Quietus | Tristan Palmgren

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Habidah and her team of anthropologists from another plane are studying this world before and during the Black Plague. They are gathering information on how societies handle such a powerful epidemic because their own world is suffering from an incurable disease and information is helpful. Nicculoccio is a monk at Sacro Cuore, the only of his brothers to survive the plague. He's buried all of the others and has no reason not to believe he's the last human alive. When Habidah and Nicculoccio meet, it sets them on the path to discover what is really happening in both their worlds and how to stop it.

Review:

This book does an interesting thing. It manages a tight balance between exposition, philosophy and story that keeps this book interesting. With as long as this book is and with as little action as there is, there was the risk of being boring, but Palmgren does a great job of keeping all the elements in line so that I was still engaged in the reading. I never drifted off or loss interest because all the elements at play were kept balanced. Palmgren also keeps the mystery of the powers at play just out of reach enough that I had to keep reading because I couldn't guess and I was as curious as the characters. 

It was genuinely interesting to read the juxtaposition of the advanced, interplanar society next to the medieval, scientifically illiterate world. To see the similarities between how the amalgamates are treated and how God is thought of. To read about the varying reactions to an unstoppable, unpredictable disease. The attitude that Habidah's team has towards the "backward" people of Nicculoccio's world and the reverence Nicculoccio has towards Habidah's world makes for an interesting dynamic and conversation.

Then there are the thought experiments/meditations. Does the amalgamates refusal to cure the Black Plague equal the force that causes the plague in Habidah's world? Are they equally evil or is one worse than the other? Does the knowledge that nothing you do matters liberate you or trap you? How do you keep moving forward when everything seems pointless or trivial?

As much as I love books with high action and low exposition, every now and then it's good to stretch my brain with a book like this. A book with more philosophy and story than action, but still well balanced and interesting. If you're a fan of historical fiction looking to branch into Sci-Fi or looking for heavier read in general, I recommend this book. It's got plenty of power play drama, religious in-fighting and some actual fighting. It's also got new worlds to discover and governments to destroy. 3.5 hoots!

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Smoke Eaters | Sean Grigsby

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

It's the year 2121 and firefighter Cole Brannigan is literally one week from retirement when he receives his last call. Confirmed, no dragons. At least, until a dragon shows up anyways. Instead of dying, however, he is found to be resistant to smoke and fire and ends up recruited into the Smoke Eaters, a special branch of the firefighters dedicated to fighting dragons. He's old, and everyone admits that, but there are too few Smoke Eaters and they need all the help they can get. Now he has to survive Smoke Eater training, dragons, wraiths, a mayor with a vendetta, and his wife's temper.

Review:

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was one of those books that made me worry I'd miss a bus stop because it was so engaging. It's not too surprising, this book has so many elements that I love. You've got a cast of characters, with attitude and mild superpowers, who are up against ancient monsters, robots and a corrupt government. Seriously, what's not to enjoy?

The world this takes place in is a very interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction. Using contemporary understanding to make futuristic weapons to fight off ghosts and the dragons those ghosts summon was interesting. And not just the weaponry, the armor was also really cool. I loved that, as advanced as the suits were, they were still realistic. The comparison was made to an Iron Man suit, but one that only has so much power to it. It makes the world feel that much more possible to me. Especially when Grigsby puts his actual firefighter experience to play. I've learned a bit more about fire than I had known before and plenty more about the day-to-day of being a firefighter.

And, of course, there's the dialogue. There's plenty of humor throughout the book because it's written from Brannigan's perspective, but the dialogue is where it really comes through. The Smoke Eaters live up to their motto of "Sink or Swim". I will admit, a few times I felt Brannigan was overdoing it in terms of speaking his mind or always putting himself in the line of fire with little thought to collateral damage (he costs the people around him). But, I suppose, that's his character. He's an old man set in his ways of running towards danger and calling people out on their bad habits that could get others killed.

That being said, I did get more into this story than I thought I would. I really hope there will be more books set in this world. If not, I'm still looking forward to more books by Grigsby. 4.5 hoots!

