Book Reviews Archives - Page 7 of 16

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, Book Four of the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan is the fourth book of The Wheel of Time series. Our heroes leave the city of Tear and split into groups. Min learns about the volatile situation at the White Tower of the Aes Sedai at Tar Valon. Perrin, Faile, and Loial travel to liberate Emond’s Field. Nyneave and Elayne follow the Black Ajah to Tanchico. Rand, Mat, and Egwene head to the Aiel Waste to confront their destinies. Can Rand learn enough about his powers in time to defeat the Shadow Rising?

Summary

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan begins soon after the Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan ended. Tear has been taken and Rand wields the sword that is not a sword, Callendor. The first chapter of the book serves as a prologue, covering four different points of view.

Chapter One starts with Min arriving at the White Tower of Tar Valon. During the Dragon Reborn novel, Moiraine sent Min to explain the events that occurred in Falme to Siuan Sache, the Amyrlin Seat, the leader of the Aes Sedai. This introduces the reader to one of the four main plots of this novel, the volatile political situation of the Aes Sedai.

Chapter One continues with short scenes introducing three of the opposition characters in this book. Elaida is from the Red Ajah of the Aes Sedai. She is located at the White Tower in Tar Valon. Dain Bornhald is a Whitecloak. He is at Taren Ferry in the Two Rivers near Emond’s Field. High Lady Suroth is a leader of the Seanchan. She regrouped the Seanchan at Cantorin Harbor after their defeat at Falme.

Three groups leave Tear at different times. Perrin, Faile, and Loial follow the Ways to liberate Emond’s Field from Shadowspawn and Whitecloaks We meet the citizens of Emond’s Field for the first time since book one. Nyneave and Elayne take a Sea Folk ship to get to Tanchico to search for the Black Ajah. They meet a Seanchan ship’s captain named Egeanin, who is different than she seems. Rand, Mat, and Egwene head to the Aiel Waste to confront their destinies.

The four stories each conclude, setting up the events for the next novel in the series, The Fires of Heaven.

Recommendation

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordon is a great novel, but it is different than the first three novels in the series. The first three novels all ended with most of the main characters achieving success together in a specific location. Eye of the World ended at the Eye of the World, The Great Hunt ended at Falme, and Dragon Reborn ended at Tear. This novel is like the breaking of the Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien. There are four groups followed in this novel and each group comes to a climax at the end of the novel, but they will remain apart to pursue their individual goals in the coming novels. That is disappointing but necessary to tell the greater story. This world is big and now the readers will see more of it by following multiple storylines.

There are two parts of this novel I thought were brilliant. The whole series of chapters about Perrin’s journey and struggle against the Shadowspawn and the Whitecloaks at Edmond’s Field come to a satisfying conclusion. Chapters 25 and 26 cover the Aiel Ancestor History Sequence. The stories were complicated and resonated.

The first season of the Amazon Prime Video will adapt the first two novels of the series in 2020 or 2021. I will be interested to see how they adapt this novel in a few years.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9539.The_Shadow_Rising

This is the link to my review of Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan, Book three of the Wheel of Time.

Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Book two of the Wheel of Time.

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, Book one of the Wheel of Time.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

Introduction

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell is a book in the five-book Write Great Fiction series published by Writers Digest Books. The subtitle of this book is techniques and exercises for crafting a plot that grips readers from start to finish. The author did not become a novelist until he learned how to create plots for his novels. A plot is a design for a novel. In the book, the author gives his advice about how to develop a satisfying plot for your novel.

Summary

I will detail my top three points raised in this book.

In chapter one, the LOCK system is how the plot is made simple. L means create a compelling Lead. O means create a compelling Objective that the character wants or desires. C means your lead needs Confrontation from an opposition. K means it is necessary for the book’s ending to create a satisfying Knockout for the reader.

In chapter seven, scenes are the essential building blocks of the plot. There are four chords or beats in writing a scene. The chords are action, reaction, setup, and deepening. The chords are mixed to create the scene.

