Reading in Fantasy / Horror, April 2023

[Hobbit]

Welcome to April!

(Last month's discussion of Fantasy /Horror is HERE. )

No "April Fool's" here - it is the usual message - this thread is where you tell us about what you've been reading in Fantasy / Horror this month.
Remember, good or bad, we still want to know what you think.

Mark

 

[AtramentousFlux]

Was in the mood for a quick comfort read, so read Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting.

It's a children's novel, so mostly fun and charming, apart from

Spoiler

the cold-blooded murder

.

 

[Agent Cormac]

Sabriel

I’ve gathered the main four books of this series from charity shops over the past six months so thought I’d give it a try. Sabriel, the first published, is set in a world separated by a wall: Ancelstierre, to the south, is a sort of early 20th century analogue of England or Australia, and the larger Old Kingdom to the north is a magical place where society has broken down and necromancers, Free Magic elementals and the dead roam free. Sabriel is an Abhorsen, a necromancer who uses Free and Charter Magic to send the dead through the Final Gate to rest. When she learns that her father is missing, she leaves her school in Ancelstierre and travels to the Old Kingdom to find him and end the threat growing beyond the wall.

Not a bad read, I felt, although apart from the (mostly) non-magical and magical worlds it didn’t really offer a great deal new to a genre saturated with this sort of stuff. However, I liked the magic system of bells and idea of a journey along a river through many gates to reach a final death. Sabriel is the usual young protagonist not yet fully versed in her craft who faces ordeals that test her to the limit of her abilities. But it wasn’t so much Sabriel or the other characters that kept me reading until the end; it was the world it was set in. As fantasy goes it was a decent read imo, and there was enough there for me to enjoy the experience and start the next book.

 

[Hobbit]

Not a bad read, I felt, although apart from the (mostly) non-magical and magical worlds it didn’t really offer a great deal new to a genre saturated with this sort of stuff.

Even for a book nearly 30 years old? To be fair, even then it was old ideas, but told well. I haven't heard it myself, but I gather the legend that is Tim Curry does a marvellous job of the audiobook....

 

[cgw]

Started The Hyena and the Hawk by Tchaikovsky.
Started Dry Water by Eric Nylund. A sort of urban fantasy, if you can call a small southwest town urban.
(Nylund also writes Halo (game) related books, one of which my son coincidentally bought last week.)
Expecting a new book by Will Wight this week.

 

[Raule]

Even for a book nearly 30 years old? To be fair, even then it was old ideas, but told well. I haven't heard it myself, but I gather the legend that is Tim Curry does a marvellous job of the audiobook....

Oh, yes, the Tim Curry narrated audiobooks are very fun. I listened to the first three books — found at my local library— several years ago and enjoyed them very much.

 

[Westy]

I read Lone Women by Victor LaValle - Adelaide Henry travels to Montana as a lone homesteader, with a locked trunk that causes mayhem when it's opened.

I liked reading about the setting and Adelaide's initial issues settling in as a lone black woman in a sparsely occupied town, but to be honest I wasn't as invested in the horror component (the trunk) throughout, maybe if it was one or the other (historical narrative or horror story) it might have worked better. Good, but not as good as I expected.

 

[suciul]

Finished Cassiel's Servant by J Carey, the retelling from Joscelin's perspective of the story in Kushiel's Dart; it was superb - all I expected and more; actually read large parts of it in tandem with the original book and it truly enhanced both. My Goodreads review:

After fairly standard stuff about warrior training with some cool stuff but not really anything special, the book just springs into action when Joscelin joins the Delaunay household and his and Phedre adventures that so delighted us when the original trilogy was published begin.

While the storyline is the same of course, I actually enjoyed reading the two books (this and Kushiel's dart) side by side as a lot of the dialogue either repeats or is similar but of course, the reactions and motivations are of the respective protagonist.

I would say that the Alban episode with Joscelin on the hill defending Phedre and the king's family against overwhelming odds and their last encounter with the skaldic king are probably the two scenes that stand out the most from Joscelin's perspective as in both he acts rather than reacts as is his usual behavior per the Cassiline motto "I protect and serve" where he generally cannot initiate aggressive action. So while I agree that overall Phedre's original POV is more dynamic, there is a coolness in seeing the storyline from his more restrained perspective, as well as his growth in appreciating, then trusting, and then becoming the lifelong love and partner of Phedre despite their seemingly opposite life choices.

