The Rats and the Ruling Sea - Robert V. S. Redick

RATING: FOUR STARS

The Nilstone still hasn't been destroyed and the evil sorcerer Arunis has his eyes fixed on it as a prize. Before he can claim it as his own, however, and use its mysterious power to unleash the ageless Swarm unto the world, he must work out who the spell keeper is to restore the Shaggat Ness to flesh and blood.

The revered mage Ramachni, Pazel Pathkendle, the young lady Thasha Isiq and the rest of their companions are determined that this will not happen. Even as life becomes more dangerous for them aboard the Chathrand, they are becoming ever more determined to stop Arunis and the sinister spymaster Sandor Ott. Their lives are threatened, mutiny is whispered, but the conspirers know that much more is at stake than their own existence - they cannot lose and allow the Chathrand to navigate the Ruling Sea...

The Good

As in The Red Wolf Conspiracy, I was extremely impressed by the enthusiasm of Robert V. S. Redick’s writing. He has a knack of really being able to immerse me in both his story and the lives of his characters. His vivid descriptions do have a slightly ‘old’ feel to their style, but it really works with the sailing theme of the book. I could really tell that he had as much fun in writing it as I did in reading it!

Redick has also managed to keep the creative flair going from the first book of the series. And, once again, he has managed to keep the story interesting throughout the book, despite much of it being set on the Chathrand. Other than this rather epic ship, The Rats and the Ruling Sea whirls through a whole host of lavish locations; ranging from dark, forgotten dungeons that are filled with death and horror to forbidding rainforests that teem with life. He has continued to invent his own monsters, staying away from those authors’ typically use, which really gives the book a fresh, vibrant feel throughout.

The Bad

Once again, I don't really have anything to fault with Redick's book. He has clearly invested a great deal of time in its writing and planning, and this was really evident to me as I read it. The Rats and the Ruling Sea is exciting, well described and has a balanced pace - if Redick didn't invest a significant amount of thought into this book, he is either an accidental master or has a fantastic editor.

My Thoughts

I have to say that there is definitely something special about The Red Wolf Conspiracy and The Rats and the Ruling Sea. Both books read more like fairy tales for adults than typical fantasy novels and I am extremely excited about reading the third book in The Chathrand Voyage series in the near future. But don’t take my word for it – start the series and see for yourself!

Fox has 'The Kingkiller Chronicle' all set for a TV series!

Yesterday evening, the most epic thing happened to me since I discovered A Song of Ice and Fire in my second year of uni - I learnt that Fox has optioned Patrick Rothfuss's stunning Kingkiller Chronicle for a TV series!

Teaming up with New Regent Productions, Fox are considering dramatising The Kingkiller Chronicle into a television series. There is very little information about this plan available so far (both companies seem to have surprisingly little news on their sites), but Eric Heisserer's* name has been thrown around as a possible executive producer for the show, which suggests that it might be portrayed in a dark style similar to that of the books.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is definitely one of my favourite series of all time so, despite my excitement, I have mixed feelings about this whole idea. Will Fox deviate too much from the books? Will they cast a rubbish Kvothe? Or, more importantly, will there be a repeat of the whole Firefly incident (which, yes, I doubt I'll ever stop whining about or forgive them for)?

I'm sure that there'll be many critics who ask these questions, but I'm hopeful that they won't make an absolute hash of it. I think that HBO's dramatisation of A Song of Ice and Fire has shown just how good a series can be by staying as true to a book's story as possible, while really growing the loyalty of a dedicated fan base behind it. If we're lucky, Fox will have twigged and we can expect a show that is as epic as the books and, like the books, one that is good enough to rival Game of Thrones itself!


* most known for The Thing (2011) and A Nightmare of Elm's Street (2010)

The Daylight War - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FOUR STARS

In The Daylight War, Brett continues the story of humanity's struggle against the vicious demons that rise from the Core in night in epic detail. Even as Ahmann am’Jardir am'Kaji, now hailed as the Second Deliverer, increases his stranglehold on the lives and minds of his territories in the north, Arlen Bales begins to realise that the free-folk of Cutter’s Hollow will never view him as anything except their own Deliverer. 