In chapter nine, the character arc is what deepens the plot. The plot causes the character to change, and that change is what the reader desires. Change attacks the character’s core self. The layers of self are beliefs, values, dominant attitudes, and opinions. The deeper the change, the more profound the difference.

Each chapter ends with suggested exercises to expand on the chapter’s lessons. Appendix A has a helpful checklist of the critical points raised in the book. The sections are about plot, structure, plot ideas, beginnings, middles, endings, scenes, complexity, plotting systems, and revision.

Recommendation

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell is a useful book about writing. It is short and easy to read. I found three points that were the most interesting to me. The checklist in Appendix A is also helpful. His advice is sound but like other books I have read. The author has many books on the craft of writing and I plan to read more of them.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16903890-write-great-fiction—plot-structure

Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold is his non-fiction book on the craft of writing, subtitled how to write science fiction and fantasy. Where should you start as a new writer? Use this book.

Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody takes the books of Blake Snyder and applies his teachings to writing novels. She presents complete beat sheets and genre breakdowns of current and past novels. This is the link to my review.

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

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.

How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz

Network Effect by Martha Wells

Network Effect by Martha Wells, Murderbot Diaries Book 5

Introduction

Network Effect by Martha Wells is the first novel of the Murderbot Diaries Series. The earlier stories are a series of four novellas that complete a self-contained single story. The protagonist of the diaries is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a part organic and part mechanical cyborg, or as she calls herself a Murderbot. In this story, Murderbot must solve a complex mystery or risk the deaths of her human clients.

Summary

In Network Effect by Martha Wells, Murderbot has completed her mission as described in the earlier four books for the PreservationAux Group. Murderbot looks to Dr. Mensah as its primary client. It serves as a Survey Security Consultant to members of the group. On a survey, unknown hostiles attack them and Murderbot names them as Targets, but only to itself. Murderbot had hacked its governor module so can ignore the programming the Company used to create it. Murderbot eliminates the Targets, but there will be more. The Survey ship ends up in a mysterious solar system. Who are the Targets and why does someone summon the Survey ship are the mysteries that Murderbot must solve? The lives of its clients depend on finding answers.

Recommendation

It was worth the wait for a Murderbot novel. The book was enjoyable and hit all the marks a reader could expect. Murderbot was snarky, compassionate to her clients, and resourceful. The plot of the novel was hard to figure out at the beginning, but explained later. There are passages where Murderbot recounts old events, sometimes as transcripts. The reason for this makes sense. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion and sets up the next adventure for Murderbot. Fugitive Telemetry will be Book 6 of the Murderbot Diaries and published on April 27, 2021. The series continues, and I plan to stay on the ride.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Network Effect by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47902784-network-effect

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205854-fugitive-telemetry

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Book Review of Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a series of four novellas. SecUnit calls herself Murderbot. She has feelings of companionship for her human employers. What lengths will she go to protect them?

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

City of Bones by Martha Wells

Introduction

In the City of Bones by Martha Wells, Khat is a krisman living in the city of Charisat on the edge of the Waste. Ancient Mages created the krismen to live in the Waste. Khat has come to the city to earn his fortune in the relic trade with his human partner, Sagai. The Warders, mages who serve the Elector of Charisat, want to use relics to solve an ancient mystery. Will Khat help them even though the empowered relics could destroy the world?

Summary

City of Bones by Martha Wells’s main character is Khat. Khat is a krisman, a type of marsupial with a pouch created by ancient mages in the time the Waste was formed. The krisman is at the bottom of the social order. The Warders of the Elector of Charisat don’t believe they are people because they don’t have souls according to them. Khat leaves the safety of his people’s Enclave to earn his fortune in the human cities. He teams up with Sagai, a human, to sell relics in the city of Charisat.

