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THE LIBRARIANS AND THE LOST LAMP

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Bookwraiths

The Librarians and the Lost Lamp by Greg Cox

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/TV

Publisher: Tor (October 11, 2016)

Series: The Librarians #1

Author Information: Website

Length: 272 pages

My Rating: 3 stars

Based off the TNT tv show, The Librarians, this opening installment of the print series is a fast-paced, action-packed story. Even if you have never experienced the old TNT movies or the new tv show it spawned, The Lost Lamp is very immersing and easily accessible, sure to entertain any readers seeking a quick, fun read.

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Shifting back and forth from 2006 to 2016, this tale centers around the search for the fabled lost lamp of Aladdin. Flynn Carsen, the one and only Librarian back in 2006, began this quest when he battled the vile 40 Thieves to keep them from accessing the magical powers of this very same lamp. Now, however, these same bad guys might have arisen again today, and, thankfully, a new generation of Librarians have been recruited and are busy investigating a strange run of luck in Las Vegas, in which reeks of magic and perhaps the return of the 40!

But who are the Librarian, you ask?

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Well, these guys are part of a secret society of libraries who date back centuries; their task to increase knowledge, aid mankind, recover magical artifacts and keep them safe from those who would use them for evil, and to constantly thwart the diabolical schemes of the Serpent Brotherhood, whom they have been battling since, at least, the days of the Library of Alexandria. In other words, these are some bad ass librarians!

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Being familiar with The Librarians series, I went into this read concerned whether a novel could capture the quirky fun of people armed with vast knowledge of books tackling bad guys. My apprehension was unwarranted, however, because The Lost Lamp perfectly duplicates everything about the TNT show, delivering a cinematic experience in book format. Greg Cox is even able to add more depth to the narrative by excellent integration of historical facts as well as perfect use of exotic settings, making the magical and fantastical elements of The Librarians even more exciting.

To summarize, I’ll simply say that I enjoyed my time with The Lost Lamp. The book was an entertaining read which fans of the TNT Librarians series and lovers of light, fast-paced stories with action, adventure, magic, and history will adore. Who knows, it might even encourage some people to finally start watching the tv series, because everyone needs another show to binge watch on the weekend, right?

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, Fantasy | Tagged Greg Cox, The Librarians, The Librarians book series, The Lost Lamp, TNT The Librarians, Tor, Tor Books | 5 Comments

STACKING THE SHELVES, VOL. 38

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Bookwraiths

stacking-the-shelves

Stacking the Shelves over at Tynga’s Reviews is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether it be physically or virtually. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Obviously, I am really looking forward to reading each of these books.

Hero is yet another installment in the growing Drizzt saga, and while I know many don’t look fondly on Salvatore’s ever growing saga, I enjoy them as a guilty pleasure.
The Burning Isle is a grimdark fantasy I’ve read a lot about and have been dying to get my hands on for weeks now.
Any fantasy by James A. Moore is always welcomed, as this guy has become one of my favorite authors, and The Last Sacrifice beginning a new series is even more reason to get really excited.
Dragon and Thief was a surprise when it arrived in the mailbox, but it sounds really interesting.
Katherine Kurtz’s Legends of Camber of Culdi is a teenage favorite, which I am looking forward to revisiting, though I fully expect it not to be nearly as mesmerizing as it was three decades ago.

Are any of these books on your reading radar? Have you already read them? Let me know.

Posted in Stacking the Shelves | Tagged Dragon and Thief, Hero, James A. Moore, Katherine Kurtz, R.A. Salvatore, Stacking the Shelves, The Burning Isle, The Last Sacrifice, The Legends of Camber of Culdi, Timothy Zahn, Will Panzo | 6 Comments

EVERFAIR

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

Genre: Alternate History / Historical Fantasy / Steampunk

Publisher: Tor (September 6, 2016)

Series: Stand Alone

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 384 pages

My Rating: 3 stars

Blending alternate history, steampunk, and fantasy elements as well as tackling difficult social issues (colonization, racism, religious tolerance, and gender intolerance), Everfair sets out to tell an epic story of the Congo from the era of Belgian control (circa 1885) to post-World War I. Featuring a diverse cast, Nisi Shawl crafts her narrative to allow readers to see through the eyes of every one of the characters, as these diverse persons experience important events in their own unique ways. And, overall, the author succeeds in crafting an entertaining story set in an inventive setting, which also happens to educate readers in many ways.

