To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan.
To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan, Book #9 of the Babylon 5 Universe.
Introduction
To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan is a tie-in novel for the Babylon 5 TV show. The author connects three stories not covered in the show. What happened to Minbari Ambassador Jeffrey Sinclair on Minbar, what happened to Sinclair’s fiancé Catherine Sakai, and how did Marcus Cole become a Ranger. This novel shows what brought Jeffrey Sinclair, Catherine Sakai, and Marcus Cole together to fight the Shadows.
Summary
To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan tells the stories of Jeffrey Sinclair, Catherine Sakai, and Marcus Cole that were not covered in the Babylon 5 TV show. There were three questions answered in this novel that was not detailed in the show. Why was Jeffrey Sinclair removed from Babylon 5 and assigned as the Ambassador to Minbar? What happened to Sinclair’s fiancé, Catherine Sakai? How did Marcus Cole become a Ranger?
Marcus Cole owns a mining company on the colony world of Arisia III. A deadly encounter with the Shadows changes his life plan.
Catherine Sakai is a planetary surveyor for the Universal Terraform Corporation. She spends weeks and months on missions discovering resource-rich planets on the Rim. An encounter with Shadows leads her to a new mission.
Jeffrey Sinclair is the Ambassador to Minbar assigned by the Earth Alliance. No one on Minbar will tell him his expected role. He can’t contact Babylon 5 or Earth. The key to his position comes from the Minbari’s belief that Sinclair has a Minbari soul. He ends up becoming involved with the order of the Rangers. The Rangers’ mission is to look for the return of the Shadows.
Recommendation
To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan combines small ideas from the TV show to create a plot. In the show, Marcus mentions that his brother’s death led him to become a Ranger. It bridges the gap between three stories involving Jeffrey Sinclair. First is season 1 episode 22, Chrysalis, when Sinclair left the series at the end of season 1. Second is Season 3 episodes 16 and 17, War Without End Parts 1 and 2, when they reveal Babylon 4’s fate. Last is a three-part comic series named In Valen’s Name, which ties up remaining loose ends. They use Catherine Sakai’s occupation and her potential encounter with the Shadows.
I liked this novel. It explained some unanswered questions left from the series. I would have liked a clearer explanation of Catherine Sakai’s fate. They implied her fate, but not definitively.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan.
My review of The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos, Book #7 of the Babylon 5 Universe. Can Anna Sheridan escape Z’Ha’dum and can John Sheridan unravel a plot to destroy Babylon 5?
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab, Book #1 of the Shades of Magic Trilogy.
Introduction
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab is a fantasy novel. Kell is a rare magician that can travel between different cities on different worlds, all named London. Grey London is our London with the least magic, Red London is Kell’s London with more magic power, White London has even more magical power, and Black London had the most magic power but has been isolated for years. Kel smuggles tokens between each London. He gets a powerful token that leads to a mission with a Grey London thief named Delilah Bard (please call her Lila). Will Kell control the powerful token, or will the token lead to the destruction of all the cities named London?
Summary
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab begins with Kell transitioning from his native Red London to Grey London in the year Eighteen Nineteen. Kell is a special Antari mage who uses a token from the London he is trying to travel to, to pass through a blood portal to that London. He brings messages between Grey, Red, and White London. He is in Grey London to deliver a message to King George III, who is feared is growing mentally unstable. Just delivering messages is not enough danger for Kell, so he also smuggles tokens between the three Londons for favors from collectors. Kell is the adopted son of the rulers of Red London and the childhood friend of Crown Prince Rhy.
Kell gets a token that should not be possible, one from Black London. Lila Bard is a thief from Grey London who dreams of being a pirate. She steals the token from Kell but has no clue what she has stolen. Kell is worried that the token means that someone has opened the passage to Black London. He is forced to gain Lila’s help to return the token to Black London and seal the passage forever, or powerful magic will destroy his beloved Red London. Characters from White London thwart them. The rulers of White London are the twins, Athos Dane and Astrid Dane. Holland advises the White London rulers. Holland is also an Antari mage and can pass through the different Londons.
