darth Vader (the universe’s ultimate villain)
  • El Chupacabra (mysterious blood-sucking creature)
  • Frankenstein’s monster from Mary Shelley’s classic novel
  • Skeletor from He-Man
  • Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek
  • Skuld, a Norse necromancer and queen
  • Dragons

It’s quite a diverse list, and this isn’t even half of what is included.

Badass: The Birth of a Legend is a very fun book, especially if you’re the sort of person who can get into reading about virtually all-powerful beings who can defeat just about anyone or anything they are up against.  It uses the words “awesome” and “hardcore” practically every chapter [Ed: I’d say paragraph…] and occasionally goes on tangents – such as about how Skeletor should really ride his giant panther more often and how the author would ride his humongous wildcat to the grocery store if he had one.  (I can’t say I disagree with this sentiment.)  There are times the author tries a little too hard to be over-the-top funny, but there are also quite a large number of times when it’s really hilarious.  Also, it can be rather crude, partially due to various mythological stories having a fascination with private parts and partially to the author’s repeated references to them.  Overall, I found it pretty thoroughly entertaining, but don’t go to this book looking for any in depth anthropological studies of the character from myths–it is exactly what it is intended to be, a fun ride told with attitude.

My favorite chapters were easily any of the ones that dealt with mythology because they would usually discuss the legends the characters were involved in that made them so extraordinarily badass.  Aside from that, it might even tell some about their origins or other interesting stories concerning them, such as the beginnings of the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli, whose mother wore a snake skirt (or, as Thompson interprets the legend, a scaly chastity belt) and whose father was a ball of feathers.  This was one of the more intriguing myths – the Aztecs were a rather creative culture.

Although I did enjoy the literature parts (like Frankenstein’s monster and the little bit about how Mary Shelley wrote her classic novel on a dare), I didn’t find the TV and movie sections quite as fascinating.  I was a little disappointed by the lack of Xena Warrior Princess since she is the epitome of television badasses in my book (with the fact that she could kick just about anyone’s butt and do, well, pretty much anything), but I also think it was good to provide a bit more variety since Greek mythology was already pretty well covered in all 4 major sections of the book.  TV was a chance to cover some different types of stories and drew from Star Trek, Dr. Who, He-Man, and The A-Team.

Also, it was a welcome opportunity to learn about some tough women I hadn’t heard of before, such as Bradamant of Clairmont.  Bradamant was a knight from the Orlando Furioso, written in the sixteenth century.  She was not in need of anyone to protect her – she rescued her boyfriend and was a pretty powerful heroine in general.  Another interesting kickass woman was the Norse necromancer Skuld.  She was the sister of the titular character from The Saga of Hrulf Kraki and defeated him by calling forth a horde of Viking zombies.

The creepiest characters were easily the ones based on urban legends since there are reports of people who actually encountered them.  Now I think Detroit is one of the most terrifying places on the earth and could never go there for fear of seeing a red dwarf and then dying a horrible death.  Likewise, I’m now haunted by the thought of El Chupacabra once again, having forgotten about being freaked out of my mind after seeing it on Unsolved Mysteries years ago.  This creature kills and sucks the blood out of living beings, but fortunately, it seems fondest of goats.

Badass: The Birth of a Legend is a very fun book – it’s not incredibly thought-provoking although it does provide an opportunity to learn a little about different world myths as well as some useless knowledge such as the existence of St. Skeletor’s Day.  It can be crass at times, and some of the attempts at humor do fall flat, but other times it can be laugh-out-loud funny.  It’s a very readable, chatty sort of book covering all kinds of tough men, women, and creatures from fiction of all kinds.

My Rating: 7/10

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

Update
Mar
27
2011

There’s no leaning pile post today since I bought no books this past week, and the only review copy I received was a second copy that I’m now giving away.  Over the next week I will hopefully have at least two reviews since I have one draft and another halfway written (for Badass: The Birth of a Legend by Ben Thompson and The Hero Strikes Back by Moira J. Moore, both very fun books).

