This Joan of Arc-inspired (I can only assume) short story is absolutely superb. The amount of depth, intrigue, characterisation and emotion that Alix This Joan of Arc-inspired (I can only assume) short story is absolutely superb. The amount of depth, intrigue, characterisation and emotion that Alix E. Harrow packs into just 30 pages is nothing short of astounding. Beautifully written, full of quotable hard-hitting lines, I cannot recommend this enough.
I've seen a few people in their reviews say they wish this had been a full-length novel. I find that I do also wish this, but I also wonder, "Would it have hit so hard if it wasn't so short?" The answer, I think, is no. The fact this is a short story is what makes its power so astonishing.
Read it once through to experience it for the first time. Then read it again to fully understand it. It is excellent. I loved this story and will definitely be reading more of Alix E. Harrow's work in the future....more
Still gut-wrenchingly uncomfortable, tragic and infuriating. Still utterly fantastic. More than the two that came before it, this one feels the most rStill gut-wrenchingly uncomfortable, tragic and infuriating. Still utterly fantastic. More than the two that came before it, this one feels the most rewarding on a reread. The links and ties to what eventually became The Age of Madness trilogy are staggering; it's like Joe planned it all along (obviously he didn't; he said he reread the trilogy and seized upon its many open threads).
My feelings are best summed up with the screaming cat GIF:
[image]
Also, I reread this via audiobook and Stephen Pacey's narration is absolutely perfect. He does so many different voices, his pacing is excellent, and just generally all round a joy to listen to. The only narrator I refuse to listen to on a greater than 1x speed so I can get the full rich tapestry of his voice....more
'The Sword of Kaigen' has been on my radar for quite a while now. It was repeatedly named as some people I follow's bActual rating: 2.75/5 rounded up.
'The Sword of Kaigen' has been on my radar for quite a while now. It was repeatedly named as some people I follow's best book of 2021 and infamous for absolutely breaking hearts and shattering minds. So when it was chosen as the Fantasy Fellowship June book, I was very excited to start. I was ready for PAIN. I was ready to SUFFER!
So, I finished this last night. What are my thoughts? Overall I'm really glad to have read 'The Sword of Kaigen'. There were things I really liked about it and things I liked less. First, the things I like:
The magic battles are truly excellent and at one point I did wonder if the whole book was just going to cover a fraught, epic and emotionally devastating time period of just 24 hours, which would have been it's own special kind of awesome. This ultimately turned out not to be the case, but a not insigificant portion of this book takes place in a single day, and what a day it is! The fight scenes are truly breathtaking. I envy M.L. Wang's ability to write action sequences.
With regard to the emotional punch this book packs (which is impressive for a standalone), I'd argue that the tears I shed over it are because it triggered me by reminding me of real-life experiences, rather than my being emotionally invested in the characters. M.L. Wang writes grief in such a raw, hard-hitting and brutal way that I'd defy anyone who's lost someone not to be moved by this book. Almost everyone in our book club ended up shedding a few tears at different points in this book. One by one, we fall!
I also really enjoyed a lot of the characters. Misaki in particular is great; a bad ass mother going above and beyond to protect her family. I also thought her husband Takero was fascinating, and (view spoiler)[their duel in chapter 27 was my favourite chapter for sure. Just absolutely epic. (hide spoiler)]. I also quite liked the structure of the book in the sense that it has a climactic event in the middle, with the rest of the book dealing with the social, emotional and fiscal fallout of that event. This was done so well, and M.L. Wang is not afraid to shy away from the brutalities of war.
In terms of things I like less, these are mostly technical issues:
I thought the prose was really quite unpolished with a lot of unnecessary dialogue markers and looped/repetitive conversations. I also genuinely can't get past the erratic use of italics to demonstrate different languages being used but written in English; it felt completely unnecessary. Later in the book, M.L. Wang even switches to actual Shirojima Dialect and writes it word for word, but that isn't in italics, and the written English of Kaiguenga continued being italicised.