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Pride and Prometheus | John Kessel

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Shelly meets Austen in this retelling of Frankenstein where Victor Frankenstein meets with Mary Bennett 13 years after the events of Pride and Prejudice and soon after his agreement to make a mate for his monster. Combining the styles of Austen and Shelly, Kessel tells the story of Mary's interactions with Frankenstein and his monster and their search to end their loneliness. 

Review:

I have to admit, between this book and Under the Pendulum Sun, I may have to start reading more gothic fantasy/sci-fi. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was a big fan of the original books as well as several of their adaptations (seriously, Pride, Prejudice & Zombies was awesome!) so I happily requested a copy of this book. I was not disappointed in any way.

I greatly appreciate Kessel's ability to combine these very different styles in such a way that they still worked with the story. The chapters focused on Mary are told from a third-person perspective while Frankenstein and the Creature's chapters are told from a first-person perspective. Additionally, Kessel retains the personalities of these characters. When I read Frankenstein I was appalled to find out what a whiny, self-absorbed personality Victor Frankenstein possessed. While reading Pride and Prometheus I again felt myself wanting to smack Frankenstein upside the head a few times. By the last few chapters my heart went out to Mary and the Creature.

Additionally, I really liked Kessel bringing in some modern takes of the times into the thought processes of the characters. Many times Mary brought up to the Creature that his bride should be well enough and know enough that she could genuinely choose him, rather than being forced into being his bride. Mary's status as a spinster in the world of 1800's England High Society brought more perspective of women's choices and treatment at the times.

This was truly an engaging, well written, well researched book and I happily give it 4.5 hoots. I will be looking for more books by Kessel as well!

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Fallen Gods | James A. Moore

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In this sequel to The Last Sacrifice, we continue the stories of Brogan McTyre, the most wanted man in a dying world and his struggle to escape capture from kings, slavers and demons while trying to find a way, any way, to defeat the gods that are destroying said world. The demon, Ariah, furthers his plans for world conquest through his most obedient servant, Beron. The kings of the world seek help from a new god/demon, Theragyn. And sorcerers from other countries have arrived to help.

Review:

I remember finishing up the first book and thinking that the author did a great job of summarizing the various plot lines and setting the stage for the second book while keeping it all interesting. I was pleased to find he continued this trend with the beginning of this second book. At no time during the book did I feel like I was getting an exposition dump. That did make it a little difficult to get back into the minds of the characters, but ultimately ended up making the overall book a much better read.

Similar to the first book, this is not for the faint of heart. There are a number of torture scenes that left me feeling queasy. They don't go into vivid detail but enough that, if you're squeamish at all, you may want to pass on this series. If you can stomach these kinds of things, I think you'll enjoy the read.

Despite the unnerving aspects of the book, Moore makes sure to include some much needed humor when needed. Stanna naming her sword The Bitch always made me chuckle. Niall's awkwardness was more endearing than annoying. Brogan's discomfort at traveling with a good friend's wife, who also happens to be a witch, was some much needed levity.

There are many character perspectives per chapter, but the transition from character to character, chapter to chapter, is easily followed. At no time was I confused about which character I was reading. And there are so many characters to read about and root for. Don't get me wrong, the bad guys are still bad guys, but there are so many more and intriguing characters in this sequel. I'm so glad we actually got to meet some of the rulers of this world. I really want to more about the enigmatic Jahda. That guy alone was enough to keep me reading! But Moore writes so many other characters that make you feel for them. It's awesome!

Another aspect I love about the multi-character perspective is that it's a great way to provide background while also giving the reader plenty of action to follow. When King Parrish is unable to explain how he and his Marked Men are changed by Theragyn, the reader is not left in the dark because we were given Morne's perspective during a fight and we saw how being a Marked Man affected her.

And, again, Moore proves he knows how to end a book. I was nervous that this book would end and I'd be disappointed because I didn't have the answers I was looking for. I still don't have the answers, but at the end of Fallen Gods my mood wasn't one of frustration but rather "I am so ready for the next book!" Seriously, the next one is promising to be glorious. If the world is actually going to end, it ain't going down without a fight and I want to read that fight!