It was also cool to see Alcuin taking to Joscelin immediately, Hyacinthe slowly realizing that despite said opposite lifestyles, Joscelin was indeed Phedre's one true love so to speak, and actually shocking Joscelin by telling him this directly as of course Joscelin by then was madly in love with Phedre but never thought of acting on that or more pertinently that Phedre could love one single person in that way, except maybe her childhood friend Hyacinthe, while the portraits of Melisande and the Queen seen from the emotional distance of Joscelin as opposed to Phedre's involvement with both quite add to the depth of the series.


I think that the novel holds well by itself, though reading it side by side with Kushiel's Dart definitely enhances both and it would be awesome if the author would continue the retelling of the trilogy storyline through Joscelin's perspective.

Overall, Cassiel's Servant was superb and delivered all I expected and more.

 

[Berlyn]

I have been away on a holiday for around 2 months, but I did manage to read quite a lot while I was away. These are the three books I read, and I loved every single one of them.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan
Farilane by Michael J. Sullivan

I backed Michael J Sullivan's latest Kickstarter for the third book in The Rise and Fall series, so should get my copy of that towards the end of this month. Can't wait to read it.

 

[Agent Cormac]

Lirael

Set around 20 years after the events of Sabriel, the first part of the story focusses on Lirael, a Daughter of the Clayr whose manifestation of the Sight has yet to show any sign of appearing. On her fourteenth birthday she starts to despair and contemplates suicide, but events lead her to a position in the Clayr’s vast library where she begins a journey of purpose and discovery. Meanwhile in the far north of the Old Kingdom, Sabriel’s son and Abhorsen-In-Waiting, Prince Sameth, is despondent about the role he is destined for. When a necromancer sets a plot in motion to resettle refugees in the Old Kingdom so as to provide an army of Dead and revive an ancient evil spirit, Lirael and Sameth are drawn together to meet the threat.

Unlike Sabriel, this book is the first instalment of a longer story and thus continues in Abhorsen. My favourite part of the book was Lirael’s five years in the Library. I appear to have a soft spot for stories that spend time on the training and development of characters, such as Kvothe in Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind and Vaelin Al Sorna in Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song and I kind of wished that the same attention had been given to Sameth’s development as a Wallmaker, but I guess you can’t have everything. Anyway, it was a fairly enjoyable read and I’ll move on to the next book, Abhorsen.

 

[Raf]

I never got around to reading Rothfuss's "Name of the Wind". At the time, the various reviews sounded too much like what I was reading at the time. And then, like a lot of books, it just slid from my radar.

Did he ever write a sequel?

 

[Hobbit]

Did he ever write a sequel?

Yes. Called The Wise Man's Fear. Both very good, IMO. But then, for various reasons it has stopped (and GRRM levels of frustration as a result.) There is a novella vaguely connected to it but very different in style.

 

[LayZ25]

Just finished In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan.

Being a fan of his Powder Mage stuff I was definitely let down by this book. On one hand I actually read it pretty quickly and was never bored, but for a book this long nothing felt quite fleshed out enough by the end. I found the twists and betrayals mostly predictable and because some of the relationships were underdeveloped they didn't ever feel that bad either. The magic system was especially underwhelming and for it being a central plot point it never felt as important as the author intended.

I want to say this next part without giving away anything too much for those who haven't read it. For a good portion of the book there is an investigation that seems like it is going to be the most important thing we are reading and waiting to find out about. However, it ends up tying into something different and because of that the investigation ended up not feeling nearly as important which was jarring. You spend time getting very invested in the outcome but then poof, you have something new come along.

An enjoyable read but an oddly flawed effort from someone who has done this well before. When I was going to give a star reading on Goodreads I was complaining in my head (again) about how they really need half stars. However, after giving it more thought the 3 I ended up going with is fair.

 

[Westy]

An enjoyable read but an oddly flawed effort from someone who has done this well before.

I thought so as well, for me the Gods of Blood and Powder series was better.