Khat needs a big score to pay off a debt, so he agrees to guide the Patrician to ancient towers called Remnants. The central mystery of the book is the mystery of why the ancient mages built the Remnants. The viewpoint characters are Khat, Sagai, and the Patrician. Khat wants to find a place where he belongs, Sagai wants to protect his family, and the Patrician wants to solve the mystery. Can they accomplish their goals without destroying the world?

Recommendation

City of Bones is a great self-contained single novel, and they haven’t published a sequel so far. Khat is an interesting character. He deals with prejudice, misunderstanding, and identity. His redemption arch is why I recommend this novel. The first chapter is difficult to understand on a first reading. There are many characters, many ideas, and much world-building packed in it. Once the focus is on Khat, Sagai, and The Patrician, then the novel proceeds relentlessly to the end. Khat is knocked out too many times and recovers too quickly. I’m glad I decided to read this novel after I read the author’s Murderbot Diaries.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for City of Bones by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6599368-city-of-bones

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Network Effect by Martha Wells. They published this Murderbot novel on May 5, 2020.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47902784-network-effect

Phantoms of Ruthaer by Jason McDonald

Phantoms of Ruthaer by Jason McDonald, Stormy McDonald, and Alan Isom

Introduction

Phantoms of Ruthaer by Jason McDonald is a fantasy with a ghost story and a murder mystery. Hector De Los Santos and the bounty hunting group named Damage, Inc. are called to Ruthaer for a side job. Hector’s crew is human archer Dave Blood, half-elf tracker/healer Aislinn Yves, and elf empath Hummingbird. They get more than they bargained for when they get to Ruthaer. The mysteries of the town are complicated. Damage, Inc. must fight ghosts, zombies, demons, and vampires to solve the mystery. Ancient dragonkin points to the solution and to the greater mystery involving Hector and Dave. Will they defeat the phantoms, or will they all die in the attempt?

[Reserved for Phantoms of Ruthaer Book Cover]

Summary

Phantoms of Ruthaer by Jason McDonald is set in the same fantasy world as the author’s Cayn trilogy. The locations and characters are different. The only character mentioned in this book from the Cayn trilogy is Jasper Thredd. He is a mage and a member of Damage, Inc. but does not appear in this novel. Jasper has some connection to the trio of Hector, Dave and Robert. Robert is another character mentioned but not met in this novel.

At the beginning of the novel, Hector bails Dave out of jail. Damage, Inc. has business in Ozera, but a job in Ruthaer comes first. They pick up Aislinn and Hummingbird and sail to Ruthaer. Aislinn is from Ruthaer and is responding to the request of Tallinn, the sea ranger she knew as a girl. Once they get to Ruthaer, they face the mystery of what happened to the monks. Lord Francis and Father Blackwood helps them. There is a fog over the town. They fight ghosts, vampires, and spiders to get to the heart of the mystery. A ghost ship and the mysterious Count Dodz complicate the mystery. There are plenty of more thrills and reversals as Damage, Inc. uncovers mystery after mystery.

Recommendation

Phantoms of Ruthaer by Jason McDonald is a great genre mash-up novel. There is a mystery, a ghost story, and a fantasy adventure in the novel. The bounty hunting idea is like the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Damage Inc. is paid for killing magical creatures like the Witcher. The mystery is hard to solve, and the ghosts are real in this adventure. It also reminded me of John Carter from Mars concerning Hector, Dave, and Robert’s interaction with this fantasy world. I want to see more adventures with Damage, Inc.

I received this novel as a beta reader. After they release the last book, I will update this post as necessary.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Phantoms of Ruthaer.

[Reserved for Phantoms of Ruthaer Goodreads Link.]

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Blood of Cayn.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47145155-blood-of-cayn

My review of Blood of Cayn, the Cayn Trilogy Book #3. It’s the thrilling conclusion of the Cayn Trilogy. The plague has returned. Will Xandor’s crew find the cure or will everyone die?

Blood of Cayn by Jason McDonald

My review of City of Cayn the Cayn Trilogy Book #2. It’s a suspenseful adventure. The plague story begun in the first book takes our heroes to Cherigov, a human city overrun by orcs. They must defeat the orc king, or the plague will devastate the land.

