The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain (Book One)

Title: The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain
Author: Oldman Brook

Series:The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain (Book One)
Succeeded By: ???

Ratings

Score: 5/10
Chart Entry Point: 29
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I'd like to see where this goes...

Review

I was a little confused when I first opened this book and saw how it was written. Instead of the normal past-tense narrative of most fantasy books, this was written in the present tense. As a well-practiced reader of this first-style, it took some getting used to, but after a while I found it almost as natural to read for the most part.

What was immediately clear when I was reading this book is the theme of brotherhood. The three dwarves are brothers, the two shapeshifters are brothers, the two elves are brothers - although they all seem to have a different relationship with their siblings.

Code Lightfall and the Robot King

Title: Code Lightfall and the Robot King
Author: Daniel H.Wilson

Ratings

Score: 5/10
Chart Entry Point:


Review

I often say that books aimed primarily at younger readers can also be enjoyed by adults. Having read this one, I'm not so sure. The reason is simply because the story is childish. It's not a particularly simple story, and it does have an interesting twist at the end, but the plot has a lot of things that a child might find exciting, or realistic, that an Adult probably wouldn't. Of course, it's aimed at children - so if you're looking for a book for your kids, then this could be a good one for you.

Abyss (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi - Book Three)

Title: Abyss
Author: Troy Denning
Superseries: Star Wars
Series: Fate of the Jedi
Preceeded By: Omen (Christie Golden)
Succeeded By: Backlash (Aaron Allston)

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I will read the series, but only out of stubbornness. Still, things are looking up.

Review

Finally this series has something beginning to resemble a storyline. I thought it would never happen. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the writing as much as I did with the previous two books, or even Denning's own books in the previous series. So I'm not sure whether to be elated that something is finally happening, or disappointed in the writing. It didn't stop me from reading until I'd finished though.


While I enjoyed the previous books, they didn't really have a driving force behind them. But now we're finally starting to see groups have objectives. And some questions with a bit more substance than "What's Going On?". There are two women and a force presence, who seem to be important, but for what? What's going to happen with the lost tribe of the sith? What's going to happen between Daala and the Jedi now that (Sarcastic Spoiler) something has happened.

Returner's Wealth (Wyrmeweald Trilogy)

Title: Returner's Wealth
Author: Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell
Series: Wyrmeweald Trilogy

Succeeded By: ????

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: If I find the time - it won't be a priority...

Review

If you've read anything by these authors in the past, chances are that it's the Edge Chronicles. That was an incredible series, beautifully illustrated, which is still one of my favourite sequences. Wyrmeweald however, is completely different.

The first, and most striking point is that there is a considerably smaller number of illustrations than I was expecting. There is still at least one per chapter, but they are Narrow Borders to the page, and there ARE some full page drawings of the dragons, but I would have liked to see more.

The reason for this reduced number of drawings is that the book is clearly aimed at an older audience, it's a little more violent, and quite a bit more sexual. And I thought that the more sexual parts were done quite well, not actually describing anything in detail, but hints of adult activities are found across the book.

The Crowded Shadows (Moorehawke Trilogy - Book 2)

Title: The Crowded Shadows
Author: Celine Kiernan
Series: Moorehawke Trilogy
Preceeded By: The Poison Throne
Succeeded By: The Rebel Prince

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Probable

Review

This book was much better than I was expecting. In some ways. In other ways, I felt let down. In general, everything about it was unexpected.

Starting with some of the good things, after the first hundred or so pages, I couldn't put the book down. The action of following the wolves, followed by the fascinating cultures and rituals of the Merron people were just two of the areas where Kiernan excelled in her storytelling. The depth of it was so real, that I have to wonder if they are based off a real people, although in some ways I hope not.

Thistle

Title: Thistle
Author: Casey Simpson
Succeeded By: ???

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Probable

Review

The first thing that can be said for this book, is that the characters are wonderful, especially the titular character, Thistle, during the middle section of the book. She is a lost and confused girl, who nevertheless is devious and very, very loveable. Another favourite are the two captains, Parma (a major character) and Dozy (a more minor character).

But while the author has written these wonderful characters well, I get the impression that the editing hasn't gone so well. There are regular mistakes in spelling and punctuation, as well as word misuse (their instead of there), which I believe needs to be looked at before this book can become widespread. There was also the single use of brackets, which personally, i find offputting in any story.

But as I earlier mentioned, the author writes rather wonderfully, and I'll discuss the plot in a moment, but there are two devices that I think the author uses exceedingly well. The first is psychology. The descent into madness of a particular character is impressive - the author switches to her perspective regularly, and each time she is less and less composed. But the author doesn't stop there. He manages to show us how each main character has changing views of increasingly insane woman.

The other device is more commonly done well, and is the dropping of important information early in the plot. I don't want to go into detail, as not to ruin the story, but it is there.

As with almoat any book. There are weak points, and the greatest weakpoint here was the romance. Early on, it starts well, in a scene with a drunken thistle, but then at the end it moves far too quickly. There is no real description of the getting together scene, it just happens, and no description of Thistle's feelings. Additionally, thay start calling each other beloved almost instantly, and while I could maybe expect that from the man, I would imagine that thistle would be scornful.