I happily give this book 4 hoots and encourage you to read this, after you've read the first one that is. This isn't a standalone sequel. But the adventure thus far has been well worth the time.

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Outriders | Jay Posey

Summary:

Captain Lincoln Suh has trained his entire career to be the best of the best. Despite this, he's been passed over for promotion time and time again. When he is non-select for a program he trained for months to be a part of, he's not sure what to do. Then he gets recruited for an even more elite, and less well known, program: 301st Information Support Brigade. Before he has time to catch his breath, Lincoln and his new team are sent on a mission to try to stop the looming war between Earth and Mars.

Review:

Back in June I reviewed the sequel to this book, Sungrazer, and loved it so much I immediately bought this one. I was not disappointed. I'll admit, I kinda wish I had read them in order, and recommend you do too, but I gotta say, each of them are good enough to stand on their own.

Probably my favorite part of this book is that it fills in some of the gaps in my understanding of characters and greatly helped my understanding of the technology. In the second book I thought the armor was impressive. In this first book, where we get more exposition on it, I was practically drooling over the armor, it was just so cool! And the characters who were fun to read in Sungrazer became even more endearing in Outriders because we got to know more about who they are and where they come from. 

And the dialogue! Holy wah the dialogue is so entertaining! Even when it's full of exposition it's told in such a way that you're more intrigued than bored. Especially when 'One-Time' Mike is talking. Seriously, every group has to have a  clown and he more than lives up to the role. He even had Master Sergeant Wright, one of the most stoic women I've ever read, trying not to laugh out loud while hiding her smile. The dialogue always feels so natural, especially when the characters are all so intelligent.

Each and every character brings something to the table. I don't think there's any wasted information or dialogue. I was never left wondering what happened with this or that. I was never caught of guard by something out of left-field, yet the book is not predictable. This is a well thought out plot with a well thought out characters. I'm gonna see about rereading Sungrazer and then start bugging the author and publisher for the next book in the series. I really like the books on their own, but as a series, they're wonderful reads! 4 hoots!

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Ten Dead Comedians | Fred Van Lente

*Book received from NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Nine stand-up comedians are invited to join Dustin Walker, one of the most legendary names in the comedy business, at his island home to partake in a project. When they arrive, however, they are told by Walker's introductory video that he's brought them all to the island to die. Then the video shows him hanging himself. Sure enough, one by one, the remaining comics begin dying off. With no hope of rescue, they must figure out how to survive, if they don't kill each other first.

Review:

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It was a nice change of pace for me. I normally don't read murder mysteries, especially not ones that take place in the "real world". This book, however, was pleasantly entertaining. I had figured out the "who" kinda early on, but the "how" was so much more interesting than I thought. 

The book is a little dark. With so many deaths in so little time, what can you expect? You also get to see the darker side of the comedy show biz life. Despite there being so many comedians, there was quite a bit of drama and very few redeemable traits. And while there was a lot of death, it wasn't as gruesome as it could have been. Though you do get a fair amount of clever and funny dialogue. Heck, I was actually rooting for a couple of the comedians to survive because they were good at what they did and were smart about trying to survive. 

The ingenuity of the killer, however, that was the major selling point of this book. Sure their reasons for doing everything made me think of them as a whiny, overly sensitive, insane person. But I gotta give it to them, they really knew what they were doing. They had everything planned to precision. It was wonderful to get an intelligent villain. 

Despite not liking murder mysteries in general, I really enjoyed reading Ten Dead Comedians. It is intelligent and funny with just the right amount of dark humor. 4 hoots!

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Sungrazer | Jay Posey

*Book received from NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Lincoln Suh leads one of the most secret special forces teams. They get called in to investigate the disappearance of an even more secret government weapon named Sungrazer. Their investigation takes them to Mars where every move they make could either get them killed, start a war between the two planets, or both.

Review:

I don't have the best of luck with "standalone sequels". I often feel like I really needed to read the previous book(s). Sungrazer, however, is one of those wonderful books where, had I not been told it was a sequel, I wouldn't have guessed until at least a third of the way into the book. Definite kudos to Posey for writing this book so that, not only could I easily get into this world, but would also make me want to read the first one. 