City of Cayn by Jason McDonald, Alan Isom, and Stormy McDonald

My review of Son of Cayn, the Cayn Trilogy Book #1. Xandor the ranger’s mission is to infiltrate a caravan that is smuggling soap. Soap? Yes, soap. Xandor’s crew must determine where and why the soap is being smuggled.

Son of Cayn by Jason McDonald, Alan Isom, and Stormy McDonald

Last Emperox by John Scalzi

Last Emperox by John Scalzi, The Interdependency Sequence Book #3

Introduction

In Last Emperox by John Scalzi. Cardenia Wu-Patrick is the current Emperox of the Interdependency. She is coronated as Grayland II and her reign starts with a crisis. The Flow connects the star systems of the Interdependency, and the Flow is collapsing. She faces a looming disaster when the dependent colonies of the Interdependency will become isolated. What can she do about the collapse of the Flow and can she get the ruling class to agree to her solutions?

Summary Part One

Last Emperox by John Scalzi has four main characters.

Cardenia wants a solution to the collapse of the Flow connections between the stars of her Empire. The Flow is a wormhole network that connects the different stars of the Interdependency. Humans can only live on the surface of the planet called End. All other colonies are space stations or enclosed stations on planetary bodies. The trading clans head the Interdependency. Each clan owns a star system and has a monopoly on one product. They trade the products between the clans, and no colonies are independent. Cardenia’s clan is the Wu clan holding the system of Hub. The Wu clan created the Interdependency and every Emperox for the last thousand years has been a member of the Wu clan.

The Nohamapetan clan opposes Cardenia’s rule. Nadashe Nohamapetan had been accused of the attempted assassination of Cardenia and was imprisoned for the crime. She escaped and is on the run. Nadashe wants to keep the status quo of the clan system. What that means is that the leaders of the clans will get transferred to the End system and the rest of the people will be left isolated in their home systems to perish.

Summary Part Two

Kiva Lagos oversees the Nohamapetan clan’s finances by Cardenia’s rluing, which causes conflict with the Nohamapetan clan. All Kiva wants is to lead the Lagos clan and to retire with her girlfriend, Senia Fundapellonan. But Cardenia wants Kiva to help her capture Nadashe while Nadasche wants Kiva to release the Nohamapetan fortune to her. They both thwart Kiva’s plans.

Flow physicist Count Claremont of the End system predicts the collapse of the Flow by his calculations. Flow Physicist Marce Claremont, his son, continues his father’s work and is Cardenia’s closest advisor and becomes her paramour. Marce wants to transfer all of humanity to the End system. He believes that the solution is somewhere in the data and he continues his search for the solution.

The fate of the people of the Interdependency rests on the actions of these four characters.

Recommendation

Last Emperox by John Scalzi is a great ending to the Interdependency trilogy. I did not want the ending to go the way it did, but it was the correct ending for the series. All the ideas begun in the first book led inevitably to the resolution in the third book. That makes the trilogy a successful series to me. On reflection, I like a story best that is true to its nature, and this story is true to its nature. The three books were consistent, funny, and interesting.

All together the three books total 948 pages. They could have published the trilogy as one long book but this isn’t epic fantasy so I appreciate getting a book every year. The characters come to a satisfying concluding arc. There could be other stories in this series, but probably not with these characters and their conflicts. I am looking forward to the author’s next series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Last Emperox by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38322550-the-last-emperox

This is a link to my book review of The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, Book 2 of the Interdependency Sequence

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi

This is a link to my book review of The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi, Book 1 of the Interdependency Sequence

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Book #1 of American Gods

Introduction

American Gods by Neil Gaiman is the first book of American Gods series. The old Gods have lost power and have been replaced by the new Gods. War is their last chance to regain their power. Dropped in the middle of their war is recently released prisoner Shadow Moon. Mr. Wednesday offers him a job. With little prospects, he accepts the job, not knowing that they will catch him up in the middle of the war between the Gods. Will Shadow survive? Will Shadow be more important to the Gods war than they could ever realize?

