Book life in 2024 by Alexandra_book_life ;)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Fittingly, yesterday we celebrated with the best cheese platter ever. When I shared photos with friends, for some reason they all asked "how many were you?". I didn't understand this.

This thread is for reading adventures of 2024, do come over to chat of you like.

I ended 2023 with a Victoria Goddard novel, and I am beginning 2024 with a Victoria Goddard novel. Is there anyone else here who is a fan of Nine Worlds universe?

Anyway, the book is Stargazy Pie, the first book of Greenwing and Dart series. It seems delightful, and I love both Mr Greenwing and Mr Dart already (I am at 9%).

Blurb

Magic is out of fashion. Good manners never are. Jemis Greenwing returned from university with a broken heart, a bad cold, and no prospects beyond a problematic inheritance and a job at the local bookstore. Ragnor Bella is a placid little market town on the road to nowhere, where Jemis' family affairs have always been the main source of gossip. Having missed his stepfather's funeral, he is determined to keep his head down. Unfortunately for his reputation, though fortunately for several other people, he falls quickly under the temptation of resuming the friendship of Mr. Dart of Dartington, Squire-in-training and beloved local daredevil. Mr. Dart is delighted to have Jemis' company for what will be, he assures him, a very small adventure. Jemis expected the cut direct. The secret societies, criminal gangs, and illegal cult to the old gods--to say nothing of the mermaid--come as a complete surprise. Book One of Greenwing & Dart, fantasies of manners--and mischief.

Happy New Year!

Do please share a picture of the cheese platter if you have one. You're in the midst of a crowd of CHEESE lovers here! (Thinks: do you need help sharing pictures on LT?)

Happy new year, and happy new thread!

>2 hfglen: Happy New Year!
I'd be happy to share a picture, but I am not sure how. So, yes, I would appreciate some instructions :)

>3 haydninvienna: Thank you :) Happy New Year!

>4 Alexandra_book_life: Assuming you use a laptop / desktop (I've never tried with a phone or tablet; it should be +- the same, but everything will be in a different place).

1. Choose your picture.
2. Crop it, adjust the colour and contrast, and any other tweaks you want, using your favourite graphics package -- I use the GIMP, which is free.
3. Save the picture as a jpg file. This is important. It also helps to remember the directory and filename (I'm bad at this :)
4. Now go to your profile page on LT. Near the top right of the screen are two blue buttons; the lower one has a camera icon and the label Add picture. Click it.
5. This will bring up a screen headed Upload image. Second line below that is a button marked Browse. Click that and navigate to your picture; select it.
6. The Junk Drawer is specially for images to put into posts; I'd select that rather than Member gallery.
7. If you feel motivated, add a title in the Title panel. The Tags work exactly like in your book collection, and are also optional.
8. Scroll down a bit and click on the blue button marked Upload Image
9. In a moment or two LT will acknowledge by showing you your picture. Right click on this; you'll get a menu. Choose Copy image link
10. Now come to this thread and start your post. When you get to where the picture goes, enter the HTML
(angle bracket)IMG SRC = "(hit control-V to add the image link)"(close angle bracket), where the bits in parentheses are characters the HTML interprets as instructions, or things you do that will change with each picture.
11. If you want to add more text, do so.
12. You can preview before posting if you want; otherwise hit the post button.

This looks horrendous, and is much longer than actually doing it. When you've done it twice, you'll almost be able to do it in your sleep. And you'll be surprised how many of us do. Also, take a look at the first couple of posts in the How to do Fancy Things in Your Posts thread, pinned at the top of the list on the GD page.

Please ask if you need more help.

>6 hfglen: Thank you a million times, this was great! I hope it works :)

So, here are the New Year cheeses:

>7 Alexandra_book_life:
Very nice.

Happy New Year, New Thread and New Cheeses.

>7 Alexandra_book_life: Yum! Happy New Cheeses!

