Okay, to the book, Batman.

Libriomancer’s premise is unique to me. I’m sure it has been done before, but I haven’t read anything like this. The idea is a type of magic that enables a gifted reader to physically reach into a book and pull out desired objects. This is libriomancy and it was discovered by Johannes Gutenberg himself (who, in real life, invented the first movable type printing press). Not only did he invent modern printing that changed the world, but in Libriomaner, he also invented a new kind of magic that allowed the very words we all read  to literally become real. Of course, once that magic has been released into the world, Gutenberg had to invent a whole organization of ‘porters’ to keep things in order.

The story begins with Isaac Vainio, a discharged field porter who bent the rules one too many times, while he is cataloguing books into the porters special database that keeps track of weapons, fantastical species, and other objects that might one day make their way into our world. Just as he is about to end his day, his pet fire-spider starts to smoke. A sure sign that danger is nearby. He only has moments to clear the library before he’s attacked by a group of sparkly vampires: Sanguinarius meyerii (yup, from the Twilight series of books).

Despite being able to literally pull a sci-fi gun out of a book, he’s rusty and no match for the vampires. He’s rescued by a beautiful, sexy dryad who just happens to show up. She’s the badass in this book and she summarily dispatches the vampires with wooden bokkens (cool use of those practice swords!).

From then on, the action pretty much does not let up. Isaac and Lena, the sexy dryad, go from one porter house to another only to realize that someone is threatening the very foundations of the organization and may have killed Gutenberg as well (he’s more or less immortal). To save Lena’s lover, they end up in a vampire’s nest, but only get more entangled in what could be an earth-shattering mess. Soon they are hunting down not only vampires, but a wronged porter that is more powerful that the two of them put together.

A bit before mid-way through the book, there is a brief, dull moment when the romance in the story takes center stage, but overall this is a face paced, fun read.

Written in the first person narrative, Mr. Hines writing is smart and spare. This is Mr. Hines 8th novel and it shows. The prose is smooth and overall the pacing is just right for this genre. He explains enough for the reader to understand what is happening at just the right moment and in just the right amount.

So, why don’t I like it? Warning: spoilers abound…

• The romance. Are you kidding me? Okay, he made her chunky, but she oozes sex appeal and it is obvious Isaac is in lust with her from first sight (prior to the events of this book). The thing is if this was just a side issue, I could overlook it, but it is not. Lena the sexy nymph is a major character and her nature influences the book’s direction. I know that the author is trying to up-end stereotypes and make science-fiction and fantasy readers take a hard look at those stereotypes, but I am not the kind of genre-fan that needs that lesson taught to. I’d rather just see a normal woman (like Isaac is more or less normal) play a cool character in a science-fiction/fantasy novel (like Isaac gets to do some cool magic). Why do women always have to be the object of sex? No matter how much I might admire him for putting a spotlight on the genre’s failing, I believe Mr. Hines fails by allowing that light to dip into Lena’s cleavage.
• The villain. A disgraced porter who had his memories wiped, he subsequently gets his powers back after a terrible accident. And then what does he do to wreak havoc on the world? Self-publish a book. I am sorry. If that is not a dig at all the self-published authors out there, I don’t know what is. Not cool.
• Magic=Religion. Libriomancy relies of the collective belief in all readers of a particular text. And the very basis of this new type of magic comes from the Christian Bible. Since the story is set in our real world, and since the Holy Bible is one of the all time best sellers, it makes sense to Mr. Hines’ story to have it this way. But I really don’t need to see how strongly religion plays a role in our lives in the books I read for pleasure. I’ve got enough of reality to do that for me, thank you very much.

Like I said, though I enjoyed the read (a testament of Mr. Hines writing ability that I overlooked all the above while I read it because I just wanted to enjoy the ride), I feel like I’ve cheated on my husband or something.

Do I think you should read it? (shrugs)

You’ll just have to take a chance and try it for yourself.

Theft of Swords

I have to admit, I picked up Theft of Swords only because Mr. Sullivan was gracious enough to agree to submit a story to an anthology I worked on. Of course, before that, I had heard about his books throughout the interwebs touted as ‘traditional sword and sorcery’. I am into traditional fantasy, but after reading the first few books of the Wheel of Time series, I had my fill of traditional fantasy. While it is true that Theft of Swords is a traditional fantasy, I found the story of two endearing thieves refreshing and surprisingly realistic and haunting.

