"Last Will" by Bryn Greenwood (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Official Bryn Greenwood Website

Order "Last Will" HERE

INTRODUCTION: Last Will is a book that came out of nowhere for me. I saw it recently on Net Galley and being in the mood for a change of pace I checked a sample and enjoyed it enough to request a review e-arc, but I never expected the wonderful engaging experience Last Will provided or the fact that I simply could not put it down once I idly opened it to see where it will fit in my reading plans.

"Bernie Raleigh is a failure at nearly everything he touches. Nobody notices a loser, and after being kidnapped for ransom as a child, Bernie has spent his adult life trying to avoid being noticed. That's impossible now that he's inherited his grandfather's enormous fortune. The inheritance comes complete with a mansion, a lot of obligations, and a very problematic housekeeper named Meda Amos. Beauty queen, alien abductee, crypto-Jew, single mother--Meda is all those things, and she may be the only person who can help Bernie survive his new and very public life."

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Last Will's blurb is reasonably accurate as it goes but it does not convey the power and richness of the book:

  

Bernie, now 30 and moonlighting as an assistant librarian in Kansas city, last male scion of a very rich family, returns to the childhood mansion when his grandfather dies and leaves him his billions, but said childhood mansion is also the place where Bernie was abducted for ransom as a 9 year old - at the local school more precisely - and where the events that shaped him in the retiring and frightened man of today took place, in addition to the tragic accidental deaths of his "golden boy" older brother and of his father, deaths which his estranged mother somehow blames on him - or maybe not blames directly but in the "why my idiot son survived when my husband and my very promising first born did not?" indirect way...

  We slowly discover his peculiarities but Bernie's voice is very compelling and he is fundamentally a good man:

 "I believed Meda’s mother. I don’t mean that I accept the notion that aliens came to our planet and took Muriel into their space ship. Although I don’t dismiss that idea as impossible, it seems like the least likely of several possibilities. I believe something happened to her, something that made her feel taken away from herself, something that returned her not quite as she had been.

I was nine, nearly ten. They were waiting for me as I walked home from school. I was taking a shortcut through the city park, and someone called my name. Amy waved at me. She was a blonde girl who had worked for my parents as a maid for a while. I had a little crush on her. I remember that she asked me about Robby. When I told her he was sick at home, she looked upset. I followed her gaze to a battered van parked up the hill, where the path widened into a little lane that eventually emptied onto a side street. There was a man leaning against the van watching us. Amy’s boyfriend, Joel."

At the mansion he meets Meda who is an early 20s local exotic looking beauty with facial scars that somehow make her even more compelling - the ugly history of those is recounted later in the novel - from a weird downscale family living in and out trailers, single mother of a toddler, working as assistant housekeeper for her aunt, now the domestic help in charge of Bernie's mansion. Tough minded and knowing that "sleeping with the boss" is unlikely to lead anywhere but to social opprobrium and heartbreak, Meda walks a fine line between humoring the immediately lovestruck Bernie and keeping him at a distance, but as her good looks tend to attract the local tough boys, she is slowly attracted by Bernie's goodness and loneliness; of course a lot lies between them, from his peculiarities, to both their histories to the social gulf...

  "He was a nice guy, but I didn’t know what it was about, his being so eager to help me out, and then paying for lunch and a movie. I figured it was about sex, because it’s almost always about sex. During the movie, I thought about how I felt about that. Even though he definitely wasn’t my type, he wasn’t bad. He was too tall and he wasn’t handsome, but he had a nice face, with those sad dog eyes and his crooked nose. I liked that he was so polite, and it didn’t hurt that he had money. Except he was a disaster waiting to happen, being who he was, being my boss, being so sad."

Last Will is one of the most charming and uplifting book I've read in recent years - last year's The Lover's Dictionary and 2010's Thera are other similar books I greatly enjoyed - while staying very grounded in "reality", though of course both Bernie and Meda who alternate first person narration - with few interludes from Bernie's aunt who functions as an outside/back story POV - are quite unlikely themselves, but the skill of the author is such that both just stood out, took over and made me not able to put this book down once I opened it. The alternating narrative structure dealing with the same events from Bernie or Meda's perspective works very well and I think it is a key to the book's success.