That getting together scene is one that I would have liked to have seen. The other is the ear removal scene. Or at least before and after, as it would keep that particular character in our minds, and show more her change in position.

Finally to the plot! While at first I found that there were too many sub-plots, and that the story was too complex for it's length, they quickly tied together nicely, and the one or two remaining sub-plots were woven well with the main plot. While each of the sub-plots were interesting (and Anselme's in particular could have been the start of a completely different book, such was the impact it had), when they joined together it made Thistle's storyline much richer.

Overall then, the main downfall of the book is the grammatical and spelling errors, which really need to be looked at. Nevertheless, the story is a good one, with the odd scene that I would like to see included to ease the flow of the plot.


More Information

Main Protagonist(s): 1 Female (with 2 secondary male)
Main Antagonist(s): 1 Female
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Fantasy
Amazon Synopsis:

On the edge of a crumbling empire, a young orphan struggles desperately to escape a life of poverty and slavery. When she stows away aboard a galleon headed for the capitol of the world, Thistle is set on a collision course with the Royal House of Ran. Aided by a drunken sea captain, a one eyed peddler and a boy soldier, Thistle fights to save her world, even as she learns the strange truth about this far future earth. A queen who must remain forever masked dreams of reviving ancient glories-and unspeakable weapons from the dawn time. But she is not what she seems, nor is the unforgettable girl known as Thistle. 


ISBN: 978-0982640913
Website: None Found
Amazon Link: Thistle
Pages: 350
First Published: March 1, 2010
Publisher: Flying Panther Media

Dead Forever: Awakening

Title: Dead Forever: Awakening
Author: William Campbell
Series: Dead Forever Trilogy (Book 1)

Succeeded By: Dead Forever: Apotheosis

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How long I would stay up reading: 11-12pm
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I would if it came my way, but I wouldn't look for it. (The cover looks exciting though...)

Review

Where to begin? The first thing that most people see is the cover, and despite the popular adage it is normally a large part of the decision to buy a book. For a Science Fiction book, this cover has it all: A spaceship, A rather attractive young lady pointing a laser-gun type weapon and plenty of mysterious figures over a metropolis backdrop. Good Stuff. This cover however, meant that it took me a few pages to realise that the main character was male. So brilliant but misleading cover.

Now we can look inside the book. The first two chapters are confusing and quite hard to get through. For me, it took some work. Things change rapidly, confusingly, and since the main character knows nothing, neither do we. I nearly put the book down out of disinterest. My obligation to review the book however, meant that I had to continue.

Fortunately, the Book gets a lot better very quickly. As soon as the main character is rescued it get's more interesting (and funnier). The character's friends have a sort of drunken humour, which can creat an interesting mind effect when reading sober. As for Adam, the protagonist, his observations of the world around him can be highly amusing.

The author is rather good at writing sexual tension, but when emotion starts to be an issue he loses it slightly. This could be because we don't understand the feelings, Adam's returning memory makes feelings apparently come from nowhere, for a character we don't meet until the very end.

In addition, there seems to be no main objective to the plot, which weakens it somewhat, although the ending is a direct suggestion of a sequel (which does exist). I've read other reviews saying that the author tackles the subject of reincarnation well, but I disagree. Not that his ideas on the matter are well written, but that it is truly reincarnation. It's a different sort of process. I would be interested to see where the author takes it next, but for me the sequel is not a priority read.

In all, the book is entertaining and not entirely frivolous, but if you are looking for a strong plot and realistic human characters, you'll need to look elsewhere.

More Information

Main Protagonist(s): Male, with mixed secondary protagonists
Main Antagonist(s): A group, gender not specified
Main Relationship(s): Heterosexual
Genre: Science Fiction
Brief Description: (from amazon)

Imagine a world where death is merely an inconvenience. A new body awaits, and we resume living, fully aware of the past. Every talent, love and distaste is retained, from one life to the next. But this immortal paradise has a price--eternal life as slaves, oppressed by masters who forbid individuality, creative expression, and free thinking. A band of rebels refuses to surrender their freedom, and these misfits have no place in a world that enforces social harmony. But for a population that reincarnates, the conformist rulers are powerless to eliminate insurgents. Putting them to death is useless. The rebels will return, again and again. The final solution is devised--perpetual amnesia. Kill all memory of past lives. Identity erased, origin unknown, and destiny uncertain, the rebels are banished to a lonely corner of the galaxy and left for dead, forever. Having suffered the enemy's amnesia by design, a reluctant hero awakens under a bridge, and without a past, he regards himself as insignificant. But he is not the loser he imagines, as he learns when agents in black come to collect him. His decision to flee begins a journey of rediscovery, but some of it he would rather leave buried. He must face his past, and take charge of the future, or the rest of his immortal kind are destined to share his fate--Dead Forever.

ISBN: 0971796025
Website: none
Amazon Link: Dead Forever: Awakening
Pages: 270
First Published: 2010
Publisher: Glyd-Evans Press