I would actually really like a traditional publishing house to pick this book up and iron out some of these issues, because I think with a little more polish it could be a truly amazing and really powerful book (I know it's really powerful for some people already, but I still believe it could be even better). Because of these issues, I also found the book to be quite sloggy and slow, and didn't get the urge to compulsively read and read and read that other people have reported.
Overall, definitely worth a read, especially if you are wanting to branch out into the world of self-pubbed fantasy and are not overly bothered by technical issues....more
This was a lot of fun, if only to witness the many atrocities committed by 14 year-old psychopath Jorg. Actual rating 3.5 rounded up to 4. Might roundThis was a lot of fun, if only to witness the many atrocities committed by 14 year-old psychopath Jorg. Actual rating 3.5 rounded up to 4. Might round down later, let's see.
Still as fabulous as it ever was, given new dimensions in audiobook form thanks to Stephen Pacey’s truly FANTASTIC narration. The characters feel as rStill as fabulous as it ever was, given new dimensions in audiobook form thanks to Stephen Pacey’s truly FANTASTIC narration. The characters feel as real as breathing and the story and worldbuilding are so subtle, but solid and expertly executed. Rereading this after finishing The Age of Madness last year also proved fruitful as there are so many callbacks in that trilogy to this one that makes it seem like Joe had everything planned all along (I don’t think he did, but the way he writes it, you’d never know).
It still blows my mind even today this was a debut. My beloved disaster children ...more
I don’t even know how to review ‘The Wisdom of Crowds’ properly because all my major thoughts are spoilerific. Suffice to say, I’ve This book HURT ME.
I don’t even know how to review ‘The Wisdom of Crowds’ properly because all my major thoughts are spoilerific. Suffice to say, I’ve never felt more anxious, more distressed, more dismayed by any book in my entire life. This was hands down the most stressful reading experience I’ve ever had, to the point I actively avoided reading it at the same time I felt unable to concentrate on anything when I wasn't. The end result was pure and utter torture for the entire week that I was reading it. I finished this beast 3 weeks ago, and I STILL can't stop thinking about it—about its ending, about its characters, about who made it through and who didn't... Its antepenultimate chapter left me uncontrollably sobbing for 2 hours, and after sending the night completely sleepless with that one scene playing over and over in my head, I was still crying about it and thinking about it the next day, then on and off again for the next 2 weeks. I feel haunted by this book. Completely and utterly, legitimately traumatised.
And if that's not the mark of a truly great piece of literature, then I don't know what is.
What a stunning conclusion to ‘The Age of Madness’ trilogy this is. ‘The Wisdom of Crowds’ (much like it’s two predecessors) is beautifully written (as beautiful as frank, crass, sweary, gory, bloody, smelly, gross grimdark military fantasy can be) as well as spectacularly and intricately plotted. Joe Abercrombie is at the height of his literary powers, and an absolute expert at two significant things:
1) Characters, especially when it comes to said characters’ development. There is one character in particular in this book who displays some of the most incredible and yet at the same time utterly horrifying character development I’ve ever read. I loved and rooted for my favourites (Orso, Savine, Rikke) with ever-increasing passion. I loathed in greater abundance those I hated (Stour, Judge, Leo Dan fucking Brock). It's such a cliché to say they feel as real as breathing, but they DO, they really do. A friend of mine once said that Joe Abercrombie does not write plots or characters but PEOPLE, and what happens when they're left to their devices for better or worse—and I absolutely have to agree.