I’m reading Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente, which is coming out on Tuesday, and I’m hoping to have a review of that sometime next week as well but we’ll have to see about that since I haven’t even finished it yet.  Right now I’ve read a little more than half of it, and it is fantastic so far.  It’s based on the Russian folktale of Koschei the Deathless, and it’s different from Valente’s other two books I’ve read, mostly because the prose isn’t as elaborate and it’s more of a straightforward tale (although it is still beautifully written; it just has a lot less description and imagery and more dialogue than her other two books I’ve read).  I loved The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden and I also really enjoyed The Habitation of the Blessed, but Deathless is in the running for being my favorite of the three if the rest of it is as wonderful as the first half (I do have a real soft spot for fairy tale retellings and stories based on myths and legends).

I’m undecided as to what I’ll be reading and reviewing after that one.  Since I’m reading a review copy now, I’ll read a book that’s not a review copy.  Right now I’m leaning toward reading Eon by Alison Goodman, but I might read The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro since the new books Carnelians is coming out in October and I’d kind of like to get caught up with the series before then (or at least caught up with the books I should read before that one since I still haven’t read two of the prequels).

News & Links
Mar
25
2011

In response to the horrific recent events in Japan, some members of the speculative fiction community created Genre for Japan.  Starting on March 28, they will be auctioning items related to science fiction, fantasy, and horror and donating the proceeds to the Japan Tsunami Appeal run by the British Red Cross.  It’s a win/win situation since it’s a wonderful cause and there are some pretty great items available, such as a year’s supply of Tor Books and a special, limited edition proof copy of China Mieville’s The City and the City.

It was pretty exciting to see this video interview, in which Neil Gaiman talks about the Good Omens TV series that’s in progress.

Jacqueline Carey announced in her March update that she’s contracted for three books in a new not-quite-urban fantasy series with the possible title Pemkowet Tales. It will be interesting to see what she does with it.  (In addition to Naamah’s Blessing in June, she also has Saints Astray, the Santa Olivia sequel, coming out in November this year.  Hooray!)

Today Gail Carriger announced she has a four book YA series beginning in 2012.  The Finishing School series is set 25 years before her Parasol Protectorate series.

Giveaway: Department Nineteen by Will Hill
Mar
24
2011

This week I received a second ARC of Department Nineteen by Will Hill from Penguin so I’m giving it away!

Department NineteenJamie Carpenter’s life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein’s monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond – from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it’s packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy.

Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is only open to those with a US mailing address.  The contest will end on March 31, and a winner will be randomly selected on April 1.  To enter, fill out the form below.  Good luck!

Note: Since the contest is now over, the form has been removed.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Mar
20
2011

It was another great book with lots of books I really, really want to read – 4 review copies (all of which I’d love to read soon although I’m not sure how realistic that is), 2 books bought, and 1 late Christmas gift (due to the book not actually being out on time for Christmas).  I am not buying any books this next week, I promise!

DeathlessDeathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Deathless will be released in hardcover and as an e-book on March 29, and I am incredibly excited about reading this one.  First of all, I loved Valente’s The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden and also really enjoyed The Habitation of the Blessed.  Secondly, I love books based on myths or folklore so reading about Koschei the Deathless sounds very interesting (especially now that I know more about his story – coincidentally, I just read about it in the book I’m currently reading, which has a lot about different legends).

Also it is a great year to be a fan of Catherynne Valente’s since this is the first of three of her books being released this year. In May, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making will be released in actual book form.  (This book was previously online and won the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Literature.)  The second volume in A Dirge for Prester John, The Folded World, will be out in November.  Although I’m really excited about all three of these, Deathless has to be the one I’ve been most looking forward to reading.  I’ll be reading this one very soon.

