In the Eye of Heaven, by David Keck

I had this book renewed 3 times before I finally got around to reading it. Then I got it back 1 day late and had to pay 30 cents! I shouldn't have bothered.

This is a fairly uninspired medieval fantasy. The plot was alright, and the fighting was exciting occasionally, but mostly it was a little hard to follow (you know where you have to read a page a couple times in order to figure out what's happening). Also, the main character was okay, but most of the other characters seemed to lack any depth.

I finished it, but would not really recommend it. I don't know if I'm going to try any more by this author either.

5.8 out of 10

War for the Oaks, by Emma Bull

I quite enjoyed this book! It's a fantasy set in modern day Minneapolis (well, almost modern day - this book was written in 1987). It concerns a rock musician Eddi, who is drawn into the ongoing battle between the Seelie and the Unseelie courts (that's the light and the dark side of Faerie). It turns out that in order for the immortal Faerie battle to have any real consequence a mortal needs to be involved, and the Seelie court has chosen Eddi to be their mortal representative. This rough description does not really do the book justice. It's filled with interesting characters and situations and great dialog. It's funny, fun, and exciting. Music plays a large role, and the scenes where music is involved are wonderfully and vividly written. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers, and if you've not read much urban fantasy, this may be a good place to start.

8.6 out of 10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling

I am a little bit of a Harry Potter nut. I've immensely enjoyed every single one of the books so far, and found the seventh and final book no exception.

There's a lot that happens, and with the exception of a slightly drawn out mid section, with a little too much teenage angst and bickering, it's all good. Lots of action, plenty of moments worth cheering about, and a number of genuinely sad moments as well. The final climax is great. Though some people might find the epilogue a little bare of details, I thought it a fitting conclusion and quite satisfying enough.

Rowling has done a fantastic job of resolving just about every plot and sub-plot introduced in all the previous books, and an even better job of bringing resolution to so many of the characters that we have grown to love over the series. After finishing it, I sat back and just enjoyed the satisfied feeling - much like basking after finishing a very tasty feast. Sure there were some bitter moments, but they just serve to heighten the sweetness of the whole.

One other thing I have to mention is how phenomenal the audio books are (for the entire series). You may or may not be aware that there are two audio book editions: one for publication in the US and Canada (read by Jim Dale) and one for the UK (read by Stephen Fry). While many people enjoy the Jim Dale version, I cannot say how much I enjoyed Stephen Fry's rendition. He's by far the best audio book reader I have had the pleasure of listening to. If you get a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it!!

As a stand alone book, I think I'd rate it a little lower, just because of the weak-ish middle section. However, because of it's place in the series as a whole, I'll give this a 9.5 out of 10.

Keeping It Real, by Justina Robson

I really enjoyed this book! It's a little bit of a crossover between the fantasy and the sci-fi genre, which is cool. The basic premise is that at some point in the future (2015) a massive supercollider explodes warping the fabric of reality and creating gates/connections between 6 worlds (one each for the elves, demons, humans, dead, faery and elementals). The story takes place a while after this has happened, and there has been some integration of some, at least, of these worlds.

The main character is a cyborg woman named Lila Black, who is assigned to body guard a rock-star elf (Zal), who has been receiving death threats.

There's lots of excitement and tons of cool ideas, as well as some nice character work. And it's all packed into a relatively short 340 odd pages.

I love the world that Robson has created and look forward to spending some more time in it in the next 2 books of the Quantum Gravity trilogy.

8.5/10

Master of Whitestorm, by Janny Wurts

I remembered enjoying this book when I was in grade 10, so I thought I'd give it another try. It wasn't as good as I remembered it.

The book is set in a fairly standard fantasy world - a number of different realms, wizards, elementals, mythic beasts - you know the deal. It follows the life of one man, and takes place over pretty much his entire life. As a result, the book is not as cohesive as I would have liked - being more like episodes than a continuous flow of events. Some of the episodes are entertaining, especially the earlier ones, but as the book goes on it does not really hold together, and has little that makes you want to continue reading it.

I'd give this one 6.0/10

Song of the Beast, by Carol Berg

I have been lagging a little in getting these posts up when I am done each book I read. However, this is one gets me up to date! Yay!

Song of the Beast is a good solid fantasy book. It is not spectacular, it doesn't break any new ground, none of the ideas are particularly earth shattering, but it works really well. I have previously read Berg's Bridge of D'Arnath and Rai-kirah - Derzhi Empire series, and I believe that though it was published more recently, Song of the Beast is one of her earlier works. Indeed, some of the bones of the story (or at least a few ideas) seem very similar to Transformation, her first Rai-kirah book (and one of the favorite fantasy books I have read in the last year or so). I knew this going in, so was pleasantly surprised to find that the book is not just a pre-hashing of Berg's earlier works.

Though not as good as the Rai-kirah series, this is a definitely a recommended read for any fantasy lover, and a good introduction to Carol Berg (being a stand-alone novel).

7.8 out of 10

Windhaven, by George R. R. Martin & Lisa Tuttle

I picked up Windhaven at the library for 2 reasons - first, I REALLY liked the first couple books of George R. R. Martin's current (unfinished) fantasy epic, Song of Ice and Fire, and second, it had a cool picture of people flying/gliding with glider wings on their arms. I love great fantasy, and I love the idea of flying - man I wish I could fly!!

Well, I got the second part - there's cool flying, but I would not really classify this as fantasy. It is fantasy only in so far as it takes place on a world that is not earth. The planet Windhaven is mostly ocean with many islands that are fairly widely separated. It is perpetually windy, and sea crossings between the islands are dangerous, so the islands depend on their fliers to maintain communication, using glider-like wings and the strong winds keep them aloft. Flyers' wings are made from a "fabric" salvaged from the starship that the planets original colonists were marooned with, and no more can be made. As a result these wings are treasured and passed down from parent to first born child.

I was initially disappointed with Windhaven, because I was expecting a regular sort of story with characters and plot flowing from the beginning all the way to the end. Instead we are given three separate episodes in the life of Maris, a non-flyer-born girl who desires with all her heart and will to become a flyer - so much so, that she ends up changing the long held traditions of society on Windhaven. Rather than a continuous narrative, Windhaven is more of a tapestry with three panels (...triptych maybe?), that together address the intertwined nature of society and the sometimes far-reaching consequences of idealism applied to societies.

Because I was expecting a narrative I found the book a little aimless, however, towards the end I appreciated how everything tied together. The characters were varied, complex and real, and the overall tapestry was very effective. It was nice to read something with a different approach than your standard fantasy.

7 out of 10 on the Jason scale, but only because I gravitate to the more "standard" approach to fantasy ;-). Those who want something a little different might like this quite a bit more. I'm not an artist, but it seemed like something that could be good art to me! I'd definitely recommend this as a way to dip your toes into the forbidden waters of fantasy novels if you otherwise despise the genre.

Shadowplay, by Tad Williams

Shadowplay is the second book of Tad Williams's new fantasy epic, Shadowmarch (also the name of volume 1).

I read the first one a while ago and have been waiting since for this latest one to be available at the library. Similarly to William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, Shadowmarch takes a while to get going - introducing a number of characters and setting the stage for what is to come. Having read this earlier trilogy (and really enjoying it!), I pressed on and by the end was enjoying it quite a bit - though not thoroughly engrossed.

Shadowplay tops Shadowmarch by a health margin, at least in my opinion (probably because all the introductory stuff is over and done with). Things pick up quickly, and despite it's hefty size (672 pages) the pacing is nice and quick. There are 5 or 6 main characters that Williams switches between very effectively - each time you switch to another character you wish you could keep reading about the current one. Unlike some novels, however, I enjoyed each of the different character arcs a great deal - there were none that were laborious to read! The story progresses very satisfactorily - it is nice to see things really coming to a head and not just continuing ad nauseum (Terry Goodkind comes to mind).

In short, I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy. Though there is nothing that stands out as new or different from the rest of the genre, Tad Williams combines all the different elements very pleasingly in a way that is by no means trite or clichéd. Be warned, however - this book does not resolve things in the least, and who knows how long until we receive the next installment (there were about 3 years between the first and second books).

Fugitives of Chaos, by John Wright

Fugitives of Chaos is the second book in John Wright's Orphans of Chaos trilogy. Read my review of the first book, Orphans of Chaos here.

I have to say that this book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it right from the get-go, unlike the first one which took a little getting into. Here there is no initial "what the heck is going on here?" stage - instead Wright quickly draws the readers into the plot, and in a few pages both the readers and the protagonists know what is at stake for them. I thought it interesting that Wright followed my advice and put a cast of characters at the beginning of the book - useful when so many of the characters have a number of aliases.

I again enjoyed the dynamics of the relationships between the five orphans, and often found myself chuckling, or downright laughing in a number of places, at their antics. Like the previous book, philosophy/mathematics/mythology play a definite role in the story; however, this time they do not weigh the book down, but rather provide the opportunity for a bit of mental calisthenics.

The book comes to a satisfactory climax, and if one problem is resolved just a little too neatly, the series's overarching conflict is quickly re-introduced - leaving the reader waiting in anticipation for the third book, Titans of Chaos.

The only problem that comes to my mind with the book (and this held true for the first one as well), is that Wright wrights (ha ha) primarily from the perspective of one of the female orphans, but does so in a manner that seems like how a guy would wish/expect girls to think, not how they actually do think (though admittedly I'm no expert on how women think!). This detracts from the genuineness of the character, and I could see it annoying some female readers. However, it might appeal quite nicely to teenage boys!

Dragonsbane, by Barbara Hambly

This is the first book in the Winterlands - Dragonsbane quartet. I've been putting off reviewing this one, because it was okay, but nothing special. I'm not sure why, but I was not drawn into it. Maybe it was just that I was in a non-receptive state, or maybe it was because I could not directly relate to any of the characters. I did not care as much as I should have for what was happening.

Don't get me wrong, the plot is just fine, and the characterization is good too. It won't seem like an original plot, but that could be because it was written in '85. I do like the fact that the dragonsbane is not your typical hero. He is past his prime, beaten up a little, nerdish - a book loving guy who has done what he's had to, and is now being called upon to do more.

I'd give it a 6/10 on the Jason enjoyment scale.

Tamora Pierce

In some books you never know what is going to happen, who is going to survive what harrowing experience. No matter what terrible thing occurs, part of you is convinced the author is going to find some even more dire circumstance to place the protagonist in. In other books you can be secure in the knowledge that while a few uncomfortable events may try the characters, no one you are really attached to is going to die and nothing too difficult to deal with is going to come your way. Some people might say this is predictable and boring. I personally, can enjoy things even if I know where it's going to end up - it's not about being surprised as much as enjoying the journey characters/events take through the book - sort of like taking a comfortable stroll across a nice grassy meadow, enjoying the flowers and the feel of sun on your skin.

Tamora Pierce writes books a little like this. Sure they are a little juvenile - they are clearly written with an eye to younger kids - but I still have enjoyed almost all I've read. Her characters are fun and engaging, and though nothing calamitous occurs, they still have to deal with their own problems and learn from them. Very non-stressful reading - it's good to have some of that sometimes.

Most of the books I've listened to as audio books over the last couple months, but I have been reading a couple over the weekend that I couldn't find on audio book, so I thought I'd do a bit broader a review.

One interesting note - a number of the audio books we listened to were Full Cast Audio productions. These (at least those we listened to) are fully unabridged, yet use a complete cast of actors. I had never heard an unabridged, yet dramatized version before. At first it was a little strange to have voices change as the narrator interjects in the middle of dialog (for example statements like "he said"), but once I got used to it I found the cast gave an added depth to the characters.