2) Joe Abercrombie is also expert in inducing dread. Everything about 'The Wisdom of Crowds' is meticulously crafted to cause the reader maximum stress by making prominent use of knowns and unknowns:
1. Put your favourite cast members in positions of power. 2. Immediately undermine and/or take all that power away. 3. Gradually give power back to those cast members’ enemies. 4. Turn what should by all rules of the fantasy genre been the climax of the trilogy and make it the book’s opener instead, thus throwing the rest of the book into unknown, unpredictable chaos. 5. Make imminent, hideous and ever-increasing likelihood of death a constant. 6. Throw in a prophecy about animals eating each other that foretells the sequential defeat of each the cast members. 7. Reveal all the identities of all those animals/cast members bar ONE ie. the ultimate victor. 8. OR ARE THEY A VICTOR?! AND WHAT CONSTITUTES AS DEFEAT ANYWAY?!?! 9. Constantly remind you how 'The First Law' trilogy ended so you know—you just know—how bad things are going to go before ‘The Age of Madness’ trilogy is over. 10. Laugh in smug satisfaction at your readers’ distress and demand a Nobel prize.
You KNOW what’s coming. You KNOW it’s going to hurt. And yet. AND YET. You still have hope. You still hold out for the possibility that everything will be OK, or that you’ve interpreted something wrong, or perhaps miscalculated something along the way, because Joe Abercrombie feeds it to you in little crumbs and you eat it all up because you are a FOOL. Because even if things do end up working out and/or sounding relatively OK on paper, you’ve got to remember, this is a Joe Abercrombie book you’re reading, and nothing is ever that simple. Check your expectations at the door. “Make of your heart a stone.”
This was the biggest emotional rollercoaster I’ve ever been on in literature. The entire ‘The Age of Madness’ trilogy is packed with breathlessly dizzying highs and absolutely soul-crushing lows. Every single one of these books have catapulted themselves to the top my all-time favourites list. YES. Even above Robin Hobb’s ‘The Liveship Traders’ trilogy. There, I’ve said it now. Having now got off at the end of the ride, I feel utterly broken, exhausted and drained, but I also weirdly satisfied and full of grim, grim, DARK understanding.
I am so, so tired.
CWs: Graphic violence and sustained threat including explicit descriptions of execution, sexual scenes, drug use, very strong language and scenes readers may find disturbing or distressing. Readers should also be aware of a prominent incestuous relationship and prolonged confinement....more
Dark, brutal and unforgiving, there's no doubt in my mind that 'The Burning God' is a superb ending to Fang Runin's story. I still can't wrap my head Dark, brutal and unforgiving, there's no doubt in my mind that 'The Burning God' is a superb ending to Fang Runin's story. I still can't wrap my head around how young R.F. Kuang was when she wrote this trilogy and the fact she was studying a PhD at the same time. The confidence and competence with which she executed this military epic is nothing short of staggering.
That being said, I had a few pacing issues with 'The Burning God' that I did not have with either 'The Poppy War' or 'The Dragon Republic'. The third quarter of the book drags quite a lot, and the ending—as breathtakingly exciting, horrifyingly compelling and unputdownable as it is—...more
Nice bonus content for die-hard fans of 'The Poppy War' trilogy. A bit bitty and inconsequential (and thus I don't really have much to say), but then Nice bonus content for die-hard fans of 'The Poppy War' trilogy. A bit bitty and inconsequential (and thus I don't really have much to say), but then it is only bonus content and I'm priveleged to have read it at all. I feel so, so sad for Nezha. I wish we could have seen more from his POV in the main trilogy, but I understand why we didn't....more
Genuinely no idea how to rate this one. Rating and RTC.
ETA: Actual rating 3.5 stars, rounded up. Hoping to write a review later this week which will bGenuinely no idea how to rate this one. Rating and RTC.
ETA: Actual rating 3.5 stars, rounded up. Hoping to write a review later this week which will boil down to something along the lines of: I really enjoyed this. I loved the magic system, the use of dragons, Tau's rage, and the fight scenes, but the story itself was very tropey (in a bad way) and the pacing very slow. I will read the next one though....more
This book was a stunning follow-up to Kuang’s debut, ‘The Poppy War’. ‘The Dragon Republic’ is a biting examination on the cyclic nature of conflict, This book was a stunning follow-up to Kuang’s debut, ‘The Poppy War’. ‘The Dragon Republic’ is a biting examination on the cyclic nature of conflict, colonialism, theatres of war and the destabilisation of nations by foreign powers. Perfectly paced and action-packed, R.F. Kuang continues to draw on Chinese military history to drive her plot forward, and her lovable cast of characters hurtle ever closer to devastating power, villainhood and corruption.
