This is WebGenii, with another installment from my "Reading Diary". So what have I been reading lately?
I started with "The Bible Repairman and Other Stories" by Tim Powers, published by Tachyon Publications. I am a huge fan of Mr. Powers writing, and I bought this book to console myself over being so overcome with fan girl awe, that I was unable to ask him for an autograph while at World Fantasy 2011. Oh, who am I kidding? I would have bought the book anyway to satisfy my completist urge to read everything Mr. Powers has written.
If you love Powers like I do, then this book is a no-brainer. You'll buy it and you'll like it. As an introduction to Powers, I'm not so sure. The limitations of the short story format means that one of the subtler pleasures of reading Powers fiction; that of watching the hero gradually realize they are dealing with the supernatural, is not really possible. On a side note, I've come to realize that I can't lend Powers books to my friends anymore because, the books never come back. That is how good Powers books are; they turn perfectly nice people into bibliomaniacs.
Next, I tore through the new book by Ben Aaronovitch, "Moon Over Soho". Published by Del Rey. This is the sequel to "Midnight Riot". As soon as I finished Midnight Riot I knew I had to read "Moon Over Soho" IMMEDIATELY. So, (thank goodness for the Internet) I ordered it right away. Now, I feel the same way about wanting to read the next book in the series "Whispers Under Ground". I'm put out that I'll have to wait until June to find out what happens next to Peter Grant and his injured co-worker Leslie. The second book in the series is stronger than the first. And, if you like the naughty, Ben gives Peter a torrid affair with the beautiful Simone Fitzwilliam.
I also read Brandon Sanderson's excellent "The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel". It has been published by Tor and I read it in ebook format. Tor and Sanderson conducted a long teaser session before Christmas. They released substantial sections of the book and I was worried that the final book wouldn't stand up to all that spoilerage. I didn't need to worry. This really a perfect Steampunk fantasy as far as I'm concerned. While it stands on its own plot wise, much of the world building is inherited from the previous trilogy. So I wouldn't start my Mistborn reading here. I really have to give Sanderson a lot of credit for how he has handled his return to the Mistborn universe. Because he has moved his timeline forward a few hundred years -- and more importantly by letting his world advance in technology; he has really made this story a reinvention of his universe, not a retread.
I also picked up Doranna Durgin's "Dun Lady's Jess". This is published by Red Deer Press. I admit that I bought it because it was the subject of an on-line debate between Robert J Sawyer and Ms. Durgin. I guess this only goes to prove that there is no bad publicity. The interesting thing is that I bought the book for a young, horse crazy niece. But, while the book is squarely in the girl/horse genre, I wouldn't put it in 9-12 year age bracket I had envisioned. It's more in the 14-18 year range. It has an interesting premise, where a young mare is transformed into a human woman. Its' clear that Ms. Durgin has really thought about how a horse would behave in a human body. For those who aren't horse crazy - this is probably not the book for you. But, if you love horses this will be in your sweet spot.
And look what just came in through the mail -– "Seed" by Rob Ziegler, published by Night Shade Books. The jacket copy describes something like a dystopian future bio-techno thriller. All without using any of those labels. I remember hearing about "Seed" at World Fantasy, while at the Night Shade table. I'm definitely going to need to see if it lives up to the publicist's hype.
Michael Stackpole's sequel to "At the Queen's Command" has just arrived. "Of Limited Loyalty", published by Night Shade Books, continues with the middle book of The Crown Colonies Trilogy. The trilogy offers an Alternate History view of the settlement of North America.
And finally, "Thieves Covenant" by Ari Marmell, published by PYR. This is billed as an engaging dark fantasy Young Adult novel by the author of "The Goblin Corps". Since I'm getting in at the beginning of a series I'll be moving this up my reading queue.
Just to recap, the books that I mentioned today were:
- Tim Powers, "The Bible Repairman and Other Stories", published by Tachyon Publications
- Ben Aaronovitch, "Moon Over Soho", Published by Del Rey
- Brandon Sanderson, "The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel", Published by Tor
- Doranna Durgin, "Dun Lady's Jess", Published by Red Deer Press
- "Seed" by Rob Ziegler, published by Night Shade Books
- Michael Stackpole, "Of Limited Loyalty", published by Night Shade Books
- "Thieves Covenant", by Ari Marmell, published by PYR
This has been WebGenii letting you know what is on my reading list.
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