The thieves, Royce and Hadrian, call themselves Riyira. In this first book (consisting of two shorter works that had originally been self-published), we don’t find out why they call themselves that, but when we first meet them, their name and reputation precedes them: they are a duo capable of outstanding feats of thievery. But we soon find out that Hadrian has a sweet, kind heart and Royce is just…misunderstood.

The book starts with the two completing a job successfully. They meet-up with their compatriots at a brothel in the city of Medford, the capital of the Kingdom of Melengar. There they are met by a noble spinning a tale of woe and hefting a large bag of gold. The nobleman speaks with Hadrian and convinces him to take a job. All they have to do is steel a sword – from Essendon Castle, the royal seat of Melengar. Though risky, it seems an easy enough job as the noble will ensure the sword is in an empty chapel. He’ll even leave a remote window open for the two.

And so Hadrian agrees and mayhem ensues. Once in the chapel, the two discover a body, the dead body of the king. A dwarf sees them and calls the alarm. The two are apprehended for a crime they didn’t commit. The dynamic duo were quite easily framed.

At this point, I could have easily stopped reading this book. As every review I read said, this is standard fantasy fare. I knew there would be a princess (that they save). I knew there would be a conspiracy to take over the kingdom (that they thwart). And I knew a wizard would get pulled out of a hat (okay, out of the ground in this case). Yes, very predictable. And I knew all that at this point of the story. I knew I could have put the book down at that point and still write this review.

But I didn’t. Why?

I’m still not sure. I think this is a testament to Mr. Sullivan’s writing: he makes it funny. Not ‘laugh out loud’ funny, and the book is not a parody of the genre – at all. In fact, I would say is is more like a homage to the genre. The fact is, you’ll snort here and there at the dialogue used, in addition to becoming enamored of our plucky heroes and the characters they encounter.

And while yes, they save a princess, it is a spectacular, stone-crashing scene and she’s a witch, too.

And while there is a conspiracy to overthrow the kingdom, its scope is far greater than we can imagine and harbingers epic events in subsequent books.

And the wizard has no hands.

I am glad I continued reading the adventures these two get themselves in. After kidnapping the heir to the throne, they take a trip down a river, save the last monk at a burned-down monastery, break-out the no-hands wizard from a magical dungeon, take the heir back to sympathetic relatives, save the witch/princess, and manage to help place the world back in order. A very satisfying read and an excellent introduction to Royce and Hadrian’s world. After completing it, I knew I’d want to complete this series.

The second half of this book consists of another story, involving much of the same characters and requiring the duo to steal yet another sword. As in the first story, nothing is as it seems and the two face challenges that will have us all wondering about the origins of each character. The manipulations of the Novoron church is made more apparent and the reader gets a sense that the implications of their empire building will have consequences that will touch each race in this world and maybe even the gods.

Highly recommended.

Now – for the APOV (the Atheist Point of View):

While the fun writing of the first story drew me in, it was the world-building of the second that has me hooked to this series. Mr. Sullivan uses his gods as we would. They are insular,  capable of committing heinous acts (like incest), and demand their subjects carve out a place in the world for themselves. In short, they are human (or elf or dwarf) constructs that serve the purposes of our corporeal needs. The gods do not seem to represent some “great” evil or good. There is simply a number of kingdoms and races struggling for power and resources and putting faith in their particular god to help them along. I find this an incredibly honest reflection of our own world, and I really like the direction the author has taken with his world-building. We’ll see how it plays out.

Related articles

• Kindle Sci-Fi / Fantasy Daily Deal! Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan for $1.99! @author_sullivan (randomizeme.net)
• Book Review: Theft of Swords (datanode.net)
• Book Review: The Riyria Revelations (nicolekuek.wordpress.com)

The seventh installment in Hugh Howey’s WOOL series continues filling in the blanks. Why did Senator Thurman destroy the world? Why are the silos failing one after the other? Who’s really in control? And just when will we get back to Jules?