The title of this book is taken from the central local of the story: the imagined colony of Everfair. In this alternate timeline, a group of well-meaning westerners with socialist beliefs (the Fabian Society) found a colony in Africa. Willingly giving sanctuary to escaped slaves from the tyrannical Congo ruled by King Leopold II of Belgium, the Fabians speak of equality and acceptance for all people, but they do not even perceive their own hidden racism, as they impose western customs on all the colonial inhabitants. But, somehow, someway, the Fabians and their fellow Everfair citizens must find a way to bridge their differences, accept all people for who they are, and overcome the many obstacles in their path to create a utopian society in the heart of Africa.

Obviously, the most captivating feature of Everfair is the concept itself. A four decades long struggle to create, defend, and firmly establish a new country with enlightened ideals is one most every reader will crave to experience firsthand. That Nisi Shawl is able to tackle the social issues, cultural clashes, and horrors of European colonization of Africa while still mixing in steampunk and fantasy elements only adds to the intrigue of this novel. And to top it all off, Everfair is set in a very realistic, well developed alternate history setting, which does not disappoint in its use of real historical people and events. All of which means the premise for this story and its goals are ambitious and worthy of notice by readers everywhere.

Like all things, however, Everfair also has its fair share of missteps, flaws, elements which failed to excite but disappointed or puzzled. The most glaring example being the actual structure of the narrative itself. Here Nisis Shawl uses short, snapshot-like chapters to tell her story. These brief glimpses focusing on different characters, shifting from place to place, and skipping substantial periods of time. Many of the most important events in the tale taking place in between these chapters. Readers having to be satisfied with a quick exposition of what had happened when they were not looking. Many of these events major plot points. The lack of focus on them, the failure to allow readers to experience them firsthand, a real disappointment.

Everfair is a book which aims high and comes so tantalizingly close to completely reaching its optimistic goals. Without a doubt, this book made me analyze my own views and caused me to reflect upon the nature of humanity and our propensity to harm when we mean to help, while also entertaining me with a highly realized alternate history world with precise touches of steampunk and fantasy. However, I have to admit being disappointed by the structure of the narrative, as most of the major events happened offstage and were merely summarized for me after the fact. But this is definitely a book worth reading, especially if the premise itself appeals to you.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, Alternative History, Fantasy, Steampunk | Tagged Africa, alternate history, European colonization of Africa, Everfair, Fantasy, gender intolerance, Nisi Shawl, racism, religious intolerance, societal issues, steampunk, Tor, Tor Books, utopian society | 1 Comment

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY: INACCURATE BOOK COVERS

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Bookwraiths

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Today, the guys in the Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday group had a great topic: INACCURATE BOOK COVERS! Those book covers that have nothing to do with the story, or the cover model doesn’t look anything like the actual main character, or it’s a really cheesy cover for a great read!

As I’ve admitted before I’m a Cover Lover. I readily confess that I have and will buy books because the cover art is great. Yeah, yeah, maybe that is shallow, but for me anyway, you can, many times, judge books by whether their covers are good or bad. So with that in mind, here are my Top 5 picks for Most Inaccurate Fantasy Covers.

5. THE HOBBIT

There have been dozens and dozens of really amazing book covers for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Even the ones featuring the feature films were tastefully done in my opinion. But the cover to the right is by far the most inaccurate and worst one of the whole lot. I mean, has anyone ever (even before the feature films) pictured Bilbo or Gollum looking this way? I never did, and, honestly, this cover insults my vision of these iconic characters. And it is on the 50th anniversary edition to boot. Talk about a letdown.

4. BAZIL BROKETAIL SERIES

This military fantasy series by Christopher Rowley was a fun romp, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It had a classic feel, cool dragons, and a really fun story filled with enough magic and world spanning adventure to keep your attention. What it did not have were good covers. The one to the right might be the most inaccurate and silly looking of the bunch, but none of them correctly depicted this hard fighting, intelligent battle dragon and his dragon boy. All of which is a shame, since I’m sure loads of people did not try these novels due to the silly looking covers.

3. FOX AND EMPIRE

Okay, first off, this has one of those gold foil enhanced covers which were all the rage long ago, but which I personally never liked. Second, it shows a naked baby floating over a battlefield while soldiers hide under their shields in fear. It has been a long time since I read this book, but I seem to recall this book being more along the lines of a military fantasy with lots of political machinations and battles. Somehow, I don’t think this captured the epic nature of the story. Plus, you gotta admit that gold foil looks horribly tacky. Just saying.

2. THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON

Covers are there to sell books. I understand that. So an artist is going to take some artistic liberties to capture the essence of the story, even if the picture doesn’t really reflect a particular scene in the tale. With the book to the right, however, someone went way too far, because Thrones’ cover makes the book seem like it is about three brave heroes fighting off a monster horde. When you read the book though, these guys spend more time dealing with personal problems and drinking loads of tea than fighting anyone. And I would have really liked to have known that before I spent loads of time reading a novel about tea drinking.

1. HEIR OF RENGARTH

A book cover can’t get any more inaccurate than when the image on its front are of characters from another story. With Heir, some artist decided to take Prince Colwyn from the 1983 movie Krull and put him front and center with Valeria and Thulsa Doom’s general from the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian flanking him in the background. How do those three individuals have anything to do with this story? They don’t. And I can’t think of a better example of an inaccurate book cover than this one. It really is perfect for this topic.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bad fantasy book covers, inaccurate book covers, Top 5 Wednesday, worst book covers, worst fantasy book covers, worst Hobbit book cover | 11 Comments

TOP TEN TUESDAY

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! This is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where a new top ten list hits the web every week!

This week our topic is …

BOOKS I’VE READ BECAUSE OF RECOMMENDATIONS

I’m going to limit my choices to those books I’ve read due to recommendations from fellow bloggers or my Goodreads’ friends. If I opened it up any further than that, this list would be way too difficult to narrow down to only ten, because I’ve read a large majority of books due to others telling me how great they were.

10. READY PLAYER ONE

Who didn’t recommend this novel to me a few years ago? That would be a better question for me to ask myself. Everyone was in love with Ernest Clines tribute to the 1980s and nerdom in general. So I read it. Finished it even. All I can say is that I won’t be recommending this book to anyone I know or going to see the movie. So this recommendation was an epic fail for me.

9. LEVIATHAN WAKES

This sci-fi space opera was recommended to me by lots of people. I went into my read hoping (and expecting) to love it. Unfortunately, I was left a little perplexed by why everyone loved the series so much. Yet another recommendation which did not work out at all.

8. THE BLADE ITSELF

Once I began reading grimdark, this author is the one I was told I had to read. Lord Grimdark was the ABSOLUTE KING OF GRIMDARK! Nothing else came close to comparing to his brilliant characters and genre defining themes. When I didn’t really dig his Shattered Sea trilogy, everyone told me I had to read this book to understand all the love Abercrombie got. Well, I read the book. I still don’t understand. Guess, it’s just me.

7. THE UNREMEMBERED

I just finished this novel, so it is fresh in my mind as I write this. And the only reason I picked up Peter Orullian’s updated version of The Unremembered was a blogger I follow recommended it. What made the recommendation more persuasive was the honest acknowledgement of the book’s flaws. Once I was warned not to expect the next Game of Thrones, I was able to really see the cool parts of the narrative.

6. THEFT OF SWORDS

Upon my return to reading fantasy about four years ago, Michael J. Sullivan was a name I immediately began hearing. Since my handful of friends knew I had always loved classic fantasy back in the day, they told me I had to give this author’s books a try, because they fit my previous tastes. And I really enjoyed this book and several others penned by Mr. Sullivan.

5. THE VAGRANT

Great post-apocalyptic fantasy/sci-fi series here. I mean, Peter Newman’s novel is exactly the kind of genre blending story that I love to read. And I would not have ever picked it up if not for a handful of Goodreads friends and bloggers who kept raving all the time about how great this novel was. You were right, guys. You were right.

4. MISTBORN: THE FINAL EMPIRE

Like Joe Abercrombie and Michael J. Sullivan, Brandon Sanderson was an author whose name was whispered in my ear time and time again once I returned to the fantasy fold. There were lots of places where I could have started my journey with Sanderson, but this was my choice. And I have to admit really enjoying this book — though the ending was so good I can’t seem to find any desire to read the rest of the trilogy.

3. WHEN THE HEAVENS FALL

This was a book which completely slipped my notice when released. If not for one of my blogger friends out there, I would never have given another thought to this novel, but he was dedicated and tenacious in promoting how awesome this book was, how amazing this series could be. And since I had to know what was so great about it, I got my hands on the book and found myself on the ground floor of the new Malazan, because Marc Turner’s Chronicle of the Exile is shaping into just that sort of sprawling, interconnected, and kick ass series. Yeah, you can consider that a recommendation!