My prediction for this series is that (view spoiler)[Rin may ultimately end up becoming the villain of this story. So many times whilst reading, I felt dread shudder through me at how coldly and callously she'd receive and enact actions of such extraordinary violence. I actually had to put the book down and seek out a cat cuddle at one point, because of how completely unfazed she and a few other characters were—even bored—by watching others being horrifically tortured to death. (hide spoiler)] The disconnect between what the characters think is right, and what the reader knows is right, is often so at odds, it makes for some pretty uncomfortable reading.
The way the characters think and talk about the white-coded characters in this book was hilariously biting; I could practically hear R.F. Kuang snickering to herself through the page. I also loved the little nod to Ching Shih with the pirate queen Moag ...more
1) At the time of my writing this review, R.F. Kuang is just 23 years old. 2) She wrote a submittable draft ofThings I can't quite wrap my head around:
1) At the time of my writing this review, R.F. Kuang is just 23 years old. 2) She wrote a submittable draft of this book in 3 months. 3) She was just 19(!!!) when this book got signed. 4) She's doing a Masters in Military History at the same time as writing the sequel. 5) This book is still somehow completely and utterly fantastic?! 6) It's her debut book?!
It's this kind of work ethic, determination and sheer talent that's enough to send me into an existential spiral. How can someone so young produce a book this good in such a short space of time? This is the kind of fantasy I aspire to write -- not necessarily in content, but in tone, impact and resonance. This is the kind of book I live for.
The Poppy War is a military-focused historical fantasy, set in Nikara, a world inspired by medieval imperial China and the Second Sino-Japanese War. The story centres on Rin -- a war-orphaned peasant girl from the South -- who defies all expectations to win a place in the military academy of Sinegard in order to escape an arranged marriage.
The first half of this book deals primarily deal with Rin's experiences at Sinegard -- specifically classicsm, colourism, sexism and the illusion of meritocracy. The typical academy setting is threaded through with some truly shocking lessons on military strategy (the cold realisation that this is how politicians actually operate is galling) and the extreme measures Rin is willing to take to secure her place at Sinegard. There's also a lot of ruminating on drug use, meditation and achieving enlightenment, which I feel is going to be very important for Rin's storyline going forward. "With great power comes great responsibility" and all that jazz...
The second half of this book catapults us into war. Unflinchingly brutal, sanity-sapping war. All the theorising back-and-forth military strategy hashed out in Sinegard becomes reality in the war against Mugen, and it's sobering, to say the least. There's a certain fantastical element introduced by way of the Speerlies and the Cike, but it's the stuff grounded in cold hard reality that really hits hard. R.F. Kuang took inspiration directly from some truly horrific events during the Second Sino-Japanese War, specifically the Rape of Nanking, Unit 731, and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. All of these are depicted pretty graphically within the pages of this book, the truly chilling part of course being that nothing can compare to the horrifying reality. I really like books that teach me something and encourage me to read outside of their pages; The Poppy War was one of these books; I'd never heard of Unit 731 before, and there's quite a lot of stuff in here inspired by Sun Tzu's The Art Of War as well.
One of the things that really struck me whilst reading The Poppy War is how nuanced it is. Rin is a deeply flawed and fallible main character with her set of biases and prejudices that can sometimes be difficult to stomach. It's clear we as readers are meant to take some of her perceptions with a hefty pinch of salt (that she thinks the Mugenese aren't human, for example, when it's quite clear given the actions of the Empress and Jiang's constant warnings that there's a lot more going on we're not yet privy to). At the same time, you can't help but root for her as she continues to prove people wrong time and time again, and challenge their -isms to get ahead. Her headstrong nature is equal parts commendable as it is frustrating, but as the story progresses and the war with Mugen ramps up, Rin makes increasingly ruthless decisions -- defying and isolating her mentors in the process in order to acquire devastating power -- that it's clear that can be no heroes in war; only victors. At what cost? Guess I will have to read the sequel to find out...
