Book Review: The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

Book #65 of 2020:

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter (The Burning #1)

Ignore the generic title (and the fact that the book barely contains any dragons at all) — this is an incredible series and authorial debut, originally self-published in 2017 before gaining critical buzz and being acquired by Orbit for wider release. The closest parallel would probably be something like Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive, both for the multiple complex magical systems and the epic scope of the geopolitical situation. I especially like the different axes of conflict that author Evan Winter has constructed: there are supernatural beings that hate all humanity, warring nations of people, and an oppressive caste hierarchy with our hero on the bottom. That rich setup allows for a shifting target of his enmity throughout the text and a more nuanced sense of character motivation than most genre offerings.

This novel also reminds me somewhat of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising saga, with its hotheaded protagonist cutting a bloody swath across battlefields on a slow-burning mission of revenge against the upper class. Only in this case, there’s no secret; Tau is quite open about the specific individuals he wants to take down, and that he has to earn an exalted military position in order to have the proper standing to challenge them. I love that sense of dedication to his society’s rules, even as he confronts opponents with no honor at all.

Lastly, of course, I have to highlight the great #ownvoices worldbuilding inspired by traditional Xhosa folklore and the all-black cast in their matriarchal civilization. It’s like the fantasy version of Black Panther‘s Afrofuturist sci-fi, a stunning vision of what tales of sword and sorcery could look like if writers are bold enough to discard certain common eurocentric tropes. Winter has done that here, and the results are fairly breathtaking.

[Content warning for graphic violence and mention of rape.]

★★★★★

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TV Review: Better Call Saul, season 3

TV #7 of 2020:

Better Call Saul, season 3

My original review from 2018:

“At this point, I’m almost ready to declare Better Call Saul the superior program to its parent show Breaking Bad. (It helps that there doesn’t seem to be the same toxic fandom around it, with people mistaking a critique of harmful behaviors for a celebration or endorsement.) It’s less action-packed but no less tense, especially when it comes to original Saul characters like Nacho and Kim. I think this season in particular is the first prequel that’s really made me care about / worry for characters that I know won’t be around later on.

Three seasons in, it’s definitely time to let go of any lingering sentiment that Breaking Bad didn’t need a prequel or that there wasn’t anything left to explore in the character of Heisenberg’s attorney. Saul Goodman / Jimmy McGill has now appeared in more TV episodes than Walter White, and I’m still endlessly fascinated by his depths. When you add that to the Breaking Bad house style of music and cinematography – I could honestly spend days watching those wordless montages of Better Call Saul characters at work – this is truly a show that deserves to be up there with the original.”

My 2020 thoughts are pretty similar, minus that initial ‘almost.’ Coming at the two shows with fresh eyes, I can confidently say Saul is the one I prefer. And this is another outstanding season of that outstanding drama, as interested as ever in evolving character relationships, gradual personal arcs, and the lengths required for true competence at a task. This year reintroduces an old Breaking Bad fan favorite, develops supporting figure Nacho Varga into a compelling protagonist in his own right, and foregrounds the utter tragedy of Jimmy’s brother Charles. That last element is what really lingers, especially in one key episode that’s practically a single extended scene. It’s the end of a long chapter in the Saul Goodman story, but the open questions of what comes next are absolutely gripping.

★★★★★

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Book Review: Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

Book #64 of 2020:

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny (The Chronicles of Amber #1)

This 1970 series debut is a bit of a ride, but I’ve definitely enjoyed it. Opening on an earthly amnesiac gives the story both grounding and a distinctive flavor, and the fantasy worldbuilding is interesting once it does start to trickle in. I especially like the magical system of traveling to parallel worlds by slowly adding and subtracting various elements to bring yourself gradually closer to your target reality. Plus the action feels like an old swashbuckling adventure like Zorro or Zenda, which makes for a delightful throwback.

On the downside: the plot to this first volume ends rather abruptly with little resolution, and the female characters are generally not developed very well (and at one point dismissed categorically as “bitches”). The book also seems to subscribe to the ‘great man’ theory of social change, in that the narrative is concerned with the actions of a few immortal generals and not the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who die in their service with no name or particular characterization.

Overall, however, the title holds up pretty well a half-century after publication, and I’ve had fun spotting the influences it likely wrought on the genre that followed. Since this one was so short, I’ll have to push on to the sequels as well.

[I read and reviewed this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke!]

★★★★☆

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TV Review: Veronica Mars, season 4

TV #6 of 2020:

Veronica Mars, season 4

Even setting aside the issue of whether another Veronica Mars revival was in any way necessary, this latest effort feels severely under-baked. Certain elements like the Mexican hitmen barely fit into the established Neptune universe at all, pivotal character moments come off as unearned, and the big investigation develops erratically over the course of the season. That might be less noticeable if the old case-of-the-week format were still in play, but absent that sort of episodic structure, the unevenness of the plot is pretty distracting. Overall this Hulu project seems like it was approached as a transition between different stages of the Veronica Mars franchise, but regardless of what (if anything) comes next, it isn’t very satisfying on its own.

