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Latest Censorship News: Goodreads Can’t Take Criticism, Badly Behaved Social Network?
Posted in Reviewer News
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THE ROSE AND THE THORN by MICHAEL SULLIVAN
The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Riyria Chronicles #2
Publisher: Orbit (September 17, 2013)
Length: 347 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
The Rose and the Thorn is the second book in the Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan. It – like the previous book, The Crown Tower – is a prequel to the Riyria Revelations. But unlike most prequels, Mr. Sullivan has done something absolutely superb here: created a tale that both satisfies as a back story and excels as a stand alone, page turner.
As the novel begins, a year has passed since the events in The Crown Tower. Royce and Hadrian have been working together during this time, pulling small jobs and becoming better acquainted. Naturally, their relationship has changed, becoming less antagonistic, but they still have huge differences in their outlook on life. Hadrian is obviously less naive about people but still retains his innate goodness of heart, and Royce, though still one careless insult away from unleashing his inner sociopath on someone, has begun to understand that killing is not the only solution to every problem. But they are obviously much more comfortable with one another than in the last book, and together, they decide to return to the city of Medford for a visit with Gwen: the woman who so unselfishly provided them with succor at the end of The Crown Tower.
But while Hadrian, Royce and Gwen are the “stars” of the show in The Rose and the Thorn, the novel is about so much more. We are given intertwining tales about Viscount Albert Winslow, the royal family of Medford: King Amrath, Queen Ann, Prince Alric, and Princess Arista, the Pickerings, Bishop Saldur, Percy Braga, and even Reuben Hilfred – who was a minor character in the Riyria Revelations but whose story comes to life before our reading eyes. And as Mr. Sullivan slowly reveals all these amazing plots, his rare, writing brilliance becomes clear to see, for each of those lovely, individual stories begin to mesh together, creating a single, overarching tale. A yarn that not only encompasses this novel and the Riyria Chronicles but also the Riyria Revelations as well.
And somehow while juggling plot lines, Mr. Sullivan also finds time to gift each character with his or her own unique personality. There are no cookie cutter characters in this novel. Each character is well rounded, having their own unique history, problems, hopes, and fears that foreshadow their future selves but does not lock them into a particular role. Indeed, even those characters a longtime reader knows will one day be revealed as “evil” are so life like that you will find yourself hoping that somehow they will see the error of their ways and change before their fate closes around them.
But what about Hadrian and Royce’s hilarious camaraderie, I hear many of you asking?
It is there. But it is developing gradually in a realistic way, not springing forth fully grown. And when that camaraderie does rear its head in this story, it is always amazing to see the unlikely pair slowly becoming the Riyria we all love.
Overall, this is a wonderful, entertaining fantasy, worthy of inclusion into the ranks of the best novels of 2013. While some readers call Hadrian and Royce and their adventures simple, uncomplicated fantasy, if this is an example of “simple fantasy” novels then I would label it simply brilliant and ask every writer out there to begin to emulate it. It quite frankly is just that enjoyable to read.
Now, those of you that have read my reviews know I always find something to critique. (It is a “review” after all, which means you want to hear the bad with the good, right?) So I’d feel remiss if I did not mention a few, minor issues I had with the novel.
So here goes . . .
I really do not have any complaints worth writing about. Obviously, the tale is lacking some sense of suspense; it is a prequel after all. However, even though a reader of the Riyria Revelations already knows what happens, Mr. Sullivan does an excellent job of circumventing this problem and penning a rousing adventure that presents enough new insight into characters and plots to make you enjoy finding out how it all happened.
Go get this book and enjoy it!
I received this book from Orbit and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
Purchase the novel at Amazon.
Posted in 4 Stars, Fantasy, Swashbuckling
Tagged Crown Tower, fantasy series, Hadrian, Michael J. Sullivan, Reading, Revelations, Riyria Revelations, Royce, Sullivan, The riyria Chronicles, Thorn
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THE HORSE AND HIS BOY by C.S. LEWIS
My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.
The Horse and His Boy, by CS Lewis, is a very different type of Narnian adventure than what most readers of the series have experienced, and it is perhaps better because of it.
The tale itself begins with a young boy, Shasta, who lives on the seacoast of the land of Calormene with his father, a poor fisherman. The two are far from happy, though Shasta tries to be the very best son his father could ever have wished for.
One day, a noble traveler stops by their humble dwelling for the night and offers to buy Shasta from the fisherman. And much to Shasta’s surprise, his father agrees to do so!