I loved this book; I thought it was stunning. It repulsed me, intrigued me, horrified me... swept me up in its beauty only to send me crashing back down again. It's absolutely brilliant and stunningly written. Nothing can be taken at face value. There are no villains, no heroes -- only acts of good and evil. I can't wait for the release of The Dragon Republic....more
I absolutely loved the first book in the 'Outlander' series. It was just such a wonderful surprise, so exciting and so well-wrActual rating 3.5 stars.
I absolutely loved the first book in the 'Outlander' series. It was just such a wonderful surprise, so exciting and so well-written with such attention to detail featuring strong three-dimensional characters... Immediately upon finishing I wanted to move on to the next book in the series so that I could read more about Claire and Jamie's adventures. Whereas before I burned through 'Outlander' in a matter of days, 'Dragonfly In Amber' was a much more sedate affair, taking me approximately five months to read in its entirety.
Though I loved every moment Claire and Jamie were on the scene, the political intrigues of the Parisian elite, the supernatural mystery of Master Raymond and La Dame Blanche, and the pure heart-stopping thrill one got whenever the truly loathesome Blackjack Randall stepped around the corner... there were some really, really long periods during this book where the pace was so sluggishly slow and uneventful that I began to question whether or not I actually had the emotional fortitude to continue. Also, the framework for the core of the novel (Claire talking to her daughter, Brianna, in the modern-day setting about her father) was initially extremely confusing. I feared at first perhaps I'd accidentally skipped a book!
Nevertheless I slogged on, took a break, read something else, picked it up again and fought my way through to its climactic, emotionally satisfying end. These lengthy lulls have been the main contributor to my comparatively low rating of what was otherwise a really great sequel to one of my new favourite books.
An absolute must-read if you loved the first 'Outlander' book. Stick through the slow bits as the highs are worth the lows. I still love Claire, I still love Jamie... and at the end of the day that's all that really matters. Their relationship of fierce love and mutual respect is the absolute heart of this series, and I look forward to meeting up with them again in 'Voyager'. That being said, I'm also glad to be moving onto something else first. I need a break!...more
I have never been more disappointed in a book. I was promised complete and utter TRASH and instead I got a well-written, well-researched historical noI have never been more disappointed in a book. I was promised complete and utter TRASH and instead I got a well-written, well-researched historical novel with excellent characterisation, a strong heroine, a charismatic male lead, an exciting plot and a compelling romance. It was also slightly topical - England vs. Scotland - given that the Scottish referendum happened halfway through my reading of this book.
When I read the reviews of 'Outlander' and told a friend about it, I was ordered by her to buy it, read it and tell her everything, because it sounded hilarious. Instead it ended up being good. Really good. Compulsively readable, exciting, thought-provoking and gut-wrenchingly sad in places. Tears were shed. I absolutely loved it.
THIS WAS NOT WHAT I ORDERED. I WANTED HOT AND HEAVY CATHOLICALLY CORRECT S&M BARBARIAN PORN.
I am docking a star from my rating for this injustice.
*Runs to the book shop to buy 'Dragonfly in Amber'.*
Edit 13/02/2015 - Bumping my rating up to 5 stars because I have forgiven it for not being trash now and it really was the best book I read last year....more
I'm too upset to review because WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!
EDIT: OK, now that I have managed to compose myself, here goes...
The latest instalment of the trulyI'm too upset to review because WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!
EDIT: OK, now that I have managed to compose myself, here goes...
The latest instalment of the truly excellent Skulduggery Pleasant series by Irish author Derek Landy (which incidentally most definitely stopped being a children's book around book 5, possibly even book 4) is bleak, bloody and brutal. Absolutely brutal; there are no other words for it. "No one is safe" reads the strapline, and you had better bloody believe it. Landy has never really been shy of killing off and/or writing out or otherwise seriously screwing over major players in his novels, but something happened in this book that was just so desperately awful, upsetting and unexpected that I'm still thinking about it even now; I will probably still be thinking about it for a few days, possibly even weeks to come.