Let me tell you, this was a really good read! I loved the characters. I loved the dialogue. I loved the world it took place in. I want to know more about these people and their world. I want there to be a next book just as much as I want to go back and read the first one. This book was incredibly easily to get into and at no point did I feel a disconnect for not having read the first one.

The characters in Sungrazer are all so interesting and dynamic. There were one or two tropes, but overall their interactions felt so natural and real. Doesn't hurt that one of the characters reminded me so much of my husband. Seriously, look for the mischievous one. At the very least, he will make you chuckle. And Elliot's intelligence and ability to think on his feet, without resorting to using a gun, was a phenomenal breath of fresh air. I love it when characters can outsmart their opponents without resorting to force. 

And then there's the technology! The armor that Lincoln's team wears for most of the book fascinates me. Their "drones", their weaponry, their simulators, this is why I read sci-fi books. The technology is so amazing and I want to learn more about it and its applications. 

Overall, I really liked this book and happily give it 4.5 hoots! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see about buying the first book.

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Jam | Yahtzee Croshaw

Summary:

In Brisbane, Australia, Travis and one of his flatmates, Henry, start to head out of the apartment. As soon as they open the building door, however, Henry gets eaten by a flood of jam. Not covered in jam, literally dissolved into it. The week goes downhill from there. Travis, his other flatmate Tim, the and their neighbors Don and Angela, are faced with an apocalypse. Then they're faced with the other survivors, broken into two camps: the ironic Plastic People and the cubicle workers from Hibatsu. 

Review:

There were a lot of enjoyable elements to this book. An amiable main character. Realistic, and therefore hilarious, dialogue and character actions. A goliath birdeater spider. What's not to enjoy? 

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I'm used to Croshaw giving a different but better ending than the one I think I want, but in this case, the ending was disappointing. I get that, in apocalyptic situations people are going to break in different ways, but I did not like Tim's break. I was genuinely disappointed by that development. I also wasn't a fan of the Plastic People and their constant need to be ironic without fully comprehending what that meant. Then again, that could be a testament to Croshaw's writing that he made them so easy to dislike. 

I did get a number of laughs throughout the book. I found it absolutely hilarious that a character who said he had no fear doing something immediately responded to the situation with "OH JESUS MONSTER TRUCK DRIVING CHRIST THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEAAAAAAAAAAA". I also appreciated the references to Mogworld, Croshaw's previous book. Even Travis not being the brightest bulb in the box was kinda funny (though that did get old after a while). 

Overall it's an okay book. It had a lot of good moments, but it ended up leaving me feeling like there could've been more. Maybe it's just me. I still give 3 hoots for all the laughs.

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Open Season | Daren Worcester

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A collection of true short stories from Maine Warden Service from around the 1960's and 1970's.

Review:

My hometown was the kind of place where schools were closed for the first day of deer hunting season. I practically grew up on stories about hunters and fishers. So when I found a book that told those stories from the perspective of law enforcement I had to pick it up. A lot of these stories had me laughing as much as a Patrcik F. McManus collection. The sheer stupidity of some poachers. Other times it was the dumb luck of the wardens that had me chuckling. Fair warning, though, not all the stories have happy endings, there are a handful of sad stories. Fortunately Worcester does a wonderful job of balancing the sad with the happy and the silly, making this a very good book to pick up for anyone you know who considers themselves hunters, fishers or woodsmen. 

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Mogworld | Yahtzee Croshaw

Summary:

The first time Jim died, he was a magic student at a low quality school that got invaded by the barbarian school next door. He went to a place where he felt happy and content. Then he and a horde of others get brought back to life as zombies by a Lord Dreadgrave who employs them to protect his tower from adventurers. While Jim finds the work easy enough, he still keeps attempting to find ways to die again, even converting to almost every religion he can find out about and then killing himself. This routine gets thrown out, however, when Deleters come in and completely delete Dreadgrave, his tower, and all but three zombies from his horde. Jim, Meryl and the priest zombie must now figure out why the world is so messed up: Adventurers are getting hit with the Syndrome, normal people are unable to die, and Barry is following the word of Si-Mon and destroying everything.