Recommendation
A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab is a great beginning to the Shades of Magic Trilogy. There are fourteen Chapters in the novel. The Chapters are all named. I like that the names all focus on the most important event in each chapter. Each chapter has between three and six scenes, all divided by using the Roman numeral. Each scene is from the viewpoint of one character. The chapters feature alternating viewpoints. Most of the scenes feature Kell or Lila. There are eleven other viewpoint scenes. I liked the structure of the novel. The novel comes to a satisfying end which leads to the world opening up to Kell and Lila’s next adventure.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab.
This is my review of Hope and Red, Book #1 of the Empire of Storms Trilogy by Jon Skovron. It is a fantasy novel that has an interesting magic system and has a similar vibe to A Darker Shade of Magic. They published it the year after A Darker Shade of Magic. Red is a pirate and Hope is a warrior. They plan their revenge on those who wronged them.
Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos, Book #7 of the Babylon 5 Universe.
Introduction
The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos is a tie-in novel for the Babylon 5 TV show. It tells the background to three stories that were not covered in the show. What happened to Anna Sheridan at Z’Ha’dum, John Sheridan taking command as the captain of the Agamemnon, and the events surrounding the dedication of Babylon 5. The novel brings these three stories together. Can Anna escape Z’Ha’dum, can John defeat a plot to destroy Babylon 5, and will Commander Sinclair keep order on Babylon 5?
Summary
The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos begins with Anna Sheridan, who is the focus character of the novel. Her story is the one the reader wants to know the most since they did not dramatize it in the TV show. The novel begins in November 2256, just before the dedication ceremony for Babylon 5. The events of the novel include December 2256 and January 2257. The pilot episode of the show begins immediately after the events of the novel, and season one begins in January 2258.
The novel’s plot follows three separate parts. Anna Sheridan’s journey to Z’Ha’dum, John Sheridan’s taking command of the Agamemnon, and the events on Babylon 5 itself.
Anna Sheridan is an exo-anthropologist and a consultant for Interplanetary Expeditions. Interplanetary Expeditions sponsors scientific missions to distant planets. Anna’s mentor is Dr. Chang, who asks her to come on a mission to explore the ancient ruins on the planet Alpha Omega III. They take the spaceship Icarus to Alpha Omega III, but they don’t know that the planet is also known as Z’Ha’dum and is the home planet of the Shadows. They are accompanied by the mysterious Mr. Morden, an archeo-linguist. Mr. Morden is important because of his subsequent role in the TV series. They are not prepared for what they find at Z’Ha’dum.
Summary – Continued
John Sheridan is assigned as the captain of the Earthforce spaceship Agamemnon. The crew of the spaceship suffers from low morale because of the policies of their former captain, Captain Best. John and Anna plan to celebrate their wedding anniversary together, but Earthforce assigns John a vital mission that ruins their plans. John must get through to his new crew and foil a plot to destroy Babylon 5. The first four Babylon stations were destroyed or missing, so protecting Babylon 5 is a vital mission for Earthforce. John wants to complete his mission and go see his wife after she returns from her mission to Alpha Omega III.
In orbit around Alpha Omega III, we meet the Vorlon Ambassador Kosh. On Babylon 5, we meet the Minbari Ambassador Delenn, Commander Jeffrey Sinclair, and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi. Kosh sees the Icarus land at Z’Ha’dum. Sinclair investigates the knowledge the Earth Alliance has of the Icarus’s mission. Delenn tells the Earth Alliance to avoid Z’Ha’dum in the future. Garibaldi investigates potential threats to the upcoming dedication.
Recommendation
Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos tells a great origin story for John and Anna Sheridan. The ending was perfect and sad, but linked up seamlessly with the TV show. The reader knows something that was not known before reading the book, and that was the purpose to add this novel to the lore of the show.
