Caught In The Whirlwind
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Book 40: Dead Beat (Dresden Files #7)
Dec 30th 2010
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Fantasy (Urban)
Pages: 424
Summary
Harry Dresden, Wizard for hire has found himself dealing with a lot of changes in his personal life over the past few months. But what hasn’t changed is his ability to get himself into large amounts of trouble while dealing with the supernatural elements that inhabit Chicago. This time; Necromancers.
Notes
Wow, I’m flying through books here. Ever since I got my new kindle I’ve been reading like a maniac. 2.5 books finished since Christmas.
This is by far my favorite of the dresden files books. It’s the best put together, with even little things like a polka suit becoming tremendously important by the end of the book. Butters, the medical examiner, has also vaulted upwards in my rankings of Dresden sidekick characters.
I try not to spoil in these notes sections so I’ll just say that the climax of this book has one of the most awesome fight sequences I’ve ever read. It’s so absurd in the way that the Dresden books can be absurd but it is just so…Dresden that it just seems to make sense.
Dresden’s internal struggle with a force that promises to offer him great power to help those around him in his greatest hour of need but with a price that he knows will be too great in the future takes center stage here as well and really helps to define Harry’s character.
The more I read of this series, the more drawn in I get.
Next Book
I’m reading the next book in the Dresden Files, Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher. I may not be able to get this done before the new year, so I think my final 50 in 365 challenge result is going to be 40.
Book 39: Tongues of Serpents (Temeraire #6)
Dec 29th 2010
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Not so historical fantasy
Pages: 274
Summary
The 6th book of the Temeraire series finds Laurence and Temeraire in Australia, due to their previous actions in the series. They’re charged with helping to set up a new colony there and have been provided with three dragon eggs to kickstart a covert in the colony. But one of the dragon eggs gets stolen while they are away from the main colony scouting locations for their covert. Wackiness ensues.
Notes
This is by far my least favorite book in the series. The interesting political wranglings and moral choices of past installments have been left largely behind. It started off ok, with Laurence trying to convince the disposed colony leader and the rebel factions that have taken over the colony when they arrived of his usefulness to the war effort in hopes of a pardon. But this is nearly abandoned for about 75% of the book after one of the eggs is stolen.
The large majority of this book is them traveling across the barren Australian outback, from water hole to water hole, dealing with the bunyip’s that use them to attract easy prey. The story kicks up a bit once they finally find the egg, but it doesn’t make up for the long slog to get there.
The writing was quality as always, but serious pacing issues mar this book. I’m hoping the remainder of the series, still forthcoming, shares more in common with the earlier books in the series.
Next Book
Caught up on one series, I’m going back to the Dresden Files, reading Dead Beat by Jim Butcher.
Book 38: Blood Rites (Dresden Files #6)
Dec 27th 2010
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Fantasy (Urban)
Pages: 372
Summary
Harry Dresden, professional wizard, does a lot of different things. And he starts this book out by rescuing a group of puppies from a demon. This launches him (somehow) back into the war between the White Council and the vampires that he provoked so many books ago, suffering an attack from a black court and engaged by Thomas of the white court to help out a friend of his as payment for the many favors he’s been given in the past.
Notes
This is the book in the series I’ve been waiting for when we finally get more details about Dresden’s family, specifically his mother.
It’s well written and in the upper half of the series that I’ve read so far as far as quality. I like the character progression a lot in these books. It’s slow, and subtle but it’s realistic and I find myself getting drawn into Harry’s character the more books I read in the series.
Next Book
I’m popping back over to the Temeraire series with the last book written so far, Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik, just to finish that series out. Then I’ll probably jump back to Dresden.
Book 37: Victory Of Eagles (Temeraire #5)
Dec 19th 2010
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical (Getting less so) Fantasy
Pages: 352
Summary
Napoleon has invaded england. Laurence and Temeraire deal with the consequences of their actions in book #4. If I say anything else I’m going to spoil the crap out of the last book so I won’t.
Notes
Note: there will be potential minor spoilers of book 4 in this notes section.
This is probably my favorite book of the series so far. It’s overarching theme is consequences. The direct consequences of his actions at the end of the last book and the consequences of Napoleons invasion of England which would not have been possible had Laurence not done what he did.
A good portion of this book leaves Laurence and Temeraire separated and the point of view, for the first time in the series, is split roughly 50/50 between Laurence and Temeraire. I thought the split POV is what made this book so good. Laurence is dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions and thoughs through a lot of this and being able to examine Temeraire’s reaction to everything Laurence is feeling further increases the feeling of detachment that Laurence is experiencing.
This also served as a chance for a lot of character development regarding Temeraire who finally gets a chance to lobby for dragon reform in England and equal rights.
The end of this book wasn’t a cliffhanger thankfully, but it was very satisfying.