Filled with terror at the life of slavery his father intends to sell him into, Shasta decides to run away from home. Before he can even slip away from home, however, the young boy unexpectedly meets up with a Narnian horse named Bree, who is the nobleman’s mount and wishes to join him. After getting over the initial shock of a “talking” horse, the two throw their lots in with one another, determined to run all the way back to Bree’s homeland of Narnia, far away to the north.
Along the way, our companions are stalked by enraged lions. They meet and become friends with a smart and strong-willed girl, Aravis of Calormene, and her talking Narnian horse, Hwin. They journey across deserts and mountains before entering a far away land of forests and rivers. And, they even stumble upon and become acquainted with other surprise characters.
All in all, Shasta and Aravis’ journey is a fun-filled adventure!
WHAT I LIKED:
1) A simple, yet entertaining, fantasy story. It is a classic tale where two, young people must grow up and reach their potential through a quest – this one being the land of Narnia, but even in its simplicity, the journey is very exciting and the entertaining.
2) The characters of all four companions: Shasta, Aravis, Bree and Hwin are well crafted in their different desires, fears, and expectations. Even the horses actually have their own personalities, which ring true to what you’d imagine a horse would actually act like.
3) The actors in this audio book performed very admirably to me, endowing each character with a unique sound and tone that made it easy to always understand who was speaking. Also, the sound effects were excellently done, giving each scene the correct mood and charging the exciting parts with just the right suspense or drama.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
Not much really. I was pleasantly surprised how good this audio book was, and I know that shocks many of you.
It is well worth a listen!
Purchase the audio book at Amazon.
Posted in Audio Books, Fantasy
Tagged Bree, Calormen, Chronicle of Narnia, cs lewis, Horse and His Boy, Hwin, Narnia, Shasta
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New Booklikes’ Users Labeled Troll Sociopaths
I’m a Goodreads user.
I have one account – though my wife and son also have accounts.
I do not cyber bully authors or insult them – other than giving them poor ratings and reviews after having read their books.
I am a grateful survivor of a vicious author attack upon me on social media. And no, it wasn’t over a bad review or anything like that.
I was shocked when the policy change occurred at Goodreads, especially how poorly it was handled.
I have tried to understand both sides points of view (author and users.)
And at the end of the day, I created a Booklikes account.
I did this not because I’m a cyber terrorists changing my hideout, but because it seemed the prudent thing to do with Goodreads having deleted reviews/shelves without what I consider the appropriate notice to the site users. (I’m a lawyer by profession and believe some form of notice and due process is a must in every situation.)
At present, I do not intend to delete my GR account until I see where this whole thing at Goodreads leads.
Since I was attempting to be reasonable and prudent, I was a bit offended to find many “authors” out there blogging or commenting that anyone opening a new account on Booklikes must be a “sociopathic troll,” especially since I’d never heard of these authors or read any of their novels. I also was somewhat shocked to discover that every one star ratings on Goodreads seemed to be somehow suspected of being a “conspiracy” of some sort to personally hurt the authors ratings and his/her income.
Even though, this “unrest” has subsided somewhat I thought I’d comment one last time to show how this situation has spiralled out of control. Honestly, the drama went way over the top with Rick Carufel’s Blog being one of the worst in my opinion.
I’m not a cyber terrorist.
I didn’t go to Booklikes to change “hideouts” for my dastardly plans.
I do not consider Goodreads a “hate” site.
And I’m really offended that I have to post this sort of blog in defense of myself because I choose to open a Booklikes account.
I mean wasn’t the US government spying on me enough already. Now, I have the author censors doing it too.
Posted in Musings
Tagged Arts, Author, Book, book review, Booklikes, Cyberbullying, Goodreads, Literature, policy change, social media, sociopath, troll
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The Republic of Thieves
The Republic of Thieves is the much anticipated third book in the Gentleman Bastard series, and we fantasy fans know more than a few people who have been about to go insane waiting for this novel. But finally the wait is over! October 10, 2013 this novel will hit the bookshelves at your favorite brick and mortar store or online, and you can finally find out what happened!
Now, I have The Republic of Thieves on my kindle, waiting for me to light it up and get started, but real life – and too many other books I’ve promised to read first – has gotten in my way. However, because I know you guys want to read reviews about this one, I’ve scoured the internet (Actually I just looked at my friends’ blogs) to find some of the best reviews about this one. So, take a look at these reviews and get ready for The Republic of Thieves.