It surprised me when Kosh appears in Chapter 11 and calls Delenn. The first ten chapters were all in either Anna or John’s POV. The author added Sinclair and Garibaldi in Chapter 12. There are only 18 Chapters in the novel, so these characters are late additions to the story. Garibaldi’s part would have hardly been a “C” story in the TV show.
I would have liked to see the Babylon 5 crew through John Sheridan’s eyes. Put him inside Babylon 5, rather than having him watch the dedication. I think that would have been more interesting than seeing Garibaldi put down a lessor plot from inside the station. Keep the novel as a novel of Anna and John before we meet them on the TV show.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi is the first novel in the Old Man’s War series. It is a book in the space opera category and similar to The Shadow Within. This is the link to my review.
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in the near future when the solar system is settled. It is a book in the space opera category and similar to The Shadow Within. In Leviathan Wakes, Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante, and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a traditional fantasy. King Roland of Delain has two sons. Prince Peter is his heir who is the perfect prince and ready to lead. His younger son is Prince Thomas, who is too young and malleable to Flagg, the court advisor, and magician. Flagg secretly assassinates the King and frames, Peter, for the murder. How will Peter clear his name, defeat the ancient Flagg, and claim his rightful throne?
Summary
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is his first traditional fantasy novel. King Roland earned his kingdom by slaying a dragon. The dragon’s head is mounted on the wall in the King’s study. Peter was his firstborn son and heir. Queen Sasha died giving birth to Thomas. Flagg is the court advisor. He is a magician and a master of poisons who has been the power behind the throne for generations. Flagg thinks Peter would make too strong of a king, so he plots the fall of King Roland and Prince Peter to elevate the boy Thomas to the throne. He thinks he can control Thomas and lead the kingdom into chaos. Flagg’s plan involves the sinister poison, Dragon Sand.
The king is dead and Peter is imprisoned for the regicide in the Needle’s top, a tower prison. Thomas is King and Flagg controls him. Dennis is Thomas’s butler and his devoted servant. Peter’s best friend is Ben, he thinks Peter is innocent, and Ben finds the exiles north of the kingdom. Naomi of the exiles is a tracker who has a pack of dogs, including the dog Frisky.
Flagg is happy with the state of his plans. He has a two-headed parrot as his familiar. Thomas learns more from Flagg than Flagg ever expects he can. Peter’s escape plan involves his mother’s dollhouse and threads from many cloth napkins. Ben also has a plan to free Peter. Dennis learns some truth and delivers a letter to Ben. Ben, Dennis, Naomi, and Frisky make a plan and head to the castle.
Either Flagg will bring chaos to the Kingdom of Delain, or Peter will escape and claim his rightful kingdom.
Recommendation
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is the author’s spin on a classic fairy tale. On the dust jacket, the author says he started writing this story to give a book to his young daughter who didn’t want to read his other stories of “vampires, ghoulies, and slushy crawling things.” The plot follows: the prince is wronged and must redeem himself to win his kingdom. King spins the story in his way. Flagg is a complicated villain, though he makes an unforced mistake at the end of the story. The only thing I wanted was to bring Naomi into the narrative earlier. I think a love triangle between Peter, Naomi, and Ben would have tied the story together. David Palladini enhances the story with excellent interior drawings. I added a picture of the title page below. The novel was light and interesting read.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.
Last Colony by John Scalzi, Book #3 of The Old Man’s War series.
Introduction
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry, the protagonist from Old Man’s War, has retired from the Colonial Defense Forces to the colony planet of Huckleberry. Jane Sagan joins him. She is another former member of the CDF and the clone of his deceased wife. They have taken in the orphan Zoe Boutin Perry as their daughter. It’s a good life. John is a farmer and an ombudsman, while Jane is a constable. Their former commander, General Rybibki, asks them to help settle a new colony on the planet named Roanoke. What they find at Roanoke is not what they expected. Can John protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Summary
Last Colony by John Scalzi starts with John Perry and his family fitting in on their adapted colony of Huckleberry. Huckleberry was first colonized by people from India. John is the ombudsman of his town and his assistant is Savitri Guntupalli. She helps him and keeps him in line. John must settle disputes between people of his town like the Chengelpet brothers about a troublesome goat. John’s family is his wife, Constable Jane Sagan, and his adopted daughter Zoe Boutin Perry. Zoe is the biological daughter of Charles Boutin from the previous novel, The Ghost Brigades.