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what giants or wicked witches are to European fairy tales: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on for generations through and storybooks and verbal lore. But Koschei has never looked quite as he does through the eyes of Catherynne M. Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to our recent past, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history.

Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever peasant girl, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power.

Shades of Milk and HoneyShades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Ever since I heard about this book, described as what fantasy might be if written by Jane Austen, I’ve really wanted to read it. Since it was released in hardcover, though, I never got around to shilling out the money for it and was planning to wait until it was released in paperback.  However, I was looking around for cheaper copies of books for the Nebula Readathon and came across this book for $4.99.  Even with shipping that was about the same price as a mass market paperback would be, so I snatched it up.  I’ll be reading it in May since it’s one of the selections for May 21.

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Ember and AshEmber and Ash by Pamela Freeman

Ember and Ash, set in the same world as Freeman’s Castings trilogy, will be released in mass market paperback/ebook on April 26.  This is another book I’ve been interested in reading since I’ve heard good things about the Castings trilogy.  While the Castings omnibus is on my to-read pile and is also something I really want to read, I’ll probably start with this one since the entire omnibus is huge and will probably take me forever to read from start to finish (and I have a bizarre thing about not liking to read just one book from an omnibus and then putting it aside to read later even though it’s really the same as having books one and two in a series – it just feels like I’m leaving a book unfinished since they’re all in one book and I can’t mark it “read” in Goodreads).

The old ones will have their revenge.

Two peoples have been fighting over the same land for a thousand years. Invaders crushed the original inhabitants, and ancient powers have reluctantly given way to newer magics. But Ember was to change all this with a wedding to bind these warring people together – until her future goes up in flames.

Ember’s husband-to-be is murdered by a vengeful elemental god, who sees peace as a breach of faith. Set on retribution, she enlists the help of Ash, son of a seer. Together they will pit themselves against elementals of fire and ice in a last attempt to end the conflicts that have scarred their past. They must look to the present, as old furies are waking to violence and are eager to reclaim their people.

The Wise Man's FearThe Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

As a #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the most talked about fantasy books at the moment, the second book in the Kingkiller Chronicles most likely needs no introduction.  My husband actually pre-ordered me a copy of this book for Christmas from The Signed Page (an awesome place for getting signed books from an assortment of science fiction/fantasy authors – they’ve also had books by Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Lois McMaster Bujold, Steven Erikson, and Jacqueline Carey before).  Now that the book is out, my signed copy showed up!  I may have to take a vacation just to read it, though – it’s nearly 1,000 pages in hardcover and the print is not large, either.

For nearly four years, science fiction enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting this second volume to Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles. The first volume, The Name of the Wind, won the prestigious Quill Award and was recently voted as the third-best SFF novel of the decade on Tor.com. In this linchpin book of the trilogy, Kvothe continues his perilous search for answers about the Chandrian even as he grapples with more pressing dangers.

DragonsbaneDragonsbane by Barbara Hambly

Originally published in the 1980s, Dragonsbane has been out of print for a while.  However, it is going to be coming out sometime in April as an ebook.  I’ve been wanting to read this book, especially since Elizabeth Bear mentioned it in my recent interview with her, but since it was out of print I’ve never gotten a copy.  It just may be the book that finally inspires me to actually try my husband’s Kindle out.  I’m a paper book kind of person, but I do love the sound of this one enough that it may just get me to try it very, very soon.

There are three other books in the Winterlands series following this novel – Dragonshadow, Knight of the Demon Queen, and Dragonstar.

When the Black Dragon seized the Deep of Ylferdun, young Gareth braved the far Winterlands to find John Aversin, Dragonsbane — the only living man ever to slay a dragon. In return for the promise of the King to send help to the Winterlands, Aversin agreed to attempt the nearly impossible feat again.

With them, to guard them on the haunted trip south, went Jenny Waynest, a half-taught sorceress and mother of Aversin’s sons.

