Author Archives

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Undertow by Elizabeth Bear

BearUndertowWhy I Read It: I love Elizabeth Bear‘s fantasy novels, so it was time to try her scifi.

Where I Got It: the library.

Who I Recommend This To: Folks who want to sink into an alien culture on an alien planet and watch the humans struggle along.

Narrator: Timothy Reynolds

Publisher: Recorded Books (2008)

Length: 11 hours 13 minutes

In a galaxy where nearly all humans have implants that allow them to access the collective net at will, Cricket makes a good living on Novo Haven gathering secreted information. Even memories can be accessed (shudder). Her sometimes lover, Andre, kills people, humanely and quickly, for a living. though he isn’t very open about that. Jean is a sorcerer of a kind, affecting Chance, making unlikely outcomes blossom into being. He is also one of the few humans who has taken the time to get to know the native sentient species, the Rannids (often called the Froggies). A series of events surrounding the questionable mining of a valuable resource brings the world close to destruction.

While this book took a little while to get into, I definitely appreciated the build up once the plot began to unfold. Cyberpunk meets alien suppression and exploitation meets assassin meets turning on a chance. Indeed, this tale brought together several tropes and spat out something unique and highly memorable. Told mostly from Andre’s point of view, and an interesting view it is, we see his impersonal approach to his job, assassinating folks. He also has a somewhat impersonal approach to his love life with Cricket. But then things change, and get weird, and very cool. The Charter Trade Company wants folks dead, a valuable mineral mined and off planet before anyone notices, and doesn’t care who gets injured along the way. That includes a good friend of Cricket’s and the Jean’s lover.

The Rannids are introduced bit by bit giving the reader time to get to know them. They think differently, and hence, their actions don’t always make sense to their human overlords. They have no visible sign of advanced civilization, which has left Charter Trade Company legally able to exploit them and remove the planet’s resources. But they are far more complex, able to communicate world wide through vibrations in the water, treasuring stories. Humans have many stories in many forms, and so many Rannids learn to read human lips (lacking the natural auditory equipment to hear human speech) in order to enjoy these stories.

Jean, in introducing Andre to these planet natives, may not only save Andre’s retched existence but also the planet. Jean is a Conjurer, a man who can and does affect chance outcomes. Andre has this latent ability in himself but lacks the training, and the mindset. I found Andre’s storyline the most fascinating because he starts off the least human (psychologically) and grows so much as a character by the end of the book. Listening to the culture of the Rannids unfold bit and bit as Andre would learn of them piece by piece kept me coming back for just one more chapter before bed.

Timothy Reynolds was a great choice of narrator, giving Andre’s voice precision, upper class tones, and that assassin’s detachment. His female voices were decent and his Rannid voices were unique from other voices.

What I Liked: Alien culture; assassin psychology; character growth; lots of cool tech; not everyone walks away scar-free.

What I Didn’t Like: There were a lot of concepts crammed into a single book and occasionally, it felt a little crowded.

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The Shadow Rising Read Along: The Schedule

JordanShadowRisingBannerHello folks, the WoT Quad will be continuing our merry adventures in The Wheel of Time series by doing a read along of Book 4, The Shadow Rising. Here is the schedule.

6/2/13 Week 1: Chapters 1-3, 92 pages, Hosted by Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers
6/9/13 Week 2: Chapters 4-10, 96 pages, Hosted by Eivind (our most active & entertaining commenter)
6/16/13 Week 3: Chapters 11-17, 93 pages, Hosted by Dab of Darkness
6/23/13 Week 4: Chapters 18-23, 95 pages, Hosted by Musings on Fantasia
6/30/13 Week 5: Chapters 24-30, 100 pages, Hosted by Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers
7/7/13 Week 6: Chapters 31-36, 103 pages, Hosted by Eivind
7/14/13 Week 7: Chapters 37-42, 103 pages, Hosted by Dab of Darkness
7/21/13 Week 8: Chapters 43-48, 102 pages, Hosted by Musings on Fantasia
7/28/13 Week 9: Chapters 49-53, 89 pages, Hosted by Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers
8/4/13 Week 10: Chapters 54-END, 89 pages, Hosted by Eivind

Anyone is welcome to join us. If you would like to receive the weekly discussion questions a few days ahead of time, leave me a comment below and an email address.