Psst! A subtlety from the Fancy Things thread: You may fond the WIDTH = "nnn" command useful. It goes in the IMG SRC line after the link. As @JPB said, a width of about 500 pixels is usually about right. Because my picture of Lion Mt was very shallow relative to its width, I adjusted it (in graphics before uploading) to 640 pixels wide -- about the safe maximum.

Splendid beginning! You're going to do very well here.

Hey - great addition to the pub. I have a feeling you're going to fit in just fine!

Happy New Year, happy new thread and great cheese platter! You put us to shame.

>7 Alexandra_book_life: I am coming to your house for the next cheese party.

>1 Alexandra_book_life: Yes, I'm a raving fan of the Greenwing & Dart books! I've enjoyed her others as well (and they're all interconnected) but the G&D are my favorites. Many, many twists and turns are coming in the next books.

>8 pgmcc: Thank you! I'd love to have lots of new cheeses this year :)

>9 hfglen: Great, thank you! I'll remember that.

>10 jillmwo: Awww, thank you!

>11 Bookmarque: Thank you, thank you! :)))

>12 Karlstar: Happy New Year! Thank you :)))

>13 MrsLee: You are going to be very welcome ;)

>14 Marissa_Doyle: That's wonderful to hear! I am looking forward to the rest of the series already. My plan is to read everything by Victoria Goddard ;)

Happy reading in 2024! Great looking cheese platter, I bet that was delicious.

Stargazy Pie is at 33%, and I am loving it to pieces! This is a great start to my book year :)

>22 Narilka: Thank you! Likewise :) The cheeses were great :)

I am also starting King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett - a buddy read with some lovely people. (Not on LT.) This is a very long book, so we said we'd do 50 pages a week and see what happens.

Blurb

Back in print by popular demand--"A stunning revelation of the historical Macbeth, harsh and brutal and eloquent." --Washington Post Book World.With the same meticulous scholarship and narrative legerdemain she brought to her hugely popular Lymond Chronicles, our foremost historical novelist travels further into the past. In King Hereafter, Dorothy Dunnett's stage is the wild, half-pagan country of eleventh-century Scotland. Her hero is an ungainly young earl with a lowering brow and a taste for intrigue. He calls himself Thorfinn but his Christian name is Macbeth.Dunnett depicts Macbeth's transformation from an angry boy who refuses to accept his meager share of the Orkney Islands to a suavely accomplished warrior who seizes an empire with the help of a wife as shrewd and valiant as himself. She creates characters who are at once wholly creatures of another time yet always recognizable--and she does so with such realism and immediacy that she once more elevates historical fiction into high art.

>25 Alexandra_book_life: Dunnet is one of my absolute favorites! I am still working my way through the House of Niccolo series, and I LOVED the Lymond Chronicles. An author who respects the reader's intelligence. I'm saving King Hereafter til after I finish Niccolo. Hope you enjoy it.

>7 Alexandra_book_life: Happy New Year, Happy New Thread and Happy Cheese Eating!!! Those look marvelous. (I also love Victoria Goddard!)

>1 Alexandra_book_life:, >23 Alexandra_book_life: I am also a big fan of the Greenwing and Dart books. Enjoy!

Happy New Year, and I love (covet) the cheeses!

Big fan of Victoria Goddard here! You have so much fun stuff to read in your future!

>26 littlegeek: Very happy to hear that! I discovered Dunnett last year and have read up to Pawn in Frankincense in the Lymond Chronicles - I am still reeling, and looking forward to the last two books... and everything else she'd written :)

Lovely to see so many Victoria Goddard fans here! It will be fun to discuss her books with you. Thanks, everyone! Happy New Book Year!

Happy New Year to you! You have certainly started off in style with that magnificent cheese platter! I hope the rest of the year is as satisfying, in books and in life.

>32 Sakerfalcon: Thank you very much! Wishing you many wonderful things in the New Year!

Nice to see you jumping right in! Happy new year, and happy first reading thread.

>34 Meredy: Thank you! I am looking forward to lots of great conversations here - about books and many other things.

