The Bone Shard Daughter, Andrea Stewart

 

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart is the first book in the Drowning Empire Trilogy

Started: 10/11/2023
Completed: 10/16/2023
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

To me, this seemed like a modern take on Frankenstein.  The world building was quite good and very consistent.  I was fully enmeshed in each new concept as it came and the idea of using life force as a source of magic is a good one.  I look forward to the next book in the series.

Some Kind of Fairy Tale, Graham Joyce

 

Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce is something I stumbled across when looking at the history of the British Fantasy Society award.

Started: 3/16/2021
Completed: 3/18/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: An award list

Review:

This is a clever trip into fantasy.  The narrator is never revealed, but the story follows the adventure of a young lady and her return from fantasy having lost 20 years (think Rip Van Winkle), but having lived for only 6 months.  How she deals with the questions she faces and how those around her deal with her loss and return.  Very well written, intriguing, and fast-paced.

Assassin's Apprentice, Robin Hobb

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb is a book I picked up for free on the Kindle.  Robin Hobb is a pen name of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden.  This book was nominated for the British Fantasy Society Award for best novel.

Started: 7/24/2013
Completed: 9/18/2013
Recommendation: Fun read
Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:


Welcome to a rich world where magic takes the form of "The Skill" or "The Wit" or, maybe something more.  The story here is what happens when a bastard son appears on the doorstep of a King-in-waiting?  Well, he becomes an assassin, of course.  Not to assassinate his father, but to act as a tool of the king (whomever is king) to remove those who must be removed in one of the oldest forms of "diplomacy."  Of course, this is no normal bastard and the world is a rich place to explore.  This opening book leaves lots of threads unexamined and plenty of space for growth.  The book itself is rich and introduces the world in a strongly believable way while offering a series of compelling plot lines (a few of which are thoroughly examined).  I have to admit, I'd love to jump to the next book and keep going, but my pile of books to read is so huge that I imagine it will be quite a while before I can pick up the next one.  This is a beach book and a fun escapist read.

Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman is a sequal to American Gods.  Anansi is the trickster spider god who was in many ways the hero of the first novel.  This comedic look at ancient gods in the modern day world bereft of many of their powers, but still gods, is something I have looked forward to reading since I bought the book!

Started:  July 3, 2010
Completed: August 12, 2010
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By:  Nobody, although American Gods was recommended by the owner of Vertigo Books (now closed), so I guess this one comes from the same source.

Words I looked up:
gruntle -- to put in a good humor or satisfy
koan -- a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment
lubricious -- marked by wantonness, but the second definition is to have a smooth or slippery character.
lascivious -- lewd or lustful
rubicund -- ruddy (I always thought this word meant fat)

Review:  It is important to note, first, that Neil Gaiman is an artist with words.  His eloquent descriptions and careful use of language makes reading his books almost akin to watching a movie in your own internal hi-def.  The story here is fanciful and the plot, while well developed, is not really all that complicated.  This book is fun to read, it is not a head scratcher.  The use of the magic of the gods is fairly smooth and makes sense within the context of the rest of the book.  I'm not going to put any spoilers in even though I think the joy of reading the book is the reading itself and not the plot line so much.