Review

Quick Review: THE SWORD DEFIANT by Gareth Hanrahan (Orbit)

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HanrahanG-LotF1-SwordDefiantHCThe first in a new, dark epic fantasy

Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine companions saved the world, seizing the Dark Lord’s cursed weapons, along with his dread city of Necrad. That was the easy part.

Now, when Aelfric – keeper of the cursed sword Spellbreaker – learns of a new and terrifying threat, he seeks the nine heroes once again. But they are wandering adventurers no longer. Yesterday’s eager heroes are today’s weary leaders – and some have turned to the darkness, becoming monsters themselves.

If there’s one thing Aelfric knows, it’s slaying monsters. Even if they used to be his friends.

Gareth Hanrahan’s The Sword Defiant is a strong opening book in a new series. Great world-building and characters, and an intriguing mystery — I enjoyed this novel. Continue reading →

Very Quick Review: UNEXPLODED REMNANTS by Elaine Gallagher (TorDotCom)

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GallagherE-UnexplodedRemnantsUSHCA fast-paced, intriguing new sci-fi novella

An A.I. wages war on a future it doesn’t understand.

Alice is the last human. Street-smart and bad-ass.

After discovering what appears to be an A.I. personality in an antique data core, Alice decides to locate its home somewhere in the stargate network. At the very least, she wants to lay him to rest because, as it turns out, she’s stumbled upon the sentient control unit of a deadly ancient weapon system.

Convincing the ghost of a raging warrior that the war is over is about as hard as it sounds, which is to say, it’s near-impossible. But, if Alice fails and the control unit falls into the wrong hands, the balance of power her side of the Milky Way could fall apart. As Alice ports throughout the known universe seeking answers and aid she will be faced with impossible choice after impossible choice and the growing might of an unstoppable foe.

A very quick/short review, for this one. This is a pretty fast-paced, galaxy-trotting science fiction novella. After a slightly shaky start, I quickly fell into the setting and became invested in the characters’ fates. It doesn’t quite stick the landing, but I nevertheless enjoyed it. Continue reading →

Very Quick Review: GOLDENSEAL by Maria Hummel (Counterpoint)

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HummelM-GoldensealUSHCThe story of two estranged friends, and the betrayal that tore them apart

Downtown Los Angeles, 1990. Alone in her luxury hotel suite, the reclusive Lacey Crane receives a message: Edith is waiting for her in the lobby. Former best friends, Lacey and Edith haven’t spoken to one another in over four decades. As young adults meeting at summer camp in Maine, and later making their way in the glitzy spotlight of postwar Hollywood, Edith and Lacey share a deep-rooted bond that once saved them from isolation and despair, providing comfort from the public and private traumas that they had each endured and which a newly optimistic world was eager to forget.

Told in a continuous, twisting conversation on a single evening, in which each woman tells her story and reveals long-hidden secrets, the narratives of Edith and Lacey burn with atmosphere, mystery, resentment, and regret. Set against the vivid landscapes of Los Angeles and unfolding with the evanescence of a dream, Goldenseal peels away the layers of an intimate female friendship to reveal a haunting story about the search for connection and the lingering echoes of lost love.

Maria Hummel’s latest novel is a tightly-written story of friendship and betrayal. It’s an engaging character study, and (in my opinion) the author’s best book to-date. Continue reading →

Quick Review: THE FURY by Alex Michaelides (Celadon)

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MichaelidesA-FuryUSHCA satisfying, twisty tale

This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind… and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.

I hadn’t read either of Michaelides’s best-selling and acclaimed previous novels — The Silent Patient and The Maidens — but the premise for this third novel really caught my attention: a reclusive ex-movie star and a few of her famous friends take a spontaneous trip to a private Greek island, and it’s a trip that ends in murder. I dove in pretty much as soon as I received the review copy, and I very much enjoyed the ride. Continue reading →

Quick Review: PRACTICE by Rosalind Brown (FSG)

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BrownR-PracticeUSHCLife intrudes on the life of a student struggling to write a paper

A day in the life of a young student who experiences her thoughts, fantasies, and wishes as she writes about — or tries to write about — Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Rosalind Brown’s Practice shows us just one day. Annabel, sitting in her small student room, attempts to write an essay about Shakespeare. She follows a meticulous, solitary routine but finds it repeatedly thrown off course as the day progresses: by family and friends who demand her attention and time, by thoughts of her much older boyfriend and his impending visit, by wild sexual fantasies and stories of her own invented characters — and by darker crises, obliquely glimpsed but capable of derailing Annabel’s carefully laid plans.

Rosalind Brown’s debut novel is getting some glowing and gushing pre-publication buzz, and I was lucky enough to receive a review copy from the publisher. As someone who has spent much of the past 20 years in and around academia, I was drawn to the premise: it sounded like a slightly different kind of campus novel. Brown is undoubtedly a gifted writer, but ultimately I think the premise was a little thin to maintain an entire novel. Continue reading →

Quick Review: CITY IN RUINS by Don Winslow (Hemlock Press/William Morrow)

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WinslowD-DR3-CityInRuinsUSHCThe explosive conclusion to the Danny Ryan trilogy… and also a very successful writing career

Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.

Danny Ryan is rich.