Summary of Novel

In American Gods by Neil Gaiman, the Old Gods get their power by being worshiped. The more they are worshiped, the more power they have. Immigrants to America brought their own Gods with them to the unknown land. The Gods power was potent to begin, but through the generations living in America the worship has faded and the Gods have weakened. New Gods include Technical boy, media, and Mr. World. The old Gods plan to gather and fight the new Gods to regain their power.

They imprisoned Shadow Moon for a botched robbery for the last three years. Next week he will be released and can go home to his wife Laura. Something tragic happens and they release him early. With no prospects as an ex-con, he accepts a job from Mr. Wednesday as his driver and bodyguard. They travel the country by car to interact with old friends of Mr. Wednesday.

Shadow and Wednesday travel from Eagle Point, Indiana through Cairo, Illinois, Lakeside, Wisconsin, House on the Rock, Wisconsin, Lebanon, Kansas, and Blacksburg, Virginia. The confrontation between the Old Gods and the New Gods takes place in Rock City, Georgia.

In between chapters of the major story, the author places short works about some old Gods. The Gods depicted are Bilquis and the Jinn.

Summary of Book versus TV Show

In 2017, I heard about the American Gods show created by Starz that was released to DVD on October 17, 2017. I planned to read the book and watch the show. I read the book in 2017 but returned the DVD to the library. Always planned to take the DVD out again to watch it, but I didn’t until 2020. I didn’t write a review of the book then, so my plan here is to review the book and season one of the TV show. They released season two on August 20, 2019. I haven’t watched it yet. They based it on the second half of the book American Gods.

Coming to America Stories from the TV show

Seven of the Eight episodes of the show start with a coming to America story. The other episode follows Laura’s backstory. Episode one tells the story of the Vikings coming to America and their Norse Gods. They set the second episode on a slave ship and features the African God, Anansi. Episode three has the Egyptian God Anubis interacting with a Muslim woman. The fifth episode introduces the gods of the ancient people wandering to America from the Bering Strait land bridge. Episode six has Mexican immigrants bring their version of Jesus to America. The seventh episode features the leprechaun from Ireland. Episode eight has Mr. Nancy telling the story of the Ethiopian God, Bilquis.

Recommendation

I read American Gods by Neil Gaiman from April 18, 2017, to May 4, 2017. There were three books I read in 2017 for which I did not write a book review then. This is the third of the three retro posts I will write. American Gods is an interesting mixture of legend, fantasy, and Americana. I liked the Coming to America stories. Some of them were dark and disturbing and I liked the challenge. Shadow moon’s story was the most interesting, and I wanted to go back to it as soon as I could. Seeing the novel brought to TV was great. They did a lot of background material that I liked, and I want to see the second season soon.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30165203-american-gods

Link to my review of Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card. Alvin Miller is the seventh son of a seventh son which gives him special powers in this alternate history tale of America set in 1811. In American Gods and in Red Prophet, the gods are alive and interact with people.

Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card

Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks

Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks.

Introduction

Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks is the fourth book of The Lightbringer series. The three main characters set up their roles for the final book in the series. Gavin has lost his powers, must escape his prison, and face the god Orholam. Teia must become a master assassin and destroy the Order of the Broken Eye. Kip must prepare his army to face the White King and defeat him, or risk the colors going out of balance leading to their destruction. Their missions lead to one ultimate question. Who is the Lightbringer and will the Lightbringer bring balance to the world?

Summary

Chromaturgy is the magical system of the Seven Satrapies. They call magicians who use Chromaturgy drafters and the best drafters live on the Chromeria, the seat of the Satrapies government. Drafters can take a part of the spectrum of light and make a substance called luxin. They can shape luxin into items, with the color of the luxin determining the properties of the item. Most drafters can draft one or two colors, while the Prism can draft all the colors. There is only one Prism alive at one time and the Prism is the military, spiritual, and political leader of the Satrapies.