Review:

I picked this book up because I enjoy Yahtzee's YouTube channel with my husband. I will say that it was very easy to read the entire book in Yahtzee's voice and greatly added to my enjoyment. I'm sorely tempted to buy the audio book, especially after hearing the sample, and I don't like audio books! It also really helped me to prepare for Yathzee's sense of humor. There were so many things in this book that made laugh. I've highlighted more passages from this book than any other in the past year.

"This was the second time I'd been asked to justify being afraid of gnolls, and I still couldn't fathom why. It was like being asked to explain why old people should wear clothing."

This book is high fantasy. You've got sorcerers, undead, clerics, adventurers, etc. At the same time, it's as much about high fantasy adventure as Sean of the Dead is about zombie movies. It's a delightful combination of strong story and satire. As much as this book made me laugh, it was the characters and the story that kept me from putting the book down. Each of the main protagonists is endearing in their own way. Though I will admit I may have liked Slippery John more if he didn't keep referring to himself in the third person. That got very annoying very quickly, but it was quite consistent with the character.

At the same time, I appreciated Yahtzee's less obvious jokes. At one point a character gets called out on saying the word "little" a lot: "Did you know you use the world 'little' an awful lot?" Then he proceeds to use words like "small", "tiny", "diminuitive", "miscroscopic" etc. When I picked up on what was going on, I laughed even harder! And there are so many jokes like this, ones where you really need to pay attention. They payoff is totally worth the focus required.

Yes, some of the big reveals were kinda predictable, but the story and the characters are so worth reading. And the ending was so satisfying! It wasn't the ending I thought I wanted until I read it. I happily give 5 hoots and have already added more of Yahtzee's books to my TBR!

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Myth of the Maker | Bruce R. Cordell

*Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

After their video game "Ardeyn: Land of the Curse" failed to even be launched, Carter and his team get tapped by a former professor of theirs to test a new computer chip that, theoretically, will have infinite processing power. Unfortunately, they accidentally access an almost infinite network that is fully occupied by creatures that are now looking to eat everything on Earth. In a last ditch effort, Carter creates a new dimension around Earth out of their video game so that the creatures are bound by the rules of Ardeyn. Unfortunately, not all of Carter's friends are okay with being locked in Ardeyn. 

Review:

I had a lot of fun reading this book. There were so many strange and interesting things going on that I kept turning the pages wanting to know more. And there were a couple of twists in the story line that had my toes bouncing because I was giddy with excitement. No surprises were completely out of left field and the story, world and characters are strong throughout the book.

The humor in this book was also greatly appreciated. I found myself really able to relate to Carter and Kate because their reactions felt so natural. A lot of times these would make me laugh as well. There are some very good one-liners in here.

Cordell goes back and forth between the first person perspective for Carter and third person perspective for everyone else. This may be a bit off putting for some readers but I found it incredibly helpful, especially during Carter's revelation scene towards the end. It really made his personal revelations flow a lot more naturally and it fits that he gets the first person perspective; he is the Creator.

This is a wonderful fantasy book that has elements of high fantasy as well as science fiction. You have aliens trying to destroy the world, but first they must get past Ardeyn, a world where magic runs everything. You have so many things going on but they're all so cohesive and well blended that it's easy to keep track. I happily give this book 4 hoots and look forward to more from Cordell.

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Toru: Wayfarer Returns | Stephanie R. Sorensen

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In an alternate history of 1850's Japan, Toru has returned from two years in the United States where he studied their military tactics, technology and economics. He risks his life by breaking Japan's isolation policy and returning to the shores of Japan so he can teach his fellow countrymen how to build and improve upon American technologies to defend themselves against the force that he knows is coming. 

Review:

This is one of those books that I could not put down. Even when I had to put it away for the sake of work or eating, it was all I could think about! I was so invested in the characters that I told my husband, "if [character name] dies, I'm going to be very mad." I was very much rooting for Toru to win over the Shogun and arm Japan. I was rooting for Masuyo to pave the way for women to be engineers and airship captains, though sometimes I was rooting for her father, Lord Aya, to win just one argument against her. I was especially rooting for Jiro every time he gave himself a promotion. 

