If we’re talking about trench-coated dudes who do supernatural stuff, I’d rather read Felix Castor. But since Mike Carey seems to think he needs to be writing OTHER wonderful things and not giving me more Felix, Isaac Vainio is an okay substitute. He’s a libriomancer, using magic to pull things (laser pistols, healing potions, fire spiders, etc.) from books. This leads to many fun nods to favorites, and adds to the ever-growing to-read list. This is the second book, and it’s actually got a list […]
Confessions of a teen assassin
The Assassin’s Blade is a collection of 5 prequel novellas about the year in Celaena Sardothian’s life that took her from the King of the Assassin’s heir apparent to a prisoner in a salt mine. If you want a better, more comprehensive, review (with gifs!) of each novella, please read kdm’s review. One of the things I liked best about Celaena in this collection was how teenagery she was. I liked that Maas allowed Celaena to be unlikeable, slappable and a pain in the ass […]
Why is this book over? How am I not still reading it?
What a breathtaking novel. Enormous in every possible way, and yet somehow totally personal and relatable. I devoured “Alif the Unseen,” and I wish I were still reading it. On its surface, “Alif the Unseen” is the story of a young man, a hacker in a present day un-named police state in the Persian Gulf. He has girl troubles and so he codes a pretty little program to hide his digital presence from his ex-girlfriend, and in doing so taps into the world of jinn […]
Dinosaurs don’t make everything better
Note: Depression has been effecting me more strongly this month and has probably colored my review of this book. Fantasy is my genre of choice and for most of my life I’ve wanted to be a paleontologist so when I received “The Dinosaur Lords” for Christmas I assumed I wouldn’t be able to put the book down, sadly that was not the case. In fact it was hard for me to get going in the first place. The book starts with a page informing you […]
The last Magic Ex Libris book doesn’t disappoint.
NB: I received a free review copy of this book but that has not affected the content of my review. Maybe you will understand just how much fun I think this series is if I tell you that I quite literally sent an email to Mr. Hines’s publicist begging her for a review copy, when I learned there were a few available. I was a bit nervous once it arrived though; in the unlikely event I didn’t like the book, I would be stuck with […]
Gangs of Wonderland
First time Cannonballer (LOL, “baller”), long time Pajiban. I decided to take the plunge and do a half Cannonball this year. So, first review is Alice. And I’m going to trigger warning the hell out of this because it’s difficult to even review it without touching on some nasty stuff. Have you ever finished a book and gone full Kurtz? Have you ever wished you could read a story about Discworld’s Ankh-Morpork, but without all that annoying wit, sharply observed satire and compelling characterisation? Have you ever wanted to read a […]