But while each man struggles to organise their own bloating armies, the demons are not idle. The demon princes have finally begun to see the organisation of humans around the deliverers as a threat. Worse still, they have learnt that the ancient fighting wards of Kaji have been found. The first of their brothers to have risen from the Core have not returned and more demons are dying since the time of the first Daylight War. They know that they must strike now - if they can kill the deliverers, then the unity of humanity will crumble once again…

The Good

For the most part The Daylight War is exciting, being packed with sprays of blood and demon ichor. Brett continues telling the current story in graphic detail, while delving into the originals of Inevera; revealing how she rose from the shackles of a common birth to becoming leader of the Damaji'ting and the First Wife of Ahmann. Her story is every bit as interesting to read about as the current events of those struggling against the demons and really brings her character to life.

Brett also begins to show that the demons are organising themselves to resist the newfound strength of humans. This leads to much more brutal, epic battles than what we have read about in the previous books and begins to show that demons are still dangerous. I think that this was something Brett had begun to lose since the battle wards were discovered, as Arlen and those with the weapons could kill them too easily – an author’s heroes are only as good as their villains, so it’s nice to read about the demons stepping up to become feared again.

The Bad

Sex. The middle section of the book was full of it and it was really, really boring. I’ll admit that I understand why Brett has included it, since he’s mainly using it to develop certain characters, but he’s just overdone it. The sex is not graphically described like in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire or smut books, but there are enough ‘scenes’ to really distract from the story and Brett really hasn't done them well. Furthermore, Brett gets carried away with his PoV characters love life, which I understand is important to them in the story, but it just sounds cheesy and faked in the book. Many authors manage to pull relationships and love off well in their writing, with Patrick Rothfuss writing about Kvothe’s love for Denna being an obvious example, but, sadly, Brett isn't one of them and he should have just left most of it out. 

Secondly, I thought the pace of the book was grossly out. The first third was okay and read well, but after that Brett kind of lost it a bit. There were pages and pages in which nothing at all really happened expect for his characters’ having sex or whining about their respective relationship issues, before the ending of the book suddenly rushed in from nowhere. Obviously I won’t spoil the book’s ending, but I think Brett should have spent more time developing the events underlying it and really should have made more of an effort to link some of the choices made to the personalities of his main characters.

My Thoughts

Despite my qualms with The Daylight War, I still really enjoyed it. Brett has continued the Demon Cycle with his most epic story yet and has really set the scene for his next book. Once again, I recommend that Brett’s books are a must read for any fan of fantasy.

The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King

RATING: FIVE STARS

Whilst I wasn't especially impressed with The Gunslinger (which was good, just not that good), I found The Drawing of the Three to be absolutely enthralling. It was both trippy and exciting, and Stephen King has really managed to make Roland Deschain’s character come to life in its pages as he continues to quest towards the Dark Tower.

The Drawing of the Three picks up right where The Gunslinger leaves off, setting the scene on the desolate beach where Roland falls asleep at the end of its predecessor. This beach actually proves to be one of the major settings for the story and is much more than what it appears at first glance. As Roland journeys down it, close to death, he finds three mysterious doors that lead to another world…

Through each of these doors are challenges and tests. Challenges that Roland has never faced before. Challenges that he can’t fail at if he is to ‘draw the three’ and survive to finally lay eyes on the Dark Tower.

The Good

The Drawing of the Three managed to captivate me right from the beginning and completely sucked me in. in fact, I was unable to put the book down once I began reading it and actually finished it within a week (although it’s taken me far longer than that to actually get round to writing this review)! Its pages are packed with action, but it was more than that which made it so good – it is the weird, almost trippy story that King has thought up. It’s pretty unique and has really begun to show the complexity of King’s ‘macroverse', which will undoubtedly prove important for the books to come.

I really liked the new characters who have made appearances in the book as well. They are realistic, highly flawed and are extremely enjoyable to read about. King has done a fantastic job developing them and I found that I had very little difficultly thinking of them as real people. As always, King has researched the underlying facts of book well, and I was really able to understand the characters backgrounds and views on life.