While the book description says it's steampunk, the author, herself, agrees that it may not be "true steampunk". Technology is central to the story, but the book is more about societal and personal reactions to sudden changes in technology, as opposed to being about the technology itself. In this, I wouldn't label it as a steampunk novel, but that does not detract from the book, for me.

I greatly appreciated Sorensen's character and world building. I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of Japanese history is sorely lacking, so her attention to details about the land, the etiquette, etc. were quite helpful to me. Her characters were also so endearing on just about every level and diverse in their attributes. Even allies and best of friends have their own personalities and views. While there is drama and politics in this book, there is a healthy balance of humor as well, right up to the very end. 

This is the first book in a series and, I'll admit, I'm quite interested in seeing where this alternative history goes. I give it 5 hoots and eagerly await the next installment!

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City of Miracles | Robert Jackson Bennett

*This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

It has been many years since the events in Voortyashtan that left Sigrud a wanted man by the Saypuri army. He's been in hiding, taking odd jobs and keeping a low profile, waiting for word from Shara Komayd. When Sigrud hears that she has been killed, it send him into a hidden war between the children of the divine and the shadows. 

Review:

I absolutely loved City of Blades, the second book in this series (still need to read City of Stairs) so I was very excited to pick up this third book. Sigrud was such an incredible character in "Blades" that I was eager to see what he would do as a main character. Let me just say, it was awesome.

This book is such a wonderful blend of action, intrigue, magic and intelligent characters. The main characters have been doing what they've been doing for many years. They are old(er) people and it shows in their perspectives, their choices, their sheer common sense!

Once again, I find myself appreciating Bennett's ability to combine drama and action with  a healthy dose of humor. He makes every character decision and all the dialogue seem so natural. Not only that, but I actually didn't see the big twist coming! I kinda pride myself on being able to predict the flow of books, but there was one, really big twist that I just did not predict, even though all the pieces were there! I swear I was paying attention, but it still surprised me!

For the most part, I don't think you need to have read the full series to enjoy this book. Reading either of the previous books will help with understanding a lot of what's going on in the world overall. However, if you were to "walk into" this book without any knowledge of the world, I think you'd still be able to enjoy it! However, if you're not a fan of a lot of blood in your books, you will want to pick up something else. There is a lot of blood. 4 hoots!

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The Lives of Tao | Wesley Chu

Summary:

Roen Tan is stuck at a dead-end job and life that he won't stop complaining about. Then he gets inhabited by an alien life form and thrown into the middle of a secret war. The Quasing are divided into two factions: the Genjix who believe that humans can only advance through conflict and the Prophus who believe that humans will advance if allowed to live peacefully. Currently the Genjix are winning the war and they want Tao, the Quasing that currently inhabits Roen Tan.

Review:

A while ago I was introduced to this world through Rise of Io (see Blogger's Bookshelf for review) and I swore I was going to read more of Wesley Chu's books. I was not disappointed! Admittedly, knowing some of the things that were going to happen further down the timeline kept me from getting fully engaged in some aspects of the story, but I still had a great time. 

I've read one or two other reviews that describe this as book to read to get yourself motivated and I have to agree. Reading about Roen's progress in his secret agent training and Tao's demands for better performance from his human host had me looking at my own gut and thinking "I can do better" and start looking at ways to get into shape. If you're in the mood for a book that can inspire you to do more for your diet and exercise, I highly recommend this book.

 This was such a fun, action packed, humor filled read. The characters, even the nearly immortal aliens, are so relatable and interesting. It really helped to fill in some of the gaps in my understanding of the world from picking up a later book. Even the villains are entertaining. I love intelligent villains and Genjix know what they're doing. This is a true underdog story and I really want to continue with the series. 

If you're at all interested in books about aliens being the driving force behind human evolution, or even just stories about an underdog turning his life around, I highly recommend this book, possibly this series. 4 hoots! 

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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe | Charles Yu

Summary:

Charles Yu is a time-machine repair man who spends most of his time in a pocket universe with just his computer, TAMMY (who's avatar looks like a sexy librarian) and Ed, a dog that exists, yet doesn't. Mentally he's been in a kind of stasis since his father disappeared in time. He rarely visits his mother whose retirement plan is reliving the same hour every hour for the rest of her life. Everything gets thrown off, however, when he sees his future self walking towards him.