★★☆☆☆

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Book Review: Highfire by Eoin Colfer

Book #63 of 2020:

Highfire by Eoin Colfer

This is a very weird story about the world’s last dragon — really more like a tall, strong humanoid reptile — living in the swamps of Louisiana. It’s very heavy on dialect and other local color, and with its madcap plot of drug dealers and corrupt cops generally reads like a less funny Carl Hiaasen. In fact, it’s easy to imagine a few small changes that could make the narrative about a human recluse instead, with no fantasy elements at all. I don’t have many technical critiques about the book; I just think this sort of thing is not quite my speed.

[Content warning for gross-out humor, a suicide attempt, and offhand allusions to rape.]

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Book #62 of 2020:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab (Shades of Magic #1)

This fantasy novel improves as it goes along, but it’s literally over a quarter of the way through before there’s anything that could remotely be called a plot. I’m also not happy that the only significant female character is twice threatened with forced prostitution and twice subjected to actual rape attempts. (Plus she randomly wants to be a pirate, for reasons that are never really interrogated or explained.)

Setting all that aside, I enjoy the worldbuilding and the magical travel between the four different Londons, and the story moves quickly once it finally does kick off. The dynamic between the two protagonists grows believably from hostile to grudging to companionable, as well. There’s definite room for improvement in this series debut, but also great potential that the sequels might deliver something more.

★★★☆☆

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TV Review: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 3

TV #5 of 2020:

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 3

I still really enjoy the 50s set dressing, Jewish representation, and Amy Sherman-Palladino banter to this series, but I’ve been gradually losing patience with the overarching storyline and the tedious subplots around people like Sophie or Joel. If the writers could figure out what they actually want to be telling with this show, so many great individual scenes could add up to something truly fine. The big thread this season of Midge going on tour adds some degree of structure, but I feel like I’m still waiting on character growth and a proper sense of direction for her.

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: The Man Who Fought Alone by Stephen R. Donaldson

Book #61 of 2020:

The Man Who Fought Alone by Stephen R. Donaldson (The Man Who #4)

From 1980 to 1990, author Stephen R. Donaldson veered away from his usual sci-fi and fantasy genres to pen a loose trilogy of detective novels under the pseudonym Reed Stephens (reportedly the publisher’s decision, not his). In 2001 he returned to the series with this title under his own name, followed by a reprinting of the earlier three. I don’t know if Donaldson consciously framed this book so that readers wouldn’t have to be familiar with the previous volumes, but it was the first one I ever read back in high school, and I still think it stands pretty well on its own.

As a writer, Donaldson is rather preoccupied with the theme of redemption, and while that can sometimes feel myopic — in that he tends to focus on how a sin hurts the soul of the sinner over the impact on any actual victims — it’s a good fit for the damaged hero of a noir investigation like this, doggedly pursuing justice as a means of atoning for his own past. Here, that’s a recovering alcoholic tasked with handling security at a martial arts tournament, where traditional rivalries add hidden tensions to the already difficult personal and professional challenges.

A few elements are clunkier than I remember, and the overall narrative is probably heavier on certain Asian / Asian-American stereotypes than it could have been. (It’s become an unintended time capsule of early cell phones and GPS-free navigation now too, which further adds to the distancing.) But it still offers a gripping plot and eventual whodunnit despite all that, and Donaldson’s own black-belt experience adds great realism to the background of the different fighting schools. As with his speculative fiction, however, it’s the flawed characters striving to be better who really bring the story to life.

Nearly twenty years on, this is still the latest The Man Who case, and it’s a generally satisfying send-off to the venture. I wouldn’t completely rule out another return at some point, but if this is where we leave Mick Axbrewder for good, it’s definitely in a healthier state than usual.

[Content warning for racism including slurs.]

This book: ★★★★☆

Overall series: ★★★★☆

Individual rankings: 4 > 2 > 3 > 1

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Book Review: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Book #60 of 2020:

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

This standalone fantasy novel has some definite issues with worldbuilding (like the generic medieval setting that then randomly has a semi-automatic handgun in one scene) and character motivation (like the protagonist who wants to seduce, marry, and kill the king for basically no reason). But it’s such a delightful piece of bloodthirsty court intrigue that I’m mostly able to overlook all that and just enjoy the ride. Even though I think it would be a stronger story if there were more actually driving the antiheroine in the beginning, she’s still a refreshing voice in a crowded genre. Author Tricia Levenseller pitches this book as ‘a Slytherin romance,’ and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

★★★★☆

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Book Review: Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs

Book #59 of 2020:

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation by Stuart Gibbs (Charlie Thorne #1)

There’s a certain ludicrous National Treasure energy to the basic concept of this middle-grade spy novel — in which the CIA recruits a twelve-year-old girl genius to help them track down a secret formula that Albert Einstein revealed on his deathbed — but with such an outrageous opening, I really want more over-the-top shenanigans throughout. Instead the rest of the book plays out mostly like a junior Dan Brown adventure, with Charlie and her agent handlers jet-setting around, solving clues, and racing to beat the bad guys to their quarry. It’s fun for what it is, but I don’t anticipate sticking with the series any further.

[Content warning for mention of Hitler / the Holocaust and white nationalist villains.]

★★★☆☆

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