Beyond his wildest dreams rich.

The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.

Life is good.

But then Danny reaches too far.

When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.

Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.

To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.

City in Ruins brings to a close Don Winslow’s final trilogy. Before City on Fire was published, the author announced that he was retiring at the end of the series. Despite only starting to read his work relatively recently (2017’s The Force), he quickly became a must-read author for me. Broken is one of my favourite short story collections, and I’ve eagerly anticipated every one of his new novels. While this may be his last, I am glad that I still have many from his backlist still to read. Anyway. I enjoyed City in Ruins, and I think fans of Winslow’s work will find plenty to enjoy. Continue reading →

Quick Review: ASCENT TO POWER by David L. Roll (Dutton)

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RollDL-AscentToPowerUSHCAn engaging new biography of the transition of power between FDR and Truman

From Franklin Roosevelt’s final days through Harry Truman’s extraordinary transformation, this is the enthralling story behind the most consequential presidential transition in US history.

When Roosevelt, in failing health, decided to run for a fourth term, he gave in to the big city Democratic bosses and reluctantly picked Senator Truman as his vice president, a man he barely knew. Upon FDR’s death in April 1945, Truman, after only 82 days as VP, was thrust into the presidency. Utterly unprepared, he faced the collapse of Germany, a Europe in ruins, the organization of the UN, a summit with Stalin and Churchill, and the question of whether atomic bombs would be ready for use against Japan. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was growing increasingly hostile towards US power. Truman inherited FDR’s hope that peace could be maintained through cooperation with the Soviets, but he would soon learn that imitating his predecessor would lead only to missteps and controversy.

Spanning the years of transition, 1944 to 1948, Ascent to Power illuminates Truman’s struggles to emerge as president in his own right. Yet, from a relatively unknown Missouri senator to the most powerful man on Earth, Truman’s legacy transcends. With his come-from-behind campaign in the fall of 1948, his courageous civil rights advocacy, and his role in liberating millions from militarist governments and brutal occupations, Truman’s decisions during these pivotal years changed the course of the world in ways so significant we live with them today.

I seem to be reading an awful lot of books about the early Cold War years, recently. (Only partly for work.) Many of them have felt rather familiar, taking the same or similar approaches to those momentous years and events. David L. Roll’s new history of the transition from FDR to Truman offers something a little bit different, I think. It is an engaging, well-written and well-researched account of one of the most significant administrative changes, focusing on the changes between the two presidents and administrations. A satisfying read. Continue reading →

Quick Review: WHAT’S NEXT by Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack (Dutton)

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FitzgeraldMcCormack-WhatsNextUSHCBehind-the-scenes at the creation of The West Wing…

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure.

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet’s Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful “backstage pass” to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired.

From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show’s final night of filming, What’s Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show’s legacy through American culture, service, government, and civic life underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, creating an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television.

What’s Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show’s production; highlights initiatives supported by the cast, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, hope, and optimism for whatever lies ahead.

I first discover The West Wing during my first month at university (many moons ago…). It was an episode from the second season, and I was immediately hooked. At the time, my interest in US politics was not as developed as it would go on to become. Those first episodes, though, grabbed my attention in a way I don’t think anyone would have expected. Every year, from 2001 until 2016, I watched every episode that was available. So, when I learned that What’s Next was on the way, I knew I had to read it. Luckily, the publisher provided me with a review copy, and I dove right in. Continue reading →

Quick Review: THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Stuart Turton (Raven)

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TurtonS-LastMurderAtTheEndOfTheWorldUKHCSolve the murder to save what’s left of the world.

Outside the island there is the world destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island it is idyllic. 122 villagers and 3 scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And they learn the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay.

If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island – and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer – and they don’t even know it…

Like many readers, I have very much enjoyed Turton’s twisty mysteries — The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water. I was a little late to the author’s work, but when I received this for review, I didn’t wait. It’s another twisty and engaging novel, and I enjoyed it. Continue reading →

Quick Review: THE FIREBORNE BLADE by Charlotte Bond (TorDotCom)

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BondC-FB1-FireborneBladeUSHCA classic fantasy tale with a twist…

Kill the dragon. Find the blade. Reclaim her honor.

It’s that, or end up like countless knights before her, as a puddle of gore and molten armor.

Maddileh is a knight. There aren’t many women in her line of work, and it often feels like the sneering and contempt from her peers is harder to stomach than the actual dragon slaying. But she’s a knight, and made of sterner stuff.

A minor infraction forces her to redeem her honor in the most dramatic way possible, she must retrieve the fabled Fireborne Blade from its keeper, legendary dragon the White Lady, or die trying. If history tells us anything, it’s that “die trying” is where to wager your coin.

Maddileh’s tale contains a rich history of dragons, ill-fated knights, scheming squires, and sapphic love, with deceptions and double-crosses that will keep you guessing right up to its dramatic conclusion. Ultimately, The Fireborne Blade is about the roles we refuse to accept, and of the place we make for ourselves in the world.

I was looking for something new and short to read, when Charlotte Bond’s The Fireborne Blade became available for review. With no preconceptions, I dove right in, and found myself quickly swept up by the story and writing. I really enjoyed this. Continue reading →