I am sure there are better things than a long lazy breakfast with a book, but I can't think of any right now. It's been snowing all night and all morning. I am a having a cozy time just looking out of the window, enjoying lots of tea.

Home, sweet home! We got back yesterday evening, after spending Christmas and New Year with my in-laws. It was a long train journey, through lots of snow and very strong winds. We were worried about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, but everything went beautifully, and without delays. I spent most of the four hours following my little prince, who kept walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Trains are the best things ever, who can sit still, I ask you? My big prince helped too, of course, but got nauseous from walking around the shaking train, so... I got nauseous too by the end. We were happy to finally get home :)

>36 Alexandra_book_life: "better things than a long lazy breakfast with a book"

How about several hours between brunch and an evening game drive, sitting half-asleep on the verandah of a cottage in a bush camp in the Kruger National Park, with half an eye on the waterhole in front of you and the other half on a book?

I am sure there are better things than a long lazy breakfast with a book, but I can't think of any right now. It's been snowing all night and all morning. I am a having a cozy time just looking out of the window, enjoying lots of tea.

This sounds blissful! Though I wouldn't turn down a chance to experience Hugh's suggestion either!

>37 hfglen: How about several hours between brunch and an evening game drive, sitting half-asleep on the verandah of a cottage in a bush camp in the Kruger National Park...

I wouldn't mind at all! :)))

>38 Sakerfalcon: I agree, it was a very good suggestion!

>36 Alexandra_book_life: & >37 hfglen: They both sound wonderful to me!

>36 Alexandra_book_life:. The best aspect of such snowstorms (the ones lasting all night and all morning) is that no one expects you to leave the house. There is no guilt about lack of productivity. You can sit and read a book under a blanket and sip your tea without worry.

>42 jillmwo:
That is all well and good unless you happen to be working from home.

>43 pgmcc: Yes... <sad trombone plays softly...>

>44 ScoLgo: I am hearing Yakety Sax in my head, instead of your sad trombone. Not sure why...

The only thing I miss about snow is snow days.

>42 jillmwo: Exactly! We did manage to be productive yesterday, though, as in cleaning up some of the messes in the house. So proud :)))))

>43 pgmcc: Very true! Luckily, I wasn't working yesterday (I'm saving that for next week...).

Done with my first read of the year, yay! Stargazy Pie was a delight!

Some thoughts below:

A fantasy of manners, a mystery, and an absolutely delightful romp. But it wouldn’t be Victoria Goddard if it was only that – this book visits very dark places as well.

I loved everyone! (And, oh, the pleasure of interconnected series: when you know a certain character’s real identity, mwahahahaha…)

Mr Greenwing: he wouldn’t know what a dishonourable thing was if it hit him on the head; his family circumstances are tragic and strange; there is heartbreak and sneezing issues. I haven’t yet met a fantasy character who was that allergic to… stuff. It is very inconvenient when you are hiding from scary things.

Mr Dart: I liked him immediately and without reservations. “This investigating thing is a lark! What fun it is to have a reason to gossip. Makes me see why people go into sociology.” Also, he blows smoke rings “with the evidence of much practice”.

Mrs Etaris is awesome in every way. “My dear Mr Greenwing, if there is anything I know about, it is how to have an adventure.”

There is a mystery to solve! There are curses, kidnappings, daring rescues. The magic is very, very, very dark and scary. Beware of small sleepy places where “nothing” ever happens, I tell you.

“Thank you for breaking the enchantment back there, Mr Dart.”
“Oh, my pleasure, Mr Greenwing.”

I didn’t expect them to start saying “right ho” as well, but when they did, it wasn’t unexpected at all :)))

The last chapters are a terrifying fever dream. (Don’t. Mess. With. Magic!!!) I couldn’t put the book down! Amazingly, there were also scenes that made me laugh out loud, in the middle of suffocating, sticky, bloody magic.

There are five more books in the series! Good, good, gooooooood.

King Hereafter - 7% in, and that's about 50 pages, the weekly pace we set in my buddy read group. Well, it's quite awesome (and demanding, yes) so far. There is so much backstabbing going on, my head is spinning.