The Bad

I actually have very little to fault with The Drawing of the Three. If I have to make one comment though, I would say that some of the language becomes a little difficult to understand at times. Basically, King describes many scenes using the voice of a highly stereotyped black woman from a run-down ghetto in America. Now, this might just because I am English and am not that familiar with all of the slang and terminology used, but some of it got quite difficult to follow!

My Thoughts

The Drawing of the Three is undoubtedly one of the best books I have read in a while. Do not ‘forget the face of your father’ – either read this book or begin the series.

The Shadowed Sun - N. K. Jemisin

RATING: THREE STARS

Gujaareh, the city of dreams, is suffering. It has been ten long years since the events of The Killing Moon; ten years in which the once great city has now been occupied by Kisua – a people that know nothing of peace and worship false gods. The result of this is a decadence of the likes Gujaareh has never known: there are starving homeless on the streets, crime has risen and the great anger of violence is beginning to take root in the hearts of its people. In short, the peace of their daily lives – peace which is valued above all else as the basis of their religion – is beginning to shatter.

Worse still, a strange plague is spreading through the city that kills those infected in the sleep. Its victims die alone and in agony, too distressed to ever find their way into the eternal peace of Hananja’s afterlife. The narcomancers that serve Hananja – devout priests that follow her teachings in their dream magic – are at a loss and grow ever more concerned as the plague resists every attempt they make to cure it.

But Guraajeh faces more problems that it knows: the heir to the city’s throne still lives – a young prince who has grown up among a barbaric race of warriors, where he has done nothing but cultivate his anger and hone his prowess for war…

The Good

Just like its predecessor, The Shadowed Sun is both imaginative and enjoyable to read. N. K. Jemisin has really gone wild while she delved into the dream magic her world uses, showing once again how devastating its power actually is. Jemisin’s rather unique form of magic is definitely interesting to read about and she’s really managed to weave it into the daily lives of her characters, adding to the plausibility of Gujareen culture.

Furthermore, Jemisin’s point of view characters have been developed well in themselves and I found that I was able to warm to them quite quickly. Jemisin has managed to create very distinctive personalities that are very evident while reading and really seem to affect the events of the story in a believable manner.

The Bad 

One of the only things I didn't like about The Shadowed Sun, is that is barely featured any of the characters from the previous book. Although these characters do appear and Jemisin has developed her new characters well (which actually fit in perfectly with story), it would have been nice for the ‘familiar faces’ to have had more of a prominent presence.

Another major issue that I had with The Shadowed Sun was in its lack of action. Although this didn't actually make the book any less interesting to read, it would have been nice to have actually read some of the battles and fights in ‘real time’, rather than reading about them post-hoc once they had finished. Admittedly, some of the action was ‘real time’, but I feel that Jemisin could have made the book much more engaging if they all were – one bit (which I won’t reveal) in-particular!

My Thoughts

Overall though, I enjoyed reading The Killing Moon and think that it’s a satisfying ending to Jemisin’s Dreamblood duology. The book is sensual, filled with stunning imagery throughout and really gives the sense of a suffering people that need to be liberated. In fact, I would go as far as saying that Dreamblood is a rare gem of a duology that you should seriously consider investing your time in – N. K. Jemisin is definitely a very talented writer that we should all look out for over the years to come!

Dune - Frank Herbert

RATING: FOUR STARS

Dune. Here's a book that needs no introduction, and I'm sure that many of you have heard of it to some degree (even if it is just been in passing until now). It is Frank Herbert's timeless science fiction classic about Arrakis - a desert planet with so little water on its surface that is it almost uninhabitable for human life; a desert planet that is inhabited only because of the unique melange spice mined there because of the vitality it brings to human health.

It is a planet where only the strong have been able to survive, and only then by adapting to conserve each and every drop of the living-giving water that is worth far more than gold. The Fremen they are called, tribal warriors that have managed to endure and eke out a living where few other could; who have been down-trodden and suppressed by the long and cruel regime of House Harkonnen. The rule of the Harkonnen's ends, however, when House Atreides is gifted with Arrakis and its melange-mining rights by the great Padishah Emperor himself.

Duke Leto Atreides is reluctant to accept the gift, especially because it involves leaving his water-rich home world behind, but knows that he has very little choice - he can feel the jaws of a Harkonnen trap closing tight and begins to realise that Arrakis provides an answer to the danger, despite also being the cause. This answer is the Fremen, the warrior people who have hatred for Duke Vladimir Harkonnen in their very blood. It is the Fremen that he must win if he is to save his son, Paul, and beloved consort, Jessica.

The Good
I have to say that I was very impressed with Dune and think that Herbert has done a superb job with this book. He has managed to develop an impressive ensemble of characters that I really warmed to; has put a lot of thought into the workings of Arrakis and how humans could survive in such an arid environment; and has developed a believable future society for us (once we have finally ventured into the stars).

I admit that some of the stuff Herbert has imagined has to be taken with a pinch of salt (such as his whole concept of the Bene Gesserit), but, over all, he has developed a believable level of technology that isn't too far fetched like many science fiction authors do. This technology is interesting to read about as Herbert really shows how it fits into society and adds to the story as much of it is necessary for survival on Arrakis.

The story itself is also excellent and exciting, although it is predominantly political intrigue so I can't give much away about the plot without ruining it. Rest assured though, that Dune is a real page-turner that is full and twists and action!

The Bad
I think that one of the biggest problems Dune has is its complexity. It's not the story itself that's complex, but simply the sheer scope of the world that Herbert has created. He literally throws the reader straight into the deep end of his universe and begins talking about all these fictional objects of technology, religious rites and social connotations that he has made up with very little explanation of what they are (almost as if he just expects the reader to know). Admittedly, this is a brave method of writing and clearly shows Herbert's confidence as a writer, but it did make following the book a little difficult at times. Herbert has included a glossary at the back of the book to help us out, but I've ever really been a fan of authors doing this and found the continuing necessity to keep flicking back to it a bit irritating really.

In addition to this, Dune also has a weird chronology and is actually split into three novellas that are set years apart from each other. Although each story follows the same overall story arc, it does mean that there are huge 'gaps' in the characters' lives that would have been enjoyable to read about. Really, I got the feeling that Dune is actually two normal length novels that Herbert has tried to condense into one (in three parts).

My Thoughts
The problems I had with Dune did little to mar my enjoyment of it, however, and I still think that the book is brilliant. It is imaginative, exciting and Herbert has really delved into the science that surviving on such a hostile planet as Arrakis would require. Dune is definitely a book that all science fiction fans should invest in and has set the scene for the rest of the Dune Chronicles to be an interesting read.

Dune.

Brayan's Gold - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FOUR STARS

In Brayan’s Gold, Peter V. Brett gives us yet another slice of Arlen’s unwritten story as he tells of a daring messaging run he makes while he is still a young guild apprentice. Being deep into the mountains, the run can only be described as arduous at best and wouldn't normally have been given to an untested messenger at all. That is, of course, if the usual messenger hadn't broken his leg. With no-one else to turn to, the messenger’s guild must give the mission to Arlen and the wizened messenger who is asked to take him beyond the safety of the city’s walls.

As always, Arlen is desperate to test himself against the savage Corelings that stalk the wilds and is only too eager to take on the mission – being determined to deliver a cache of thundersticks to the count of Lord Brayan’s coveted gold mine. However, he quickly finds that the run isn't as easy as he first anticipated and finds that not only is the delivery of his wares jeopardised, but his life nearly comes to a violent and untimely end.

My Thoughts

Just like The Great Bazaar, Brayan’s Gold is a short novella that fills the gap between two of the Demon Cycle’s main instalments. The novella is set between The Painted Man and The Desert Spear, and provides a captivating escape into the ruins of Brett’s desolate world. Aside from being well written and imaginative, Brayan’s Gold is fast paced right from the first page and was extremely difficult for me to put down. It really shows the true grit of Arlen’s character, revealing once again the lengths he will go to in order to survive the Corelings and resist bowing down to them out of fear. In fact, I will say that Brayan’s Gold is a gripping read that will leave you more than ready for the third novel in the series, The Daylight War.