I started this book with some trepidation. It isnt really sci-fi to a major extent (Im not even sure if it is classified as sci-fi, though sci-fi and fantasy are the only books I get from publishers), yes it takes place in the near future and yes it deals with advanced technology but it isn’t a far stretch from World of Warcraft and games of that ilk.

The story revolves around Omnitopia a massive only gaming universe that packs almost every imanginable world into on massive bundle. Its creator (Dev) is busy working with his company to unroll the newest expansion pack and Phil , his chief competitor (and former partner) is working on his own release while colluding with the a hacker group to weaken Omnitopia so Phil can slip in and gain controlling interest.  The other main story arc consists of Rik, who is a player and was given a rare chance to create his own Microcosm inside of Omnitopias own universe.

This was a well written and very enjoyable book. It wasn’t too tech heavy and for the most part the advanced technology it dealt with wasn’t anything that a simi-literate computer user wouldn’t recognize (yes, that’s my classification). It’s a solid story with interesting characters and a fairly good plot.

8.5/10

Recently a book from a new author showed up and I decided to give it a go.

 Shadow’s Son is an assassin story staring Caim one of the most feared and deadliest knifes in the city of Othir. Othir is a city ruled by the True Faith, a corrupt and grasping religious order whose members are busy conspiring and plotting. Many other players are in town, from the former nobility to relatives of the powerful. Into this Caim suddenly lands in the midst of a power struggle between factions trying to become the new rulers on the block.

There is a ton of great action, decent characterization and a solid plot, toss in some cool magic that is lightly used and some powerful bad-assed  enemies and you have a winning combination. Granted there hasn’t been a lack of assassin based stories recently, but this one was well worth it! I’m sure looking forward towards more books from Jon Sprunk.

8/10

What do you get when you cross a typical fantasy world with a mass produced media tripe such as we are so used to in our world?  You get the “Stuff of Legends”. Heroes go out into the world to save the damsel, defeat the evil wizard and assorted other hero’esque stuff but behind it all is Glister Starmacher and the crew at Central Casting.

Elliott, a spoiled and none to bright Nobles son has just turned 15 (though I have to admit that he sounds and acts much more like an 8-9 year old than a teenager) and his Elvin babysitter has gifted him with some Elvin magic to produce his most desired wish. Elliott promptly uses it to track down Jordan the Red (the greatest hero evah) so that Elliott and Jordan can embark on a Awesomely Heroic Adventure. The main issue in this is that Jordan retired 20 years ago and is none to pleased to have this snot nosed brat show up at his doorstep. Of course Jordan stands no chance because Elliott just happens to get in touch with Glister who sets the gears a turn'n to bring Jordan out of  retirement.

Stuff of Legends is a spoof on standard heroic style fantasy. There are many gags and one liners that touch on other books and movies and in many cases it does work out pretty decently. Don’t expect deep characters, a complex plot or anything special, it’s a averagely written story that doesn't offer any twists or surprises that stand out.

 It is a light, fast and average read. No characters really seemed to do much for me and the kid was really a negative,

5.5/10

Here is yet another book put out by Wild Wolf Publishing and as it stands it’s the best yet!

Emerald is a story about a prince who seems to have a touch a magic in his blood which annoys his father to no end. The story concerns Kai (the Prince) who decides to act a feeling and dream he has been having in an attempt to protect his fathers kingdom from the forces of Gava which seem bent on dominating the world. Within days of this decision Kai has lost his family and friends to the army of Gaviston and the true adventure begins.

Emerald is a pretty well put together story with almost none of editing issues that were rampant in Rhone and to a lesser extent in Killing Moon.  In some ways its fairly standard Fantasy with Elves (Stravad), Humans, another race that I cant just cant place a standard name on and a lizard race tossed in for good measure. Fairly decent magic that isn’t overwhelming, a solid amount of action and some decent characters. The story isn't the most original I’ve seen but it’s pretty enjoyable and left me hoping for another story in the same world.

The only issues I really have with the book are that at some point throughout Emerald all the main characters say something about going insane (yes I’m being picky!), I wasn’t exactly expecting somebody to use a phrase such as “touché” and even though I knew the main character was going to go into a “woe is me” period, I still wasn’t to happy about it. Yup, my complaints are pretty weak!

Over all Emerald is a good solid read that I really recommend.

8/10

Many pretty good things have been said about this relatively new (to the US) series by Adrian Tchaikovsky so I decided to give it a shot. Well, Im glad I did.

Empire of Black and Gold is in some ways a fairly standard novel. However there is one key difference and that’s how the world works. The humans are indeed human, at least to an extent. There are several “ethnic” groups and they share some characteristics from the insect kingdom. The Beatles are hard working and tend to be stockier and the same trends across for the Wasp, Mantis, Moth and assorted other groups.