2. BEYOND REDEMPTION

I’m going to give credit for this recommendation to the same blogger who turned me on to When the Heavens Fall. Yet again, I had totally missed this grimdark lovers delight when it was first released, then I read some posts about how amazingly creative and different Michael R. Fletcher’s book was, and now I am a huge fan of this author. Great guy and fabulous writer. Anyone who hasn’t read this book needs to give it a try now, because book two The Mirror’s Truth is going to be released in next few months.

1. PRINCE OF THORNS

No single person recommended this novel to me. Rather many people talked about, wrote about it, expressed their opinions of it (both good and bad) on Goodreads and the blogosphere. After having heard so much about Jorg Ancrath’s story, I had to read the damn thing for myself, and while I really disliked Jorg most of the time, I thought Mark LAwrence’s writing was superb and this book amazing. So this is a recommendation that everyone who mentioned PoT online can share in, because without all your love and angst I would never have picked it up.

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday | Tagged beyond redemption, Leviathan Wakes, MISTBORN: THE FINAL EMPIRE, Prince of Thorns, Ready Player One, THE BLADE ITSELF, The Unremembered, The Vagrant, Theft of Swords, Top Ten Tuesday, When the Heavens Fall | 8 Comments

TEASER TUESDAY

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Bookwraiths

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Teaser Tuesday is a meme held over at Books and a Beat.

To participate, all you have to do is:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Librarians and the Lost Lamp by Greg Cox

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: The Librarians #1

Publisher: Tor (October 11, 2016)

Author Information: Website

Length: 286 pages

Magic is real, Colonel Eve Baird thought. Just look at this place.

For those who want to know more about this book after reading that one line, here you go.

For millennia, the Librarians have secretly protected the world by keeping watch over dangerous magical relics. Cataloging and safeguarding everything from Excalibur to Pandora’s Box, they stand between humanity and those who would use the relics for evil.

Ten years ago, only Flynn Carsen, the last of the Librarians, stood against an ancient criminal organization known as The Forty. They stole the oldest known copy of The Arabian Nights by Scheherazade, and Flynn fears they intend to steal Aladdin’s fabled lamp. He races to find it first before they can unleash the trapped, malevolent djinn upon the world.

Today, Flynn is no longer alone. A new team of inexperienced Librarians, led by Eve Baird, their tough-as-nails Guardian, investigates an uncanny mystery in Las Vegas. A mystery tied closely to Flynn’s original quest to find the lost lamp. . . and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in Teaser Tuesday | Tagged Greg Cox, Teaser Tuesday, The Librarians, The Librarians and the Lost Lamp, Tor, Tor Books | 9 Comments

THE FLASH, VOL. 5: HISTORY LESSONS

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Bookwraiths

guest-post2 Today, I’m happy to have my son, Connor, return to the blog for yet another of his graphic novel reviews. Thankfully, this is becoming something of a regular occasion, and I personally will be enjoying it for as long as it lasts.

The Flash, Vol. 5: History Lessons by Brian Buccellato

Genre: Superhero Comics

Series: The Flash #5

Publisher: DC Comics (February 3, 2015)

Author Information: Twitter

Length: 144 pages

Connor’s Rating: 4 stars

The Flash is my favorite DC character. I watch The Flash television show; I read all the comics; and I can’t wait to see him in the Justice League movie. Not that those things make me an expert on him, but I do know when a story about Flash is good and when it isn’t. Well, this comic story was pretty cool, so let me tell you why

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The beginning of this one was a little bit lame I have to warn you. Green Lantern is in it, and the team up story didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Plus is there anyone who hasn’t worn a GL power ring by now?

Once the GL junk finished up though, things started getting better. A burial ground of a serial killer getting unearthed, letting this rampaging spirit lose to start killing people. Flash gets involved, but finds he needs some serious help from someone who is undead! Guess who that is?

flash-j-movie

Well, it is an oversimplification, I guess. But you don’t want me to give too much of the story away, right? And I did give you a hint about the undead guy.

What is really cool here was the art work during the second part of the story and the fact the author, Brian Buccellato got Flash moving in a fun direction again (except for the GL stuff). It might just be me, but I think Barry Allen has it too hard. Nothing ever goes his way. So I was glad there was a little hope for Barry in here.

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Well, I hope you liked this review, and if you are on Goodreads, friend me any time to talk about my reviews or comic books.