Next Book
I’m taking a Temeraire break after such a long string of these books and hopping back over to the Dresden Files for a spell, reading Blood Rites by Jim Butcher, Book 6 of The Dresden Files.
Book 36: Empire of Ivory (Temeraire #4)
Dec 15th 2010
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 416
Summary
Laurence and Temeraire finally return home to england where they discover that the illness they experienced when leaving on their voyage in the second book was much more than a common cold. Temeraire, immune for some reason to the virus, sets off with his former formation back to the south tip of Africa in hopes of finding a cure.
Notes
This book is less about the conflict between England and France and more an examination of the evils of the slave trade and it’s effect on the native population of Africa. I found the change to be a refreshing change from the war having the primary focus. I found the storyline of the illness compelling as well.
It suffers not at all from the previous book’s inclination towards unbelievably bad luck in ending up in one prison after another and instead presents a compelling story, depicting the native tribes of africa in a way which challenged the conception that they were backwards savages.
And Laurence has a very important character moment in this book. He’s the type of person who puts his honor above all else and as a military officer for life, respects the chain of command and his orders, putting his personal beliefs aside. But at the end of this book he’s presented with a situation that causes him to weigh the good of his country against the good of the larger population of Europe and the world. This moment is the keystone that makes the entire book work, and shows why Laurence is a compelling main character.
The book is filled with moments where you’re presented with situations and say “something isn’t quite right here.” and brings up by proxy many of the issues that we’re still working through to this day regarding race and human rights. I would describe it as thought provoking.
And the cliffhanger ending. Argh! I’m glad the next book is out already. Otherwise I’d be going crazy right now.
This series is turning out great so far. Highly recommended if you’re into fantasy or dragons. Or don’t mind mixing your dragons with real world events. I can’t wait to read what’s going on next. Which leads me to…
Next Book
I’ll be taking on Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik, the next book in the Temeraire series
Book 35: Black Powder War (Temeraire #3)
Dec 10th 2010
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Pages: 400
Summary
The third book in the wonderful (In my opinion of course) Temeraire series. Temeraire and Laurence return from *mumblemumble* on orders to collect a fire breathing dragon egg (the first one that England will have) from the Turks. But the plan goes awry when they arrive to find the deal has fallen apart under mysterious circumstances.
Notes
Out of the three books in the series this book, to me, seemed to be the least interesting. As much as book #2 was a travel log, so was this one, but instead of straight on through with the promise of character development at the end, things stay largely static here.
Temeraire and crew stumble from one prison to another in their attempts at getting home, to the point where towards the end I was thinking “Again?”
Even though I sound down on the book, it was still an good read, only paling a bit in comparison to the other two books in the series. The interplay between the dragons and Temeraire’s innocence and desire for equal rights for dragons produced some great dialog. My beef is just with the slightly stale story. The new dragon introduced here makes the whole journey worthwhile. And I hope she continues to play a prominent role in future books.
Next Book
I’m continuing onwards with the Temeraire series, reading Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik.
Books 30-34: The Catchupening
Dec 6th 2010
Book 30: Summer Knight (Dresden Files Book 4)
Author: Jim Butcher / Genre: Fantasy (Urban) / Pages: 371
The Dresden Files gets good. Real good. Characters have been introduced, annoying werewolf based storylines have been put down and the real fun begins. I really enjoyed this book, needless to say. The journey into the spirit realms to figure out what’s causing all the uproar is really well done, along with the continuing effects of the events in past works. Good read. Butcher’s writing style is great and he’s good at building new adventures which continue to add layers to the world of the novel. The character of Michael was introduced in this book and he quickly became one of my favorites. I love the conflict between him and Dresden as they’re both trying to do what’s right but with sometimes very different methods.
Book 31: His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire #1)
Author: Naomi Novik / Genre: Historical Fantasy / Pages: 365
New series for me. The premise is basically a what if. What if dragons were real, and, if not as common as house cats, common enough to be tamed and used as weapons. This book is set in the Napoleonic wars. An English ship captures a French ship carrying an egg that hatches before it can make it to land. As such, ship captain Will Laurence is forced to leave the navy and join the aerial corps. The writing is great and it’s obvious the author knows a lot about the historical context, enough to add dragons of all things into the established military history and have it all make sense. Highly recommend this series if you’re into dragons or historical fantasy at all.
Book 32: Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2)
Author: Naomi Novik / Genre: Historical Fantasy / Pages: 432
So as to not spoil anything, Temeraire and Laurance are forced to go on a long journey by boat in this book, into a situation which may rip the pair apart against their wishes. I felt this book was good, but not quite as good as the first novel in the series. The journey from England to *mumblemumble* was kinda plodding in places, the pacing a bit uneven. There’s more political intrigue in this book than the first and less discovery of draconic abilities which makes sense given the plot. It was still a good read but my attention was wavering in points through the middle. The ending though has enough character development to make up for the long haul to get there and then some.