Enjoy!
KING OF THORNS (THE BROKEN EMPIRE #2) by MARK LAWRENCE
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Genre: Fantasy – Grimdark
Series: The Broken Empire #2
Publisher: Harper Voyager (April 25, 2013)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Length: 597 pages
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
THE SOCIOPATH IS AT IT AGAIN!
While I despised Jorg in Prince of Thorns, the story itself was highly entertaining and kept me turning pages as quickly as I could read them. However, I did not find this novel as engrossing, perhaps because I’ve grown somewhat use to the main character’s sociopathic behavior.
In any event, since the “shock” value of Jorg didn’t overwhelm me this go round, I found myself focusing a great deal on the story itself, which quite honestly was a bit underwhelming. I could write a multi page review about everything I disliked about this book, but in short, the storytelling was lacking, the character growth was non-existent, the plot had glaring holes, and Mr. Lawrence continued his trend of what I like to call: the superpower of the day solution to problems.
Please allow me to explain.
In the first book and now the second, Mr. Lawrence writes our favorite sociopath into situations where no reasonable person can expect success. Things look really grim for Jorg many times. However, whenever he needs it, Jorg miraculously discovers some new superpower (magic, science, math, or whatever) to save his ass. To be specific, in Prince of Thorns, Jorg was given necromancer power that kept him alive when a normal man would have died. In King of Thorns, Jorg gets new, updated necromancer powers, fire-magic skill and Builder tools exactly when he needs them to SAVE HIS ASS YET AGAIN!
Of course, the negative issues with those powers – as shown clearly by their affect on other characters in the novels – miraculously leave Jorg unaffected. And don’t even bother to ask how he actually gets a thousand year old Builder’s tool in book two, or how a thousand year old tool would still even work. Who knows, because Mr. Lawrence never tells the reader either of those things. Just poof, Jorg has this thousand year old tool, and it works and SAVES HIS ASS AGAIN!
Damn, it is good to be Superman in a Superman comic, isn’t it?
But I digress.
Like I stated earlier, I felt this story had glaring holes in the plot. They ranged from unexplained entities controlling everyone to Jorg traveling to seek a fire-mage for no apparent reason to the sheer unbelievability of the battle for Renar and finally the impossible ending. Honestly, I cannot thing of a single thing in the novel which did not just leap out at me as unbelievable and obviously yet another way for Jorg to be provided with a new “superpower.”
Now, Mr. Lawrence attempted to minimize these problems, glossed over them as much as possible, and his usual method appeared to be mayhem or gore whenever the story was not really working. However, this time around all the blood and brains Mr. Lawrence splatters across your reading eyes doesn’t conceal that this story is not making any sense at this point. Because, unfortunately, too much of King of Thorns is isolated incidents of horrendous gore or ghostly undead or sociopathic musings without any of it coalescing into a coherent story.
Another major issue in this novel was the format, specifically the flashback chapters. I loved the whole flashback concept in Prince of Thorns, as I experienced Jorg’s sociopathic behavior played out in present day yet was able to slowly understand how he reached this depraved state when younger, but the “Four Years Earlier” chapters in this book did not work at all. Indeed, the flashbacks in King of Thorns merely interrupted the flow of the story when there was no need to do so, because – other than the one detail contained in the box about Jorq’s new, baby brother (which honestly didn’t amount to much) – nothing in the back story would have prohibited Mr. Lawrence from beginning at the end of Prince of Thorns and detailing this next four years of Jorg’s life in a linear fashion.
And before anyone mentions it, I do not want to hear about Sageous, because he is only trotted out a couple times in the book and is basically a non-entity – except when Mr. Lawrence wants to somehow blame him for every horrendous thing Jorg has ever done in his life. This one, minor character is not a reason for a flashback story.
As for the Katherine diary chapters, they can be summed up as boring and not relevant to Jorg’s tale at all. Sorry, they did do one thing: give Jorg unexpected help of exactly the right sort at exactly the right time to SAVE HIS SOCIOPATHIC ASS YET AGAIN!
Did I mention it is good to be Superman in a Superman comic?
Oh, I did, didn’t I. Sorry.
I realize most fantasy fans absolutely adore this book. It is hailed as the best thing since sliced bread or the internet or whatever. But, honestly, just like the Emperor didn’t have on any clothes, King of Thorns is just an okay novel. Sure, it is entertaining, but it really isn’t more than that.