General Rybicki, John and Jane’s former commander, asks them to lead a first colonization team to the planet named Roanoke. When they get to Roanoke, nothing is like it seems. John must lead the colony against an alliance of alien lifeforms named the Conclave. The Conclave wants to contain humanity or destroy it. John wants neither to happen. He must go down a dangerous path if he is to succeed.
Recommendation
Last Colony by John Scalzi is a great sequel to Old Man’s War. It was fun to see John Perry and his family again. John faces an impossible position and escapes a dire fate again. Scalzi is the master of idea and dialogue. A quick read, I wanted more. He sets up the next novel in the series at the end of this novel. I am looking forward to reading book four of the series, Zoe’s Tale.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Last Colony by John Scalzi.
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #2 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is the second book of the Vorkosigan saga. It is the first book of many to feature Miles Vorkosigan as the protagonist. Miles suffers from brittle bones because of an assassination attempt on his mother when she was pregnant with him. 17-year-old Miles fails his test to enter the Academy. He visits his grandmother in the Beta Colony. A series of events results with him getting involved in another planet’s war. Does Miles learn enough as the Warriors Apprentice to escape the mischief he has started?
Summary
At the beginning of the Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan takes the physical test for admittance to the Imperial Service Academy of Barrayar. He has passed the written portion of the test but must navigate an obstacle course to enter the Academy. He is the son of the former Regent of the Empire. Emperor Gregor has recently gained his maturity. When Miles’s mother was pregnant with him, an assassination attempt affected Miles’s health. His bones are brittle, and he is short. There are no exceptions to the physical test. He fails the test and must decide his next move.
Miles visits his grandmother in the Beta Colony. Beta Colony is a separate sovereign planet from Barrayar. Bothari, his strong and possibly psychopathic bodyguard, and Bothari’s daughter, Elena, accompanies him. Miles tries to help jump pilot Arde Mayhew and former Barrayran officer Bazil Jesek. Helping them leads to him forming a trading company and getting involved in a war on a planet revolving around Tau Verde IV. Events escalate to the breaking point. Miles is the Warrior’s Apprentice and must become a master to succeed. Complications occur at Barrayar, forcing Miles to return to save his father.
Recommendation
Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold is a space opera heist. Miles is a young protagonist out of his depth as events escalate like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. I like Miles and want him to succeed. He fails and doesn’t give up like an optimistic young man. My favorite parts were the creation of the Denarii Free Mercenaries, resolving Elena Visconti’s story, and the fate of Miles. I’m looking forward to reading the next novel in the series, The Vor Game, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1991.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold.
In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?
In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?
In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Book Six of the Wheel of Time series.
Introduction
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan is the sixth book of The Wheel of Time series. The novel follows eight storylines for the forces of Light. The Forsaken also plot to pit the forces of Light against each other. Rand travels by portal between Cairhien and Caemlyn, trying to merge his power and planning for Elayne to become the queen of both countries. Mat is at the head of the Band of the Red Hand and Rand points his forces at the Forsaken Sammuel in Ilian.
Perrin feels the ta’veren pull and heads to Caemlyn to help Rand. Egwene learns from the Wise Ones and faces her destiny. Nynaeve and Elayne are part of the Salidar Aes Sedai. Min travels to Caemlyn to convince Rand to support the Salidar Aes Sedai. When the Forsaken plot pushes Rand to the edge, will the Lord of Chaos rule or will Rand succeed?
Summary – Prologue
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan follows eight characters and features various Forsaken.
The prologue of the novel is 72 pages in the paperback and covers eleven different points of view.
