Review of Hollow World by Michael Sullivan

Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing 4/5
Imagination 4/5
Plot 4/5
Setting 3.5/5
Characters 4/5

My Overall Enjoyment 4/5

Goodreads description-

The future is coming...for some, sooner than others. 

Ellis Rogers is an ordinary man who is about to embark on an extraordinary journey. All his life he has played it safe and done the right thing, but when faced with a terminal illness, he’s willing to take an insane gamble. He’s built a time machine in his garage, and if it works, he’ll face a world that challenges his understanding of what it means to be human, what it takes to love, and the cost of paradise. He could find more than a cure for his illness; he might find what everyone has been searching for since time began…but only if he can survive Hollow World.

Welcome to the future and a new sci-fantasy thriller from the bestselling author of The Riyria Revelations.

This has received a lot of hype and praise, which it largely lives up to. While not my primary genre, this is a strong science fiction book, complete with time travel 2000 years into the future and a type of hybrid human. Loaded with great pop culture references, the same consistent, solid writing that made The Crown Conspiracy and other Riyria books a pleasure to read, and great characters, science fiction fans can not complain about anything in this book. I have read quite a few science fiction books in the past and this definitely ranks in the upper echelon in terms of quality and fun.

Highly recommended for science fiction fans. Also recommended if you are new to science fiction or even if you don't necessarily consider yourself a fan of the genre, still try this because in terms of story enjoyment and literary value, this is a great book!

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Review of The Steel Remains-Richard Morgan

The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writing 5/5
Imagination 5/5
Plot 4.5/5
Setting 4.5/5
Characters 4/5

My Overall Enjoyment 5/5

From Goodreads-

A dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that more is at stake than the fate of one young woman. Grim sorceries are awakening in the land. Some speak in whispers of the return of the Aldrain, a race of widely feared, cruel yet beautiful demons. Now Gil and two old comrades are all that stand in the way of a prophecy whose fulfillment will drown an entire world in blood. But with heroes like these, the cure is likely to be worse than the disease.

Add Richard K. Morgan to Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, and David Gemmell as a writer to be known for his prose as well as writing dark and gritty fantasy set in a large, vivid world. The writing was truly outstanding! This is one of the smoothest, page turning books I have read in a long time. There was only one quick part about 1/3rd in that I felt was a little slow/too descriptive but once I was past that it was back to non stop happenings, events moving the plot along, not needlessly defining and describing. The book had some memorable philosophical passages which strongly reminded me of Mark Lawrence and David Gemmell, two excellent writers. Two memorable passages here-

"But I’ve also learnt that the tongues of men are not much leashed by concern for accuracy or truth. It seems lies come very easily to your race. They lie to those they lead, to their mates and fellows no matter how close drawn, even to themselves if it will make the world around them more bearable. It is hard to know what to believe in this place."

"Humans, short-lived and locked out of the grey places for life, do not do well with uncertainty. If they cannot have what might, what could, what should, and perhaps most awful of all what should have been, then they will dream it up instead, imagine it into being in whatever twisted or beautiful form suits, and then drive their fellows to their knees in chains by the thousand and million to pretend in chorus that it is so"

This is no coming-of-age story. After a brief opening scene, involving "corpsmites", a scene which will be with me for a long time, we are introduced to the plot and thrown right in with the mercenary and former soldier Ringil on his mission to rescue his cousin who was sold into slavery. Relentlessly violent, although I really did not feel it was over the top, humorous, a dark and twisted world full of interesting characters and monsters, great lore/mythology, very cool magic which was extremely imaginative and also disturbing, I couldn't have asked for more in a fantasy book. To top it all off, there were strong elements of science fiction but I still consider this as fantasy, not science fiction. The mix was amazing and I would love to tell about these elements but it would probably be a major spoiler.

This whole book was refreshing for me and was another reminder of 1) why I am a compulsive reader, often putting down books which don't interest me and 2) why I usually give a book at least 2 chances before giving up. I tried this book a few months back and didn't really get into it. I thought it held promise so I tried again and it really blew me away.

If you are looking for something new and refreshing; rich, imaginative, and immersive; often dark and violent yet at the same time with a sense of hope and redemption, pick up this book. However, if you are overly sensitive, you may have a hard time with some of the materiel but give it a try anyway. Highest recommendation!

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Ultimate in Grimdark Gaming, Dark Souls 2!

I played, and after 80 hours, beat Dark Souls (often considered the hardest game of all time) which came out in 2011. It was a follow-up to Demon's Souls, a Playstation 3 exclusive, a game that I have not played due to not having a PS3, but desperately want to. Very gritty and dark, Dark Souls is my favorite game of all time and if you love grimdark fantasy and play video games and haven't played this, play it now! After a 2 year wait, Dark Souls 2 is coming out March 11 and I am very excited. It looks to live up to the high expectations set by both previous installments in the series. Check out this beautiful trailer.