Summary for Principal Characters

There are three principal viewpoint characters and three minor viewpoint characters.

Gavin was the Prism but has lost his powers. He is imprisoned in the special cells he made to hold a special prisoner. He must get help from an unlikely person to break out of his cell and to go on an important mission in the last book of the series.

Kip is fighting against the forces of the White King. The Color Prince has taken a new name, the White King, and he increases his power by taking half of the satrapies. The White King wants to take the Blood Forest because if he succeeds then the Chromeria’s ability to wage war against him will be damaged. Kip’s goal is to defeat the White King’s lieutenant, who is trying to take the Blood Forest. Kip has his exiled group named the Mighty and various motley troops from the Blood Forest. It helps that Tisis Malargos, his wife, has contacts in the Blood Forest.

Teia is tasked by Karris, the new White, to infiltrate the secret Order of the Broken Eye. It is a dangerous mission, complicated by her interaction with the assassin named Murder Sharp. The Order sends her on an important mission, and she must succeed or face her death.

Summary for Minor Characters

Karris White Oak is the new White. She must marshal her forces against the White King with the help and hindrance of Andross Guile. Corvan Danavis has become the satrap of Seer’s Island and is married to the Third Eye, a woman who knows the future. Liv Danavis serves the White King and has come into a significant power.

Recommendation

In Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks, the three principal characters have important tasks to perform. The tasks are straightforward but are not complete by the end of this novel. It feels like the characters are spinning their wheels leading up to the last book of the Lightbringer series. Gavin’s story seems redundant. Kip’s story leads up to him fighting a mini-boss before taking on the White King in the last book. Teia has a dramatic mission to complete. The stories were interesting, but I’m ready for the next book now. The last novel in the series is named the Burning White and was published on October 22, 2019. I plan to read the book soon.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29467232-the-blood-mirror

Review of The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks, book 3 of The Lightbringer series. Gavin, Kip, Teia, and Karris fight the Color Prince and the Order of the Broken Eye. They face a climactic confrontation at the Chromeria. Another excellent book in the series.

Broken Eye by Brent Weeks

This is the link to my review of the Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks.

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

This is the link to my review of Black Prism by Brent Weeks.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, Book #1 of Gentleman Bastard series.

Introduction

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is book one of the Gentleman Bastards series. Locke Lamora is an orphan of the island city of Camorr. The Thiefmaker turns the orphans into thieves. Lamora learns quickly and soon becomes more trouble than he is worth. Many years later, Lamora is grown up and collects his own crew, the Gentleman Bastards, who work confidence games. Another crew headed by the Gray King threatens to expose and kill them. To what lengths will Lamora go to defeat the Gray King and secure the Gentleman Bastards’ retirement?

Summary

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch starts with young Lamora learning the craft of theft from the Thiefmaker. The Thiefmaker soon learns that Lamora will steal anything at any time, and the risk that commands worries him. Lamora ends up with Father Chains, who runs a con game. They run the con with the twins, Calo and Galdo.

Locke Lamora, Calo, and Galdo leave Father Chains to form a new crew. They have unrecorded adventures until they try to pull a con on Don Lorenzo Salvara. The two other members of this crew are Jean Tannen, a powerful man, and Bug, a fresh recruit. Their fifth member is Sabetha, but she is on a mission in another town. Their goal is to amass a fortune large enough to escape Camorr forever.

All the thieving crews in Camorr pay tribute to Capa Barsavi. A new thief threatens them, named the Gray King. The Gray King has issues with Barsavi and with Lamora. The three groups struggle with each other. They lose fortunes and lives. Lamora wants to survive and escape Camorr with his fortune. It will be a hard task, but he vows to survive and win.

