Various...
The last few weeks I've been reading a bunch of fairly light stuff that didn't inspire anything I really needed to write. Since I seem to be in the mood to pick up some more substantial stuff, I'm going to briefly discuss several books in one post to clear out the cellar.
A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
This is the second book in a quartet, subsequent to A Shadow in Summer which I mentioned a while back. A friend recommended that I definitely continue reading this series, and that they just get better. In traditional fantasy terms, I'd have to agree, but I didn't feel like A Betrayal In Winter took the basic conceits of the Abraham's universe in any new direction. It relied less on the use of the andat as a melodramatic objective correlative, but by not taking the device in a particularly new direction it did more to highlight that weakness in the first novel. I can see a larger plot building in the background that looks kind of fun, I enjoyed the book, and I'll certainly finish the series (when the rest are out in paperback), but I'll stick with my original statement that I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to someone who doesn't like modern fantasy in general.
The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
An agent of a foreign power comes to a small subject nation of an empire with a goal of fomenting revolt to distract the empire from further expansion. Pretty cynical stuff for a fantasy novel, and very well done, with a well paced and intricate plot. Downum walks the fine line between enabling you to read the ensuing events as transformative tragedies involving real people and real consequences and insisting that you do so. An impressive first novel I have no trouble recommending -- it's much more thoroughly an example of the "new" moment in fantasy than Abraham's series.
Shadow of the Scorpion by Neal Asher
Between Prador Moon and this, I'm really hoping that Nightshade called up Asher after his much more interesting novels and asked if he had any rejects in the attic they could dust off. If this is actually more recently written than The Skinner or Brass Man then Asher probably hums TMBG's "Number Three" as he writes. I had come to think of the signature of an Asher plot as moving briskly along with lots of scenery and minimal investment in ideas. Shadow of the Scorpion shambles along, weighed down by a clumsy narrative device that mostly serves to undercut an already weak character study. An editor with a strong stomach and a fresh red pen could probably find a solid Asher novella here, but I wouldn't advise a reader to try.
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines
Jim Hines is known for his Goblin series following the adventures of the unwilling Goblin hero Jig. They're fun (although shadowed for me by Mary Gentle's deliriously wonderful Grunts), but they never would have led me to suspect that Hines had as solid a book as The Stepsister Scheme in him. This one actually deserves a longer writeup that it's probably not going to get, and I don't see how to briefly do it justice without spoiling the plot.
Cinderella's stepsisters kidnap Prince Charming, so Cinderella is taken in tow by Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (the Queen's secret service) to rescue him. Only it slowly becomes clear that the characters are drawn for the older, grittier version of the fairy tales, and that the overall setting is more modern in it's interpersonal style and politics. This was a much better book than I expected, and I'll probably be pushing it on folks for a while.
Norse Code by Greg Van Eekhout
A minor aesir and a valkyrie attempt to stop Ragnorok and fail. Given that the world ends and almost everyone dies, usually painfully, this was a fairly entertaining reimagining of Norse mythology.
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
This is the second of Briggs Alpha and Omega series, which are essentially a gothic romance serial set in the same world as her Mercy Thompson books. Beware, these books are very different, with much more dwelling on the romantic and relational insecurities of the characters. I enjoyed them (although I don't have nearly the affection for them I have for the Mercy books), but I suspect that many would consider them to have "No Boys Allowed" taped on the door. While this was a compulsive page turner for me, it really did suffer in comparison with some of Briggs more recent books in falling back on the standard fantasy (and mystery) trope of building a plot that only works because the villain is insane.
A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
This is the second book in a quartet, subsequent to A Shadow in Summer which I mentioned a while back. A friend recommended that I definitely continue reading this series, and that they just get better. In traditional fantasy terms, I'd have to agree, but I didn't feel like A Betrayal In Winter took the basic conceits of the Abraham's universe in any new direction. It relied less on the use of the andat as a melodramatic objective correlative, but by not taking the device in a particularly new direction it did more to highlight that weakness in the first novel. I can see a larger plot building in the background that looks kind of fun, I enjoyed the book, and I'll certainly finish the series (when the rest are out in paperback), but I'll stick with my original statement that I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to someone who doesn't like modern fantasy in general.
The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
An agent of a foreign power comes to a small subject nation of an empire with a goal of fomenting revolt to distract the empire from further expansion. Pretty cynical stuff for a fantasy novel, and very well done, with a well paced and intricate plot. Downum walks the fine line between enabling you to read the ensuing events as transformative tragedies involving real people and real consequences and insisting that you do so. An impressive first novel I have no trouble recommending -- it's much more thoroughly an example of the "new" moment in fantasy than Abraham's series.
Shadow of the Scorpion by Neal Asher
Between Prador Moon and this, I'm really hoping that Nightshade called up Asher after his much more interesting novels and asked if he had any rejects in the attic they could dust off. If this is actually more recently written than The Skinner or Brass Man then Asher probably hums TMBG's "Number Three" as he writes. I had come to think of the signature of an Asher plot as moving briskly along with lots of scenery and minimal investment in ideas. Shadow of the Scorpion shambles along, weighed down by a clumsy narrative device that mostly serves to undercut an already weak character study. An editor with a strong stomach and a fresh red pen could probably find a solid Asher novella here, but I wouldn't advise a reader to try.
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim Hines
Jim Hines is known for his Goblin series following the adventures of the unwilling Goblin hero Jig. They're fun (although shadowed for me by Mary Gentle's deliriously wonderful Grunts), but they never would have led me to suspect that Hines had as solid a book as The Stepsister Scheme in him. This one actually deserves a longer writeup that it's probably not going to get, and I don't see how to briefly do it justice without spoiling the plot.
Cinderella's stepsisters kidnap Prince Charming, so Cinderella is taken in tow by Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (the Queen's secret service) to rescue him. Only it slowly becomes clear that the characters are drawn for the older, grittier version of the fairy tales, and that the overall setting is more modern in it's interpersonal style and politics. This was a much better book than I expected, and I'll probably be pushing it on folks for a while.
Norse Code by Greg Van Eekhout
A minor aesir and a valkyrie attempt to stop Ragnorok and fail. Given that the world ends and almost everyone dies, usually painfully, this was a fairly entertaining reimagining of Norse mythology.
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
This is the second of Briggs Alpha and Omega series, which are essentially a gothic romance serial set in the same world as her Mercy Thompson books. Beware, these books are very different, with much more dwelling on the romantic and relational insecurities of the characters. I enjoyed them (although I don't have nearly the affection for them I have for the Mercy books), but I suspect that many would consider them to have "No Boys Allowed" taped on the door. While this was a compulsive page turner for me, it really did suffer in comparison with some of Briggs more recent books in falling back on the standard fantasy (and mystery) trope of building a plot that only works because the villain is insane.