I suppose if you idolize Jorg, it’s great fun to see him rise above impossible odds to gain his desired goal. (Of course, you have to overlook the superpower of the day problem, but fanboys don’t really care about that anyway.) But even in fanboy land, it is obvious that this novel does not rise to the shocking brilliance of Prince of Thorns, which – even with its obvious weaknesses – grabbed hold of your throat on the first page and pulled you through its gore coated world whether you wished to follow or not.
And, you know, maybe it was wrong of me to expect Mr. Lawrence to write that sort of book again, because there is only so much raping/killing and other sociopathic behavior one can throw at a reader before he or she grows numb to it. Though the sadistic torture of the innocent dog in this novel was a great try.
However, what I had truly hoped for in King of Thorns was some growth in Jorg’s character, and for a while there, I truly believed Mr. Lawrence was providing us that. The encounter with the ghosts of Gelleth and the trip to find his mother’s family along the Horse Coast – while out of character for the Jorg portrayed in book one – seemed to hold out the promise of a maturing sociopath. But alas, I was mistaken, because by the end we discover that Jorg’s touch of humanity was all an illusion caused by a “magic” box, and now we are back to the same Superman Jorg who knows all, has all the luck, and has all the powers at just the right time with the same old, sociopathic outlook on everything. Zero growth. Same old same old.
And that stupendous post-apocalyptic setting that Mr. Lawrence teased us with in the first book. Great idea. Very intriguing. Not developed at all in this novel. There is a short bit about a holographic projection of a long dead “Builder,” but even that doesn’t really add anything except a vague explanation of where magic came from. In fact, the main role of this mysterious “Builder” hologram in the story is to give Mr. Lawrence an excuse as to how Jorg finds two Builder toys to (drumroll please) SAVE HIS ASS YET AGAIN!
Quite frankly, this great post-apocalyptic setting is going to waste, used more as a grab bag for weapons for Jorg than anything else. And since we are talking about this, why don’t we the reader know anything about the history of this place?
This series is called The Broken Empire, right?
Jorg Ancrath is trying to reunite it as emperor?
Wouldn’t it be useful for a reader to actually know what Empire we are talking about, or maybe why it split apart? Perhaps some history about the last thousand years of human existence since the big apocalypse. I mean, we get lots of talk about ancient Greek legends or ancient philosophy but nothing about this world’s history at all.
Are there no legends or stories about the last thousand years?
Guess none of that is as important as watching a sociopath murder or maim someone else.
I realize that as I published this criticism of the beloved sociopath Jorg that I will have offended the pride many of you have in this character. I’ll most likely get so much negative feedback that I could drown in it all and that my pride might suffer immensely.
A time of negative comments might come. Bad times for me. The fanboy universe opens up and all the haters come out to get me. But the world holds worse things than pissed off fans, because I’m a hater too. So, the time of haters can come.
It will be my time.
If it – and my dislike of Jorg – offends you.
STOP ME!
Damn, I do love me some Jorg quotes though. 😛
Buy King of Thorns (The Broken Empire Book 2)
Below are some other reviewers of this book. Read them and make your mind up yourself.
Posted in 3 Stars, Fantasy, Grimdark
Tagged Emperor of Thorns, grimdark, Jorg Ancrath, King of Thorns, Mark Lawrence, Prince of Thorns, sociopath, the broken empire
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50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read
Posted in Fantasy, Lists, Science Fiction
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Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is a fan favorite. One of those writers who can pen an epic fantasy yarn that excels at both world building and magic system construction, and this – along with his compelling storytelling style – has made him a “go-to” author for your fantasy fix. However, not happy to rest on his laurels, Sanderson has shown great ability to adapt his style to different genres, especially the young adult area. His latest foray into this genre is Steelheart from the new YA series “Reckoners.” Since I’ve, unfortunately, not had the pleasure to read this work by Mr. Sanderson’s, I’ve scoured the internet universe to find some of the best reviews about Steelheart; ones that not only inform you about the story itself but also give you different points of view on this work by one of the most prolific writers of his generation.
Take a look and enjoy!
Posted in Young Adult
Tagged Brandon Sanderson, Fiction, Reckoner, Sanderson, Steelheart, Young-adult fiction
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Goodreads New Policy Censorship or Not?
Goodreads just changed their review and shelving policies, and this has enflamed a large majority of their users, who have labeled the change censorship. Indeed, these critics are arguing that the policy is nothing more than Goodreads’ attempt to shield authors and publishers from criticism regarding their bad behavior or personal activism.