The story deals with the expansionist empire of the Wasps and the actions of a certain Beatle who has fought against the Empire in the past and who has been warning his city for over a decade about the Wasp Empire and their plans for the rest of the free world. His warnings tend to fall on deaf ears since most of the people in power tend to look inward and refuse to accept that an upstart group has the means or the aggression to do what he claims they do.

The world building is fairly interesting, it’s a cross between the medieval and a world with some “modernesque“ industry and the characterizations are nothing special though are solid. The magic is however pretty interesting. The Wasps have a “sting” which is a magical blast, the Mantis’s have martial prowess with swords, Beatles are industrious, Ants are arranged militarily and have physic connections to each other and so on.

Over all it’s an interesting story with a solid enough plot and some pretty cool action.

8/10

Kraken is the newest offering from China Mieville. I have to admit to reading several books by China in the past and have to say I’ve liked and disliked them at the same time.  His characters and places all intrigued me and I’ve enjoyed the stories, I just suspect that there has been too much “stuff” in the stories, to weird a location maybe, though I’m not 100% sure what has turned me off from the books.

Kraken takes place in modern day London, though the London is split between a normal city and one rich in magic. The story wraps around the theft of a Kraken from the Darwin Centre and drags its curator from the normal world into the one full of magic. A massive power struggle is going on between differing factions, all vying to lay their hands on the missing Kraken which as vanished into thin air. Some want to stop the end of the world, others want it for their own ends and others just want it because the other groups want it!

It’s a well paced, enjoyable read that has a decent plot is grounded in a recognizable world, albeit one that has a strong tendencies towards the fantastic.

7.5/10

I have heard many good things about the Sci-Fi books written by Ian McDonald, but this was the 1st time I took the time to read one. In general I prefer fantasy and standard fiction (James Patterson, Richard Russo, etc). I do enjoy Sci-Fi, but more in a limited sense.

The Dervish House is set in a futuristic Istanbul (2027) where the past and present continue the dance of ages upon the streets of a city steeped in history and intrigue. The ancient face of Istanbul is alive with new additions, new fears and the same time honored addiction to making money.

Over all the story is very sci-fi “light”, there are many components that are futuristic but they are not , in general, issues that are out in the stratosphere. The Dervish House is a series of interwoven stories ranging from a child with a pet robot to a aging Greek who has a past he isn’t proud of to a young Islamist who suddenly sees djinn along with an a few other interesting people.

It’s a pretty interesting and moderately intriguing story with a decent plot and good pacing. It is rich in details and delves into Istanbul while immersing the reader in the sights and sounds of the city. I have no real knowledge of Istanbul and I don’t know if Ian McDonald does either, but the book sure reads like he knew what he was writing about.

Rest assured I will be reading more of Ian McDonalds books when I get a chance.

8/10

Temeraire is BACK!

 In the 6th installment of the series we find our favorite dragon and his rider/friend Captain Will Laurence sent off to Oz (Australia) for their “treason” of saving the French dragons from the plague.

Upon arrival they become embroiled in the politics of the land, namely a certain Capt. Bligh wants to be in charge (think Mutiny on the Bounty) yet the current leaders (who tossed him out) want nothing to do with him.  When a dragons egg is stolen this prompts Laurence and Temeraire to head towards the unsettled areas in a dangerous attempt to salvage the egg.

Overall this book is in the same league as the prior installments. it’s a good read with quality characters and a decent plot. However it seems to be a bit darker in some ways, I also found it a bit shocking that there wasn’t more contact with the natives and/or other dragons.

For those of you have read the series and liked it, this is a good book for you. If you haven’t read the series yet, get to it!

7.5/10

Here is another offering from Wild Wolf Publishing in the UK. Once I read Rhone (my review is posted for it) by John Karr, I was interested to get my paws on anything else put out by Wild Wolf.

The Killing Moon is a post apocalyptic hell of a story. Rough, gritty, violent and all together crazy. The world has gone mad and out into it are tossed 5 friends and their dog after the outside intrudes upon their home.

The story is fairly well written, decently put together and fast paced. The story pulled me in nicely, though it is a very rough story. Though the editing is an improvement over the issues with Rhone, there are a couple issues and I think the story could have used a bit of "tweaking" to cull a few dead ends and improve the flow. The ending I feel is the weakest part. Towards the 4/5th mark of the book everything had fallen apart for the 5 friends, but then a few surprising twists of fate puts things back together (to some extent).

Overall it's a pretty good read, it however is NOT for the weak of heart. It is gritty and at time disturbing with a lot of blood and guts tossed in for good measure.

6.5/10