But at the decadent Court, nothing was as expected. Rebellion threatened the land. Zyerne, a sorceress of seemingly unlimited power, held the King under an evil spell, and he refused to see them. Meantime, the dragon fed well on the knights who had challenged him.

In the end, Aversin, Jenny, and Gareth had to steal away at night to challenge Morkeleb, largest and wisest of dragons.

But that was only the beginning of the perils they must face.

Ghosts & EchoesGhosts & Echoes by Lyn Benedict

This is the second book in the Shadows Inquiries series (following Sins & Shadows), which I started reading when I discovered Lyn Benedict and Lane Robins were the same person.  Although I really enjoyed the first book for its mythological basis and the risks the author was willing to take, I never picked up the second book since I also started getting a little urban fantasied out and have only been keeping up with my absolute top favorite series in the genre (basically, Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews, Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs, and October Daye by Seanan McGuire).  So I never realized a quote from my review of the first book was on the back cover, and when I found out, I went out and bought it the next day.  Yes, that’s a little pathetic, but it was on my wish list anyway since this is one of the urban fantasy series I do want to get caught up on at some point when I’m ready to read more of it (the others being Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon series and Kim Harrison’s Hollows).

The third book in the series, Gods & Monsters, will be released on April 26.

The new urban fantasy series that has readers jumping at shadows.

Chicago cop Adam Wright has picked up a spiritual hitchhiker, the ghost of a dead man who desperately wants to live again. So he turns to supernatural P.I. Sylvie Lightner to rid him of the spirit-a spirit she finds strangely familiar.

The Dragon's PathThe Dragon’s Path by Daniel Abraham

A finished copy of the first book in a brand new series, The Dagger and the Coin, showed up this week.  It will be released on April 7 in trade paperback and as an e-book.   The ebook includes a bonus ARC of Leviathan Wakes, the first book in a new space opera series Abraham co-authored with Ty Franck as James S. A. Corey, coming out in June. (The Dragon’s Path is another one I’m hoping to read relatively soon.)

Summer is the season of war in the Free Cities.

Marcus wants to get out before the fighting starts. His hero days are behind him and simple caravan duty is better than getting pressed into service by the local gentry. Even a small war can get you killed. But a captain needs men to lead — and his have been summarily arrested and recruited for their swords.

Cithrin has a job to do — move the wealth of a nation across a war zone. An orphan raised by the bank, she is their last hope of keeping the bank’s wealth out of the hands of the invaders. But she’s just a girl and knows little of caravans, war, and danger. She knows money and she knows secrets, but will that be enough to save her in the coming months?

Geder, the only son of a noble house is more interested in philosophy than swordplay. He is a poor excuse for a soldier and little more than a pawn in these games of war. But not even he knows what he will become of the fires of battle. Hero or villain? Small men have achieved greater things and Geder is no small man.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. What should have been a small summer spat between gentlemen is spiraling out of control. Dark forces are at work, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon’s Path — the path of war.

Review of The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin
Mar
16
2011
The Sworn
by Gail Z. Martin
576pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 3/10
Amazon Rating: 4.4/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.67/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.23/5
 

The Sworn is the first book in a new fantasy series by Gail Z. Martin, The Fallen Kings Cycle.  It starts about 6 months after the end of Martin’s previous series, The Chronicles of the Necromancer (composed of The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven, and Dark Lady’s Chosen, respectively).  In spite of the fact that it is a continuation of the story began in these other books, it is supposed to work as a starting point even for new readers to the series and introduces some new characters while keeping many familiar ones.  A sequel, The Dread, is scheduled for release in early 2012.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not good to be the king, at least not if facing the same obstacles Tris Drayke must overcome.  He has become a powerful summoner and defeated Jared the Usurper to take his place as the rightful king of Margoaln.  However, the usurper’s reign disrupted the former tranquility the nation enjoyed as well as creating financial hardship.  Tris’s marriage to Princess Kiara of Isencroft contributed to further turmoil in both kingdoms, who do not get along and are not pleased about sharing a joint crown.  This will not be resolved until each of the two kingdoms has its own heir, but Tris and Kiara’s first unborn child was nearly assassinated, leaving them to wonder if the first of these heirs will be healthy.