  

The secondary cast of characters - especially Meda's family - are also very well drawn and the small town feel is authentic and not glossed over in any way. A special mention goes to Meda's mom, Muriel whose "alien abduction" stories are both pathetic but also a way to cope with her not-so-easy life as Bernie understands the best. Despite their very different situations, Bernie's abduction as a child and what happened then, all recounted at key parts of the book and essentially defining him, coupled with his parents and most of his family's low regard for him, made him closest psychologically with Mureil, while Meda generally tough minded resembles her more practical grandma and aunt who kept the family going.

The storyline is not particularly complicated, though there are a few surprises here and there, but that is beside the point as Last Will lives in Bernie and Meda. The back stories are quite important and the way they are inserted leading to the final piece of the puzzle that explains some of Bernie's stranger peculiarities like his inability to sleep with someone else - sleep as in sleep not sex btw, where Bernie is reasonably normal, though of course with some strangeness there too - fit very well the general structure of the book.

Overall Last Will is a top 25 novel of mine that I expect to reread across the years when needing a funny, smart and ultimately very uplifting novel.  

The Written by Ben Galley (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

Official Author Website

Order the Book HERE

Read an Excerpt HERE

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Ben Galley was born in 1987 in the British Isles. As a child, exposure to the works of Tolkien and Greek mythology helped fire his imagination and left him with a great desire to spin his own stories. Ben wrote the first book as a DIY project and since then has written several self-help blog posts and also offers consultancy services for the same. He’s currently hard at work with the next book. 

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: His name is Farden. They whisper that he’s dangerous. Dangerous is only the half of it. Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options. 

Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await. Breathtakingly vast, chillingly dark, brooding and dangerous, The Written will leave you impatiently waiting for the next adventure… Welcome to Emaneska! 

FORMAT/INFO: The Written is 420 pages long divided over nineteen chapters and an epilogue that is spread over four parts. Narration is in the third-person, majorly via the protagonist Farden and a few one-off character POVs. This is the first book in the Emaneska series. 

December 1, 2010 marked the e-book publication of The Written and it was self published by the author. Cover design is provided by Mikael Westman.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Written is a debut book that I had no clue about but thanks to Mark Lawrence, I was clued to its existence. Usually it’s said never judge a book by its cover but in this case, I was ready to make an exception. The understated cover really drew my eye with its stark color usage, so in this case I was ready to make an exception. The book blurb didn’t really do justice or give any idea about the plot content. But I was truly curious about what this book would be about. 

The book is set in the world of Emaneska, a land of old magic and dragons and in this world are the mages called the Written. The curious thing about them is the presence of certain written words on their back that is supposed to be unique to each individual. One such individual is the protagonist Farden who is said to be one of the strongest crafters of their type of magic as well as one of the scariest people around. He’s also a bit aloof and shares his weird skills with a vampyre who loves history and older legends. His idle life is restructured due to events happening in the city of Arfell wherein a precious book containing several dark legends is stolen and no knows exactly who did it. Fingers are pointed at the dragons with which a current shaky stalemate has been achieved but all is at stake as the book needs to be reclaimed to save the world from ultimate chaos.

The author has a very distinct style of writing about his world, it is a world cloaked in mystery and one whose legends are not exactly the whole truth but there’s no one to confirm or deny it. The world’s layers are slowly peeled and the reader is as confused as the main protagonist as he’s faced with mysteries at every step. The pace of the story is another plus point as things are constantly happening that will propel reader onward, the pace never lets up and this also mirrors the rising tensions in the plot. Going on to the main protagonist, Farden as a character is supposed to be this big, bad and scary mage who has every one spooked. However the reader never gets the feeling entirely based on his actions as through out the story he often stumbles and falters in his path. Perhaps the author’s efforts to present him as a dark, badass warrior mage haven’t quite come out as envisioned by the author. I as a reader felt that he lacked that special factor that is so thoroughly advertized in the blurb and through out character conversations.

One good thing about the book is that there are certain twists that will surprise the reader by genuinely coming out of the left field, the story however doesn’t quite live up as it often takes a predictable route. A good example of this would be how the story unfolds towards the discovery of the villain however what happens in the end is what really makes the reader excited for the next book. The characterization is definitely a plus but the author has work cut out for him in the forthcoming books as there are some characters that are interesting however don’t get much page time and therefore they only enchant the reader for a little time.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the revelations about the world’s magic system and back history however it wasn’t thoroughly explored in this book and this could be done purposefully by the author since this is his debut and the start of the series. Lastly the book also has some good action sequences that show the twisted imagination of the author and the final sequence involving dragons is probably the highlight of the climax besides the end twist. Overall this book does have its shortcomings but it also has some silver points to it that make it stand out and fill me with hope for the sequels, I’ll be looking forward to the Pale Kings, as it promises to one up its predecessor and also provide a through background about the world’ s history. As a reader I can’t ask for more…

CONCLUSION: Ben Galley’s The Written shows a spark that is admirable, the talent might not match the execution entirely but it's there and it will be heartening to see how this young author manages to learn and hone his craft with the upcoming books, I’ll definitely  be taking an interest in them to follow through and see how he develops his skills.

"The Black Opera" by Mary Gentle (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

 

Mary Gentle at Wikipedia

Order The Black Opera HERE or HERE as drm free ebook

Read the first 16 Chapters for free at Baen - Night Shade ebooks

INTRODUCTION: Mary Gentle has written a couple of the most memorable sffnal novels I've read, namely the two alt-history novels A Sundial in the Grave: 1610 and Ilario, both deserving a place on my all time "more favorites list". She also has written the somewhat (in)famous Orthe duology of which the final volume Ancient Light courageously follows the logic of the story to its more natural conclusion, rather than the more standard "it'll be alright in the end" that even last year's Embassytown - which follows the same kind of story - presented. So any new novel by her is a priority for me and I've been impatiently waiting for The Black Opera since it was announced a few years ago.

Here is the blurb which is generally accurate though it does not really convey the richness of the book:

"Naples, the 19th Century. In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, holy music has power.

Under the auspices of the Church, the Sung Mass can bring about actual miracles like healing the sick or raising the dead. But some believe that the musicodramma of grand opera can also work magic by channeling powerful emotions into something sublime. Now the Prince's Men, a secret society, hope to stage their own black opera to empower the Devil himself - and change Creation for the better!

Conrad Scalese is a struggling librettist whose latest opera has landed him in trouble with the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Rescued by King Ferdinand II, Conrad finds himself recruited to write and stage a counter opera that will, hopefully, cancel out the apocalyptic threat of the black opera, provided the Prince's Men, and their spies and saboteurs, don't get to him first. And he only has six weeks to do it."

ANALYSIS:  While Ilario and 1610 were clearly sfnal, The Black Opera is fantasy-nal as it has souls, returned dead, ghosts and music as magic. It is also lighter and the least "serious" of the three with action that resembles an operatic plot in many instances. I am not that familiar with opera terminology and customs but I enjoyed the parts set into its world - bare-bones plot - bad guys want to use a special opera to bring down society for the greater good of course, good guys have to write/compose/perform a "counteropera" to stop the bad guys, though of course things are subtler in many ways.

The main characters of the book are part of the opera world in a role or another with a few kings, emperors, cardinals and soldiers added in since we are in sff hence we deal in saving the world and they are quite vivid and stand out with different personalities.

The action takes place by and large in the 1820's South Italy - home of the opera after all - though there is some backstory and some detail about the rest of the world. As mentioned above the operatic touch means that the novel balances between over-the-top fun and more serious stuff, but the author's skill is such that it is always a pleasure to read as the dialogue is crisp and funny - with occasional touches of subtlety and depth - and you slowly get to care about the characters and their fate. In traditional operatic mode there are powerful emotional scenes - while Mary Gentle's storyline twists and turns quite a lot.

If there is a weakness beyond the general lightness, "this is a story and it cannot be truly real" and of course assuming that the balancing act mentioned above works for you - I would say it is the choice of Kingdom of the Two Sicilies as the focal point of the movers and shakers of the action which of course makes sense from an opera point of view but not really from a sffnal point of view so to speak.
 

Overall The Black Opera is a highly recommended novel for 2012 but its ultimate lightness will keep it from my top of the year.

Shadow On The Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

 Official Author Website
 Order the book HERE
 Watch the book trailer HERE
 Read an excerpt HERE


AUTHOR INFORMATION: Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number cruncher. She graduated from Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre. After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway. Later, Pavarti went to work in the finance industry as a freelance accountant for several international law firms. She now operates her own accounting firm in the Washington DC area, where she lives with her husband, two daughters and two terrible dogs. When not working on taxes, she is hard at work as the Director of Publicity at Novel Publicity and penning her next novel. 


OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah's call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way? 


Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm. 


In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss. 


FORMAT/INFO: Shadow On The Wall is 197 pages long divided over five parts and an epilogue. Narration is in the third-person via Recai Osman, Hasad Sofaer, Rebekah Sofaer, Darya, Isik, Fahri Kaya, Maryam the nurse. This is the first book of the Sandstorm Chronicles. 
  
April 17, 2012 marked the e-book and paperback publication of Shadow On The Wall by Fighting Monkey Press. Cover art is provided by Damon Za. 


ANALYSIS: Shadow On The Wall is a book from an author that I had no clue about. We received a query letter about it and the book’s blurb along with its exotic setting heightened my interest in it. I was curious to see how the author would portray Islam within the confines of the superhero and urban fantasy subgenres. It was also marketed as literary fiction and this was also a plus point in consideration for me choosing it. 


Shadow On The Wall is set in the city of Elih in Turkey and is set in modern times, however the exact year is never given. The reader is rather suddenly introduced to the main protagonist Recai Osman who is trapped into the desert outside the city of Elih with no precise recollection of his presence. He however tries his best to survive and is rescued by Hasad Sofaer, an Indian jew who takes him in his home and with the help of his daughter Rebekah tries to nurse him back to health. Things are going on a smooth keel however they soon turn dastardly as members of the RTK political party make an appearance in Hasad’s village and the twist of fate that triggers Recai’s heroic odyssey occurs. The story then skips three years and we are re-introduced to Recai as he comes back to Elih. This time however he’s not the person he was before and he will come across many characters that will lead to the rise of the sandstorm. There's also the other characters that are introduces such as Darya, Isik, Maryam and Fahri who share the page presence and further introduce twists in to the plot through their actions and plans.


Pavarti’s book is quite different than what I thought it would be, for one the author has really tried to focus on the minutiae of individual actions that further cascade down into horrific as well as benevolent events.  I believe the author was trying to showcase the actions of fate as well as personal choice thereby giving both black and white sides to characters that we read about. The characterization of the book is the highlight of the book as the author gives us a veritable slice into the lives of myriad characters, both honest and devious, both male and female. While Recai Osman is the main character, the author also dwells into the life of secondary characters to present a wholesome side of life in the city of Elih. There are some strong parallels between Recai and Bruce Wayne however the author makes it very clear that Recai is not the same man as the Dark Knight. He however does share similar prejudices against those who have been corrupted.


Secondly the author’s prose draws in the reader into the story and life that is so suffocating in the city of Elih under various sanctions and constrictions placed by those in power, the reader will feel the pain felt by the characters and therefore their actions and motivations become that much more clear. Lastly the author has to be thoroughly commended for her research and background details in several Islamic sayings and fashion which she has described in the book, from the spellings to the greetings and customs, the author manages to get all her ducks in a row and this adds to the richness of the culture showcased within.


While all the wonderful points of the book do help, there are some facets to it that might affect the read for some readers. Beginning with the pacing which is a bit uneven and causes the read to falter a bit in the start and the middle of the book to a certain extent, while this is very subjective I felt that it did occur enough times to stifle the read. Another point of contention is that the author never really reveals what occurred to the main character that lead to his eventual transformation. I felt that this could have been explored more or at least a bit more exposition would have definitely helped explain the genesis of the story’s central character. This is also offset against the fact that this is the first book and therefore the authorial plan might be to reveal more as each volume progresses. Lastly the book I felt tries a bit too hard to showcase its literary side and this perhaps offsets the thriller aspect of the story. 


CONCLUSION: Pavarti Tyler’s book is quite a mix up of styles and genres however one thing is true about it that the author has taken some pains to chalk out the story and flesh out the characters. Shadow On the Wall does it best to raise questions about the role of religion, gender, faith and society which I believe was the author’s purpose. Give it a read if you wish to explore a different culture and a different type of superhero.

Demon Squad: Echoes Of The Past by Tim Marquitz (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

Official Author website
Read FBC's Review of Armageddon Bound
Read FBC's Review of Resurrection 
Read FBC’s Review of At The Gates 
Read FBC interview with Tim Marquitz 

Read the first chapter HERE and another excerpt HERE

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Tim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squadseries, and the Sepulchral Earth serial stories. He is also an editor, a heavy metal aficionado, a Mixed Martial Arts fan, and is also a member of the Live Action Role Playing organization. When he’s not busy writing dark stories which catch his imagination he also manages to go about his day job. Tim lives in El Paso, Texas with his wonderful family.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Not when you're the Devil's nephew. An unexpected message gives Frank the answer he's sought for years--Where did God and Lucifer go?--but the knowledge brings its own dilemma as inter-dimensional war looms, threatening to engulf the Earth.

