If you’re a fan of Donald E. Westlake, you’ll probably be interested in this video that James Reasoner has posted on his blog. (And if you’re not a fan of Westlake, why not?) Although he started out in science fiction, he made his mark in mystery and crime writing. I’ve only read a small portion of his work (the man was prolific), but I’ve never read a bad book by him, whether one of the comic caper novels or one of his darker crime novels, such as the Parker novels under the name Richard Stark. Tomorrow would have been his 79th birthday. His final novel, The Comedy is Finished, was recently published by Hard Case Crime.
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Recommendations from the First Half of 2012
Now I’m not saying those lists don’t have value, just the title “Best” is misleading. So I’m going to call the list that follows simply my recommendations for the first half of 2012.
First, a couple of ground rules. I’m going to limit myself to novels, and with one or two exceptions which were self-published, novels published in 2012. I’m making an exception for the self-published novels because they sometimes need a little time to develop some momentum. Anyone paying attention to the trade publishers should be aware of forthcoming novels.
I’m also going to take the coward’s way out and not try to rank them. I started to, but quickly ran into the issue of trying to decide between two books I thoroughly loved but for entirely different reasons. I could bite the bullet and give them rankings, but tomorrow I’d probably change my mind. Instead the books will be listed alphabetically by title.
So here are my recommendations from the first half of 2012, along with an occasional cheeky synopsis. If more than one book in a series came out in the first part of the year, I’ve only listed the first book.
Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig This is short, dark, compulsively readable tale of a young woman who can see the death of any person she touches through the eyes of that person. One day she touches a man and sees herself present at his death. Review here.
Carpathia by Matt Forbeck The Carpathia was the ship which rescued the survivors of the Titanic. What if there were vampires onboard? Review here.
Crazy Greta by David A. Hardy I called this the book John Bunyan would have written if he had been dropping acid while writing The Pilgrim’s Progress. I stand by that statement. Review here.
Feyland by Anthea Sharp An entertaining and well-written young adult novel about what happens when the immersive computer game becomes a little too real. Review here.
Giant Thief by David Tallerman So this kleptomaniac steals this giant, see? Then he gets roped into being the hero against this warlord. The only problem is his sticky fingers keep getting him in trouble. Review here.
Hunter and Fox by Philippa Ballantine An emotionally wounded woman serves as a hunter for a tyrant in a world in which the landscape changes on a regular basis. Review here.
The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp Two thieves kill a demon while robbing a tomb. Only the demon has powerful friends…A great adventure that reminded me of why I read sword and sorcery in the first place. Review here.
Rise and Fall by Joshua P. Simon An epic fantasy about duty, honor, family, and the ties that bind. An impressive debut. Review here.
Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole A world in which those with magical abilities are either drafted into covert military teams or exterminated and what happens when one man says, “Enough is enough.” Review here.
Shadow’s Master by Jon Sprunk The conclusion of a dark trilogy about a man who is heir to the shadows seeking to learn who he is. Review here.
The Straits of Galahesh by Bradley P. Beaulieu Flying ships, astral projection, Machiavellian politics, an invading army, and a doomsday cult trying to bring about the end of the world. In the midst of this, can two crazy kids find true love? Review here.
Thief’s Covenant by Ari Marmell Another YA, but with a dark edge. Widdershins is a thief who has minor deity living in her head. One of the most fun books I’ve read in a while in spite of the dark content. Review here.
Vampires of the Carribean
Cast in Dark Waters
Ed Gorman and Tom Piccirilli
various ebook formats, $2.99
Kindle Nook Smashwords
In spite of the fact that this is a fairly short piece of fiction (less than 19,000 words), Cast in Dark Waters is one of the best weird pirate stories I’ve ever read. The characters, particularly the protagonist, Crimson, seemed to almost walk off the page, they came across so real.
Crimson is a lady pirate, widowed, who is the toughest, most dangerous buccaneer in the Carribean. The plot is straightforward. An Englishman, having taken up the life of a Virginia tobacco farmer, has found out that his daughter has run away from finishing school in England with a notorious pirate. He and his wife have come seeking Crimson’s help in finding her. The pair of lovers are rumored to be staying on an island with a dark reputation. Supposedly the undead also inhabit the island.
And Crimson’s former husband may be among them.
