Category: Fantasy

amandine?

Posted on by Greig

Rosemary and Rue

Seanan McGuire

This is the first of a series of urban fantasy novels featuring the private investigator October Daye as the lead character.
Toby is a changeling – half Human and half Fae.
After an investigation goes wrong she’s trapped for fourteen years by a magical transformation. Since breaking free of the spell she’s done her best to run away from her past when she’s drawn back in by the dying curse of a pureblood friend and bound to find the murderer.
This is a really solid piece of urban fantasy with a lead character that’s satisfyingly flawed and world that has enough interesting threads to fill several more books.
Definitely recommended if you like a bit of urban fantasy.

Rating: B+

claviger?

Posted on by Greig

Soulless

Gail Carriger

Soulless is a steampunk alternate history urban fantasy romance with both comedic and horror elements.
In a world where vampires, werewolves and ghosts are part of Victorian society we are introduced to the Soulless of the title, someone who can nullify the gifts of the supernatural, a high society spinster by the name of Alexia.
Highly intelligent and forthright with a great line in witty banter she’s a great character to spend time with.
The book overall is an entertaining confection. The plot is pretty obvious but it whips along at an enjoyable pace and kept me entertained.
It’s not a top class example of any of the genres it plays with but I’d still recommend it to anyone looking for a diverting piece of escapism.

Rating: B

patisserie?

Posted on by Greig

Moon Over Soho

Ben Aaronovitch

The second PC Grant book finds the characters still dealing with the repercussions of the events in the first book.
Physical and mental injuries to his colleagues mean that Grant is left on his own in the field for the first time as he investigates the deaths of jazz musicians that show telltale signs of magical influence and continues to try and find who’s been killing men by biting their penises off.
The book feels a bit less focussed than the first of the series and it annoyed me by having the lead character being stupid in a really obvious way for a good chunk of the tale.
I’d still recommend the book as it’s a really satisfying mix of humour, horror and police procedural.

Rating: A-

toby?

Posted on by Greig

Rivers of London

Ben Aaronovitch

This mix of supernatural horror, fantasy and police procedural is very entertaining. It’s so good, in fact, that I’ve already started reading the follow up.
Peter Grant is a probationary constable in the Metropolitan Police, staring down a career behind a desk. An interview with a witness at the scene of a homicide sends his life on a new course when the eyewitness turns out to be a ghost.
This tale is a perfectly judged fluid mix of horror and comedy that serves a well wrought detective story.
I can’t wait to see where the author goes with this series.
I would recommend this book without hesitation (especially since it’s on sale for £1.99 on the UK kindle store at the time of writing).

Rating: A

pendant?

Posted on by Greig

War For The Oaks

Emma Bull

Back in 2008 when the tor.com website first started up they gave away a load of ebooks from the Tor catalogue to people who signed up to be members. This is one of those books.
I read it when I first got my hands on it, on a Palm pilot. Not the greatest reading experience but I did enjoy the book.
Earlier this year I had a sudden craving to re-read War For The Oaks and went scouring through the hard disks of various old PCs and I just couldn’t find it anywhere. A few days ago I was idly tidying up files on my iMac and lo and behold there was the ebook file.
Reading the book on the new ‘retina’ iPad is a world away from the Palm – it’s amazing the speed at which technology has improved.
Anyway back to the book. This is an excellent early example of urban fantasy. It’s particular strength is in the author’s understanding of music and the music industry, which I can tell is pretty much spot on.
It’s hard to get hold of in the UK, but I’d recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a good fantasy read – especially fans of urban fantasy.

Rating: A-

flout?

Posted on by Greig

Making Money

Terry Pratchett

The second Moist von Lipwig book is a very entertaining romp. Not as powerful or as moving as the very top echelon of Pratchett’s work can be, but very much worth a read.
Previously reviewed in 2007 and 2009. This re-read was prompted by a showing of the Sky production of Going Postal over xmas. It’s probably the best of all the Discworld adaptations so far, with the performance by Claire Foy as Adora Belle Dearheart a particular standout.

Rating: B+

neitherlands?

Posted on by Greig

The Magician King

Lev Grossman

The Magician KingThe sequel to The Magicians.
If The Magicians was Grossman’s deconstruction of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, then this is his Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Of course that doesn’t really do either book justice, and is a real disservice to the quality of what Grossman does here.
He writes an excellent fantasy novel that is somehow simultaneously a love letter to the genre and a critical response to it.
The highlight of this book is Julia’s back story, told in alternate chapters with the main plot.
I’d recommend this without hesitation to anyone who read The Magicians. Everyone else should go read that first book and then move on to this one.
I personally can’t wait til the third book.

Rating: A

unggue?

Posted on by Greig

Snuff

Terry Pratchett

The latest Discworld novel finds us once again in the company of Pratchett’s greatest character – Sam Vimes.
Snuff finds Vimes rather reluctantly on holiday with his wife and son at her country estate. Of course, being the true copper that he is, Sam finds himself in the middle of a mystery.
What makes Pratchett great, of course, is his ability to capture the complexities and messiness of being human and part of the greater animal that is society.
His clear eyed humanism is a treasure we should cherish.
Snuff starts slowly and doesn’t spark into life until Vimes relaxes into his inquiry and feels like he’s on familiar ground. The main body of the story is typical Pratchett, beautifully told and utterly involving. However the ending is weirdly muddled, with uneven pacing and too many things left off screen and just related to the reader.
As I always say when reviewing Sir Terry – if you haven’t read his stuff please do; they are more than worth your time.
This isn’t recommended as a place to start, though. Read a few more of the Vimes books, starting with the first perhaps (Guards! Guards!), and you’ll be ready to come back and enjoy this one.

Rating: B+

bandersnatch?

Posted on by Greig

Bloodshot

Cherie Priest

Bloodshot is an urban fantasy novel with a focus on action and humour from an author more famous for her steampunk novels.
Notorious vampire thief, Raylene Pendle, is hired to acquire something out of the ordinary that leads her into the teeth of conspiracy and danger.
While this is an entertaining read and Cherie Priest is a very talented writer, this book never feels like it brings all the elements together in a fully satisfying way. Perhaps the fatal flaw is that the story wraps up in a deeply unsatisfactory and perfunctory matter with a series of short denouements after a muddled set piece.
I can only hope that the sequel actually concludes the story in a more satisfying fashion.
I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a fun urban fantasy romp and not expecting greatness.

Rating: B