I’m really looking forward to learning more about Rand Land, the Dark One’s plots, and future of our heroes. Being a part of this read along makes it that much more fun. Join us if you can.

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The Dragon Reborn Part V

JordanDragonReborn BannerWelcome back all! Here we are in week 5 of The Dragon Reborn, where we cover chapters 40-48. I’ll be hosting this week, so please leave your link to your post in the comments so we can visit one another. Spoilers roam free below.

1) In this section, we see Mat putting on a tough demeanor and then shelling out coins to those who need it. Do you think such behavior will perpetuate his good luck, in a karmic sense, or will he be taken advantage of?

Can I say both? I know, I made up the questions this week. But Mat needs all the karmic help he can get because 1) He’s up against some mighty foes and fumbling around in the dark and 2) He keeps trying to slack off his load. Slacker. Yep, I just called Mat a slacker.

And yes, sooner or later, someone may well use Mat and his kind inner core to do either him harm or someone close to him. I applaud him for shucking off Lanfear earlier in the book, but can he recognize a sneaky male foe in the same way? Well, some dude who wants to be buddies as I don’t get the impression that this epic fantasy will be inclusive of the homosexual or bisexual male population (pouty face).

2) Loial is writing a journal of sorts of his adventures. What do you think he is focusing on?

OK, so the little kid part of me that still believes that The Neverending Story is for real, says that we are reading Loial’s journal. Yes, that Loial and all live in some alternate universe and Loial wrote down the adventure and then somehow, through some worm hole or other, Robert Jordan was gifted with it. Then Jordan spent decades translating the work and putting polish to it to bring us The Wheel of Time.

That’s my theory, and I am stikcing to it.

3) At Easing the Badger Inn, Perrin is treated to some bawdy songs, making him blush furiously. Have you ever found yourself in such a situation unexpectedly?

The first time I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the college stage silliness with the movie playing in the background. I had not seen it in highschool and my housemate was playing the blonde lady (Janet?). So, she dragged me along to it on Halloween night. I was also to meet my new-ish, sort of boyfriend there and perhaps go to some party afterwards. Well, I didn’t get a lot of the audience participation because it was all brand new to me and the fishnets were so fishnetty and the androgynous characters made me think of 80s rock bands (I grew up on country music – which I abandoned for alternative as soon as I left the house). Anyway, it was culture shock – in a good way. Yes, I was blushing. And then my date stood me up.

I went back to the house after the show. He called, gave me some lame excuse, I called him on it. 20 minutes later, he showed up drunk, dressed as an angel. We chatted. He fell asleep on the table. I kicked him out. He called late the next day, sober, apologized profusely. 15 years and 6.5 months later, we are still together.  The power of fishnets.

So, maybe this blushing episode will mean a future lasting relationship for Perrin. And I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a fishnet shirt.

Pico is fixated on another kitty off-camera.

Pico is fixated on another kitty off-camera.

4) Illian has issues. Darkfriends, Darkhounds, Grey Men, and a Forsaken. Do you think all that badass evil is there for Perrin or Moiraine, or is there something else about Illian that brings them?

Ooooo! This is a good question because I still haven’t made up my mind on it. On one hand, we know that Perrin is ta’veren, so the Dark One wants him in a bad way. We know Moiraine has done much to thwart the Dark One, so he probably wouldn’t mind removing her from the picture – but has he designated resources to do that? Hmmm… But on the other hand, Illian seems to be in the throes of some mass depression and paranoia. So, I am guessing some of these baddies have been in residence for at least a few months. But why? That I don’t know yet. Let’s say the Grey Men are after Perrin. Moiraine is simply bonus points if eliminated. And the group of good guys happened to walk into a snake pit that was busy minding it’s own evil business ruining lives and trying to take over the world.