Naturally, Goodreads is defending this change, but is it censorship or merely a minor policy change? Read an interesting article by Emma Sea and decide for yourself. Goodreads Censorship Policy
PRINCE CASPIAN by C.S. LEWIS
My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.
Prince Caspian is the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
C.S. Lewis begins this tale by revisiting the Pevensie children, who have survived WW II and are at a train station waiting to head off to boarding school. While discussing their concerns about being separated, they are suddenly pulled into another world, which they do not immediately recognize as Narnia. Indeed, the land has changed to such an extent that it is only after finding several relics from the past that they even begin to suspect that they are not only in Narnia but actually camped in the ruins of Cair Paravel: their former capital and home, where they reigned as high kings and queens of Narnia.
Quickly, the siblings begin to understand that while only a small amount of time has passed in their world, many centuries have rolled by in their former home, which has resulted in the ruination of the castle and a changing of the very land itself. This new state of affairs is soon confirmed for the Pevensie children by one Trumpkin the dwarf, who they rescue from the Telmarines: the overlords of the new Narnia.
What transpires after Trumpkin’s rescue is what I call the flashback story. Through Trumpkin, C.S. Lewis basically tells Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy (and by default the reader/listener) all about the new Narnia and our title character, Prince Caspian. We hear about the invasion of the Telmarines, the fading of the old ways, the disappearance of the talking animals of Narnia, and the slow waning of all things magical in Narnia. But we also are told about the rightful heir of this new Narnia, Prince Caspian, who wishes to restore the land to its Golden Age when Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy ruled from Cair Paravel and who is even now in hiding with the Old Narnians, trying desperately to restore overthrow his wicked uncle and bring peace, prosperity, and magic back to the land.
Only after hearing all this back story, does C.S. Lewis allow our four children to head out into the world on their grand adventure to aid Prince Caspian and thereby restore Narnia to its former glory.
I enjoyed this book via audio book (which is a fairly new “reading” medium for me) and found the experience enjoyable and the actors’ performances well done. Specifically, this audio book did a great job of presenting the ambiance of Narnia’s different locals by description as well as sound effects, which on the whole livened up a fairly straightforward tale.
As far as the story itself, I found myself conflicted on it: liking some things about it yet disliking others.
LIKES
1) C.S. Lewis did not try to just rewrite The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe but gives the reader a whole new Narnia experience. While the old Narnians – fauns, centaurs, talking animals, nymphs, living trees – are still around, they are now in hiding; driven to the edge of extinction by the Telmarines, who have not only conquered the land but turned it into a near non-magical world. This leads to a darker feeling to the story and allows a reader to see Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy both overjoyed at being back in Narnia but aghast at its desecration.
2) Lewis allows the Pevensie children to actually grow up. Peter and Susan are shown as near adults, who are becoming blind to the magic in Narnia, while Edmund and Lucy rise to the forefront as the keepers of that magic. Especially illustrative of the “growth” of the characters were Lucy’s struggle to rediscover Aslan and Edmund’s stance as her steadfast supporter.
DISLIKES
1) There just isn’t much suspense in this story. The children show up, rescue Trumpkin, get told all about what is going on then head out to join up with Prince Caspian. The majority of the story Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy really do not do anything, and even at the climax of the adventure, they are more bystanders than participants. Honestly, all the suspense and actions, which is described in the story, deal with Caspian and are “told” to us in flashback, not experienced as Caspian is living them. While I understand why C.S. Lewis crafted the story this way (The four children are a reader’s link to Narnia) I believe Caspian’s story itself would have been a more rousing tale.
2) Things just work out too easily, even for what is obviously intended as a children’s story. For instance, Caspian grows up, becomes enamored with stories of ancient Narnia and up pops a half-dwarf tutor, who can provide all the lore Caspian needs. When he seeks refuge, the mysterious and little seen “old” Narnians turn up and take the Telmarine Prince into their hearts almost immediately. Each of these things seemed a bit rushed to me, but then again, it could be yet another draw back of flashback stories.
All in all, this was an enjoyable listening experience, and much better than the movie – at least in my opinion.
Purchase this audio book at Amazon.
Posted in Audio Books, Fantasy
Tagged audio books, Cair Paravel, Chronicle of Narnia, cs lewis, Lucy, Narnia, Prince Caspian, Susan, Trumpkin
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bookwraiths.com 