Book 33: Death Masks (Dresden Files Book #5)
Author: Jim Butcher / Genre: Fantasy (Urban) / Pages: 352
I switched back to the Dresden Files for this book and wasn’t disappointed again. This time Harry faces a multitude of threats including vampire duels, trying to find the Shroud of Turin and dealing with extremely powerful demons to boot. I was happy to see that some of the threads planted in previous books have come around to be tied off in this one. I like how the author is able to tell entirely new stories every time so that a new reader could follow it but include enough stuff from past books to make it feel like a cohesive series. Looking forward to continuing onward.
Book 34: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
Author: Charles Yu / Genre: Science Fiction / Pages: 256
It’s been a while since I’ve read a straight Science Fiction book and this one was a doozy. It’s a time travel book that’s hard to explain in a short blurb. But basically the main character, Charles Yu (also the author) ends up killing his future self, placing him in a time loop while he tries to search for his missing father. The book wavers between being deceptively deep and being actually deep. I’ve settled on the opinion that there’s a lot of content here, and overall I enjoyed the read. It’s a VERY dense book, so those looking for a quick, fun read might want to steer clear. But if you can invest some time and energy into it, it’s very worthwhile.
Next Book
Phew, all caught up. The book I’m currently reading right now is the third book in the Temeraire series, Black Powder War by Naomi Novik.
National Novel Writing Month
Nov 1st 2010
If you haven’t been seeing my twitter/facebook feeds recently, I should mention that I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month this year. Basically, it’s a sprint to try and write a small novel during November. 50,000 words by the end of the month.
My chances of actually finishing are slim, as are my chances of producing something that’s worth reading, but I’ve always wanted to give this a shot since I’ve heard about the event and I’ve wanted to get into writing a bit more than I have so I’m giving it a shot.
The novel I’m writing is basically exploring the past of an original character I’ve come up with. It’s going to be in the urban fantasy genre as this character can use magic. Basic rundown is that she’s the daughter of a russian stage magician who traveled around Europe with his family performing. They were very close and when he suddenly took ill, she discovered that his magic tricks weren’t really tricks after all and he had the ability to use real magic. And she did too. He started teaching her but he died before she learned complete control. The emotional turmoil of his death caused her to lose control of her newfound abilities and nearly kill her mother as well. She fled her family, eventually making her way to England where the novel will take place. Or where it starts. I might have her move to the US somewhere in there…still not sure where this is going exactly, but I’ll figure it out. It’s intended to be a story about her past and how she’s dealing with that self doubt and grief in the present and finding a way to escape her getting mixed up with some bad people who want to take advantage of her fragile state.
So anyway, I’ll be trying to write a novel. Probably won’t finish because I’ve got other stuff I need to do. But I’m going to give it a shot anyway.
Book 29: Grave Peril (Dresden Files Book 3)
Oct 26th 2010
Title: Grave Peril
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Fantasy (Urban)
Pages: 378
Summary
Harry Dresden, Wizard for Hire returns, this time battling an epidemic of agitated ghosts and an entity known as the Nightmare, a very powerful ghost hellbent on taking down Dresden and his allies.
Notes
I really enjoyed this one. More than book 2 for sure. The mystery in this one seemed to come out of nowhere a bit (involving a character that dresden did something to in the past that we never saw) but it was satisfyingly complex with the twists and turns which was kind of lacking in the previous book.
I enjoy how these books are fairly self contained but some of the events that happen in previous books carry over into the new ones. There’s a bit of continuity which makes things seem that much more realistic.
Next Book
I thought that I’d be moving on to something else for a Dresden break, but I ended up reading right on through to the next book in the series, Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Book 28: Fool Moon (Dresden Files Book 2)
Oct 22nd 2010
Title: Fool Moon
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Fiction (Urban)
Pages: 352
Summary
Harry Dresden returns in the second book of the series. This time the subject is warewolves of all shapes and sizes. The police encounter a murder and Dresden discovers a paw print at the scene. This launches him into yet another situation where he’s in over his head and needs to find some way out.
Notes
After blowing through the first book in the series, I decided to continue onwards with the second.
Everything I loved about the first book was there but about halfway through I kinda lost interest a bit. Sure it doesn’t help that werewolves are probably one of my least favorite supernatural creatures. But I got to a point where I really didn’t care what was going on and wanted it to just…end.
I was told to expect this, that the first few books could be a bit rocky, so I knew it was coming and I finished it off anyway. I’d give this book 3.5 stars if I had to rate it. The beginning part was just as good as the first book, but then it seemed to just drag out for me.
Next Book
Finally caught up! I’m currently reading Book 3 of The Dresden Files, Grave Peril by Jim Butcher. I’m roughly 49% of the way through right now.
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