Recommendation

I read The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch from March 22, 2017, to April 17, 2017. There were three books I read in 2017 for which I did not write a book review at that time. This is the second of the three retro posts I will write. The Lies of Locke Lamora is an interesting mix of influences. It serves as a history book for the society of Comorr. The author based the society on Renaissance Venice with magic added. Locke Lamora’s early thieving career has aspects of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The main storyline follows a caper path like the movie Ocean’s Eleven.

They published the next two books in the series in 2007 and 2013. I held off reading them at that time because I had heard that there would be a delay in releasing the fourth novel, The Thorn of Emberlain. On his website, he stated that he completed a draft for the book in May 2019. It must come out soon, so I plan to read the next two as soon as I can.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29588376-the-lies-of-locke-lamora

The series that this novel reminds me most of is the first book the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn has a crew of thieves that must pull off a difficult heist. The series goes in a different direction, but it starts in a similar spot. This is the link to the Goodreads page of Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68428.The_Final_Empire

I posted a review on a book with a similar background to The Lies of Locke Lamora on Port of Shadows by Glen Cook. Port of Shadows has a similar magic system and features a medieval technology level.

In Port of Shadows by Glen Cook, The Black Company searches for rebels but finds dozens of identical young girls. Can Croaker unravel the mystery before the rebels open the Port of Shadows and free a powerful sorcerer?

Port of Shadows by Glen Cook

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #1 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold is book one of the Vorkosigan saga. Commander Cordelia Naismith is the leader of the Betan Astronomical Survey studying the unclaimed planet named Sergyar. The crew of Captain Aral Vorkosigan’s ship mutiny and drive off the Betans, leaving Cordelia behind. Vorkosigan takes her prisoner and they must hike five days to a Barrayaran supply cache to be rescued. Will they make it to the supply cache, or will they kill each other before they arrive?

Summary

In Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold humans populate many solar systems connected by wormhole gates. Each solar system is independent. Beta Colony is a technology-rich but resource-poor system. The Betan Astronomical Survey sends Commander Cordelia Naismith to peacefully examine an unclaimed planet named Sergyer for resources. Her spaceship is called the Rene Magritte. Barrayar is an isolationistic materialistic society ruled by an Emperor. Some factions of the government are pushing for war. They secretly claim the planet named Sergyer and the important wormhole gate that the system contains. A warship named the General Vorkraft, commanded by Aral Vorkosigan, is sent to Sergyer to control the system. The Barrayaran aristocracy uses the honorific of Vor and Aral is a high-ranking member.

The pro-war faction stage a mutiny against Vorkosigan, kill Cordelia’s shipmates that are on the surface of the planet, and leave Vorkosigan to die. Vorkosigan takes Cordelia and Ensign Dubauer, her brain scrambled crewmember, as his prisoners. Cordelia sends her ship away to warn the Beta Colony. Vorkosigan, Cordelia, and Dubauer walk five days to a Barrayan supply cache. Vorkosigan plans to get resupplied and retake his ship. During the walk, Vorkosigan and Cordelia develop a mutual respect that leads to a romance.

Through the course of the novel, they are separated and reunite. Vorkosigan faces challenges on Barrayar, and Cordelia faces challenges on Beta Colony. Some Barrayans they face are Sergeant Bothari, Emperor Ezar Vobarra, Crown Prince Serg Vobarra, Admiral Vorrutyer, Imperial Lieutenant Simon Illyan, and Ensign Koudelka. Cordelia faces the Betans; Dr. Sprague, Dr. Mehta, and Betan President Steady Freddy. There is enough plot in this novel for at least a trilogy.

Recommendation

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold is a fun-filled space opera mixed with a romance. Cordelia and Vorkosigan are meant for one another, and I was happy to follow them on their adventures. I thought the Betan claims were almost plausible that Vorkosigan brainwashed Cordelia to be his spy. I would have liked to see more of that storyline, but I am glad that I can continue with the follow-up novel, Barrayar (Book #7 of the Vorkosigan saga), which continues examining the complicated politics of Barrayar.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61903.Shards_of_Honour

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.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold