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• The Sword Falls – by A.J. Smith (5/01)
A man of the Dawn Claw will be the Always King. It will ever be so. They will always rule… but they will not always lead.
Prince Oliver Dawn Claw, heir to the Kingdom of the Four Claws, is thrust into a world he doesn't understand as he waits for his father to die. Away from home, with few allies, and too many enemies, he faces a new and otherworldly threat to the Eastron from beneath the sea. Alliances break and masks fall, as the Dark Brethren reveal their true master.
Meanwhile, Adeline Brand, called the Alpha Wolf, refuses to wait, and becomes the edge of the sword that swings back at the Dreaming God. Assembling allies and crushing resistance, she enters a fight she doesn't know if she can win, as the sea begins to rise.
• Shadow of the Gods – by John Gwynne (5/04)
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið.
Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave—or desperate—enough to seek them out.
Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods . . .
• Within Without – by Jeff Noon (5/11)
In the year 1960, rock and roll star Vince Craven hires private eye John Nyquist in his strangest case yet: to track down Vince's image, long lost in a city of million borders.
• The Apocalypse Seven – by Gene Doucette (5/25)
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whatever.
The whateverpocalypse. That's what Touré, a twenty-something Cambridge coder, calls it after waking up one morning to find himself seemingly the only person left in the city. Once he finds Robbie and Carol, two equally disoriented Harvard freshmen, he realizes he isn't alone, but the name sticks: Whateverpocalypse. But it doesn't explain where everyone went. It doesn't explain how the city became overgrown with vegetation in the space of a night. Or how wild animals with no fear of humans came to roam the streets.
Add freakish weather to the mix, swings of temperature that spawn tornadoes one minute and snowstorms the next, and it seems things can't get much weirder. Yet even as a handful of new survivors appear—Paul, a preacher as quick with a gun as a Bible verse; Win, a young professional with a horse; Bethany, a thirteen-year-old juvenile delinquent; and Ananda, an MIT astrophysics adjunct—life in Cambridge, Massachusetts gets stranger and stranger.
The self-styled Apocalypse Seven are tired of questions with no answers. Tired of being hunted by things seen and unseen. Now, armed with curiosity, desperation, a shotgun, and a bow, they become the hunters. And that's when things truly get weird.
• The Lights of Prague – by Nicole Jarvis (5/25)
I got granted this one just a couple days ago, requesting it after reading Rebecca's review on Powder & Page.
In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters – a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerová– a widow with secrets of her own.
When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady – a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle – he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o'-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travelers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners.
After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavice that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain.
• Project Hail Mary – by Andy Weir (5/04)
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission – and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.
Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crew mates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realises that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
• Son of the Storm – by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (5/11)
In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—only he doesn't want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city's immigrants are sworn to secrecy.
But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn't exist, he's put on a collision course with Bassa's darkest secrets. Drawn into the city's hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.
• Hard Reboot – by Django Wexler (5/25)
Kas is a junior researcher on a fact-finding mission to old Earth. But when a con-artist tricks her into wagering a large sum of money belonging to her university on the outcome of a manned robot arena battle she becomes drawn into the seedy underworld of old Earth politics and state-sponsored battle-droid prizefights.
Is it time to get back to the books, yet?
• The Blacktongue Thief – by Christoper Buehlman (5/27)
Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.
But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.
Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.
Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva's. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.
• The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn – by Tyler Whitesides
Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief. Rakish, ambitious, and master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.
When a priest hires him for the most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he'll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers, and thieves, he sets out to steal from the most powerful king the realm has ever known.
But it soon becomes clear there's more at stake than fame and glory—Ard and his team might just be the last hope for human civilization.
• The Body Library – by Jeff Noon
In a city dissolving into an infected sprawl of ideas, where words come to life and reality is contaminated by stories, John Nyquist wakes up in a room with a dead body… The dead man's impossible whispers plunge him into a murder investigation like no other. Clues point him deeper into an unfolding story infesting its participants as reality blurs between place and genre.
Only one man can hope to put it all back together into some kind of order, enough that lives can be saved… That man is Nyquist, and he is lost.
• The Traitor God – by Cameron Johnson
After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magician Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the sorcerers who rule the city. He failed. Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer. Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods—Walker will burn them all if he has to. After all, it wouldn't be the first time he's killed a god…
I gave it a once-over but couldn't find anything I was interested in releasing this month. Now, there'll probably be some album releasing that I missed, and there will doubtless be singles dropping, but for the moment I'll just share a couple of my favorite singles from April.
Both are from Europe, I think. Smash into Pieces is Swedish. I'm not sure where Cosmodrome is from, but they speak English in what sounds like a Slavic tongue so… Russian? Lithuanian? They actually have a single out on May 1st, so I'll probably feature it sometime next week assuming it's any good.
A brand new Starset single came out while I was editing this piece. It's a good song (not their best, but), a bit of a callback to Vessels. Not Transmissions level good, but not bad by any rate.
• A Necessary Evil – by Abir Mukherjee
The second Sam Wyndham mystery returns to 1920's India, a land full of different religions, ethnicities and beliefs all thrown together and tucked under British Rule. Fresh off ruining his chances with Annie, Sam of course can't get her out of his head. Meanwhile, the murder of a Maharajah's heir pulls Sam and Banerjee out of Kolkata and north into the jungles of the Indian subcontinent. Here, in a somewhat autonomous kingdom, conspiracy and tension abound, and Wyndham and Banerjee must unravel the mystery before they become mere footnotes in yet another murder.
So far I'm quite enjoying my return to Colonial India. Hopefully the series'll continue to deliver!
• Voidbreaker – by David Dalglish
The conclusion to the Keepers trilogy finds all the threads come together at the most uncertain time. Though Adria and Devin have always lived for each other, Adria's changing nature and Devin's standing in the Order is straining their bond. And will her latest actions bring the two closer or tear them apart? And as the lines continue to blur, just whose side is each on?
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a narrative-adventure game developed by Dim Bulb Games and Serenity Forge. Set in mid-20th century America, it finds a rough luck drifter stuck with a debt to some supernatural being. As the game's lead protagonist, you're tasked with collecting stories of the people that roam the land. Myths and legends come from somewhere, and over the course of the 15-30 hours you spend in the world, you'll see how these tales originate and how they evolve through the telling. It's an interesting premise and employs a few intriguing mechanics that I'd like to dig further into at a later time. I'm only about 5 hours in right now and… it's fun so far. It's keeping my attention, mostly. The travel mechanic seriously needs an overhaul, and it seems like there's not enough consequence to one's actions (or it doesn't feel like it), but the gameplay is fun and interesting, and collecting all the stories and seeing how they evolve is becoming somewhat addictive.
Got my second vaccine recently, and life came to a standstill while I got over the mini-COVID burst it instilled. Montana is one of the leading states in the nation in vaccine availability—due in large part to the number of anti-vaxers, deniers, anti-government types and COVID hoax people. Most places that have the vaccine here have started offering door prizes, gift cards, or other incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated. Furthermore, there's be a marked rise in those that got their first dose only to skip their second. I understand their hesitation (I mean, I understand the hesitation to get something that has been largely untested on a large populace and may or may not have long-term side effects that haven't manifested yet), but COVID and its recent strains are quite frankly terrifying. I've lived here long enough that I kinda even get some people's hesitance to trust the government (to a degree), or accept the official story to anything.
Montana is roughly the size 380,000 sq. kilometers, which makes it slightly bigger than Japan or Germany. But where those other nations have 125 and 83 million people, respectively, we're sitting at just over a million. Big, wide open spaces. Lots of undeveloped land, pasture, and forest. Small communities, spread out; between 15-20 towns of more than 5,000 people, 7 over 10k, and only 1 at around 100,000. People here spent the first half of 2020 hearing about the deadly pandemic without really seeing any effect of it. Some people here have a… unique mindset. Not everyone, mind. But especially those in rural communities, hundreds of miles from any town pushing 5,000, might go the entire year without getting COVID or meeting someone who had. Most towns here don't have a police station, a hospital, or a fire station. They really on their own resources with help from their neighbors. The government doesn't really play into day-today life. And so when the government came out telling people to beware the deadly deadly virus, most people didn't take notice. Because they didn't see it.
I live on the outskirts of one of the most liberal cities in my state. Missoula is a college town pushing about 80k. Most folks around here are better at masking, distancing, getting the vaccine, and usually vote blue. The rest of the state… not so much. Ever since these things became political we were doomed. I'm not really political. Half my friends bleed red and the other bleed blue. This last year divided everyone terribly. With the vaccine being deployed a bunch of us thought maybe those tensions could dial down a bit—but… nope, apparently not. Oh well.
Sorry that turned into a bit of a geography lesson but… "the more you know", right?
Tagged 2021, ARC, Book Loot, Books, Currently Reading, Gaming, Life, Music23 Comments
Murder By Other Means – by John Scalzi (Review)
The Dispatcher #2
Scifi, Mystery
Subterranean Press; April 30, 2021
3hr 33m (audio)
Goodreads • Author Website
3.5 / 5 ✪
I was kindly provided with a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters or affects my opinion. Many thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
Times are tough. Even as a dispatcher, Tony Valdez is forced into taking some gigs he otherwise might not have. Jobs in a legal grey area. After one of these, Tony takes his earnings to the bank, only to get himself embroiled in a robbery. A robbery involving a person Tony is quite familiar with—a dispatcher, like himself.
But it's only when the robbery goes wrong that this peculiar fact is brought to light. When the dispatcher dies—he doesn't come back.
It's only then that Tony finds out that this particular death may not be so peculiar after all. In fact, several dispatchers have died recently. Died and stayed dead. And for reasons neither Tony nor anyone else seems aware of, he may soon join them. But how do you kill someone when 999 out of 1000 people murdered are magically restored to life? The answer is to murder them… by other means.
The second Dispatcher novella, John Scalzi returns us to a world without murder. A recession has infected this dystopia, and Dispatchers aren't the only ones struggling to get by. Tony Valdez plays lead fiddle in this once again, with some few returning characters from the first entry. Again the text is dialogue heavy, but this doesn't flow quite as well as the first one did. The story isn't quite as immersive, nor does it seem as polished as it did the first time around. In fact, it seems a little like a rush-job. The premise itself is still a good one, however. And given this interesting world to explore—especially how one goes about murdering someone without actually doing the murdering—even a less polished product will do.
The detective story itself, ironically, I found better than the first. There was more suspense and intrigue, as opposed to the first where I called the ending inside the first half hour. This time I hadn't a clue what was going on until at least the halfway mark, which made it all the more interesting. It was the back and forth with Detective Langdon that ruined it for me. In fact, I didn't like either of their characters as much this time around. Tony acts a bit too much of a little-goody-two-boots, despite his less-than-legal behavior throughout much of the books. I found it more than a bit hypocritical.
Now, it's still a good story, still a good read, still a good time—I just didn't like it as much as the original. As far as whether I'd recommend it… mostly, yeah? The Subterranean Press copy is quite nice, but I don't think it's worth $40. The ebook version comes in at $6 (or £4.35) which is much better. The audiobook is free on Audible—and it's hard to beat free.
Tagged 2021, ARC, Book Review, Dystopian, John Scalzi, Novella, Scifi2 Comments
The Alien Stars: And Other Novellas – by Tim Pratt (Review)
Axiom Universe
Scifi, Novellas
Watkins Publishing; April 27, 2021
I was kindly provided with a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters or affects my opinion. Many thanks to Angry Robot and Watkins Media for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
Fresh off my first Pratt novel Doors of Sleep, I decided to give his Axiom universe a go. This omnibus collects three novellas all set in said universe, and presents a debatably good intro to the series itself. Or does it?
The Augmented Stars
Delilah Mears joins the crew of the Golden Spider, a scout vessel on a hush-hush mission out onto the fringes of known space. To her, the Axiom are nothing more than a myth: a race of pseudo-Reapers that haunt the galaxy, laying waste to any civilization they come across. So when it turns out that the mission itself is to investigate a cosmic anomaly—one that may or may not be an Axiom death trap—she's caught a bit off guard. But upon setting out, the mission parameters aren't the only surprise in store for Mears. Space pirates, rogue A.I.s, and myths come to life feature in this action-packed novella.
…which was generally interesting—and served as a good intro to the Axiom universe, even though I'm told it contains spoilers for the books. The novella starts off on the right foot; an adventure to the edge of space, a mysterious captain with quite a sense of humor, an interesting new galaxy to explore. From here, we go to the equally mysterious anomaly, get boarded by space pirates—enough to tie off any adventure nicely. The ending was a bit of a letdown, and I do think Pratt could've drawn out the suspense (and length of the novella) a bit more, but all in all it was an enjoyable adventure told in a bite-size portion.
The Artificial Stars
A.I. and Trans-Neptunian Alliance President Shall receives a strange message from a past version of himself that he thought had been re-absorbed into his consciousness and destroyed. The request: come to the edge of the universe to see something important—if he doesn't, the universe will be destroyed. So Shall convenes his cabinet to decide how to handle the threat before ultimately setting out to meet it.
I just could never take this one seriously. From the outset, it runs like a cheesy scifi series one-off. An AI splits his personality and it eventually gets away from him and decides that it is the real consciousness and he the copy, so we get the gang together and set out on a harebrained adventure to stop it. But first, the presidential cabinet rehashes some of their past adventures together, like a full-on knockoff of the A-Team. From there everything carries on predictably. This is something that fans of the series will ultimately probably enjoy, but I found it ridiculous, cheesy, and stupid.
The Alien Stars
Lantern, an important figure among the aliens known as "the Free" or "the Liars", recounts a harrowing personal journey she undertook to confront her ghosts from her past, nightmares from the present, and specters that only the future could hold. The story is told via a number of letters sent to her star-crossed love and human friend, as she goes up against a threat to the galaxy—one that she is uniquely designed to fight, one that she fully expects to claim her life.
It's actually quite touching, this one. Again, I felt like Pratt could've really drawn it out a bit more: heightened the tension, atmosphere, mystery—and that the story would've been better for it. As it is, the Alien Stars reads reasonably well, and ends much better than either of the others before it, but not before tugging a bit on the heartstrings on the way out. This one I found had the slowest build, but ultimately the best conclusion.
4.25 / 5 ✪
All in all, I would like to reassess my previous statement that this omnibus would be a good jumping-off point for the Axiom universe. The novellas all contain spoilers for the main series, so it's probably not a good place to start if you think you'd like to read the Axiom trilogy. Also, while there's a bit of hand-holding, this is more the type of thing that existing fans will enjoy more than newcomers. But for a newcomer like myself: one decent read, one good read, and one dud. I suppose it'd not bad, but if you're really interested you should probably start with the Wrong Stars.
Tagged 2021, AI, Aliens, Angry Robot, ARC, Book Review, Novella, Omnibus, Scifi, Space Opera, Spaceships7 Comments
Fugitive Telemetry – by Martha Wells (Review)
Murderbot Diaries #6
Scifi, Novella
Tor.com; April 27, 2021
I was kindly provided with a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters or affects my opinion. Many thanks to Tor, Tor.com & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
Warning: Contains spoilers for Murderbot Diaries #1-5
Fresh off Murderbot's first full-length novel, Fugitive Telemetry returns to the novella format which takes place prior to the events of Network Effect, but after those of Exit Strategy. So just forget about all the things you've probably forgot about already and let's get started.
When a dead human is left in the middle of one of the main corridors of Preservation, it's up to Murderbot to find the culprit before they kill again. Or, you know, before more humans whine to it.
The first question: did Murderbot kill the human?
No, it didn't. And if it did, it wouldn't leave the dead human out in the open.
But—in a shocking twist—since Murderbot has the most experience with dead humans, it is tasked with helping the port authorities discover the real killer before they kill again.
I'd forgotten how much I missed this. It's really hard to remember just what the first couple novellas really excelled at (as they both presented a likable, antisocial non-human, yet oh-so human lead) when there's been no letdown. All the novellas were good, as was the feature-length novel. But Fugitive Telemetry exceeds all expectations. Here is a Murderbot in its native habitat—solving a mystery with some would-be allies who don't trust it, stalking a shadowy killer before they strike again.
It gives the same vibe as All Systems Red or Artificial Condition—the first few novellas, back when it was still a Rogue SecUnit surrounded by enemies—but with more pert and polish to the writing, the story. For who could be the murderer? It could be anyone: GrayCris, come to finish the job; another rogue SecUnit, come to meet the legend; random humans, serial killers, aliens—it could literally be anyone. Except Murderbot. At least… it doesn't THINK it did it, but how would it know? It's named MURDERbot, after all. And if its human "allies" were to learn this, they'd probably suspect it to. And so it has to find the killer so it can go back to watching media in peace, without being interrupted for every dead human that turns up.
The last thing that I'm going to mention is Murderbot's character arc. It went on quite the progression through the original four diary entries. From a nameless, faceless AI soldier to a rogue and killer. Then to a would-be savior, a freedom fighter, a mercenary, a consultant, then finally a trusted friend. Network Effect rather missed out on adding to this arc. Now, there's some progression there, sure, but there's almost as much regression. Fugitive Telemetry—set before the events of Network Effect—continues the original character arc, presenting a character more reminiscent of what appears in the later novel. And, as much as I'd like to know what happens after the events of the novel itself, I think Murderbot still has a bit more to tell before we come to that.
And yet, there's an problem. I have one problem with Fugitive Telemetry. ONE. The price is ridiculous. $12 ebook, $18 physical for a 170 page novella is just stupid, no matter how good it is. Ebook prices being what they are… it's not the time or place to get into this. Sufficient to say that $12 is too much for an ebook, a novella—even one as outstanding as this.
Tagged 2021, AI, ARC, Book Review, Martha Wells, Murderbot, Novella, Scifi, Space Opera, Spaceships9 Comments
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within – by Becky Chambers
April 18, 2021 April 4, 2021 by Will
The Wayfarers #4
Scifi, Space Opera
Harper Voyager; April 20, 2021 (US)
Hodder & Stoughton; February 18, 2021 (UK)
I was kindly provided with a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters or affects my opinion. Many thanks to HarperCollins, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
Note: In an odd turn, I was granted TWO review copies of this, one by each publisher. Um, can't complain. Therefore, two reviews. They say the same thing, just published two months apart. I'm not trying to capitalize twice on this, I just wasn't sure how exactly to handle it.
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the fourth and final book in the Wayfarers series, a collection of semi-related novels all taking place in the same universe. One of my favorite all-time series, the Wayfarers teaches hope, love and acceptance, while still managing to relate to everyday life, despite the fact that it's set hundreds of years in the future.
I fully expect that Becky Chambers was sitting around during the pandemic, relaxing and pondering new projects, when some of her friends called her up or messaged her with "the world NEEDS more Wayfarers". Enter the Galaxy, and the Ground Within [hereby known as simply The Ground Within].
Gora once lived an nondescript existence. The only planet orbiting an unremarkable star, it held no air, no water, no native life or valuable minerals. If not for a series of wormholes, it might not have gotten any attention whatsoever.
As a popular stopover on the intergalactic highway, Gora is a pseudo-truck stop. Here, at the Five-Hop One-Stop, long haul traders, travelers, and spacers alike can stretch their appendages, shake out their hair, and let their lamella breathe.
When a freak tech failure leads to Gora being locked down, interstellar traffic grinds to a halt, at least for the travelers stuck in the system. And specifically for five such spacers at the Five-Hop. Now these strangers (three travelers and the two hosts) must band together to survive—or at least to stave off boredom—or they will fall divided.
The Ground Within is a particularly remarkable book, as it predominantly features no humans, at least among the main cast. As such, I occasionally felt myself (my imagination, at least) come ungrounded as my mind boggled to accurately picture all the non-conforming life. Not that we're left completely in the dark. Among the main cast are a few species that you're likely familiar with, should you have read any of the other three books—not to mention one character in particular that has appeared in a previous book, albeit briefly.
The Ground Within is also remarkable as it doesn't so much feature an overarching plot, per say. I mean, there IS a plot, obviously, it's just not the typical space opera kind. Instead it's written in more of the Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet approach of "here's a subset of characters, here're their problems, let's put them in a room and hash everything out". Which it does, to varying degrees of success.
The main issue is that with no overarching force driving the story, it's prone to wander aimlessly. Which it does—or feels like it does—for a decent chunk of the book. I often found myself asking "where is this going?" only for the plot to resolve itself in an odd, often roundabout way, or by ditching one path and abruptly taking another, only to return later on. It's… Becky Chambers is good at this approach. Not to say that it's when she's at her best, but she can make it work. And does. There are bumps along the road, however. Once or twice I even considered giving it up, as nothing was happening and I couldn't see where we were heading. But in the end I stuck it out and was glad I did.
I teared up. Again. Four books and the author has caused me to tear up in each one. I guess that's as good a measure of success as any other. Although occasionally aimless and often wandering, The Ground Within delivers again. I know Chambers has said time and again that this is the last Wayfarers entry. But if there is one more in the future—maybe we'll have another lockdown or something—I would like to see it be more guided.
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within is the Wayfarers finale you didn't know you needed. I mean, you KNEW you NEEDED one, you just didn't know this was it. Possessed of an odd, often leisurely pace, the story seems to wander aimlessly throughout, in no hurry to reach any destination, and even with no concrete destination in mind. This is a particularly remarkable novel, for the reason that there are no humans amongst the main cast. But despite this, Becky Chambers manages to tell a full, amazing story that does not disappoint in the end. While not up to the level of #2 or 3, I cannot recommend The Galaxy, and the Ground Within enough as an emotional, thought-provoking read, combining messages of hope and acceptance. It provides a fitting resolution to the Wayfarers series, and one that I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did!
On Tap 4/14
The Flight of the Darkstar Dragon – by Benedict Patrick
Picked this one up via Patrick's Kickstarter last year, and finally found a minute to give it a try. As he has another Kickstarter launching for the Darkstar books (later this month), figured it was high time I give it a go. While I'm only 1/3 through, the plot combines fantasy and mystery with a lovely-rendered setting, and highly immersive story. I'm absolutely loving it thus far!
Min's first command out of the academy might just be her last. When a routine mission goes arwy, Min and her crew are deposited in a mysterious world with no idea how they got there or how they can escape. But they must survive the Darkstar first to have any hope of returning home. Oh, and there's a country-sized dragon waiting to eat them if they let their guard down.
The Alien Stars – by Tim Pratt
An ARC I completely forgot I had! Many thanks to the people over at Angry Robot for this one! A collection of three novellas set in the Axiom Universe, supposedly interconnected at that—I haven't read anything of Pratt besides the Doors of Sleep, but I liked that, so… here we are. One in and so far I needn't've worried. The plot was fairly straight forward, and an interesting read. Here's hoping the rest continue to impress!
A Necessary Evil – by Abir Mukherjee
The second Sam Wyndham mystery returns to Colonial India with the assassination of a Maharajah's son. The events surrounding the prince's death lead the Englishman and his deputy into a kingdom riven with internal conflict. Where they must find the murderer before the murderer finds them.
Just started this one, so I can't speak to how it is yet. But the narrator, Malk Williams, really brings the character of Wyndham to life!
Note: In reviewing the narrator's name for this, I discovered that apparently this is the last Wyndham novel with him as the voice of our hero which is a tremendous disappointment. While I know Simon Bubb is an excellent narrator as well, I be sad to see Williams go.
Tagged 2021, ARC, Currently Reading, On Tap, TBR4 Comments
The Glass Breaks – by A.J. Smith (Review)
Form & Void #1
Fantasy, Epic
Head of Zeus; March 19, 2018
Goodreads • Author Twitter
Chained to the rocks and left for the tide, Duncan Greenfire will either become a Sea Wolf—or he'll die trying. All that stands between the 17 year old and death is the realm of Void, and his ability to cross the Glass into it. But as powerful as Duncan is—it's a raw power, one that he can't always control. And after two days doing little more than trying to survive, he has little enough power left. But when the dawn comes, and Duncan is still alive, his initiation is complete. He is a Sea Wolf, now and forever.
It's been 167 years since the Sea Wolves and their Eastron kin sailed across the sea to take the Pure Lands by force. With an ability to step between the realms of Form and Void, their strength was unparalleled and the natives folded before their might. In the years since, their rule has become absolute. But the Eastron are now fractured: the People of Ice hide on their northern isles, the Kneeling Wolves sulk in the shadows of Big Brother, the Dark Brethren sit in regimented and orderly rows upon the Father, the Winterlords kneel to their Always King on the Isle of the Setting Sun, and the Sea Wolves who lounge on the Isle of Nibonay. None of these masters are terribly benevolent, least of which the Sea Wolves; they raid and slaughter the Pure Ones on a whim, cull their populace, seeing the natives as little more than beasts—and their Eastron kin as little better.
But as Duncan joins their ranks, he discovers the Sea Wolves may not be everything he's ever wished of them—a sentiment echoed by Duelist Adeline Brand. She and her brother Arthur are two of the most well-known and brutal Duelists of their clan, bathing in blood and booze in equal measure. And yet Adeline harbors doubts about the Sea Wolves, the same ones Duncan is currently confronting. These come to a head when the two are dispatched on separate secret missions for the clan: Duncan to the Isle of Nowhere, seat of the People of Ice; Adeline to the Bay of Bliss, on the other side of the Isle of Nibonay. But where Adeline unearths a threat that will surely mean the doom of her and all the other Eastron in the Pure Lands, Duncan uncovers a conspiracy that may yet save them all. For certain powers have known of this threat for generations, and have been working to stop it. But the question remains: will they succeed, or will the Sea Wolves and their kin be wiped from the world instead?
This took quite a turn from where I was expecting it. The Sea Wolves—as you probably might guess after reading my description—are not nice, friendly people. They are racist, genocidal monsters, who have "generously" allowed the Pure Ones to live on their ancestral lands, all while raiding, pillaging, and slaughtering them as they see fit. Or whenever they're bored. They do this through their marshal skill and ability to break the Glass, something the Pure Ones can't do. The Glass and the Realm of Void are an interesting if not wholly unique system of magic, where crossing over from Form to Void means essentially traversing the spirit world (one that more or less parallels the realm of Form) and either manipulating the spirits of the Void or harnessing their energy for their own.
It was a little refreshing to read a story from the villains' perspective, as the Sea Wolves are definitely it. Even if matters complicate and sympathies change over the course of the book, it cannot be said that the Sea Wolves aren't the bad guys. They definitely are. Or, well, one of them.
Another twist is that Duncan is kinda an ass. He's immature, willful, whiny, thickheaded, but mostly just annoying. Like, really, really annoying. But only about half the time. It's not that his chapters are necessarily awful to read, more that he constantly makes the dumbest choices. This really isn't much of a spoiler as he will do it early and often. So it's both really interesting as a plot device and really frustrating to watch him do it. It's the equivalent of trying to stop someone from jumping off a bridge by shooting them in the head—technically effective, but not in any circumstances acceptable behavior. He'll also constantly proclaim that he's a Sea Wolf. Seriously, all the damn time. At first I found this repetitive and unrealistic but then realized how realistic it actually was. Duncan's a young, immature boy that never had a childhood and only really craves his father's approval. Despite the fact that he hates the man. And all he's ever wanted was to be a Sea Wolf. But now that he is, it's not living up to his expectations. It doesn't feel real. He doesn't feel accepted. Plus, he doesn't feel worthy of it. So he continually asserts that he IS a Sea Wolf, on and on, because he's just a scared, lost kid who no one has ever shown any kindness. A scared, lost kid with too much power and no control over it.
Either that or I'm overthinking it and he's just a poorly developed character, suffering from a bad, repetitive style of writing.
While I had mixed feelings about Smith's other series—the Long War—one thing that's not up for debate is the world-building. Which was top notch. Similarly, Form & Void has a very well constructed world. Albeit one somewhat bereft of people. Though there are plenty of warriors (Pure Ones, Eastron, Sea Wolves, etc), there aren't a whole lot of common folk mentioned. I mean, I assume they're around, just we barely ever see them. Otherwise, the world itself, its history, its geography—is all amazing. No issue at all.
The story itself is pretty good as well. It's full of twists and turns, typically not following the path I expected (insomuch as the idiotic things Duncan does can be considered plot twists), though it did pretty much end like I'd've guessed. I absolutely no problem reading the book as Adeline and Duncan make a pretty good pair. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses—though Duncan's are far more weaknesses than strengths—and compliment one another rather well. You'll get sections of one or the other: four straight chapters from Duncan's POV, then the same from Adeline's (both in 1st person), and on and on.
The characters themselves are another reason to read the Glass Breaks. Other than Adeline and Duncan there are dozens of other well-developed characters, each with their own motivations and backstory. And they're all expendable, even the ones that you think are too important to die. All in all, it's a great start to the series, though one I'd like to see fine-tuned a bit for the sequel.
The Glass Breaks is the start of an interesting new fantasy series from the author of the Long War. Long ago, the Sea Wolves crossed the ocean and found a new home. Once there, they brutally subjugated the natives and have continued to raid and slaughter them for the next hundred and fifty years. Enter Duncan Greenfire and Adeline Brand, Sea Wolves of the Severed Hand. Each dispatched on their own secret mission, they discover conspiracies that will doom the Sea Wolves, but might also save them. The world-building and characters are the strongest aspect of the Glass Breaks, and though Duncan can be seriously annoying at times, his stupidity comes in handy through some twists I couldn't've seen coming. While there can be needless violence and somewhat repetitive internal monologues at times, there's also a tense, mysterious atmosphere and uncommon, interesting magic system. Combined with a good story and epic (though occasionally over-the-top) dramatic and action sequences, the Glass Breaks is a great series debut, one that I enjoyed far more than I thought I would. Recommended!
The Glass Breaks is also free on kindle unlimited, if that's your kind of thing. Form & Void continues with The Sword Falls, out May 1, 2020.
Tagged 2021, AJ Smith, Book Review, Epic, Fantasy, Pirates6 Comments
A Rising Man – by Abir Mukherjee (Review)
April 8, 2021 April 4, 2021 by Will
Sam Wyndham #1
Mystery, Historical Fiction
Pegasus Books; May 5, 2016
11hr 37m (audio)
Goodreads •
The year is 1919.
The Great War has ended. The British Empire spans the globe. Former Scotland Yard Detective Sam Wyndham has recently returned home from the continent to find the life he lived pre-war is at an end. All the friends he shipped out with are dead. As is his young wife, Sarah, to whom he was wed not two days before leaving for the war. With nowhere to turn, Sam soon finds himself in the gutter, addicted to the morphine they'd given him to dull the pain of his war wounds. After the morphine runs out, he turns to opium—a cheaper and more plentiful alternative.
A chance telegram saves Sam's life. A few months later, Sam Wyndham sets foot on the Indian subcontinent for the first time. His new life as a Captain in the Imperial Police Force in Bengal to begin on the second of April, one day after his arrival. A week later, the body of a senior official is found in the sewer, a note in his mouth warning of a potential insurrection among the natives.
So begins an investigation that will drag Wyndham all across Kolkata (Calcutta)—from the slums packed with native Indians to the upscale mansions of the British Elite, from seedy opium dens to the jungles of the rural countryside. A son of the empire and a native son rub elbows in the Imperial Police, while an intoxicating woman split between both worlds may yet steal his heart away. From natives to expats, Wyndham must choose his allies wisely, as there's no telling which allegiance they hold any more than whose pocket they may be in. The only certainty is that Wyndham must solve this murder and soon, before tensions between the Indians and the Empire boil over.
I stumbled upon A Rising Man while shopping for a Christmas present for my father. While I ultimately did not get him this, I ended up buying it for myself as it sounded so interesting. A historical mystery, A Rising Man does a pretty good job of transporting us to Colonial India—a melting pot of English "civility" and native "savagery". With Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Europeans, Indians, and more alike all forced together by the hands of capitalism, Colonial India feels like a caldera waiting to erupt. Abir Mukherjee does an incredible job capturing the atmosphere of the place: the tensions, the humidity, the jungle and predators and flies, the wealth and poverty all jammed together. It's quite good.
The mystery itself toes the line between fascinating and convoluted, with so enough twists and turns that kept me on my toes throughout. While everything is a bit thick and murky at the outset, the waters eventually cleared enough for me to get a handle on everything as the mystery progressed. While I did call one major reveal very early on, it actually took me quite some time to figure out whodunnit in time for the conclusion. The pacing was a bit stop-start, but I realize that's a tough ratio to hit, especially for a new author and in a debut series. While it's not a Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot calibre mystery, A Rising Man kept me easily entertained throughout, and guessing until the final page was turned.
One final note on A Rising Man is the issues it tackles. The story takes place at a global crossroads, where many historically rival cultures compete with one that is very heterogeneous, and used to having its own way. At the time it would've been one of the few places on earth with so many different cultures locked in a war against homogenization, as opposed to somewhere like Colonial America where everything seemed to just blend together (well, not everything, sadly). From bigotry to religious discrimination to who and whom its acceptable to love, the story is really set at a very interesting—if incredibly tense—time period. While it does an adequate job of addressing the tension between the English and Bengali people, I would like to see more of the region's minorities in ethnicity and religion in later books. Additionally, I really would've liked to have more of a look into the caste system at this time—which is only rarely mentioned, but never focused on.
A Rising Man combines historical fiction with a complex and engrossing mystery with twists and turns enough to have me guessing until the very end. Though Sam Wyndham isn't the greatest narrator, he does an adequate job of tackling both the investigation and the region's tensions. He's also a bit of git. But while you probably won't buy A Rising Man for the romance or action, the mystery itself is more than enough of a reason to. All combined with a one of a kind setting that finds opulent wealth rubbing shoulders with crippling poverty and a melting pot of cultures, religions, ideals, and ethnicities, makes A Rising Man a great read, and a mystery you won't want to put down until the last page is turned.
The Sam Wyndham series continues with A Necessary Evil, out since 2017. I can't wait to continue this series!
Tagged 2021, Book Review, Books, Historical Fiction, Mystery, TBR10 Comments
Instinct – by Jason M. Hough (Review)
Skybound Books; April 6, 2021
2 / 5 ✪
I was kindly provided with a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters or affects my opinion. Many thanks to Skybound Books and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
Welcome to Silvertown, Washington, population 602.
Actually no, scratch that.
I honestly have no idea who wrote the official blurb. Clearly, they didn't read the book.
Officer Mary Whittaker is the town's latest resident, and was the 666th resident when she moved two months back. A few of the more superstitious townsfolk still avoid her on the street and cast dirty looks as they mutter behind her back. Most didn't take the omen at face value.
But perhaps they should've.
As the population of Silvertown begins to decline.
The story begins with a funeral. Johnny Rogers, a certified homebody falls to his death after a spontaneous midnight hike. A few weeks later, a hiker terrified of animals dies after trying to hug a bear. Then a helicopter parent ditches her toddlers to have lunch with a complete stranger.
From there, things… just get weirder. It seems as if many of the townsfolk—Mary included—have lost their survival instincts. But as Whittaker continues to dig into the investigation, a conspiracy begins to take form. One that threatens not only Silvertown, but the world itself. And it's up to Mary to stop it.
Wow. So this one was… quite something.
Up to the 2/3 mark, I was quite invested. Instinct contains a fairly interesting mystery, with a slow build that had me wrapt up through the first big reveal. The revelation that the townsfolk were losing their instincts due to something unknown was an interesting turn, if a bit confusing. The tense and mysterious atmosphere that permeates the text through its 75% mark is nothing short of masterful, and provided me with more than enough reason to keep going even after things got a little… weird.
The main issues start around the halfway mark. Let's begin with the first big reveal. It was too revealing. It was so obvious who was behind the conspiracy that I knew inside of the first few chapters. So when the curtain is pulled back late in the story—well, mind-blowing it was not.
My second issue was with the setting. A small and isolated town in the mountains is a picture perfect backdrop for a grassroots conspiracy, but it has to actually feel like a small, mountain town in Washington. And to me it didn't. Now the author lives in Seattle. And I'm not sure he did enough research on the setting before he dove right in. Early on, there's a hiker that gets mauled by a bear. Now that's definitely strange, yeah, as bears are usually more afraid of you than you are of them. And they point this out. But mostly they focus on "What was the bear even doing here?" Bears are all over the Pacific Northwest. For one to turn up on the outskirts of a small, rural, mountain town is hardly new. But this is a big clue, apparently. And gets revisited more than once. Our town has one main street. And six-hundred odd people. Which is pointed out. But then a lone car leaves the middle of town, the townsfolk lose sight of it before it reaches the end. A majority of the tale involves roughly two dozen people, with the rest of the community conspicuously absent. In the beginning Silvertown is billed as "one of those towns where everyone knows everyone", but by the end 95% of the townsfolk remain AWOL.
Speaking of the end, you know how in some stories there's a lot of jumping from one outlandish conclusion to the next, only for our heroine to hatch an insane plan that probably shouldn't work but somehow does, and then pass out only to wake up and have everything be magically solved for them. They're patted on the back, good guys win, life back to normal. It's done all the time. And I'm sick of it. It's convenient, sure, but lame. Now, I'm not saying that Instinct does this, but if it did, it probably would've soured me on the whole ending.
The real problem with Instinct is its consistency. Now, it was pretty consistent in the first half. The second half less so. As the plot makes the turn for home however, it really goes to pieces. Previously held rules about the conspiracy are broken. It's going to be hard to get into this with no spoilers, but I'll give it a shot.
Let's say we have a Coke. It can only be called a Soft drink so long as it has carbonation and sweetener. And it can only be called a Cola if it is a soft drink that has the proper flavorings. It can only be called a Coke if it is a cola that is made and distributed by the proper company (yes, I know these are generalizations—please bear with me). Now suppose all of these things were rules everyone adhered to. And that all the people of Silvertown prefer to drink Coke. Over everything. They'll drink other cola, but only if there's no Coke. They'll even drink other soft drinks, so long as there's neither any Coke or other colas around. Get it? Good, but in the latter half of Instinct, all we thought we knew about soda is thrown out the window. There's a chase scene. Our heroine snags an RC out of the mini-fridge despite the fact that there's a Coke right next to it. There's an angry mob. Armed with pitchforks and ginger ale, the citizens storm the town—ignoring the gigantic truck full of Coke parked by the side of the road. There's a celebration at the bar. Citizens raise mugs of beer in toast while their bottles of Coke go flat beside them.
Get the picture? While for the first half of Instinct everyone eschews Pepsi in favor of dying of thirst while in the second half people are eyeing Mr. Pib with intense longing. And in the back half people are even occasionally drinking water. The rules are forgotten, but in the end they're back, and no one seems to notice they'd been broken at all.
Instinct is a tense, atmospheric mystery that quietly transforms into an interesting and thought-provoking thriller that makes your head hurt as you try to wrap it around just what it is that's going on in Silvertown. At least, the first half is, anyway. Up to the 65% mark, I was pretty well invested in it. But wow did it ever go to pieces quick. Among the issues include an unrealistic setting, a strange pacing, a conspiracy that doesn't really work, a cheap and disappointing ending, and an instigator so diabolically and comically evil they might as well have horns. My biggest problem was with the consistency. Instinct works, until it doesn't. Until the rules are bent to make some of the more outlandish ideas work. Until the same rules are broken, and then reinstituted again like nothing happened. I asked for a Coke—and got a dozen raw eggs. Better in some ways, but not in others.
Tagged 2021, ARC, Book Review, Jason M. Hough, Mystery, Thriller12 Comments
Well, Spring is here! It might even stop snowing soon. April kicks off a decently busy couple of months reading-wise; not a ton of ARCs to get through this month, but I've a little prep reading for things that release next month, and then four books that drop between April 27th and May 4th.
Instinct – by Jason M. Hough (4 • 06)
Welcome to Silvertown, Washington. Population 602 (for now).
Despite its small size, the small mountain town is home to more conspiracy theories than any other place in America. Officer Mary Whittaker is slowly acclimating to the daily weirdness of life here, but when the chief of police takes a leave of absence, she is left alone to confront a series of abnormal incidents–strange even by Silvertown standards.
An "indoor kid" who abhors nature dies on a random midnight walkabout with no explanation.
A hiker is found dead on a trail, smiling serenely after being mauled by a bear.
A woman known for being a helicopter parent abandons her toddler twins without a second thought.
It's almost as if the townsfolk are losing their survival instinct, one by one…
As Whittaker digs deeper into her investigation, she uncovers a larger conspiracy with more twists and turns than a mountain road, and danger around every corner. To save Silvertown, she must distinguish the truth from paranoia-fueled lies before she ends up losing her own instincts…and her life!
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within – by Becky Chambers (4 • 20)
Well, I don't have the US cover here (because I prefer the UK one), and I realize this has already come out in the UK, but this return to the Wayfarers universe comes out in the US this month, so here it is. I was actually provided copies of this by both Harper Voyager and Hodder & Stoughton, so prepare for a second review of this around the 20th. It maaay look quite familiar, actually.
With no water, no air, and no native life, the planet Gora is unremarkable. The only thing it has going for it is a chance proximity to more popular worlds, making it a decent stopover for ships traveling between the wormholes that keep the Galactic Commons connected. If deep space is a highway, Gora is just your average truck stop.
At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.
When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they've been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.
Fugitive Telemetry – by Martha Wells (4 • 27)
When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)
Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!
Murder By Other Means – by John Scalzi (4 • 30)
This second entry in the Dispatcher series is already out in audio, but is getting its own lovely release in physical and ebook formats from Subterranean Press.
Welcome to the new world, in which murder is all but a thing of the past. Because when someone kills you, 999 times out of 1,000, you instantly come back to life. In this world, there are dispatchers—licensed killers who step in when you're at risk of a natural or unintentional death. They kill you—so you can live.
Tony Valdez is used to working his job as a dispatcher within the rules of the law and the state. But times are tough, and more and more Tony finds himself riding the line between what's legal and what will pay his bills. After one of these shady gigs and after being a witness to a crime gone horribly wrong, Tony discovers that people around him are dying, for reasons that make no sense…and which just may implicate him.
Tony is out of time: to solve the mystery of these deaths, to keep others from dying, and to keep himself from being a victim of what looks like murder, by other means.
The Girl and the Mountain – by Mark Lawrence (4 • 13)
The second Book of the Ice, even though I haven't read the first one, I'm still excited about the release of #2.
On the planet Abeth there is only the ice. And the Black Rock.
For generations the priests of the Black Rock have reached out from their mountain to steer the fate of the ice tribes. With their Hidden God, their magic and their iron, the priests' rule has never been questioned. But when ice triber Yaz challenged their authority, she was torn away from the only life she had ever known, and forced to find a new path for herself.
Yaz has lost her friends and found her enemies. She has a mountain to climb, and even if she can break the Hidden God's power, her dream of a green world lies impossibly far to the south, across a vast emptiness of ice. Before the journey can even start, she has to find out what happened to the ones she loves and save those that can be saved.
Abeth holds its secrets close, but the stars shine brighter for Yaz and she means to unlock the truth.
Way of the Argosi – by Sebastien de Castell (4 • 15)
I'm quite excited about this prequel to the Spellslinger series, and will have to read it once it gets a US debut. That said, I absolutely LOVE the Hot Key Book covers.
Stealing, swindling, and gambling with her own life just to survive, Ferius will risk anything to avenge herself on the zealous young mage who haunts her every waking hour.
But then she meets the incomparable Durral Brown, a wandering philosopher gifted in the arts of violence who instead overcomes his opponents with shrewdness and compassion. Does this charismatic and infuriating man hold the key to defeating her enemies, or will he lead her down a path that will destroy her very soul?
Through this outstanding tale of swashbuckling action, magical intrigue, and dazzling wit, follow Ferius along the Way of the Argosi and enter a world of magic and mystery unlike any other.
The Queen of Izmoroz – by Jon Skovron (4 • 20)
Though I only made it through a quarter of Book #1 of the Goddess War, I'm still somewhat interested in this. I'd have to… well, not "read" it, so much as "skim" it to catch up in time for Izmoroz.
Sonya has brought a foreign army to free her country from imperial rule, but her allies may have other goals in the second book of this thrilling epic fantasy trilogy from Jon Skovron.
The first battle is over, but war yet looms on the horizon. Sonya and her allies–the foreign Uaine and their armies of the undead–have beaten back the imperial soldiers from the capital city. Now they have the rest of the country to free.
Meanwhile, her brother the famed wizard Sebastian has retreated with the imperial forces to regroup and lick his wounds. Betrayed by his sister and his wife, the beautiful noblewoman Galina, he will regain control of his life and his country at any cost.
Vultures Die Alone – Arion (4 • 09)
Again, while I'm sure I'll find other music I love this month, Arion is the only band I recognize with an album out. This power metal band has a more melodic style and almost no death growls compared to so many of their Finnish metal compatriots. So glad that they made it through 2020 without disbanding.
The Glass Breaks – by A.J. Smith
Seventeen-year-old Duncan Greenfire is alive. Three hours ago, he was chained to the rocks and submerged as the incoming tide washed over his head. Now the waters are receding and Duncan's continued survival has completed his initiation as a Sea Wolf. It is the 167th year of the Dark Age, 167 years since the Sea Wolves and their Eastron kin arrived from across the sea. The Sea Wolves and Eastrons can break the glass and step into the void, slipping from the real world and reappearing wherever they wish. Wielding their power, they conquered the native Pure Ones and established their own Kingdom. Walking between the worlds of Form and Void, the Sea Wolves glorify in piracy and slaughter. Their rule is absolute, but young Duncan Greenfire will discover a conspiracy to end their dominion, a conspiracy to shatter the glass that separates the worlds of Form and Void and unleash a primeval chaos across the world.
So after the second half of March ended with me reading nothing for two weeks only to finish two books in the last three days, we're taking things a little more slowly to start April. Only reading the one book, and my third by A.J. Smith: the Glass Breaks. About halfway through and I have to say I'm enjoying it a lot more than I expected to given my struggles with his last series. Book #2—the Sword Falls—(which I thought was coming out last month) actually comes out on May 1st. I have this nasty habit of requesting the second book in a series I'm interested in before I read the first one, which uh… Well, here's hoping it pays off.
Even though I did manage to finish Hitman, March was pretty much a bust. I had so much trouble concentrating on ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. And so I ended up watching past streams of PUBG on Eurogamer. I then I was like "well, I got the game for free at some point, might as well try it". And… it's okay. I suck at FPS, especially multiplayer ones, but this one is… okay. I mean, I'm never completing it and I'm never going to get anywhere near half the achievements for it, but it is kinda entertaining me at the moment, which is the important bit.
Not playing much and not reading much at the moment. Not sleeping much, either. Which has been especially problematic with regards to the first two.
Been trying to recruit another person to help me out here during those periods I have no motivation. My sister didn't catch on, which was disappointing, but oh well. Should have another trial review here in a… well, sometime, which hopefully will work out better. My friend is incredibly skeptical and stubborn about the whole thing though, so I'm not holding my breath. She's always been really stubborn, though.
Spring has sprung here, and the weather continues to fluctuate wildly between sun and snow. Which it does a lot of in Montana, to be fair. We routinely get snow 10-11 months of the year. And the weather is a fickle thing, often changing on a dime. If nothing else, it's been a bit warmer when I have to work outside. Though not much.
Tagged 2021, ARC, Books, Currently Reading, Games, Gaming, TBR13 Comments


text:
Calcio Blog
A blog dedicated to italian football.
Napoli fans lack patience
Posted on April 29, 2019 by Nick
Napoli's fans are known to be a frustrated group, sick of almost's and what if's. For example, this past week, after a greatly performed 2-0 win against Frosinone to put Napoli eight points clear in 2nd place, Jose Callejon threw his shirt into the crowd at the final whistle only to have it launched right back at him by the Napoli ultras, signifying that they are continuing their protest against Napoli's owner, Antonio De Laurentiis.
The fans have stated their unhappiness with the way the club is being overseen by the owner, by hanging a banner in one of the biggest squares in Naples, basically stating that "Ancelotti is the latest chosen to take the fans for a ride with no real project".
The fans of the Partenopei are tired of coming close to winning trophies, as they demand a lot from their club and for good reason. Napoli are a side capable of winning trophies in Italy. Aside from their two Coppa Italia's in 2012 and 2014, respectively, they have not won anything worth mentioning since the Diego Maradona era.
However, things could be worse. Napoli have not missed European competition for quite some time, and they are known to be one of the best football clubs in Italy. Of course, it is a challenge for any team to compete with a team like Juventus in the transfer market, with the Old Lady being the main target for big footballing names to come and enjoy their playing career in a beautiful country like Italy.
The players and staff of the club feel the tension and pressure of the fans in Fuorigrotta. But there is a pattern with the fans and their managers. The fans loved Rafa Benitez at first, but he ended up leaving the club one year after winning a Coppa Italia with them because the fans seem to take their anger out on their manager once the team sees a dip in form. The same happened with Maurizio Sarri, aside from the trophy winning bit. Napoli's fans should be cautious with their attitude towards their club, because with some time and belief, Ancelotti can lead Napoli to great things.
Opinion and Ramblings on Sandro Tonali
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Following panels: 12, 13, 14, 15 will need to report at 10:30 a.m. to the Superior Court Jury Assembly Room on Wednesday April 24, 2019 as instructed by Judge Brantley and Jury Administration.
You will need to park in Jury Lot "A" or "B". Please show your jury summons to the parking attendant.
All other panels can resume your normal daily activities for Wednesday, April 24, 2019 but you will need to check the juror information or the website at 6p.m. on Wednesday.


One night's bed and breakfast, 2 course dinner, a choice of 1 x 25 minute treatments from: Superfood Pro Radiance Facial, Freestyle Deep Tissue Massage or Best Foot Forward, bottle of Prosecco, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
One night's bed and breakfast, 2 course dinner, a choice of 1 x 25 minute treatments from: Superfood Pro Radiance Facial, Freestyle Deep Tissue Massage, Best Foot Forward, File and Polish on hands and File and Polish on feet, bottle of Prosecco, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
One night's dinner, bed and breakfast, a choice of 1 x 25 minute treatment from: Superfood Pro Radiance Facial, Freestyle Deep Tissue Massage, Best Foot Forward, File and Polish on hands and File and Polish on feet, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
One night's bed and breakfast, 2 course dinner, a choice of 2 x 25 minute treatments from: Superfood Pro Radiance Facial, Freestyle Deep Tissue Massage, Best Foot Forward, File and Polish on hands and File and Polish on feet, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
Two nights' bed and breakfast, 2 course dinner on the first day, a choice of 1 x 55 minute treatments from: Biotec Prescribed Facial, ELEMIS Couture Touch, Superfood Pro Radiance Facial or Freestyle Deep Tissue Massage, Afternoon Tea, bottle of Prosecco, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
Includes a 55 minute Elemis Couture Touch Treatment, Cream Tea with glass of Prosecco, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
Includes an 85 minute Signature Treatment, a choice of 2 course lunch or Afternoon Tea, glass of Prosecco, robe, towel and slippers provided and full use of the facilities.
Craxton Wood Hotel is only a short drive from Chester racecourse.
Chester Cathedral, the Roman Amphitheatre, Chester Zoo, Ness Botanical Gardens, and the Blue Planet Aquarium are easily accessible from the venue.
The Craxton Wood Grill serves British classics with a twist.
Chester itself is a picturesque destination brimming with boutiques.
The venue is extremely welcoming to families, with the pool open to children from 9am-11am and 3pm-6pm, as well as the restaurant being flexible for little taste buds.
With many triple rooms present in the hotel, the venue is ideal for groups and hen parties, and the spa can accommodate for groups as large as 28 people.
This venue offers a range of spa and leisure treatments in a separate building to the accommodation, but is not a specialised spa.
Following a little pampering of their own, Vital Health and Wellbeing Club at Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel and Spa now combines both leisure and relaxation side by side. Their recent £1.4 million renovation has left the venue with a state of the art thermal suite which includes experience showers, a sauna, a steam room, 11 luxury treatment rooms and a gym.
In keeping with the Macdonald brand's pampering leitmotif, the Elemis, and Jessica product lines are put to optimum use in a range of therapies and beauty treatments. Following the 2014 refurbishment holistic services are now also available, such as acupuncture, Chinese cupping, and sports physio massages.
Close to the Roman town of Chester, Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel is ensconced in 27 acres of mature woodland and gardens, and within the construct of what remains a country house atmosphere, there are 72 rooms and suites including family rooms. The hotel's main restaurant is the Craxton Wood Grill, which serves British classics with a twist. For something a little lighter in a less formal atmosphere there is a cocktail bar and lounge complete with an outdoor terrace. Additionally, there is also the Vital Coffee Bar set within the parameters of the Vital Health and Wellbeing Club. Finally there is the Woodland Spa Café, allowing you to have your lunch in the comfort of your own dressing gown.
Only thing it is lacking is a jacuzzi. Also, one foot spa bath was not working, which isn't great when going as a couple.
First impressions of the spa was lovely, member of staff advised us on what to do and where to go. We had full use of all facilities which was fab. We did feel they was missing a jacuzzi but other than that it was very nice, just what we needed to relax.
Delighted to have relaxing time with 3 daughters. Slight mix up with afternoon tea dietary needs which was rectified in satisfactory way.
We enjoyed everything about our day at Craxton Wood. Will be definitely booking again.
After returning to this spa 5 years later, we were pleasantly surprised by the separate spa facilities (including separate changing rooms and two relaxation rooms). Our treatments were exceptional too- we left feeling like new women! Thank you!
The spa was the best bit of the weekend. Really enjoyed the treatment and then the saunas, stream room and pool for afterwards.
Lovely massage, the restaurant staff were extremely slow and actually rude. One staff member in particular was quite patronising when we asked for a slight change in menu.
I'd visited the spa 18 months ago and so knew what to expect. The facilities are a little tired and not everything is working - for eg one of the foot spas was still broken when I visited again this time. It's a shame there isn't a jacuzzi, but none of that would be enough to put me off going. Our visit this time though was very disappointing. The spa had accepted far too many bookings for that day which ruined the experience - along with the aqua zumba class that started up whilst several people were trying to quietly read by the pool. It felt busy, overstretched and staff were stressed. People were arriving and being put on a waiting list for robes. A real shame because whilst hopefully it was a one off during the busy Christmas period I'm not sure I'll take the risk again and will probably look elsewhere.
Spa was fantastic can't complain one bit. The only criticism we had was the food with our overall stay.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Spa day. Every member of staff went the extra mile to make our visit enjoyable. The only missing thing is a Jacuzzi!
Spa was beautiful, however we got told we had three treatments but only received two. Only other let down was that there was no hot tub in the spa.
Spa facilities are excellent, the best back massage my husband and I we have received. Beautiful and lovely atmosphere.
Delightful. Light lunch good. Therapists very nice & helpful.
The spa was clean and had good facilities. The massage was relaxing and we had good communication from the therapists about what was involved.
Rooms are very dated, lots of staining on carpets etc, and lack of privacy when curtains are open- normally not an issue, but they were so blackout having them shut took all the light out of the room. The food and spa made up for an otherwise rubbish stay.
On arrival to the hotel first views of the Craxton Wood Hotel was beautiful, the staff was very friendly. Our room was ready to go into as soon as we got there. As lunch wasn't included in the package we had lunch from the cocktail bar. We did feel for what we had was slightly over priced. Dinner was beautiful and reasonable. Breakfast was a buffet breakfast so had a lovely variety of cereals, pastries, fruit and toast. But we was disappointed in the main breakfast because this was a buffet and you could help yourself the bacon, sausage, mushrooms, beans and eggs were kept in metal tins to keep warm and didn't look or taste very nice, as we felt it was left over a period of time. When we sat down we was advised if we wanted to have scrambled egg, or poached egg we had to order but when we was ready to eat the main breakfast we had to wait, so it was cold before the egg was ready which was a real shame. I think if they had timed when you wanted your main breakfast to what egg you ordered, and maybe cooked all of this from fresh and not left in the mental tins would be much more inviting. As breakfast in the most important meal of day it would make you feel a lot better.
Had a really good stay at the hotel. Would definitely go back.
Good value for money, we were happy with everything included in the overall price. Unfortunately the room was dirty, old food and rubbish left on the floor, the room was noisy and the decor was quite dated. Other than the cleanliness the hotel was nice.
Excellent hotel and spa facilities 11 out of 10 our masseurs were amazing x only critism if any was the menu in restaurant wasn't much choice. No white bread and no rose but other than that it was fab and would go again .
Staff very friendly, hotel clean and tidy, rooms comfy and spacious. Bar good variety. Food terrible, meant to be crispy lamb belly, come soggy fat that was inedible, bubble and squeak come with one strand of bacon and cabbage and pure unseasoned mash potato, salad with just lettuce leaves, no dressing, tomato, cucumber or onion.
We thoroughly enjoyed the stay at this hotel. Every member of staff was very friendly and went the extra mile. The only reason I haven't given the accommodation 5 stars is that we had slight plumbing issues in the bathroom!
We paid £114 for the overnight stay with a 25 minute treatment, access to the spa and evening meal plus breakfast. Having been advised to book in at 3 we arrived at 3 for our treatments at 3.30. We were directed to the spa with our luggage where we filled in a form. I was originally going to have a facial but was told an additional mini facial was available at a cost of £15 so decided to get my nails done instead plus pay for the facial. The therapist spent all of 10 minutes painting my nails, my friend had her toes done. We then we're told to wait until they dried before going into the spa. This wasn't relaxing at all waiting for them to dry. We finally made it into the spa but wasn't allowed into the mud room. We paid for a glass of prosecco at £15 for two glasses and then headed to the hotel to check in.on arrival in our room there was a bottle of wine I had pre ordered. It was red instead of the white. Before going into dinner we advised reception we also didn't have a TV remote. They brought one that didn't work. This was never fixed so later that night we had to manually change the settings on the TV at the side. We also didn't have any heating so was provided with a small electric heater to plug in. My friend said we should be compensated to which we were then offered a bottle of wine. The meal was okay but as my friend didn't like the set menu she ordered off the main menu. At the end her meal was £7 more than the £25 allocation. The waitress tried to charge us £25! It took some exchanges before this was resolved. The next morning we went for breakfast at 9.30 and was surprised to see 8 couples of people waiting to go inside the dining area. We were told to give our room number and also wait. At 10.10 am after 40 minutes we were called through to a table. I was given a English breakfast that was okat but the condiments were minimal and I had to ask for butter and sauces. The sausage was pink and cold inside too. Overall it wasn't the relaxing weekend I had hoped it would be for my friend who had lost her partner recently. I was very disappointed.
Enjoyed every moment. Room was so comfy and warm. Would visit again. The food menu was very limited so we have to pay a lot extra, even though it was suppose to be included.
The hotel rooms are in need of some serious renovation, They are old & dated! Mould in the bathroom & a damp unpleasant smell in the corridors! Staff where very pleasant especially Adam. Evening meal was good & a good choice for breakfast! Unfortunately I wouldn't stay here again.
We stayed here on 22nd October 2018 to celebrate our anniversary. Lovely staff couldn't do enough for you. Spa facilities are excellent. Food was delicious and great value for money. I will be recommending this hotel in future. Thank you spa breaks for the recommendation.
Wonderful stay. Staff amazingly helpful. Beautiful breakfast & massage very good.
We were checked into a room that hadn't been cleaned and there were still dirty cups etc in the hallway the next morning that hadn't been cleared by the cleaners. The food was very nice and the staff were accommodating.


As a patient, you play a key role in your health care. Knowing your symptoms as they develop and talking with your physician early helps determine the best course of action. This is certainly the case with tumors in the brain.


Five time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider and twenty one time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Billy Etbauer took the time to visit with us recently. Billy discussed his upbringing riding cows and broncs with his brothers Robert and Dan. In retirement from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, returning to a working cowboy way of life appears to be on the horizon for this great person and champion.


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text:
Olsen, The End (2010)
Nora Olsen, The End: Five Queer Kids Save The World. Prizm Books, 2010. Pp. 270. ISBN 1610401166. $13.95.
The End is a first novel by Nora Olsen, whose goal is "to write fun books that anyone can enjoy", but she especially wants "LGBT teens to be able to see themselves in [her] books". It is published by Prizm Books and is young adult science fiction of interest to LGBT teens. Five queer teenagers receive magic amulets that can help them to save the world from nuclear disaster. They must learn to trust each other and work together in order to accomplish this. Ms Olsen tells an engrossing story that is well plotted and moves briskly along to a satisfying and believable resolution.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a semi-retired English teacher. I keep trying to retire and circumstances and importunate School Directors keep pulling me back. Currently I am teaching a few groups of 9th and 11th classes in an academically oriented gymnasium in Estonia. My students are the target age for YA fiction, which is why, when I was offered a chance to review some YA novels, I jumped at it, choosing The End: Five Queer Kids Save the World. My kids are confronting many of the same issues as the young people in Nora Olsen's delightful book plus one more: they are all nominally homophobic—they express their peers' attitudes towards gays while at the same time reaching out to hear and question what I think on the subject.
Estonia and the other two Baltic Republics, Latvia and Lithuania, had been for fifty years subsumed into the Soviet Union. In addition to its multitude of other faults, the Soviet Union was one of the most bigoted and racist political entities of the post-war period. It is a sad and frustrating fact that even today, Russia is continuing to institutionalize and promote rabid and vicious gay-bashing policies.
A law taking effect next week in St. Petersburg, Russia, will impose a $16,000 fine on anyone spreading "the propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia among minors," RIA Novosta reports. The fine could be as high as $160,000 on legal entities for the promotion of homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and transgender practices among minors, the Russian news agency reports. The new legislation, formally signed by the regional governor Sunday, effectively outlaws any Gay Pride events.
From USA Today, March 12, 2012
I'm happy to be able to report that Estonia isn't actually as rigid as its neighbours to the east and south. Several people in my town are openly gay and an annual Gay Pride Parade is held without disturbance in Tallinn.
My students' attitudes are the product of their parent's conditioning. Deep within them are the remnants of the Soviet-sanctioned fear of, 'The Different Ones'. I don't think they like this and on some level know that something needs to change. Again and again, in the six weeks I have been teaching them, the same questions come up: 'What do I think of gays? Of same sex marriage... of gays as parents?' It feels as if they are trying to reassure themselves that one pillar of difference is consistent. So, would I read this book for these students? I wish I could, but not yet. Maybe down the road, one of the luckier ones will have a wise auntie who'll buy a favourite niece a copy. I hope so, because it is a warm and charming read for young people.
As the title says, the end of the world (as we know it*) is upon us. Sometime in the early 21st century, 2014 to be exact, Goddess Muldoona, the Grim, is having a mega-hissy fit because her beloved consort, Gog, aka the God of the Cave, has thrown her over for Thorina—as if his obsession with humans was not bad enough.
She hated Thorina and all of Gog's other dismal sidekicks. They were compatriots on the side of Anti-Evil, or 'Good' as they liked to call it. But most of all, she hated Gog. She loathed Gog more than anything in the world, more than puppies, flowers or happiness.
Instinctively she knew that the best way to get Gog's attention would be to harm his precious humans. Why not trick them into starting a nuclear war that will make the Earth uninhabitable? That would definitely catch his eye.
Unbeknownst to her (isn't that a wonderful word?) Gog, either anticipating her eruption or just for fun—we never learn which—has been distributing magical amulets to selected humans, which can give the wearer extraordinary powers—powers that will allow them to take on Muldoona.
We meet these five queer kids for the first time in 2009, at the beginning of the book.
High up in the rigging of an 18th century schooner. Skilly, currently known as Scott Amberiotis, had been given an amulet to save his life. His brother Orf had found the original Amulet of Eternal Life, 5000 years earlier in a cave. Gog appearing to Orf had cautioned him, that although the amulet conferred eternal life, once removed, would never work again for the donor. Orf removed it to save his brother's life, Skilly recovered from his wound but his brother died shortly afterward from an infected cut. Since then Skilly had wandered the earth, never dying, growing richer and richer from knowledge gained, never appearing to grow older and often painfully lonely. His lovers of both sexes, sooner or later, must always die.
Next we meet Marly Ennis, aged ten, daughter of a crazed, born-again Christian mother and an absent father. She and her slow-witted brother are made to spend Christmas 2009 passing out Christian tracts. Four years later, openly gay, bitter, angry and out of control, unwanted by the aunt who had received custody after her mother was judged unfit, she appears again in Juvie Court and is sentenced by a biased, homophobic judge to detention in the toughest juvenile prison in the system, Spofford. Because her transfer to Spofford had been delayed she is still in the Manhattan Detention Centre when Muldoona's nuclear revenge begins. Locked in the day room and abandoned by the guards, the prisoners are facing certain death, when a grey cat with yellow eyes, Bast the Goddess of Cats, appears and presents Marly with an amulet that allows her to walk through walls.
Although all the major characters identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bi—and in one case possibly trans—frequently it seems as if their gender preferences are only one of the challenging issues they must face. For example, Julia and Vikki are school mates in Manhattan. Julia is an orphan and lives with her grandmother. Other people want to feel sorry for her or try to patronise her. She gets irritated when they call her an orphan, something she hates. She'd rather be raised by her wise old gran than most of their parents.
Her classmate Vikki had earlier that year been hospitalised. She was seriously anorexic. But her real problem is her mother who promotes Vikki's negative body image in vicious and abusive ways. Once when had Julia stayed to dinner at Vikki's.
Julia was almost afraid to break the silence and ask for a second baked potato.
"Yeah, me too, Mom," Vikki said.
" Vik, you ate all those pretzels earlier! You're getting too fat," her mom said.
Julia could not believe her ears. Vikki had never been really fat at any time. Was her mother trying to kill her?
"No, I'm not, Mom. Leave me alone."
"All I'm saying is you could lose just a little weight."
Julia isn't the only one to wonder if Vikki's mother is insane.
Time passes—and then it's 2014
Soon after this the girls drift apart when Julia drops out of school to join the Urban Corps—a kind of home-grown peace corp. She is kicked out mid-year for refusing to remove the special necklace that Astrid, a Norwegian girl had given her at camp. They had fallen hard for each other but only progressed to a few kisses and writing crappy love poems. Julia didn't know why, but she just knew she couldn't remove the necklace.
Feeling like a failure and depressed, Julia agrees to her Gran's suggestion that she finish high school at Dunleavy Prep, her grandmother's alma mater. Unhappy and unpopular she signs up for a spring trip to Amsterdam.
Julia is exploring this fabulous city with her classmates when Muldoona's fiendish plot begins. They are in KFC when news of the bombings reaches them. In the ensuing chaos, only Julia and one other girl, Ginger seem to be thinking clearly. Turned away from every house by the terrified Dutch, they are at last admitted into the Anne Frank house by the elderly caretaker.
After several days trapped inside Julia begins to have visions; she can 'see' a rescue boat near the sea shore. She and Ginger decide to make a break for it. Exiting the house, they hear a cat meowing. Following the sound they discover an abandoned houseboat and Biddy, the cat. Sensing the owner has fled, they commandeer the houseboat and head towards the sea. The escape is on. How they are rescued by Skilly, return to America, meet up with Marly and Vikki and return to the worst year of their lives, 2009, to save the world are the substance of a wonderful and sobering adventure story.
These characters are all, with the possible exception of the self-absorbed Skilly, delightful, engrossing, challenging young people. When Julia compares Gog to an eighth grade teacher, I found myself wanting to elbow the pompous pedantic Mr Scubala aside and draw her into one of my classes. I remember teachers like that only too well.
We learn how Barney who said he was a god gave Ginger her amulet. She has the furthest to go in terms of growth. Bisexual and out for what ever she can get, she breaks Julia's heart and betrays the group, but ultimately provides their salvation.
Marly, forced to masquerade as a boy when they return to 2009, begins to consider that this is in fact her true nature. Vikki is still Vikki, but she gains the inner strength to deal with her mother and her body-image issues. Only Skilly who cannot give up control of his amulet, comes to an unhappy end.
There's a lot of adventure, an amazing collection of ideas and references and a wonderful good time packed within the pages of this 267 page book. So, if you're a teen looking for a good read, or an auntie or grandpa looking for something to give a favourite niece or nephew, I heartily recommend The End: Five Queer Kids Save the World.
Labels: books, fantasy, Martha Hubbard, YA
ivanova said...
I'm so glad you enjoyed my book! Thanks so much for choosing to review it.
I was also very interested in what you had to share about youth in Estonia. It was very thought-provoking. Sounds like it's a good thing they have a caring and progressive teacher like yourself.
In the sequel, which I have been working on, Marly meets Marly's mentor and friend Golenchev again, but he is younger and is in 1980's Belarus. (Not much of a spoiler: there is more time travel!) Marly is hurt by Golenchev's transphobia. I have been struggling with this section since I don't want to focus too much on a gender non-conforming teen being rejected, because I feel that theme has been covered in YA, and I want to keep the story peppy and affirming. But a rejection has to happen briefly for various plot reasons. What you said about the legacy of bigotry from the Soviet Union gave me a great idea to solve my problem! Thanks!
Hi Nora,
I'm so pleased that you liked my review and that it provided a bit of useful insight. I love reading and I love reviewing, but I want to do more than just write, I liked this book because, yaddata, yaddata...
The real world that teenagers have to grow up in is very complex and as writers, I think we need to address all angles of the issues while at the same time telling a good story. I'll be looking out for the sequel.
Arkenberg, Last of the Lesser Kings (2012)
Christian, Finger's Breadth (2011)


Welcome to Scenario Lane, where celebrities live beside you and sweeping views extend beyond. Enjoy the ultimate in serenity and privacy in this Bel-Air hideaway. The seamless open floor plan features hardwood floors and views at every turn throughout the light and airy living room, dining room with fireplace, and chef's kitchen equipped with stainless steel appliances and abundant cabinetry. Upstairs, the master suite includes a sumptuous deck and peaceful views. On the lowest level, there is a unique double suite with access to both an outdoor terrace with dazzling views and the lower backyard. Just minutes from all the city has to offer, but far enough to relax from it all. With unrivaled hiking trails surrounding Stone Canyon Reservoir at your fingertips, this Bel-Air residence is your own private oasis.


-- What a fun DIY sprinkler!
Materials: 10 foot pieces of 1/2 inch PVC pipe, PVC t-joint, PVC hose to pipe connector, PVC elbow joints, PVC cement, PVC pipe cutting tool, drill with 1/16 inch drill bit.
What an excellent idea - drip-free popsicles for toddlers! I have seen these plastic Easter eggs at the dollar store in the past - I wonder if it's too late?
Materials: Fruit juice, plastic Easter eggs, plastic sucker sticks, large nail and thumbtack, small funnel or piping tip to fill the eggs.


We have 1 fish store in our Northridge listings. You can browse by tags at the right or see them all by clicking here.
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Henry Hein, 8th grader at Ocean Bay Middle School, won the 28th Annual Sun News Regional Spelling Bee with the word "exteroceptor." He advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.
The eighth grader at Ocean Bay Middle School appeared confident on stage, approaching the microphone calmly with both hands in his pockets. He greeted pronouncer Jacques Bailly in Burmese, his first language.
"In South Carolina, we have a huge Burmese community, and I'm so proud to represent them," Henry said.
His parents emigrated from Burma in 2002 and settled in Myrtle Beach in 2008. Kyaw Hein, Henry's father, said they were committed to preserving their culture and made sure that Henry learned to read and write fluently in Burmese.
"Initially, we worried he would struggle with English, but when he started pre-school he didn't have any problems," Hein said.
Henry excelled academically and skipped fourth grade at Carolina Forest Elementary, and then seventh grade at Ocean Bay Middle School. His reading level is so high, the school library orders books appropriate for him.
"He hasn't had many opportunities to compete in the National Spelling Bee because he skipped over so many grades," Hein said.
He hasn't had many opportunities to compete in the National Spelling Bee because he skipped over so many grades.
His parents are proud of their son's accomplishments and say he is in good company among the hundreds of other contestants who were eliminated from the competition on Wednesday. Henry said he wanted to compete for the prize money, but also for the opportunity to interact with students his age with a similar interest in the English language.
"It's been a great experience making new friends and learning so many new words," Henry said.
Henry plans to return to Washington in June for the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest and a National Youth Conference. In the fall, he expects to start as a freshman at Scholars Academy in South Carolina.
While his parents worry about his assimilation with older students, they are confident in Henry's ability to make new friends and thrive.


Please get in touch with your bank for registering your mobile number. Do not forget to update the same every time you change your number.
How many Point of Sale (PoS) terminals are enabled for RuPay card acceptance across India?
As per recently published data from RBI for the month of April '2017, there are total 2,614,584 PoS terminals on which RuPay card acceptance is enabled. This constitutes to more than 97% PoS terminals installed in India.
How many banks are enabled for RuPay card acceptance in India?
39 PoS Acquiring Banks are enabled for RuPay Card acceptance.
How many acquiring banks are certified for Cash@PoS services as per RBI guidelines for withdrawal of up to INR 2000 through merchants using PoS terminals?
From certification point of view, all acquiring banks are certified for RuPay Cash@PoS services as per RBI guidelines. While many of the major public sector and private sector banks have implemented Cash@PoS services for their customers, some banks are still in process of seeking their nternal approvals for activating the service.
An intra-bank (ON-US) transaction is where the cardholder is of the same Bank of which the merchant belongs. This way using same bank PoS transaction are initiated and later the same Bank authorizes the transaction upon cardholder validations.
An inter-bank (OFF-US) transaction is where the cardholder is of different Banks than the merchant's Bank. In this case, inter-bank funds settlement is done using NPCI's clearing & settlement systems.