Forsaken Demandred hatches the Lord of Chaos Plot with other Forsaken. There were a total of Thirteen Forsaken who swerved the Dark One during the Age of Legends. Though Rand and others have killed a few. (or have they?)
Nynaeve and Elayne are part of the Salidar Aes Sedai in the town of Salidar in Altara. The Salidar six rule the Salidar Aes Sedai. They want to elect their Amyrlin Seat to reclaim the White Tower from Elaida, the White Tower Aes Sedai Amyrlin Seat.
Perrin and Faile rule the Two Rivers in Andor. Perrin feels the pull of ta’veren to aide Rand.
Summary-Prologue Continued
Gawyn Trakand (Elayne’s brother) leads the Younglings (former Warders in Training) serving the White Tower Aes Sedai of the Amyrlin Seat Elaida in Tar Valon.
Katherine Alruddin Aes Sedai is part of the White Tower Embassy to Rand. She is part of the Black Ajah and conspires with a noblewoman from Cairhein against Rand.
Sevanna of the Shaido Clan of the Aiel plans her revenge against Rand.
Morgase Trakand (Elayne’s and Gawyn’s mother and the rightful queen of Andor) had fled Andor to enlist the aid of the Whitecloaks (in Amador) to regain her throne. (The Forsaken Ravin had taken her kingdom. Rand eliminated Ravin, but no one knows Morgase is still alive.)
Lord Captain Commander Pedron Naill of the Children of the Light (the Whitecloaks) offers Morgase a price for his aid to help her retake Andor. It is a price that Morgase is reluctant to pay.
Forsaken Mesaana converses with Forsaken Semirhage and Forsaken Demandred.
Forsaken Osan’gar and Forsaken Aran’gar are reborn at Shayol Ghul.
Summary–Groups of characters
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan follows three groups of characters. The first group is the ta’veren; Rand, Perrin, and Mat, all from the Two Rivers. The ta’veren are agents of Light for the Wheel of Time. Rand is the Dragon Reborn, the main hero for the Light in the Wheel of Time. He is fated to face the Dark One and the forces of darkness at the Last Battle. Rand has the backing of the Aiel clans from the Waste (except for the Shaido clan). He has brought the clans to the Westlands. His coalition includes Tear, Cairhein, and Andor.
Mat is his best general, in charge of the Band of the Red Hand. Rand sends Mat with the Band toward Tear to occupy the thoughts of the Forsaken Sammuel who rules Ilian. Perrin rules the Two Rivers, but the pull of the ta’veren causes him to seek out Rand.
Summary–Groups of charactersContinued
The second group of characters is the Two Rivers Aes Sedai; Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne. The Aes Sedai use the female part of the One Power. Egwene studies with the Wise Ones, Aiel who use the One Power. She came with Rand and the Aiel to Cairhein. She will face her destiny with the Salidar Aes Sedai. Elayne and Nynaeve are Accepted with the Salidar Aes Sedai.
The third group of characters is Rand’s girlfriends. The three women vie for Rand’s attention. Elayne has professed her love to him, but they have been apart for a long time. Aviendha is the Aiel assigned by the Wise Ones to watch Rand, but they have a romantic relationship. The complication to their relationship is that Aviendha knows Elayne’s love for Rand and doesn’t want to take his affection for her from him. Min is from the mountains near the Two Rivers and has the gift of foresight. She loves Rand but doesn’t know if he returns her love. She comes with the Salidar Aes Sedai embassy to Rand. Min wants to see where her relationship with Rand can go.
Summary–Best Plot Points
Three Plot Points stand out in Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan.
Nynaeve and Elayne are Accepted (the level above Novice but below full Aes Sedai) with the Salidar Aes Sedai. They get knowledge about the Age of Legends from their captive Forsaken. Nynaeve has been contemplating how to use the One Power in a way that no one expects can work. This action has been foreshadowed since early in the series. She tries the action in Chapter 29, Fire and Spirit, and in Chapter 30, To Heal Again. These are two great chapters.
