Book #191 of 2021: The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone #3) Another strong fantasy adventure, following the returning heroes — by this point fairly scattered across the realm — as they navigate civil war, political intrigue, and unjust imprisonment amid the prophesied apocalypse still unfolding all around them. It’s …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes”
Book #190 of 2021: Making Money by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #36) I still don’t feel as though reformed con man Moist von Lipwig is a particularly engaging protagonist, and a lot of the plot beats to this attempt to turn around the archaic Ankh-Morpork banking industry seem too similar to his previous efforts at the …
Continue reading “Book Review: Making Money by Terry Pratchett”
Book #176 of 2021: The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone #2) Another strong entry in this unfairly-obscure fantasy quartet. I don’t like it quite as much as the previous volume, in part since a couple of the new storylines — Anne’s to some extent, but especially Aspar’s — seem …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes”
Book #173 of 2021: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #33) I generally enjoy the Discworld comic fantasy series, but this entry is perhaps a bit shaggy for my tastes. Although the basic premise of a con artist conscripted into running the failing Ankh-Morpork post office has potential, and that protagonist’s arc is a solid …
Continue reading “Book Review: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett”
Book #168 of 2021: Long Lost by Jacqueline West This middle-grade ghost story is not particularly spooky, perhaps because the overtly paranormal stuff doesn’t really start until midway through. Mostly, the eleven-year-old protagonist is chafing at her family’s recent move (to benefit her older sister’s prospective Olympic skating career) and getting hooked on a mysterious …
Continue reading “Book Review: Long Lost by Jacqueline West”
Book #165 of 2021: The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner The mini-genre of Jewish fantasy / fabulism has been booming lately, which is wonderful for #ownvoices representation and a chance to see myself in such stories, but also means readers can afford to be a little more discerning about what’s on offer. …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner”
Book #164 of 2021: The Briar King by Greg Keyes (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone #1) This early 2000s fantasy series is a real hidden gem, one that I’ve always been surprised isn’t more popular. I wouldn’t call it a ripoff of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, but that …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Briar King by Greg Keyes”
Book #162 of 2021: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #31) A tremendously funny and poignant story of a young woman who disguises herself as a lad to enlist in her nation’s army. Author Terry Pratchett strikes a fine balance between showing the camaraderie and bravery of soldiers on the one hand — the reasons …
Continue reading “Book Review: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett”
Book #161 of 2021: The Descent of Monsters by Neon Yang (Tensorate #3) I think this is my favorite Tensorate novella yet, although it’s a bit of a departure from the previous stories. There’s a brand-new protagonist, a Ministry of Justice official tasked with rubberstamping that a scene of slaughter was caused by arrested rebels …
Continue reading “Book Review: The Descent of Monsters by Neon Yang”
Book #159 of 2021: The In-Between by Rebecca K. S. Ansari Too many under-explained elements in the magical side of this middle-grade story, about a young teen who becomes convinced that his next-door neighbor is a harbinger of disaster. Why do the pencils on her desk vanish? What’s ultimately up with that distinctive yet fake …
Continue reading “Book Review: The In-Between by Rebecca K. S. Ansari”
The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more