About Connor (In his dad’s words):

Connor is a preteen who enjoys graphic novels (DC Comics are preferred), superhero movies (Captain America is his favorite), watching episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl as well as the NFL, NCAA football, and the NBA on t.v., will happily accept any and all caps (because you just can’t have too many caps), and whose favorite music revolves around pop favorites of the moment such as Cake by the Ocean (Clean version because dad is still alive) as well as anything by Fall Out Boy — except for the new Ghostbusters (I’m Not Afraid) song which Connor denies they were ever involved with. And, no, Connor did not have any input into my paragraph about him. Being a dad does have it’s privileges. 🙂

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in DC, Flash, Graphic Novels, Uncategorized | Tagged Barry Allen, Brian Buccellato, DC Comics, History Lessons, Patrick Zircher, The Flash, The Flash Vol. 5 | Leave a comment

STACKING THE SHELVES, VOL. 37

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Bookwraiths

First, I’ll start with a book I have been dying to get my hands on ever since I finished the first novel in the series. Unexpectedly, I got an email from author Michael Fletcher with an advanced reading copy for review. Yet another reason why I love this guy, and I’m going to keep plugging his amazing books until everyone gives them a try.

The Mirror’s Truth by Michael R. Fletcher

Genre: Fantasy — Grimdark

Series: Manifest Delusions #2

Publisher: Self-Published (December 1, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 500 pages

Where belief defines reality, delusions are both strength and curse: The deeper you sink into madness the more powerful you become. But that power comes with a price. Your darkest nightmares hunt you at night. The face in the mirror hates you and wants to be free. Your fears manifest and plot your destruction.

******

Bedeckt defined himself by the list of crimes he was unwilling to commit. It was such a short list. How could straying from it have gone so wrong?

Now Bedeckt must undo the damage caused by wandering from his precious list. The Geborene god seeks to remake the world with his obsessive need for cleanliness and perfection, but Bedeckt is going to bring him down. Nothing can stop him. Not even death.

The two friends he abandoned in the Afterdeath chase after Bedeckt, bent on revenge. Psychotic assassins hunt him. Something cold and evil follows, lurking in the clouds above, shredding reality with its delusions. Madness and sanity war, stretching and tearing the very fabric of existence.

The dead shall rise.

Next up is a novel I received from the great people over at Tor. Can’t wait to dive into this one.

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

Genre: Thriller – Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Tor (October 4, 2016)

Authors Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 304 pages

In the spirit of John Carpenter’s The Thing and Jacob’s Ladder comes a terrifying, icebound thriller where nothing is quite what it seems.

Badly battered by an apocalyptic storm, the crew of the Arctic Promise find themselves in increasingly dire circumstances as they sail blindly into unfamiliar waters and an ominously thickening fog. Without functioning navigation or communication equipment, they are lost and completely alone. One by one, the men fall prey to a mysterious illness. Deckhand Noah Cabot is the only person unaffected by the strange force plaguing the ship and her crew, which does little to ease their growing distrust of him.

Dismissing Noah’s warnings of worsening conditions, the captain of the ship presses on until the sea freezes into ice and they can go no farther. When the men are ordered overboard in an attempt to break the ship free by hand, the fog clears, revealing a faint shape in the distance that may or may not be their destination. Noah leads the last of the able-bodied crew on a journey across the ice and into an uncertain future where they must fight for their lives against the elements, the ghosts of the past and, ultimately, themselves.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in Stacking the Shelves | Tagged Bracken MacLeod, grimdark, horror, Manifest Delusions, Michael R. Fletcher, Stranded, The Mirror's Truth, thriller, Tor, Tor Books, upcoming grimdark releases | 4 Comments

THE DARK TALENT

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Bookwraiths

The Dark Talent by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy — Middle Grades/Young Adult

Series: Alcatraz #5

Publisher: Starscape (September 6, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 304 pages

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Other reviewers have already voiced it, and I am going to chime in with them: Wow, that got really dark, really quick. By that, I mean, the conclusion of The Dark Talent, the latest volume in the Alcatraz series. What had been a rather silly, fun-filled romp up until this point turned suddenly into a fairly depressing story. I know that sounds improbable, but it is true.