5) Mat makes it to Caemlyn and proceeds to play delivery boy for Elayne’s letter to her mum. As luck would have it, he overhears a plot to take Elayne’s head. Whose danger is greater: Morgase’s or Elayne’s?

Right now, I would say Elayne. Obviously whatever dark forces want Elayne dead have decided that Morgase is currently useful to them (I assume without her knowing). Elayne has plenty of danger on her plate to avoid, but she isn’t expecting this danger. So while she is on high alert, she probably is tightly focused on the Black Ajah she hunts and looking out for Grey Men.

6) Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve make it safely to shore and nestle down with a Wise Woman called Mother Guenna. What do you think of Nynaeve’s caution and Egwene’s snippy behavior?

OK, you know how several people find Nynaeve’s abrupt behavior annoying in the first 2 books? Well, Egwene is turning into that annoying person with all her snippy behavior. On one hand I understand she wants to be treated as an adult, not a child. On the other hand, I think she is seeing conflict where there is no conflict. Perhaps she is being subtly influenced by her dreaming, some dark influence as I believe that TAR place is, and has been for many decades, the stomping ground of grief, consternation, and evil concentrated.

Nynaeve’s caution does her credit and I can see that she has learned the benefits of trying to blend in and stay below the radar. Perhaps she will live a few more books.

Other Tidbits:

Mat has fireworks. Is anyone else concerned? I know Thom is concerned.

Hopper is very concerned that the Grey Men are after Perrin. But Hopper doesn’t really answer Perrin’s questions. I think this is because Hopper was deeply concerned, perhaps shocked, and then focused on keeping Perrin safe, which means kicking him out of Dream Land while warning him to flee.

I found Mat’s whole escapade to get into to see Morgase quite amusing. He made it sound so simple. Then he was denied at the gate. So he climbed Rand’s wall and lurked around corners and in bushes, where he overhears that plotting death conversation. He ‘brilliant’ idea to simply tell Morgase about the plot didn’t work out so well.

What Others Think:

Musings on Fantasia

Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers

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Dissolution of Peace by Richard Flores IV

FloresDissolutionOfPeaceWhy I Read It: Epic space opera – why wouldn’t I?

Where I Got It: Through the blog tour host Orangeberry (thanks!)

Who I Recommend This To: It’s very fast pace, so someone looking for lots of action.

Publisher: Plasma Spyglass Press (2012)

Length: 216 pages

Series: Book 1, I think, based on how this book ended.

In this far future space opera, humans have colonized not only the moon, but also Mars. In fact, a schism arose between the Martians and the Earthers decades before our tale begins. Captain Christina Serenity is one of the youngest Navy captains ever in the history of bureaucratic naval red tape. She kicks ass by the way. However, she recently was the recipient of an ass-kicking and requires body guards. Barely recovered from her injuries, and guarded by long-time Security Officer Michael Carlson and newbie Janice Kanter, she takes the E.S.S. Australia out on an unexpected mission.

Assassination attempts crop up left and right. Cpt. Serenity also has to deal with rogue ships attacking, even ramming, her ship. But then it gets even better, because aliens become an issue. Friendlies? Baddies? Perhaps they are just neutral. Serenity has to walk a tight line to safely navigate the awkwardness of First Contact. But her ship is badly damaged and many of her people killed before the mystery of who is behind the assassination attempts is unraveled. Then there is also the distraction of the blossoming romantic interest in one of her body guards, which is totally against regulations.