Primarily, this book is about war - the realities of war, scarily close to how war games are currently operating in this present day and age. There is fighting, there is death. Lots of death. There is a televised, provocative execution to incite war. There is torture. There are twists, turns and very sudden drops. There is no good and evil, no demons, no forces of darkness... Only sorcerers vs. sorcerers. Characters who were formerly allies and friends now fighting one another in a bid to fill the enormous power vacuum that's been kicking about since Mortal Coil. The ambiguity and distasteful nature of the whole affair is frequently impounded upon, amidst an extremely chaotic narrative that jumps erratically from one area of the globe to another across several viewpoints, some familiar characters, some new. As opposed to previous books in the series, Last Stand of Dead Men is primarily action driven with little room for mystery and suspense and even less room for humour. Skulduggery and Valkyrie are weirdly absent for the majority of this book also which was a little disappointing, although I really, really loved Ghastly Bespoke in this book, and relatively new character Dexter Vex, whom I'm guessing had quite a significant role in the Tanith Low novella The Maleficent Seven that I have yet to read...
On that note, I wish I had read The Maleficent Seven before I read this one. Previous Skulduggery short stories were not expanded upon or referenced in the series but it sounds like some pretty major events happened in The Maleficent Seven. Consequently that's where the book fell down a little for me - Last Stand of Dead Men does not flow smoothly from the previous book in the series to the other.
Overall, this book was intense. So, so, so intense. And I mean that in a genuine 'I was really shaken and disturbed' by this book kind of way, less of an exhilarated, exciting, 'all the feels' kind of way. There were moments in this book where I felt genuinely shocked and upset. Horrified. I was surprised. I feel very, very anxious about Skulduggery and Valkyrie's future and sincerely hope it all works out, because at the moment I cannot possibly see how it can. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that I feel a little traumatised by it all, and I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book before, not even after breaking down upon reading Sheryl Jordan's Secret Sacrament when I was, like, 13.
The Skulduggery Pleasant series is absolutely fantastic, but WARNING: Keep out of reach of children....more
Blood and Gold was always going to be a tough act to follow. With so much blood, death, excitement and treachery in its predecessor, A Feast For CrowsBlood and Gold was always going to be a tough act to follow. With so much blood, death, excitement and treachery in its predecessor, A Feast For Crows was never going to be as good, although there is definitely still a considerable amount of blood, death and treachery to be found here. What else can be expected when one of our new point of view characters is none other than the loathsome Cersei Lannister? Conniving Cersei is on top form here, and her chapters are a joy to read, if only to cringe and squirm in horror and disbelief at her hideous schemes and plots that would make those who conspired the fall of Anne Boleyn seem bumbling and soft.
Unlike many of those who have read A Feast For Crows, I barely noticed the absence of Daenarys, Tyrion, Jon etc. -- though I very much look forward to reading their tales in A Dance With Dragons. Jaime, Brienne and Sam rank amongst my favourites (with Jaime Lannister topping the bill) so I was more than satisfied with my lot, and thrilled to bits that my beloved Brienne was finally given a voice in the form of her own point of view chapters. Jaime Lannister is still my favourite, and still as caustic and reluctantly chivalrous as ever... I feared for the lives of Jaime and Brienne throughout the whole book.
My usual problems with George R.R. Martin's writing style still persist; still plodding, still overly detailed, still full of lesser characters given too much mention that I couldn't care less about or had forgotten existed or what it was they were supposed to have done, still too slow, but at least he picks up the pace in all the right places and I have to admire the complexity of the world he has created.
Oh! And Alayne and Littlefinger -- what a brilliant note to end on.
I have finished this book on holiday... How I wish I had brought A Dance With Dragons with me as well!...more