• Circle of Magic (1) - (Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, Briar's Book). I don't know if it is because this was the first set we listened to, but I think it is my favorite of all the ones I've read/listened to. I really enjoy the interplay of the four main characters (and also their 4 mentors) - preteen orphans with completely different backgrounds and characters who are forced together and must learn to depend on each other in a number of difficult situations. It was also cool to have each book told from the perspective of one of these children.
  

• Circle of Magic (2) - The Circle Opens - (Magic Steps, Street Magic, Cold Fire, Shatterglass). These books take up a couple of years after the first series. Each book follows one character and his mentor as they are traveling. I missed the interactions with the other main characters from the first series. I also did not enjoy the conflicts in these books as much. They are a bit closer to crime/mystery than any of the other books, with the bad guys all some sort of deranged/troubled person(s). I guess I don't like reading about deranged criminals, even in juvenile fiction (and the guy in Cold Fire especially was a little messed up).
  

• Tortal (1) - The Song of the Lioness - (Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, Woman Who Rides Like a Man, The Lioness Rampant). This is the first book in a series that takes place in a medieval-like kingdom (in a world of magic, and Gods). Alanna is set on becoming a knight, something out of the question for a girl in Tortal. So she pulls a little switch with her twin brother and takes his place in training, dressed up as a boy. She must prove to herself (and to those who must inevitably find out she's a girl), that she is worthy of the training, and of becoming a knight. It sounds contrived but again, I found this series very entertaining. Interesting characters, engaging plot - much fun.
  

• Tortal (2) - The Immortals - (Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, Emperor Mage, Realms of the Gods). This is the third installment in the Tortal set of series - it takes place just a little after the first 2 series, and has characters from the first ones, but these are not the primary characters. It follows a girl who has "wild magic" which allows her to communicate with animals. I enjoyed the first 3 books, but found the 4th a poor conclusion.

• Tortal (3) - The Protector of the Small - (First Test, Page, Squire, Lady Knight) . Haven't listened to this one yet, but I will sometime :-) - hopefully it won't be too similar to the first Tortal series.

Orphans of Chaos, by John C. Wright

I found this book due to a post at fantasybookspot.com (read their review here). I thought with a rating of 9 that it might be worth reading.

I found the premise interesting (once I knew enough to know what it was - we only discover things as the main protagonist discovers them). The pacing was a little slow all through the book - not much seems to happen the entire time (though that could be because I am so used to reading YA fiction :-)). Things jump around a bit at the beginning and it did take me a while to get my head into things - once the story got going, however, I found myself enjoying the characters and their approach to their problems.

There is a lot of fairly in depth mythology, physics/math and philosophy - which I found interesting, though I admit much of it went right over my head. I'm not sure who his target audience is - the book is sized and covered like a lot of YA fiction, and the protagonist is a teenage girl, but the mythology, religion and physics is pretty hefty stuff.

I enjoyed the world that the author has created, with its different paradigms of reality and how the characters' powers arise from these differences. I like the mythological aspect of many of its characters - I've always liked Greek/Roman and Celtic mythology, and there's plenty there to satisfy. It was, however, a little confusing that every character seemed to have at least 2 names, and many had more - some of them I was familiar with, like Mars, but some I wasn't (for example I did not know that Mavors was another name for Mars or that Cyprian was another name for Aphrodite). The book could have benefited with one of those cast of characters at the back, listing all the names of each character!

Orphans of Chaos is not your stereotypical fantasy book - though there are definitely elements of it there (the orphaned teens who slowly discover they are not who they have been told they are ... and it turns out that they are far from ordinary and have a pivotal role in the fate of the cosmos). However, the style in which it is written seems more like a lot of the harder science fiction I have read, with bits of science, philosophy and mythology all mixed in together - a satisfying milieu!

To finalize a rather scattered review ... despite the slow beginning, I enjoyed this book! Much more by the end than I thought I would by the middle :-). We'll see how the rest of the trilogy develops (Fugitives of Chaos, and Titans of Chaos - both are already available). Maybe with all the introduction out of the way things will proceed more apace.