That’s all I’ll say about the plot. This story could have come from Weird Tales, a collaboration of Henry S.Whitehead and Robert E. Howard. There are elements of both in this tale. The creepiness factor is about an 11.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. There’s plenty of swordplay, and if you listen carefully, you can almost hear the mast creaking in the breeze and smell the spray of the ocean as it breaks over the fo’c’sle.
Crimson is a wonderfully wounded heroine, and it’s amazing how much depth Gorman and Piccirilli bring to what would be a stock character in the hands of lesser writers, a woman buccaneer who’s as tough as a man. That’s almost become as much of a cliche in some circles as the maiden needing rescue. And they do it in far fewer pages than most writers would use.
All of the characters are well drawn. Their relationships are real, and they defy expectations. In fact, the whole thing defies expectations. You think you know what is going to happen once they reach the island, but Gorman and Piccirilli sidestep the obvious approach and go for the unexpected.
I rushed through this one in a single sitting. Gorman has long been a favorite of mine, but this is AFAIK the first work I’ve read by Piccirilli. I’ll need to read more of his stuff. I hope they write a sequel; I want to read more about Crimson.
Cast in Dark Waters, for all its grimness, was some of the most fun I’ve had in a great while. I highly recommend it.
Jo Anderton’s Latest Suited Me Just Fine
Suited
Jo Anderton
Angry Robot Books
UK/RoW
432pp B-format paperback
£7.99 UK
ISBN 9780857661562
US/CAN
416pp mass-market paperback
$7.99 US $8.99 CAN
ISBN 9780857661579
eBook
£5.49
ePub ISBN 9780857661586
I liked the premier novel in this series, Debris, although I took issue with the publisher’s classification of it as science fiction; as a scientist, I have to regard the way some things happened in the book as fantasy. Either way, it was a great read. Suited is even better, in my not-so-humble opinion. It’s easy to see why she won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. Congratulations, Jo!
The story picks up shortly after the events in Debris. The Puppet Men are still out there, and they have plans for Tanyana and her collecting team. Starting by splitting them up. Lad and Tanyana end up in the same team, while Lad’s brother and protector Kichlan goes to a different team.
Right from the start, things begin to go wrong. Debris is hard to find, making quota difficult to achieve. Ordinary debris, that is. The half alive stuff keeps popping up, and in the worst places. Tanyana’s suit is getting stronger, not to mention developing a mind of its own. The Keeper is talking to Lad, although Tanyana is the only one who can see him, and then only when fully encased in her suit. The Keeper insists they help him rather than trying to meet their quota, and what he asks can be chilling.
There’s a member of Tanyana’s new team who has a suit like hers. He may or may not be what he seems. But he’s not the only one with secrets. Tanyana has a few of her own, such is she pregnant? Some of the team members she’s been working with are hiding things as well. As is the Keeper.
The relationships between Tanyana, Lad, and Kichlan continue to grow and deepen. This is one of the places where Anderton shows her strengths. Her friendship with Lad and deepening love for Kichlan are complex, multifaceted, and believable. Which makes the impact of the second half of the book so devastating.
All hell breaks loose. Things move along at a breakneck pace, and Anderton handles the action like an author with more than just two published novels under her belt. I finished the last third of the book in almost a single sitting and barely noticed the passage of time. By the time you turn the last page, everything will have changed. Where Anderton is going to go with the next book, I’m not about to try and guess. I’m just going to go along for the ride.
Suited is a dizzying tour de force that’s not really like anything out there. And that suits me just fine. Both Debris and Suited are featured books at Adventures Fantastic Books.
Here’s an excerpt:
Thank You
I’m not really getting into all the celebrating today, I guess because I’ve been out of sorts for the last few days. (Don’t ask; I’m not sure I completely understand why myself.) One of those times when I just want to be left alone and have little to nothing to do with people. I do want to take a minute, though, to say Thank You to everyone who follows, looks in occasionally, or stumbles across either this blog or the other one who has served in the military. That extends to anyone who has lost a spouse, parent, sibling, child, or other loved one.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve noticed that my collection of regrets tends to increase. One of the main ones is that I never served in the military. Part of it was my aversion to authority, but part of it was that I never felt the need to do so. I doubt I would have that attitude today. Of course I’m past the age they’ll take me.
But I digress. I want to thank everyone who has served and sacrificed for our freedoms. Without you and those who came before you, I wouldn’t be able to do so many of the things I enjoy.
So Thank You. Very Much.