Egwene trains with the Aiel Wise Ones. She follows Rand and the Aiel to Carhien. She must figure out how she fits with the Salidar Aes Sedai. Chapter 37 When the Battle Begins covers the character’s reaction to the event that ends the previous chapter. The chapter has six points of view of characters who react to that pivotal event. The interplay between their reactions is excellent.
This whole novel, all 1011 paperback pages, leads up to what happens at Dumai’s Wells. Step-by-step Rand is boxed into a corner. What he does and the aftermath of his actions are epic and worth the page count.
Recommendation
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan ends with an epic climax at Dumai’s Wells. I thought three plot points were excellent. Nynaeve’s triumphant use of the One Power, Egwene’s fate with the Salidar Aes Sedai, and Rand’s brush with the insanity that led to the epic conclusion at Dumai’s Wells. But it took too long to get to those plot points. About half the chapters before Chapter 29 could have been shortened or cut and the storyline would not have been affected. The Morgase subplot is not furthered or completed in this novel and could have been dropped here. (For example, Perrin did not appear at all in The Fires of Heaven.) The best parts make reading the rest worth it.
The first season of the Amazon Prime Video will adapt the first novel of the series in 2021. I will be interested to see how the showrunners adapt this novel in a few years.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan.
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson, Book #4 of the Stormlight Archive
Introduction
In Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson, the war continues between the human forces of the Stormfather and the Voidbringer forces of Odium. The Voidbringers have taken the kingdom of Alethkar, and the humans have retreated to the stronghold of Urithru. Dalinar Kholin leads humans and must decide where he should attack. Their strength is fading, and he must make the right decision or fail, leading to their destruction. Kaladin faces PTSD and must conquer great physical challenges to save them all. Will the forces of the Stormfather succeed or perish?
Summary–Six Viewpoints
There are six main viewpoint characters in this novel, including one viewpoint in flashback. The viewpoints are all about equal in importance. The viewpoints are Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Navani, Venli, and Eshonai.
Summary – Flashbacks
Kaladin’s flashbacks were in Book 1. He suffers from PTSD incurred from the events of the last novel. In this novel, he struggles to heal himself and to protect Urithru. Kaladin is the leader of the Knights Radiant order of Windrunners.
Shallan’s flashbacks were in Book 2. Her struggle is with dealing with her other personalities, which are taking over more and more of her life. She created these personalities to cope with the terrible things that have happened to her in her life. The personality Radiant trains with the Shardblade and is the ideal Knight Radiant. The personality Veil pretends to be worldlier than Shallan and associates with the underground gang called the Ghostbloods. Shallan also has trouble figuring out her relationship with her fiancé, Adolin, who is Dalinar’s elder son. Shallan’s talents are creating illusions and creating items by surgebinding of stormlight. She is a member of the Knights Radiant Order of Lightweavers.
Dalinar’s flashbacks were in Book 3. His flashback chapters in Book 3 detailed why he does not remember his wife and what happened up to the time that he lost his memories. He becomes a Bondsmith (a Knights Radiant Order) and the leader of the humans at Urithru.
The flashbacks for Book 4 come from both Eshonai and Vendi. The flashbacks explain how Eshondi became the leader of the Parshendi war effort and how Vendi learned to use other forms to bring back the Voidbringers. Eshonai is only seen in flashbacks, while Venli has viewpoint chapters in flashbacks and in the current time.
Summary–Voidbringers and Parshmen
The Voidbringers took Kholinar, the Alethi capital. The humans gathered at Urithiru, the former city of the Knights Radiant, send a flying barge to rescue the residents of Hearthstone. Kaladin, Navani, and Dalinar take part in the rescue mission.