Lucky for all you dedicated Woolies out there, Mr. Howey does hint about Jules at the end of this book. But, overall, Second Shift is about Donald, our (deservedly so) depressed congressional representative that we were introduced to in First Shift, and a determined character named Mission who navigates through the doomed course of another silo. Through the telling of their stories, Mr. Howey weaves the sinister plot Senator Thurman and his colleagues have set in motion.

Second Shift begins with ‘Deathdays were birthdays.’ Through Mission, a young porter living in Silo 18, we learn how each life in the silos are linked to another. In the confines of the underground silos, one has to pass on, before another can take their place. Mission learned this the hard way. He lost his mother to a cleaning (the act of sending a silo occupant out into the hostile world to clean and subsequently die) the day he was born, because she hid her pregnancy. This fact haunts him throughout this day – his birthday – and leads him to wonder if he deserves the life he has.

And on this day, unbeknownst to Mission, he will play a small part in a ‘reset’ of a silo, a sort of re-birth.

The puppeteers over in Silo 1 have to decide whether to destroy Silo 18’s rebellious population outright – and lose yet another of the 50 silos – or ‘reset’ the silo by minimizing its population and administering memory-blocking drugs. Either decision means the death of more people.

In amongst the growing rebellion in Silo 18, Donald is woken up from his deep-freeze sleep. Unwillingly, he must find out why some folks in the silos are remembering and why they seem to be on a self-destructive path. Through it all, he struggles with the realization of the loss of his wife and a life he could have had with her, and the need to end his own life.

As with all the silo stories, Second Shift is permeated with the overall themes of what an individual life worth. Is there a ‘greater good’? And if so, who has the right to determine what that greater good is?

Hugh Howey does a great job of illuminating these themes through the good, and bad, choices his characters make, and, more importantly, the unknown consequences of those choices. Other than the great writing, and interesting characters, that’s what keeps me coming back to this series: those unintended consequences.

We all think Senator Thurman has a grand plan. Surely, this man who set the world afire is doing something for the survival of the people in those silos, and that in the end, all will be okay.

But what if we are wrong? What if he’s wrong? What happens when the events set in place don’t go as expected or humans do what we inevitably do – adapt?

This is where Mr. Howey’s imagination has lead us to the popular world of the silos, where nothing is as it seems, and this latest addition to the series will not disappoint his fans. With smooth, evocative prose, the author brings us closer to old characters (Donald) and continues to introduce new, relatable characters (Mission and the Crow). Plot threads become clearer, while new ones emerge to tease readers along.

Mr. Howey continues to impress me with his world-building. The relationships built and maintained between the various peoples of the silos (farmers, porters, IT, maintenance, etc.) feel unique and real. I get the sense that this future world can not only be this way, but given these circumstances, would be expected. The language details the author adds only enriches and deepens that sense of reality.

If you are new to the series, Second Shift is not the place to start. Though I think a new reader can enjoy this installment, much would be lost. Start with Wool. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll catch up with the rest of us. The next book, Third Shift, is expected to be released early in 2013.

Either way you come at this series, I highly recommended reading Second Shift.

Related articles

• Wool by Hugh Howey – review (guardian.co.uk)
• Book Review: First Shift (The Atheist Quill)
• Wool by Hugh Howey (bookmonkeyscribbles.wordpress.com)

Sorry for the long absence. I have no excuse. Really. I needed a break, so I took it.

But I’m back now!

I’ll be posting a review I completed for SFFWorld.com soon. Like, in a about five minutes. And I have two non-fiction reviews coming shortly for God Doesn’t, We Do by James A Lindsay and How to Separate Church and State by Barry McGowan. I also have an author interview with Michael J. Sullivan lined out, but that probably won’t be finished until late February.

I am looking forward to sharing with you my thoughts on the books I read in 2013.

Until then, enjoy a good read.

N. E. White

Actually, a bit overwhelmed, but I’m still reading!

My books-to-read list is growing every day and I look forward to sharing my thoughts about each of these with you. But it probably won’t be this year.

Since I know you all are after reviews and must have them no matter what, here are a few other sites you might want to visit:

For General Fiction reviews, visit Stewartry.

For Science Fiction and Fantasy reviews: visit Speculative Book Review and Rob’s Blog o’ Stuff.

For Non-Fiction with an atheist bent, visit…well, come back here!

Happy Reading,

N. E. White