This story was very much action driven, being fast paced and lots of injuries and some dead bodies. While I liked all the action, sometimes we flitted from one scene to the next a little too quickly and my brain was a bit jarred off and on. The characters are very easy to connect with, even though they lack depth and growth. But let me point back to that ‘action driven’ part: if you just want a space opera that is easy to jump into without having to concentrate on character or setting details, then Richard Flores‘ book is for you. The espionage aspect coupled with the secret society bit was intriguing and kept me guessing about characters the entire time. The side romances added tension without taking away from the main reason I was reading the book: Action In Space. Not bedroom action, but space fights and first contact, etc. You get the point. There were lots of females in power without being all Hear Me Roar. It simply was a well integrated navy without the bullshit of gender inequality. Very refreshing.

Of course I need to talk about the one negative point. Unfortunately, this is a biggy for me. I love words and stories in which every word was thought about and carefully placed to be pleasing to plot and reader brain. This book was not well edited. Yes, someone used spell check, but forgot to use grammar check. I kept stumbling over wrong words – like wonder where the author clearly meant wander. Then and than drove me crazy. There were very few pages of this book that were clear of such mistakes. Most of the time, I quickly discerned what was intended, but sometimes I found myself stumbling over a sentence, taking far too much time to puzzle out the meaning. I have this belief that I should give the words as much attention as the author did. I ended up scanning the last half of this book, simply getting the plot gist.

What I Liked: The characters were easy to connect with; lots of women in positions of power; conflict in space; espionage and secret society; alien first contact.

What I Disliked: Poor editing; occasionally moved from one scene to another jarringly.

I received a copy of this book as part of the Orangeberry Book Tours. If you want more info on Richard Flores, check HERE. If you would like to check out the other bloggers participating in the book tour, click HERE.

Here is the book trailer:

 

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Iscariot: A Novel of Judas by Tosca Lee

Pico was bathing his belly when I interrupted him for this pic.

Pico was bathing his belly when I interrupted him for this pic.

Why I Read It: I am always fascinated to hear the story from the ‘bad guy’.

Where I Got It: Review copy from the publisher (thanks!)

Who I Recommend This To: Historical Fiction aficionados with an interest in this time period.

Narrator: Jason Culp

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (2013)

Length: 8 CDs

This is the tale of Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins. We are introduced to him as a six-year old boy caught in a militant clash of cultures as the Romans seek to subdue the area, raiding his village for supplies and slaves, killing many by hanging them on crosses. Judas and his mother flee the area eventually making their way to Jerusalem where Judas becomes a well-respected man well versed in Judean law. He has a career, a pregnant wife, and a future. But he looses it all and ends up following self-proclaimed Messiahs around, seeking some purpose to his life.

I am not a Christian, and therefore, not well versed in the this time period. Tosca Lee told this story simply: of a traumatized boy who became a successful young man who became a pivotal character in a major world religion. I have always enjoyed reading a well known tale from the viewpoint of the ‘bad guy’. Learning the characters life history and their motivations makes the over all tale that much more real for me. Tosca Lee does not disappoint. This book has a historical fiction feel to it and I did not feel that it was preachy at all.

There were other famous, learned men of the time named Judas. As there were other men named Jesus. The use of the secret society idea added weight to Judas’s decisions and his fears. I especially enjoyed the various culture clashes as seen through Judas’s eyes: Jesus the Messiah taught, fed, and healed not just the learned or rich, but the lowliest of classes and women and those not of the Jewish faith. One by one these things shocked Judas, who eventually saw the right of it. Some few references I did not fully understand, like when a few ill men move their mat on the Sabbath. But these few instances did not detract from the over all enjoyability of the book.

My one negative point is that the book became narrowly focused towards the end, whereas the beginning brought me knowledge of the cultures and political climate of the time. Indeed, my mind started to drift on the last CD, the CD where we have the ending of Jesus’s life, his confirmation of Messiah-hood, and Judas’s death. This should have, at the least, been as interesting as the beginning of the book. Instead, it was not. In retrospect, perhaps the author wanted Judas’s life to end on an anticlimactic note? Could be an interesting question for an interview; not so interesting for a book ending.