Review:

I was introduced to Charles Yu via an anthology (Press Start to Play). After reading the entire book, his short story was the one that stuck with me the most, so I knew I had to pick up something else, anything else, that he'd written. When I was at the bookstore, I found this one and bought it. At the checkout, the woman behind the counter even told me "That's a really good book!" So, going in, the standards for this book were set quite high. Yu delivered and then some.

This book is so very different in all the right ways. The combination of scientific, linguistic and narrative terminology to explain time travel was humorous and sensible at the same time. The observations and experiences are poignant and resonated with me long after I finished the book. Though I've never experienced many of the things the main character does, I still felt him to be incredibly relatable. I felt his pain, his dad's pain and his mom's pain. For a book about science fictional universes, this book feels very well steeped in reality. This book made me laugh and almost made me cry. 

I really want to talk about plot points, even jokes, but I'm so afraid of giving spoilers. This entire book is an experience and I don't want to ruin that experience for anyone who may read it. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful this book is to me. The entire experience of perception versus reality, free will versus fate, I immediately wanted to read it all over again.

When I finished reading, I experienced a kind of high that I don't get from a lot of books. The kind where I didn't want to pick up any other books for hours because I was in such a good mood over how beautiful this book is. I smiled for the rest of the night. I'm recommending it to people with even a slight interest in science fiction. 5 Hoots!

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Binary Storm | Christopher Hinz

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

100 years prior to the events in this book, Nick submitted himself for cryogenic freezing in the hopes of at least helping science learn from its mistakes if not actually being woken up in a more hopeful future. It turns out, the future isn't as bright as he'd hoped. There are constant bio-terrorist attacks wiping out hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives. There are also creatures called Binaries, entities that exist in two bodies and have superhuman speed, strength and intelligence. They consider themselves above the human race and are working towards destroying or enslaving the lesser creatures.

Review:

I was nervous about picking up this book as it is the prequel to an entire series. I was assured, however, that the book stands on it own and does not require you to have read any of the other books. For the most part, this is true.

Hinz does an incredible job of building the world and quickly establishing its problems through action rather than exposition. Yes, some of the disasters were news reports, but Annabel directly interacted with Doomers and Nick had to be saved from gangs in the sec region. The character development was also evidenced through actions and conversations, though could, at times, seem to jump with the time skips in the chapters. This is, genuinely, a good book that appeals to my love of sci-fi, intelligent characters and puns. Hinz was even able to give me a couple moments of genuine I-did-not-see-that-coming moments, that were not caused by plot holes but, rather, good writing. 

The one downside to this book is that I haven't read the rest of the series. There were several moments in this book where I thought "if I'd read the series, this [moment/name] would be more profound." There were a number of names, especially towards the end, that I felt would have impacted me more if I'd read even one of Hinz' previous books. Instead, I ended up finishing the book feeling like I was missing out on something. 

If you're a fan of the series, this is a great book for you. If you're interested in the series, I recommend you start with one of the original books. This was a good read, with a good story, but it's best if you know the series' history.3.5 hoots!

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A Star-Reckoner's Lot | Darrell Drake

*This book was given by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Ashtadukht is the worlds worst Star-Reckoner. Her attacks have a tendency to be volatile. But she was meant for this life when, from a very young age, she proved her intelligence and integrity before the great king. This book follows Ashtadukht's adventures to find vengeance for her husband while saving people in her kingdom from evil and trickster divs.

Review:

This book was an interesting journey. Despite this being a fantasy book, this isn't like my usual reads. The setting is Iran and the culture and references are general unknowns to me. To Drake's credit, it didn't take too long to get into the world and follow the story.

The characters in A Star-Reckoner's Lot are interesting, to say the least. Drake uses his research of divs to create some interesting looking and interesting sounding creatures. Waray was greatly my favorite character and it was easy to visualize her half-human, half-reptilian features. Her jokes and pranks were quite entertaining, then again, I wasn't on the receiving end. Tirdad was an incredibly strong and noble character who goes through quite a bit of growth throughout the book. Heck, even some of the side characters were given good lines: "I'm a whore, not a politician. I'm not heartless."