When I was going to give a star reading on Goodreads I was complaining in my head (again) about how they really need half stars.

Agreed! Or make the rating out of 10 stars. I've created shelves for the half stars so at least I can see which books I've rated 3.5, etc.

 

[RedMage]

Started Dry Water by Eric Nylund. A sort of urban fantasy, if you can call a small southwest town urban.
(Nylund also writes Halo (game) related books, one of which my son coincidentally bought last week.)

Nylund also wrote two books in a planned 5 book Mortal Coils series. First book has the same title as the series. Dry Water sounds like contemporary fantasy, but Mortal Coils is set in a modern city. Follows twin brother and sister teens who are the children of one of the Fates of Greek mythology and Lucifer, aka the Devil. In book 1 they must complete three heroic tasks in the vein of Hercules.

I love them, but the publisher decided not to publish the rest. Last I know, which is from about a decade ago, Nylund is/was waiting for the publishing rights to revert to him so he can finish the series. Still worth checking out.

 

[Agent Cormac]

Abhorsen

Continuing the story begun in Lirael, this book concludes the story and the threat provided by the release of the immensely powerful Free Magic spirit, Destroyer. Thought it was an okay read but parts of it did veer more towards the YA market than the previous books did, but not enough to make me want to put it down as it didn’t affect the enjoyment I got from the book. Not a bad read and I’ll finish the main series by starting Goldenhand.

 

[cgw]

Nylund also wrote two books in a planned 5 book Mortal Coils series. First book has the same title as the series. Dry Water sounds like contemporary fantasy, but Mortal Coils is set in a modern city. Follows twin brother and sister teens who are the children of one of the Fates of Greek mythology and Lucifer, aka the Devil. In book 1 they must complete three heroic tasks in the vein of Hercules.

I love them, but the publisher decided not to publish the rest. Last I know, which is from about a decade ago, Nylund is/was waiting for the publishing rights to revert to him so he can finish the series. Still worth checking out.

I recently read the 1st Mortal Coils book. It was pretty good. Right up my alley. It leaned YA.
It looks like the second book was published. (Without reading it) Kind of a step back in more ways than one. One way is that it looks even more YA.
All That Lives Must Die

 

[cgw]

Finishing Hyena and the Hawk by Tchaikovsky.
Started the new book by Will Wight.
The Nylund book got pushed down the pecking order.

 

[RedMage]

I recently read the 1st Mortal Coils book. It was pretty good. Right up my alley. It leaned YA.
It looks like the second book was published. (Without reading it) Kind of a step back in more ways than one. One way is that it looks even more YA.
All That Lives Must Die

It is more YA in the sense that it's largely set in a high school for supernatural and mythological beings, which are all real in the story's world. But I found the writing and the story itself to be just as good as the first.

I laugh out loud at jokes in the books I read, but I rarely yell at them or throw them across the room when they upset me. This was one of the handful where I yelled profusely at the end. Not because I hated what was happening, but because I loved it and couldn't understand how my good friends, the characters, could make the decisions they had made.

 

[Decrepit&Senile]

At 1342 this afternoon, 9 Apr 2023, I concluded a sixth read of Elizabeth Moon's Sheepfarmer's Daughter, book one of her The Deed of Paksenarrion fantasy trilogy. Its initial read occurred July 1988, the most recent Dec 2014. I had not planned to read it. After finishing Owell's Animal Farm Mar 25, I attempted initial reads of a good many e-books housed on my Paperwhite. The only one that lasted much beyond a chapter before throwing in the towel was Don Quixote. Were it a shorter work I might have stuck with it, but in the end decided I didn't want to dedicate myself to so huge a book that I liked but wasn't in love with.

It then became obvious that I needed to reread a favorite, which Sheepfarmer's Daughter is. As expected, I was immediately hooked and stayed hooked until the end. Well-known as it is, I'll not bother to supply a synopsis.

I will almost certainly finish the trilogy. I don't know that I'll continue on with Moon's later Paksenarrion books. Her several Gird-centric entries didn't do much for me. Nor was I completely sold on her Paladin's Legacy series. In fact I'm not sure I ever got around to buying its final entry.

As to Sheepfarmer's Daughter, it of course gets a strong recommendation.