Jason Culp was a decent narrator, providing a satisfactory range of male voices. There were very few female roles, even fewer speaking roles in this book, so he didn’t have to stretch himself there.

What I Liked: Historical feel; not preachy; interesting back story for the ‘bad guy’; culture clash.

What I Disliked: Anticlimactic ending; very few females (this is a man’s tale).

What Others Think:

By the Book

The Suspense Zone

The Maiden’s Court

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Clan Rathskeller by Kevin Hearne

HearneClanRathskellarWhy I Read It: It was a short story tacked onto the novella The Grimoire of the Lamb.

Where I Got It: Own it.

Who I Recommend This To: The Iron Druid Chronicles and urban fantasy fans.

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Publisher: Random House Audio (2013)

Length: ~30 minutes

Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles Short Story (Book 0.5)

Atticus, a 2100-year old druid in hiding in Tempe, AZ, and his faithful Irish wolfhound companion Oberon take a stroll to the local mall during the winter holiday season. Pretty soon, they spot not only some drunk college students, harried gift shoppers, jolly men dressed as Saint Nick, but also some hobgoblins posing as elves. You know, Santa’s elves. Of course, Atticus doesn’t want his cover blown, as he has spent years fleeing some powerful, and grudge-holding, deities. But before he can take a back seat to whatever is about to unfold with the hobgoblins, one recognizes him for a druid. Uh oh!

I’m only going to give you the set up, as I don’t wish to spoil anything. If you have not enjoyed The Iron Druid Chronicles yet, this is an excellent place to start (if you just want something short to see if it is for you). I love Atticus’s wit, Oberon’s blossoming vocabulary, and yes, the bare-ass shenanigans. Ah, what a visual. And, in this particular story, coupled with a very humorous, and public, scene. Kevin Hearne has this short story up on his website for a free download as a PDF. Also, the Audible.com download of The Grimoire of the Lamb has this story tacked on at the end.

Luke Daniels is our most excellent narrator. His hobgoblin voices were quite humorous and of course he is the voice of Atticus in my head even when I read the physical books.

What I Liked: Humor left and right; starts off with mystery and ends with action; bare-ass shenanigans.

What I Disliked: Too short? Well, that isn’t a good criticism. It was meant to be short. Maybe I am just greedy for more Kevin Hearne. I am sure he will forgive me.

OnceUponATime7What Others Think:

Cher Cabula’s Mindbox

Frequent Reader, Infrequent Blogger

Once Upon A Time is the Fantasy reading celebration of the year. Head over to Stainless Steel Droppings to join in the fun.

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The Grimoire of the Lamb by Kevin Hearne

HearneGrimoireOfLambWhy I Read It: The Iron Druid Chronicles are excellent fun, so I couldn’t pass up this novella.

Where I Got It: Own it.

Who I Recommend This To: If you have not enjoyed The Iron Druid Chronicles yet, this is a good place to start.

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Publisher: Random House Audio (2013)

Length: 3 hours 17 minutes

Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles Book 0.4

Once again Kevin Hearne has entertained me with the antics of Atticus and Oberon. This novella takes place before the first book, Hounded, in the series. Atticus is a 2100-year old druid hiding in Tempe, AZ, living quietly as a New Age shop owner. Oberon, his Irish wolfhound, is his constant companion and provides much of the humor. In The Grimoire of the Lamb, an Egyptian attempts to buy an ancient book, which Atticus deems too dangerous to be sold to this man. Fortunately for us readers, the Egyptian steals it, fleeing back to Egypt with it, and creating all sorts of grief and consternation for Atticus – and fun entertainment for us readers.

This was an intense, humorous, and excellent romp through Egypt. There are cats (lots of them), a crocodile god, ancient tomb, dry sands, and blood sacrifice. I was even deeply concerned for Atticus’s welfare when his earth magic was negated by the crocodile magic. Yikes!

Obviously I don’t want to say too much, as this is a novella. While I enjoy the full-length novels more, this was still an entertaining piece that I wouldn’t pass up. If I do have a criticism, it is that there were no bare-ass shenanigans. Sigh…. I am a visual person, so you can imagine how I look forward to such antics by Atticus. So let me note that the Audbile.com download of this book came with the bonus short story Clan Rathskeller, which satisfied my need for nudity (don’t judge, I know you have the same need).

Luke Daniels gave yet another awesome performance. I love his variety of voices for pissed off deities. I am forever awed by his ability to sound like a spitting cat or a truculent crocodile.

What I Liked: Lots of action; beloved characters; Egyptian setting was great; awesome narration; dark humor left and right.

What I Disliked: Lack of bare-ass shenanigans.

OnceUponATime7What Others Think:

Yummy Men Kick Ass Chicks

52 Book Reviews

Fangs for the Fantasy

This is the season for Fantasy Celebration over at Stainless Steel Droppings. Join us in the reading event of the season: Once Upon A Time.

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The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron

AaronSpiritThiefWhy I Read It: It was short, looked fun, and is narrated by one of my favorite narrators.

Where I Got It: The library.

Who I Recommend This To: If you’re looking for some brain candy set in a magical world where everything has a spirit, then you should check this out.

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Publisher: Brilliance Corporation (2010)

Length: 8 hours 19 minutes

Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress Book 1

Eli Monpress is a well-known, and badly wanted, thief. He travels with a renowned swordsman, Josef, and an emaciated woman, Nico, who has a hidden secret that may literally be eating away at her. Their objective in the land of Melinor is to steal the king and extract a ransom. The kingdom of Melinor is not friendly to wizards, and in fact has actively shunned them for 400 years. Miranda is a Spiritualist from the Spirit Court, sent to Melinor to make a good impression, for one thing. She had her spirit hound make quite the first impression, and things quickly go down hill from there as she learns of Eli’s presence, the stolen monarch, and the recently returned older brother (who happens to be a wizard).

This book was full of quick banter, ridiculous situations, and memorable characters that give just enough seriousness to balance, but not detract, from the silliness. I liked the idea of everything, from stone to stream to dust devils, having spirits and that those spirits have needs, rights, and are capable of loosing their sanity and personal identity. There’s sword fights, compelling love and sacrifice, betrayal, conflict among the good guys, and a very persuasive spirit talker. While the characters didn’t particularly grow once they were established, they were immensely entertaining and I loved spending time with them. The plot was a little predictable, big picture-wise, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Rachel Aaron fill in the details.

Our narrator Luke Daniels, whose work I know from Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, was excellent in this as well. I love his baffled, stunned bunny voice, the deeply pissed off spirit voice, and the accents. Heck, I’ll listen to anything Luke Daniels performs.

What I Liked: Miranda’s spirit hound was funny in an over-protective way; the near-constant conflict the main characters find themselves in; spirits like shiny things :) ; the dynamic between Josef and Nico makes me want to read more in this series; very epic ending.

What I Disliked: Miranda’s personality seemed to be mostly seriousness and/or piss & vinegar.

OnceUponATime7What Others Think:

The Little Red Reviewer

The Book Smugglers

SF Site

Fantasy Book Critic

The Geek Girl Project

Tis the season of Fantasy Celebration and Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the reading event to take part in and enjoy – Once Upon A Time. Come join the fun!

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Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

SchoonZennScarlettWhy I Read It: Exobiology, on Mars. Of course I am going to read it.

Where I Got It: Review copy through NetGalley (thanks!)

Who I Recommend This To: Curious about the insides of alien pets? If you jumped up and down in excitement, then this book is worth your time.