I will admit the pacing felt a little off to me. I don't know if it's the ebook format or the writing, but there would be a jump forward in time and a realization that a character had had that you, as the reader, just had to accept. The progression of Ashtadukht's character in her quest for revenge  makes sense after you've thought about it, but can be confusing at the time of reading.

Overall, I have to say that this was an entertaining adventure. Not for everyone given some of the sexual references and scenes, but definitely entertaining and interesting. 4 hoots!

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Necrotech | K. C. Alexander

*Image from publisher site.

**This book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Riko, one of the rare people born without a SIN chip permanently installed, is a well known street thug. She's the scattergun of her group, the brawler. When she wakes up, however, she has no idea where she is, when it is, nor why there are sirens blazing throughout the hall she's in. As she escapes, she sees her girlfriend is trapped in the building, too, but she's changed. She's covered in tech gear when, previously, she had nothing. Riko gets out and finds she's lost a few months of her life and, most importantly, the vast majority of her street cred. She needs to find out what happened, when it happened, and get her girlfriend and her cred back.

Review:

This book is definitely not for everyone. There is an intense amount of colorful language, even more colorful metaphors and violence. That being said, I loved this book! I read all 400+ pages in one day, never wanting to put the book down. If I'd had the right soundtrack playing in the background, I probably would have read it quicker. This is one of those books that hooks me in quick and keeps me guessing. Even after completing the book, I'm as in the dark as the main character. I have my theories, but I'll have to wait until I can get my hands on the next book.

I'll admit I'm not as well versed in the cyberpunk genre as I'd like to be, but if the world they're in is like this one, I'm definitely adding more to my TBR. I love seeing all the different ways authors can think of for how technology will integrate itself into our lives, and even our anatomy. The only reason Riko is able to survive as much as she does is because everyone in this world has nanobots in their blood stream that repair damage, provided they're given enough energy to do so.

Of course, there are consequences for having too much tech. At some point (different for each person) a human becomes more tech than human and the tech takes over and turns the person, essentially, into a fast zombie. These are Necrotech and they are scary. Some of the descriptions made me think of Japanese horror movies. At least one or two scenes left me feeling genuinely terrified.

The best part, for me, was that I only knew as much as Riko, the narrator, knew. I have some theories, about what happened and what will happen, but, just like Riko, I have no certainties. I am very eager for the next book to come out to either confirm or rebuke my theories. I was left guessing on a lot of things, in a good way. Plus, by having the book from Riko's perspective, we get to see just how badass she really is. I was rooting for this woman the whole way, downsides to her personality and all.

Once again, this book is not for everyone. Those that are okay with strong language and violence, however, and are looking for a cyberpunk mystery or thriller story will definitely enjoy this. I happily give this book 5 hoots and am already chomping at the bit to get the next one!

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Hellboy: The All-Seeing Eye | Mark Morris

Summary: 

When several dismembered torsos are found in random places around London, a rock monster is seen in a London tunnel, and the dead at a funeral home start moving, the BPRD are called in to help figure out what's going on. Specifically, Hellboy, Liz and Abe. While there, the team discovers a plot to open The All Seeing Eye and unleashing a world of chaos.

Review:

I'll admit, I have a weakness for Hellboy books, cannon or not. I absolutely love the world BPRD exists in and all the novelizations and collection of short stories are written by people who understand Hellboy. Morris is no exception to this and I am very grateful to him for getting the important elements right. 

This book is very well written and engaging. It actually took me away from my own world and left me feeling energized. The characters are intelligent, even the bad guys (which I love). The events are interesting and flow into each other so that, at no point did I feel like I missed anything. At the same time, though, the plot twist was still surprising!

I am happy to have this book in my collection and find it to be more encouragement to continue reading novelizations of Hellboy. If you're interested at all in supernatural mysteries, action, witty dialogue, or comic book heroes, I highly recommend Hellboy: The All-Seeing Eye. 4.5 hoots!

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