A Review of Scourge of the Betrayer-Jeff Salyards

Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writing 4/5
Imagination 3.5/5
Plot 4/5
Setting 4/5
Characters 4/5

My Overall Enjoyment 4.5/5

Goodreads description-

Many tales are told of the Syldoon Empire and its fearsome soldiers, who are known throughout the world for their treachery and atrocities. Some say that the Syldoon eat virgins and babies–or perhaps their own mothers. Arkamondos, a bookish young scribe, suspects that the Syldoon’s dire reputation may have grown in the retelling, but he’s about to find out for himself.
Hired to chronicle the exploits of a band of rugged Syldoon warriors, Arki finds himself both frightened and fascinated by the men’s enigmatic leader, Captain Braylar Killcoin. A secretive, mercurial figure haunted by the memories of those he’s killed with his deadly flail, Braylar has already disposed of at least one impertinent scribe ... and Arki might be next.
Archiving the mundane doings of millers and merchants was tedious, but at least it was safe. As Arki heads off on a mysterious mission into parts unknown, in the company of the coarse, bloody-minded Syldoon, he is promised a chance to finally record an historic adventure well worth the telling, but first he must survive the experience!
A gripping military fantasy in the tradition of Glen Cook, Scourge of the Betrayer explores the brutal politics of Empire–and the searing impact of violence and dark magic on a man’s soul.

This book was extremely enjoyable for me, it had a feel similar to some other grimdark books I have read in the past and loved. One word that comes to mind to describe this book is atmospheric; it exuded grit and gloom. Written from the perspective of a chronicler following Captain Braylar Killcoin and his soldiers on a mission from the Emperor, I felt I was on the actual journey. It's not often I read a book and become so immersed in its world. Very concise writing with no unnecessary details, which is particularly enjoyable to me.

While the scope of this book is not massive like a lot of other fantasy books, most notably book 1 in a new series, the author gives hints of a large world and with this style writing and smaller scale plot, excellent books in this world could be pumped out endlessly. The author included many mysteries about this worlds history, magic, religion, races, political system, etc.

The plot was quick and even, tons of action and fighting. There is also treachery, political intrigue, and mystery. I loved the main character Braylar Killcoin, he typifies the anti-hero, someone who does what needs to be done regardless of our notions of good and evil; someone who you want to survive yet feel guilty about wanting that; someone you kind of hope can eventually act in some caring, compassionate, or kind way. He also has a complicated relationship with his flail, Bloodsounder, reminicent of Elric of Melniboné and his sword, Stormbringer. Braylar is also a total badass. The rest of the soldiers have a unique personality and I enjoyed them all.

Extremely solid book and a wonderful debut, highly recommended for fantasy fans, with a special emphasis for grimdark fans and fans of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorns), Glen Cook, Michael Moorcock, David Gemmell and other books considered gritty. The next book in the Bloodsounders Arc series, Veil of the Deserters comes out June 3, and I, can not wait!

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A Review of Moon's Artifice-Tom Lloyd

Moon's Artifice by Tom Lloyd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Writing 4/5
Imagination 4/5
Plot 3.5/5
Setting 4/5
Characters 4/5

My Overall Enjoyment 3.5/5

From Goodreads-

Tom Lloyd kicks off a spectacular new fantasy series, perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie and, of course, Tom Lloyd!
In a quiet corner of the Imperial City, Investigator Narin discovers the result of his first potentially lethal mistake. Minutes later he makes a second.
After an unremarkable career Narin finally has the chance of promotion to the hallowed ranks of the Lawbringers - guardians of the Emperor's laws and bastions for justice in a world of brutal expediency. Joining that honoured body would be the culmination of a lifelong dream, but it couldn't possibly have come at a worse time. A chance encounter drags Narin into a plot of gods and monsters, spies and assassins, accompanied by a grief-stricken young woman, an old man haunted by the ghosts of his past and an assassin with no past.
On the cusp of an industrial age that threatens the warrior caste's rule, the Empire of a Hundred Houses awaits civil war between noble factions. Centuries of conquest has made the empire a brittle and bloated monster; constrained by tradition and crying out for change. To save his own life and those of untold thousands Narin must understand the key to it all - Moon's Artifice, the poison that could destroy an empire.

This book started extremely well and I was flying through the pages. Very good writing, good starting pace, and excellent character and world development. It setting actually reminded me of Low Town, which I loved. It's essentially a relatively dark, fantasy detective story. Right from the start, it is obvious the author had a grand vision for this world. Very interesting caste system, and I like the concept of the Lawbringers. I also enjoyed the lore of the Gods, which was a bit different for me. My favorite character was Enchei, a total bad ass warrior from another generation and who is best friends with another main character Narin, who I did not enjoy very much, I thought he was a wimp. I didn't care for another character , Kesh, the female lead either. She is done well but her character is just something I have read too many times in the past. However, I have read many reviews praising her character, which was indeed well done.