Publisher: Strange Chemistry (2013)

Length: 304 pages

Series: Zenn Scarlett Book 1

Set at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars, Zenn is in her final few weeks of training, and testing, to become an exovet. Throughout the book, she sees to the biological needs of the cute and fuzzy, the regurgative and smelly, the large and faithful, and the deadly and swift. At 17, she is dealing with several stressers on top of trying to pass her finals: her mother was lost in an unprecedented exovet accident years ago and her father left her with her uncle at the Cloister to search for answers; she herself has been having odd spells that leave her in the lurch at the oddest moments; and of course, there is the potential entanglements of a first romance in the making. On top of that, the lease is almost up on the Cloister’s lands and the bulk of people on Mars feel there is a better use for the lands than pandering to the needs of infirm and sickly alien beasites.

Zenn herself is often thoughtful, driven, and focused on the animals (though many wonder why she isn’t more interested in the local available boys). She often feels a stronger connection to the animals she tends than to any human outside the Cloister. The story is full of intriguing alien species, and their ailments. Add to that, some cool vet tech, and you have a bio nerd fest in the making. I also enjoyed the mystery of the various ‘accidents’ involving the beasties. townies push hard from every direction to shut down the Cloister, not renew their lease, and use the land for agricultural purposes. Indeed, Christian Schoon is an author to keep an eye on as I expect his writerly talent will increase with each book.

While there are many things about this book I enjoyed, the underlying plot could have used a little more polish. The driver for much of the book was that the bulk of the farming populace of Mars had an underlying fear and detestment for all things ‘alien’, which meant the Cloister was shunned by the bulk of the community. Truthfully, I had trouble buying into this premise as they are humans living on an alien world and many of them use or have alien items and/or animals on their farm. But once I turned off the part of my brain that kept saying the basic plot didn’t carry the weight of the entertainment value for me, I was able to focus on the cool tech, the aliens, and the sometimes vomitous situations Zenn found herself in.

One of the things I love about science fiction is when the author captures the feel of the location (like Mars) and that the location itself shapes the culture of the inhabitants. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein is a great example of this. Ray Bradbury’s Mars stories are not; he builds a great story and characters, but they could be placed anywhere including your nearest small town on Earth. Zenn Scarlett wavered back and forth on this; the requirements of living on Mars forces the communities to live under atmospheric domes, hence forcing a cultural norm of bubble communities. However, many of the characters talk and think like your nearest small town agricultural center. With that said, I still had one repeated nerdgasm after another over the biodiversity on display.

What I Liked: Cool tech; lots of alien pets; Zenn was an easy character to connect with; the immediate crisis was solved while leaving a bigger, over arching mystery for another book.

What I Disliked: The underlying plot did not hold water for me; sometimes felt a little to small town Earth for me to believe we were on Mars.

What Others Think:

Phoenix Fantasy

On Starships & Dragonwings

The Nocturnal Library

The Book Smugglers

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The Dragon Reborn Read Along Part IV

JordanDragonReborn BannerWelcome back everyone. This week covers Chapters 31-39. Evind, our awesome commenter, came up with the discussion questions this week. He doesn’t have a blog, so please leave your links, and any comments/questions you have for Evind, in the comments below.

Spoilers dance riotously below. Just saying.

1. So Thom is back! …again! What do you think happened in Cairhien since we were there last?

I was very happy to see Thom. Unfortunately, I had hoped that he would have gone into some sort of superhero vengeful training, making his super fit and ready to kick some major ass. But, alas, no. He is drunk. And wenching. And puking. Sigh. Thom, Thom, really? This is how you are going about making revenge on those who killed your latest love?

As for what has been going on in Cairhien since, well I would say not as much butt kicking as I had hoped. Has anyone else read The Dark Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks? Yeah, well, I wanted Thom to go all dark angel on the high, mighty, and evil of Cairhien.

2. Perrin and the girls bring us some more info on the Aiel, turning them towards Tear in the process. What role do you think this elusive people will play?

