Ad Eternum by Elizabeth Bear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Category: reviews
Review: 500 Ways To Be A Better Writer
500 Ways To Be A Better Writer by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Always irreverent, potty-mouthed, and absolutely down-to-earth about the writing life. If you can take the language, I highly recommend it!
Review: Tantamount
Tantamount by Thomas J. Radford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was thoroughly excited by the premise of this book–tall ships in space!–and the author did not disappoint. Radford uses a unique and believable (in the context of the book) magic system to make this possible, and I loved the fantastic vision of this type of transportation. There was a nice mix of magical elements and practical considerations that made it all work.
With a motley crew of misfits running the Tantamount, there were bound to be some characters I liked more than others–somewhat surprisingly, I wasn’t all that keen on the book’s main protagonist and second-in-command, Nel. She kept making me angry for some reason. LOL She was tough and gruff, although she certainly cared about her crew–I’m not really sure why she rubbed me the wrong way. *Too* gruff, maybe. I loved Violet, the kitsune cabin girl, though, and Quill, the irascible navigator. All the characters definitely came to life on the pages. I did find that sometimes they beat around the bush in their dialogue, which left me confused about what was really going on. However, the dialogue was realistic and believable, and each character had a unique voice and viewpoint.
The story was a bit slow to get going, but the second half of the book simply flies. If you find the beginning slow, I advise you to stick with it, because it turns into a can’t-put-it-down page turner that you won’t want to miss!
There are still a few questions left at the end of the story–nothing unresolved in the plot–just enough to make it possible that the author is not yet finished with these characters. I’d definitely pick up a second book to see what happens to the Tantamount and her crew next!
Review: Let’s Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should
Let’s Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should by David Gaughran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Some really great and practical information here for the aspiring self-publisher. If you’ve been around the writing block for a while, you may find it most useful to just pick and choose the information you haven’t come across before, but there’s enough variety here to make the book definitely worth picking up. Straightforward and useful advice, at a very minimal cost. Definitely recommended!
Review: Million Dollar Outlines
Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m well aware of the irony in my writing a review of a book about outlining. Or even reading one, for that matter, since I’m pretty much an inveterate “discovery” writer (aka “pantser”). I bought a copy of this ebook to help out when the author’s son was in an accident, and I wanted to contribute to their medical costs, the state of such things for writers being generally terrible south of the border. It took me quite a while to read it because I had it on my smartphone, and read it generally in short bursts while waiting in lines and offices.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that even for a non-outliner like me, this book has some solid advice to impart. As well as dealing with the nitty-gritty of novel outlining, Farland has a lot of good points to make about evaluating the character relationships in your fledgling novel, incorporating emotional “beats”, and finding ways to improve every scene. The writing is smooth and friendly, and uses many real-world examples to illustrate points. For both aspiring and intermediate authors, I highly recommend it even if you’re not a fan of outlines; you’ll likely find advice inside to help you take your writing up a notch.
Review: Orison
Orison by Daniel Swensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy novel–and I’ve been feeling “meh” about a lot of fantasy for a number of years. I’ve found a lack of fresh ideas to be plaguing the genre, but Orison stood out for me as something different from the rest of the pack. The writing is top-notch and the pace fast and engaging. I particularly liked the characters, especially Wrynn, and really became invested in what happened to them. My only complaint is that it seemed too short and gone too quickly! Highly recommended, and I hope there’s another installment coming soon!
Review: Redshirts
Redshirts by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it (and I expected to!) Everything that was there was great…but I kept feeling like there was something missing, and I still can’t put my finger on what it was. I liked the characters, there was lots of humour, a plot that went deeper than it might have…but somehow there was always a feeling of unrealized potential, and that bothered me. I’m not warning anyone off this book–chances are that if you know what it’s about and you think you’ll enjoy it, you will. For me, it just didn’t reach the heights I felt it could have.
Review: A Spoonful of Poison
A Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Perhaps coming into this series quite a number of books in was a mistake–I just could not like the main character. Belatedly, I’ve read that one should start at the beginning of the series, so that may be good advice to pass along. I listened to the audiobook quite quickly, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up other books in the line.
Review: Demons of the Ocean
Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I quite liked this mix of pirates and vampires! The narration was top-notch, and the main characters intriguing in their own ways. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and the ending is very satisfying–even if not completely complete. I knew going in that there were more books in the series, so no surprise there. If you like a good YA adventure story, pick it up!
Review: The Ulysses Quicksilver Short Story Collection
The Ulysses Quicksilver Short Story Collection by Jonathan Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I did like this collection of three (longish) short stories, although I was a bit at sea, having never read any of the novels set in this universe. Perhaps that was why I couldn’t get deeply engaged with the main character–sometimes I really liked him, and other times he seemed inconsistent, but it could be my lack of background. If you want a different take on steampunk and alternate history and the British Empire, you’ll likely find these stories intriguing, but you might be well-advised to start with a novel in the series. The world and characters are well-drawn and the writing itself is vivid, engaging, and fast-paced.