The plot is strong, a crime/detective story to find out who is behind the Moon's Artifice poisonings, what is Moons's Artifice, and who is Irato, the man that was introduced to us before being pushed off a roof by a God. We learn who the "bad guys" are and get to know from them the reasons behind their actions. Also, there are guns, which is a unique element to this more traditional fantasy world.

Halfway through, this book started loosing me. I skimmed a bit from that point until the last 100 pages which was a great conclusion and answered a lot of questions. There is nothing I can point to in this book saying it's not a great book. It really is well done and I think most fantasy readers will enjoy it. I thought the line between good and evil was very clearly defined and I never doubted who was "good" and who was "bad". To me, that kind of pushes it out of Joe Abercrombie or George R.R. Martin territory and into the standard, or traditional, epic fantasy category rather than the grimdark fantasy which is very popular, as those two, and many other, authors prove.

Recommended for fantasy fans of all stripes and colors, especially flintlock and detective/crime fantasy. While I didn't love this book, I enjoyed it and felt it was very good, even excellent at times, but I'm not a huge fan or detective type stories and the middle was a little slow.

A Review of Tome of the Undergates (Aeon's Gate #1)-Sam Sykes

Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing 4.5/5
Imagination 4.5/5
Plot 4.5/5
Setting 4/5
Characters 3/5

My Overall Enjoyment 4.5/5

From Goodreads about the book:

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they're not insulting each other's religions they're arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don't go very well.

They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates - a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out.

Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.

A few initial thoughts about this book... Whoa! Why did I wait so long to read this?? Why does this book only have 603 ratings on Goodreads? Why does it only have a 3.32 Goodreads score? I have never read a book that is so downright brutal and twisted yet so funny. I think I laughed out loud more often reading this book than any other book in recent memory. I planned to use numerous quotes from the book to show the hilarity but on second thought I think out of context it won't work as well. Sam Sykes can really write. The descriptions, as well as the dialogue, worked extremely well for me. The creatures and monsters and everything else imagined in this world were wonderfully described, both terrifying and hilarious. This book is worth every minute invested just for the ridiculous, completely over the top dialogue between the characters. And if you enjoy brutal battles, horrible deaths, and grotesque creatures, there is an abundance of that as well. This book was just full of insane situations, things I could never imagine happening, and it was delightful time and time again to read what atrocities the author concocted next.

There were several main characters, of which Lenk (the leader)was the most fascinating and developed. However, and probably because of the pace, I didn't connect much with any character and thought that character development was the weakest part of this book. That being said, it's not really a major problem, because this book still worked great. Echoing a few other reviewers, I thought the initial battle was a bit long and I think this book could have been trimmed down by maybe 100 pages. That's really my only complaint and it is pretty minor; also, it is the only thing that holds this back from 5 stars.

Highly recommended for fantasy and grimdark fantasy readers, readers who enjoy humor, clever dialogue and excellent writing, and any reader looking for something new and different.

A Review of Hard to Be a God-Arkady Strugatsky

Hard to Be a God by Arkady Strugatsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing 5/5
Imagination 5/5
Plot 3.5/5
Setting 4/5
Characters 3/5

My Overall Enjoyment 3.5/5

This is primarily a science fiction book although it isn't "heavy" science fiction; it is fantasy too. The last half is filled with lots of action, violence, torture, and bleak scenes. As far as the writing, it's beautiful. It's an achievement in literature and translation as this was originally written in Russian. Just for that alone it it was fun to read. The story is about an agent sent from an advanced Earth to an alien planet of humans living in a middle ages setting to monitor and advance it's culture. There are many philosophical themes in this book; the nature of man, the use of religion to slow progress, how a society evolves and many others. There are little gems like this throughout;"He listened to the profanity outside the window. What a powerful language! It has incredible entropy!" I freely admit I didn't spend near enough time studying these themes because I read this quickly.

I felt there was a lot of dialogue and I strongly prefer narration so this took away a little of my enjoyment. That being said there are tons of great little conversations. One of my favorites went like this: "Don't abuse terminology, Anton! Terminological confusion brings about dangerous consequences." How true is that! I didn't love this book but it was pretty easy to get through and it was fun and made me think. It can be read in a few hours at most if you are a decent reader. I would like to reread this one day.

I highly recommend this book to science fiction as well as philosophy fans. Recommended for fantasy fans and grimdark fans as I think this will be something they would enjoy.


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