The Parshmen are a non-human race that has been the slaves of the humans and have been in a state that is called dull form, which decreases their intelligence. The Alethi have been fighting the Parshendi on the Shattered Plain since the Parshendi had Dalinar’s brother, Alethi King Gavilar, assassinated by the assassin in white. The secret they discover is that the Parshmen are Parshendi in the dull form. Some Parshendi, called the singers, have brought the Everstorm back and have awaked the Parshmen out of dull form. The Everstorm brings the Voidbringers who are called the Fused. The Fused are singers melded with ancient powerful spirits of Parshendi trapped by the Heralds in another plane. The Fused seek to overthrow the humans and retake Roshar as their own. The original Knights Radiant had discovered a secret about the Parshendi and had forsaken their vows.
Summary–Rhythm of War
Kaladin, Dalinar, and Navani take a flying barge to rescue the citizens of Hearthstone. Their homeland, Alethkar, has been taken by the Voidbringers and the only safe place to take the refugees is the ancient city of Urithru.
They send Shallan and Andolin on a special mission to Shadesmar to enlist the aid of the Honorspren.
Dalinar takes the coalition army to Emul to defeat the Voidbringer forces gathered there.
Kaladin and Navani protect Urithru from a Voidbringer attack. Venli is part of the Voidbringer attack but doesn’t have the same goals as the Voidbringers.
Recommendation
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanders is another outstanding book in the Stormlight Archive series. The book expands on the first three books and intensifies the conflict. The reader learns more about how Eshonai became the leader of the Parshendi and how Venli learned new forms which lead to the coming of the Voidbringers. Dalinar becomes a supreme war leader. Kaladin faces his biggest challenges yet. Navani faces an interesting dilemma concerning if you should help your captor if the help you provide could prove your downfall. Shallan deals with her multiple personalities and her relationship with Adolin.
The flashback character for book 5 is for Szeth-son-son-Vallano, and that should prove interesting. Books one to five are a division of the series, and a significant event should occur at the end of the next book. This series continues to amaze me, and I look forward to reading the next book and the following group of five volumes in the coming years.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
My review of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson, a collection with nine stories that are part of the cosmere universe. Many of the author’s works are interrelated by an overarching plot, which he calls the cosmere. He sets the stories of the cosmere on a group of worlds that can be traveled to by magical means. Six stories are set on the worlds of his published novels, and three stories are about worlds that have not had a novel-length story treatment. All the stories in this collection are excellent.
On Writing Well by William Zinsser is the classic guide to writing non-fiction. The first section of the book details the best way to write well, whether writing fiction or non-fiction. On Writing Well is littered with quotable quotes and excellent advice. The rest of the book covers the various modes of non-fiction writing, including many examples from the author and others. If you want to write well in any application, then this is the book for you.
Summary – Four Parts
On Writing Well by William Zinsser has four parts, Principles, Methods, Forms, and Attitudes. I will examine each part and will insert the most informative quotes from each part. When I read this book, I made four pages of notes which helped me write this summary.
Summary – Part 1
Part one: The Principles has seven chapters. My favorite quote from Chapter 2: Simplicity is “The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.” (page 7). Two important concepts are from Chapter 5: The Audience “You are writing for yourself, (page 25) and Chapter 6: Words “writing is learned by imitation.” (page 35).
Summary Part 2
Part two: Methods has three chapters. In chapter 8: Unity, the quote is “you learn to write by writing.” (page 49). Quote from Chapter 9: The Lead and the Ending, “the most important sentence in any article is the first one.” (page 55). Chapter 10: Bits and Pieces covers short ideas on writing.
Summary – Part 3
Part three: Forms has two introductory chapters and covers seven types of non-fiction writing. The seven types of non-fiction writing are travel, memoir, science, business, sports, arts, and humor. An example of how to use quotes in non-fiction writing is the article by Joseph Mitchell called “Mr. Hunter’s Grave” published in the New Yorker magazine. The publishers collected it with five other articles in the book The Bottom of the Harbor by Joseph Mitchell. (page 113)
Another book that sounded interesting to me and quoted in the science chapter was The Periodic Table by Primo Levi. (page 159) The book is a collection of 21 short stories with each title from an element in the periodic table. The author’s experience during the Holocaust influenced the stories.