Tasked with the planet's defense, Frank scrounges for a plan and finds a piece of his past better left behind. If the aliens don't kill him, what he learns just might!

FORMAT/INFO: Demon Squad: Echoes Of The Past is 189 pages long divided over twenty-five chapters. Narration is in the first-person, exclusively via the protagonist Frank “Triggaltheron” Trigg. This is the fourth book in the series and it would not make much sense for new readers to jump into the series with this book.

April 24, 2012 marked the e-book and paperback publication of Demon Squad: Echoes Of The Past and it was self published by the author. Cover art is provided by Jessica Lucero.

ANALYSIS: Nearly three years ago I happened to come across a book called “Armageddon Bound” and it proved to be a thrill ride with some ferocious wit that would make most people blush or chuckle depending on their disposition. It was a debut that marked Tim out among the many debutantes of 2009, since then I have kept an eye for further books in the demon squad series to follow the misadventures of Frank Trigg, Lucifer’s nephew and all-round screw-up. He’s a character that endears himself to you as much as hangovers do, but eventually one does manage to gain a soft spot because of his inherent goodness that might be found after some real deep soul searching.

Echoes Of The Past begins a bit after the events of “At The Gates” and past readers will know how it ended, so the reader is immediately clued into what is happening and the most primal of mysteries about this series is given a resounding answer, namely what happened that lead God and Lucifer to have a sit-down and then disappear to unknown places. Readers clamoring for an answer will get the desired explanation and then we get to see Frank as he returns to his home however another nasty surprise awaits him and this time it’s the government. And that’s just the beginnings of his troubles as remnants of the war to topple heaven make their way towards Frank as do alien entities that have previous connections to his lineage. This book basically deals with a lot of revelations and answers for Frank and the reader and finally the author manages to end the book with a cliffhanger that manages to upend the one featured in Resurrection. This book will leave you utterly hanging and clamoring for book V.

To begin with, in regards to the previous three books, Echoes of the Past is a vastly different book. It is more introspective and deals with a lot of revelations, secrets and intricacies of this universe. For a reader invested in these books, this is the payoff however be warned that this is not the penultimate book of the series and so akin to LOST, these answers while satisfying will lead to more questions gleaned from those very answers. Thematically this book is about identity and the quest to find it. Frank has always wondered about his past and recent events occurring the past books have escalated that need. In this book he finally gets an avenue to explore those needs however the answers he finds might not be the ones he thought they would be. If you didn’t emphathize with Frank before, you’ll definitely do so after reading this one.

This book also has more than its share of plot twists, I would go so far as to say that this one is the most twisted of all the Demon Squad books. While previous books did have the twists, none of them were so caustic as these to Frank. After all the recent deaths in the previous two books, the author does continue the trend not in number but in terms of important personage. I was very much surprised by the turns of the plot as the author constantly kept on switching tracks and thereby made the ending that much more unpredictable. Characterization-wise this book is the most accomplished of all however it focuses solely on Frank. With these books Frank has always been the sole narrator, but with the last two books, the focus was widened on the side character cast however with this one the scope is again narrowed down to Frank. This kind of narrative while having its plus points also makes it a problem if the reader doesn’t connect with the story. However with Frank, the reader is always left stunned with the amount and importance of information revealed and this just makes the next book that much more enticing especially when Frank reunites with those that have wronged him.

The only things that went against the enjoyment factor was that the book ends on a massive cliffhanger and combined with the expectation of things to come, that makes the wait for the next book hard. The second point would be that the book also has revelations that gives answers but further creates questions that will leave the readers perplexed. But both these issues are minor ones and wouldn’t affect the overall reading experience.

CONCLUSION: Tim Marquitz takes a new direction with the fourth book that showcases improvement on all authorial fronts. This is another great entry in the Demon Squad series, if you haven’t started it yet then you should definitely do so. This is one of those series that has almost been under most readers radar. Tim Marquitz continues his excellent run and makes this book another standout volume.