I am very excited to see some Aiel. They have this prophecy that seems to not only involve Rand, but themselves, in being instrumental in marshaling in a new world, a new age. So, I hope that means we will be seeing a lot more of the Aiel. I like that the women, as well as the men, can be deadly hunters and warriors, and that the Aiel don’t think this odd at all. As for what they may or may not do specifically in Tear, assuming they make it there around the same time as Rand, I am not sure. Put on their black masks and dance a bit with some bad guys? *fingers crossed, hoping*

3. Our newest character is Zarine Bashere, or Faile, or whatever. She fulfills half of Min’s viewing. What do you make of this one?

I am ambivalent. She started off skulking, but not tattling. So this probably means one of two things: 1) She is to gather intel and report to someone else (good or bad?); or 2) She is in this for herself and is seeking adventure. I am not sure I like her yet, though she does have a practical streak that shows in her clothing. This bodes well. Plus, she carries knives, which is a plus in my book. You rarely catch me without at least 1 knife. Mandarb might be a little presumptuous of her to call herself. I liked how Perrin pointed out the horse of the same name.

4. We get a rare bit of insight into the workings of the enemy when Perrin overhears a conversation between Lanfear and Ba’alzamon. Does it strike anyone that they could be more effective if they worked together a bit more? What do you think of the nature of Ba’alzaman?

If the bad guys were united, the Two Rivers folks would not stand a chance. So, I am glad to see that Lanfear and Ba’alzamon are not the best of buddies and seem to be at cross purposes. So far, through the first 2 books and Book 3 up to this point, Ba’alzamon does not seem to be of high intelligence. He has all this great power and seems to be use to using his single trick – dream messaging – to bully people into doing his bidding. Lanfear, on the other hand, strikes me as a planner and schemer and someone I would lose easily to at chess.

5. For a book named after him, Rand PoVs seem conspicuously rare. This time we see him slay a dozen people unprovoked. Madness setting in, or justified?

He slaughtered folks unprovoked? Am I a bad listener? I don’t recall that. Hmm… rifling through paperback……this may take a moment. OK, I found it. The end of Chapter 36 – Rand kills a woman and her guards. Then he has all 10 corpses kneel to him, but oddly there are 11 and the 11st holds a dagger. So, at first I think this is all real, that he has actually killed those folks. But then the kneeling corpses and the added 11th makes me think that may be a dream sequence. For some reason, Rand felt the woman was the most dangerous – perhaps fearing Black Ajah? I hope we hear more on this bit.

Tofu being Shy Kitty.

Tofu being Shy Kitty.

6. There seems to be a connection between Egwene’s T’A'R and Perrin’s wolf dream. Do you think he is a dreamer, too? Can Egwene speak to wolves? Does Rand have anything there to do? Speculation is welcome.

We’ve seen Perrin chitchatting with the wolves in dreams for all three (or two?) books so far, so yes, in a this one way at least, Perrin is a dreamer. Now is it all T’A'R, or is it two different dream worlds that occasionally overlap, I don’t know.

No, I don’t think Egwene can talk to wolves. Well, perhaps if there was a great need and Perrin taught her, if that is possible. But right now, no. In the future? Who knows, long series, lots of crazy shit can still happen.

Does Rand have anything to do in T’A'R? Well, for the last two books, Rand had to fight Ba’alzamon in a dream sequence, which was probably T’A'R. So, I am going to guess that he may have to do so again because it seems to be the only way Ba’alzamon has of interacting drastically with mortals.

Other Tidbits:

So, last week we had a question about Mat escaping from Tar Valon anytime soon. Well, here we are, one week later, and Mat did escape. Haha!

I like that Loial is able to travel with the crew and not be completely an anomaly. In fact, several places seem to think he is good luck and have special beds just in case an Ogier happens by!

I do get tired of Moiraine telling all the younglings to not question her. really, Moiraine, how the hell are they to learn anything, comprehend the situation if you treat them like mushrooms all the time? I love Perrin for pushing back.

Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne fall prey to brigands, and are being sold to Myrrdraal. Shudder. Then Nynaeve whips out some balefire to set things right. Hmm….Note to self: Do NOT piss off Nynaeve.

What Others Think:

Musings on Fantasia

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