Part four: Attitudes is five chapters on the process of writing and revising. The best part of this section is from Chapter 23: A Writer’s Decisions. In the chapter, the author relates his decisions he made when writing the article “The News from Timbuktu” published in Conde Nast Traveler. (pages 265 to 285) There are extensive quotes from the article and detailed explanations.
One final quote from Chapter 24: Write as well as you can, “You will write only as well as you make yourself write.” (page 293)
Recommendation
On Writing Well by William Zinsser is a brilliant book on writing. I first learned of this book at the Western Reserve Writers Conference in 2016. At the conference, the keynote speaker John Ettorre spoke about his relationship with writer and editor William Zinsser. Zinsser was a mentor of his who had passed away in 2015. He described how Zinsser had encouraged him and many others in the craft of writing. Zinsser’s most famous book is On Writing Well. I planned to read the book then. I write fiction, but half of my writing is for my non-fiction blog at garydavidgillen.com, so I thought this book would help me with my non-fiction writing.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of On Writing Well by William Zinsser.
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell is a book about writing subtitled techniques and exercises for crafting a plot that grips readers from start to finish. The author gives his advice about how to develop a satisfying plot for your novel.
Another similar book on writing is How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz. This is the link to my review. The book from 1981, but the advice is still great.
No Ones Home by DM Pulley is about the five families that have owned a mansion named Rawlingswood in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The novel switches points of view from 1922 to 2019. The house has a reputation for males losing their lives and females losing their sanity. In April 2018, Myron and Margot Spielman arrive from Boston and buy the mansion cheaply. Will the Spielman’s survive the mansion, unlike the four families that preceded them?
Summary
No Ones Home by DM Pulley features the five families that have owned a mansion named Rawlingswood. It was built on land originally owned by the Shaker religious group. The Shaker colony thrived in the area from 1822 to 1889 when it closed. Shaker Heights was established in 1909, and the mansion was built in 1922 by Walter Rawlings.
The Rawlings Family owned the mansion from 1922 to 1931. Walter Rawlings had the mansion built. Georgina is his wife and his son is little Walter. Their section in the novel starts on October 26, 1929, the day the stock market crashed. Bootlegging and The Great Depression are important events for their section. The fates of the Rawlings family begin the terrible reputation of the house.
The Bell family owned the mansion from 1936 to 1972. Their family does not have a point of view in the novel, though members of the family have input in the plot of the other families.
The Klussman family owned the mansion from 1972 to 1990. Benny is autistic and his mother Frannie cares for him. His father left them years earlier. Their section of the novel starts on June 18, 1980. Benny faces a dilemma he cannot resolve because of his limitations of thinking and conversing.
Summary Continued
The Martin family owned the mansion from 1994 to 2016. Ava and her brother Toby are governed by Papa Martin (Clyde Martin). Their section of the novel starts on March 1, 2009. Ava notices writing on the walls, including something about Benny. She feels a presence in the mansion that other people do not.
The Speilman family bought the mansion on April 7, 2018. They are from Boston. Myron is a doctor and Margot is a yoga instructor. The mansion is distressed, so they remodel the house. The remodel does not go smoothly. Their high school age son is named Hunter. They arrive on July 18, 2018, before school starts. Hunter learns about the history of the mansion and must decide what he will do with his knowledge.
Recommendation
No Ones Home by DM Pulley is a well thought out ghost suspense thriller. The four threads of the story separated in time come together. The secrets that Hunter’s family kept are revealed and the mansion’s secrets are discovered. I like how the story is resolved. I live near and have been in Shaker Heights, so this novel was interesting to me. The mix of mystery, history, and thriller works.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of No Ones Home by DM Pulley.
Unclaimed Victim by D.M. Pulley connects the stories of Ethel from March 1938 and Kris from April 1999 through the Torso Killer of Cleveland. They are targets. Can they survive? Link to review.