Furthermore, Tris begins hearing rumors of a dark mage beyond the sea while a plague runs rampant through the kingdoms.  He discovers the secret to winning the imminent war may lie with the Dread, the mysterious protectors of the barrows guarded by the Sworn, and determines to learn all he can about them – and try to enlist their aid in the upcoming struggle.

Gail Z. Martin appears to have a rather large fanbase, so when the first book in her new series found its way into my mailbox, I didn’t have to think twice about reading it.  Unfortunately, while The Sworn has worked for many others, I found it did not suit my personal taste.  Part of this may have been due to not having read the first series.  While this novel is supposed to be the start of a brand new series, it’s very obvious that it’s not really the beginning.  The prologue was a five page long summary of what happened before, and it throws out so many character names at once that it’s extremely difficult to keep track of them all.  In the first two paragraphs, I just counted 13 names of brand new characters!  With this, there is the immediate feeling that one is picking up in the middle of a story instead of starting a new one, and perhaps with more of a stake in the characters and their situations, I would have enjoyed it more.  Also, trying to make this story accessible to new readers was a hindrance since the forward momentum of the story was quite often interrupted to fill readers in on what happened before or who a certain character was.

In addition to stopping rather often to keep readers informed on the past, it was extremely detailed and much longer than it needed to be.  A lot more description than necessary was spent on describing character’s appearances and clothing.  Considering the length of the novel, not a lot seemed to happen at all.  There’s a large number of character viewpoints, and the plot seemed to progress very slowly as each character seemed to learn very similar details about the situation without adding anything new.  There were three or four chapters toward the end in which it largely felt like each viewpoint was focusing on the same new-to-them revelations – but it wasn’t anything new to me since I felt like I had just read the same exact news in the chapter before.  It seems as though this book largely exists to set up the next volume, especially considering the main action seems about to begin on the very last page.  For a book that is nearly 600 pages long, that’s a lot of time spent setting up what comes next.

The amount of setup may not have been much of a problem if the journey and the characters were more appealing; however, I found both to be quite dull considering my own personal inclinations.  While it is an interesting change of pace to see so many creatures associated with urban fantasy in a secondary world fantasy (vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, and zombies), The Sworn is largely a story about good vs. evil. This is a trope I’ve tired of reading about unless the characters can win me over, and most of these characters are rather generic, as well as too dutiful and near-perfect to be compelling.  For example, Tris is the greatest known mage at the time, Jonmarc is an unbeatable warrior, and Carina is the best healer.  Aidane was one of the more unusual characters with the ability to converse with and submit her body to ghosts.  As she used this gift to survive as a prostitute for people who wished to be reunited with people from their pasts, she was one of the more different characters in the story, but she also did not strike me as an engaging protagonist.  No one had a personality that really made them stand apart from the other characters; they were largely defined by their special characteristics.  Also, everyone was entirely devoted to doing the right thing, and while this makes them admirable it also makes them boring and not very realistic.  On a couple of occasions, someone was prepared to put themselves in a potentially deadly situation for the good of the kingdom, and the reactions of those who loved them was some sadness but it was overshadowed by understanding and acceptance – no real internal conflict, just resignation to what must be done.

Not only does The Sworn feel like it is picking up right in the middle of a story, but it also feels like one long setup for the next book that ends right when the action is about to pick up.  It’s also not geared toward my particular taste as a more traditional fantasy story with a very clear line drawn between good and evil, which is where the main conflict appears to lie.  The main protagonists tend to be very powerful, special, and devoted to the common good with no glaring human flaws to round them out – and that just contributed further to my lack of interest in this novel.

My Rating: 3/10

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

Read Chapter One

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