I suppose frequent readers should not have been surprised by this turn of events though: Alcatraz Smedry has been preparing everyone for just such an occurrence since the very beginning. His constant ominous warnings of future failure hard to overlook in the preceding four books. Even the foreword to The Dark Talent reiterates this message again with the rather straightforward statement that “This is where the story stops being funny. You’ve been warned.” But somehow I wasn’t prepared for what actually happened, since things seemed to be following along the familiar Alcatraz pattern.

Picking up where The Shattered Lens ended, Alcatraz and friends have succeeded in driving off the Evil Librarian army from the Kingdom of Mokia. But like always, things are even worse now that they were before. Mokia is a ruin with many of her citizens still in a coma from Librarians weapons. Alcatraz’s friend Bastille is one of these fallen heroes, who is stuck in limbo between life and death. And, on top of that, Alcatraz has seemingly broken the Smedry talents!

Sounds pretty horrible, right? Hold on, it is about to get worse.

With all these problems to be fixed, Alcatraz does what he does best: head off into danger with no real plan. Here he decides he must somehow infiltrate the Librarians’ “Highbrary” (which is actually the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.) and try to stop his dad from potentially destroying the world. (Attica Smedry having concocted a scheme to defeat the Evil Librarians once and for all by giving all Hushlanders their very own Smedry talent!) And to top things off, Alcatraz has to rely on his Librarian mother, who abandoned him to foster care, for this desperate attempt to actually work.

No possible way it can get any worse than this, I hear you saying. Wrong again!

I won’t go into details, because to do so would reveal spoilers and ruin the conclusion of this book, but things do indeed get worse for Alcatraz and his friends. Much worse. The conclusion to The Dark Talent about the most depressing ending I’ve encountered in quite a while. Honestly, Brandon Sanderson ripped my heart out in just a few pages. And only the note at the end of book kept all my hopes from shriveling up and blowing away.

Does all that mean this book was devoid of the slapstick humor, delightful puns, and clever wordplay which the Alcatraz series has become known for? Nope. All that is still present. Every witty remark, quirky tangent, or snarky side note (and even footnotes in this one) reminding a reader of the middle grades comedy which they have become accustomed to. One has to look no further than the chapter names (which range from Chapter Doug to Chapter Marco, because chapters “never get to be themselves, you know?“) or the Smedry’s airship (a penguin shaped craft appropriately dubbed the Penguinator) to see that Sanderson doesn’t jettison all the laughs in this more serious fifth volume.

Sanderson also increases the action to near non-stop thrills here. Our hero and his band of friends and relatives sprinting from one amazing fight to another, from aerial duels to personal derring-do. Each gulp of pulse-pounding excitement topping the next.

There are even more twists and turns than ever before. The schemes, motives, and personal passions of allies and enemies alike revealed for readers to enjoy. Alcatraz and his parents strange relationships highlighted. Many of the “reveals” from these plot lines quite startling. This element of the narrative picking up speed as the conclusion rapidly approached until it finally explodes into a flaming fireball of “What the Hades just happened?”

Which brings up that dang ending again. The one I already mentioned was pretty dark. If you haven’t already picked it up, I didn’t love it very much. Not for this book. Not for this series. It felt . . . out of place. Too dark, too depressing. Sure, Alcatraz had warned everyone the end was going to be gloomy, but this was a bit over-the-top for such a comedic story. In fact, if not for the note at the end, the conclusion would have ruined my whole perspective about The Dark Talent and Alcatraz’s journey all together. So, thank God for the final note!

With that final note in mind though, I have to say The Dark Talent was an enjoyable read. Sanderson is a master storyteller, so he effortlessly turns this adventure into a real page turner. Perhaps it wasn’t quite as funny as previous books, but it was still an intriguing turn in our heroes tale, one which demands another volume in the series.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, Fantasy, Middle Grades | Tagged Alcatraz, Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson, Middle Grade Fantasy, Middle Grades, new releases, Smedry, Starscape, The Dark Talent | 5 Comments

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY — THE SHADOW OF WHAT WAS LOST

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Bookwraiths

waiting-on-wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to let readers share their excitement for books coming out soon, and the novel I’m eagerly awaiting is . . .

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Licanius Trilogy #1

Publisher: Orbit (November 8, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 704 pages

It has been twenty years since the god-like Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them – the Gifted – are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion’s Four Tenets, vastly limiting their own powers.

As a young Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and his friends are despised beyond their school walls for the magical power they wield: a power that Davian, despite his best efforts, cannot seem to control. Worse, with his final test approaching and the consequences of failure severe, time to overcome his struggles is fast running out.

But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will change his life – and shake the entire world.