"Canute said, 'Thorfinn? Thorfinn, surely, is a name recognised chiefly by pagans.'
The Earl of Orkney's voice was obliging. 'It is among pagans that I most often find myself. I have been baptised, my lord King: before the death of my stepfather Findlaech.
'Macbeth is what churchmen call me.' "

Me: *punching air! punching air! punching air!*

Just starting The Fox Wife - I got an ARC, the book will be published in the middle of February. I think (hope) it will be an interesting read.

Blurb

Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi , or life force, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . .

Manchuria, 1908.

A young woman is found frozen in the snow. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes involved, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and men. Bao, a detective with a reputation for sniffing out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach. Until, perhaps, now.

Meanwhile, a family that owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments, but not the curse that afflicts them―their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. Now the only grandson of the family is twenty-three. When a mysterious woman enters their household, their luck seems to change. Or does it? Is their new servant a simple young woman from the north or a fox spirit bent on her own revenge?

New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about a winter full of mysterious deaths, a mother seeking revenge, and old folktales that may very well be true.

>51 Alexandra_book_life: Oooh. This looks quite good! I believe I've been hit by a book bullet...
I'll have to wait until it's available.

>52 clamairy: I am happy to oblige (naturally)! I'm 10% in right now - so far, it's living up to its promise. The writing is excellent.

>51 Alexandra_book_life: I read Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman and it sounds as if your more recent arc builds on the same piece of folklore but taking it in a different direction. I will make a note on the TBR list.

>54 jillmwo: Nice! The Fox Woman sounds fascinating as well.

I'm so excited for The Fox Woman, and someone gifted me Choo's earlier novel, The Ghost Bride, for SantaThing.

>56 libraryperilous: This is my first book by Choo, and I am enjoying it so much! I am interested in reading the earlier novels now, The Ghost Bride, for example. You are lucky! :)

The Fox Wife - I am at 74%, and it is still a good book. I am having some issues with the second half, but these are not major.

I've just started Spaceman of Bohemia. This one is for my book club. I am not quite sure what I think about it just yet. I dislike the writing, but the deadpan sarcasm is appealing.

>58 Alexandra_book_life: Your description reminds me of a non-fiction, true crime story I read last year, Murder in Peking by Paul French. It had much to do with a Fox Tower, the legends around it, and how they contributed to the confuzzlement of the identity of the murderer of a young woman. Well written if true crime or mystery is a thing you like to read.

>59 MrsLee: I do like mysteries! I don't read a lot of true crime, mainly because there are so many books out there, and I tend to focus on "my" genres. But it sounds like a very interesting book, so thank you!

I finished Spaceman of Bohemia. Oh, my poor book club. I'll be doing a lot of apologizing next week, probably. I suggested it because it sounded interesting...

The author wants to be Kafka or Stanislaw Lem or both at once, I think. Unfortunately, he is neither. There is some good stuff about Czechoslovakia during Communism, Czech Republic after the Velvet revolution, generational trauma, Prague, etc. But the writing is extremely pretentious, pompous and tedious. Descriptions and quasi-philosophical musings go on forever. I thought my brain would explode out of sheer boredom. The sci-fi plot is ridiculous, with too much suspension of disbelief required. The main character is a selfish idiot (I wouldn't have minded this if that book had been better).

One star!

Good book therapy is a must now.

>61 Alexandra_book_life: Oh no... you're going to need something wonderful to wash the memory of that one from your mind.

>62 clamairy: Thank you! Yes, very true.
My other reads, King Hereafter and The Fox Wife, are both good. Hurray! Besides, I have Demon Daughter, the latest Penric & Desdemona novella, on my kindle right now...

>61 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks for saving us from that one!

>64 Karlstar: You are most welcome, of course!

The Fox Wife - I am done!

It was a satisfying read. I love the shape-changing foxes of Chinese mythology, and China of the early 20th century (but with magic!) was a fascinating setting to explore. The dual POV's were very nicely done, I liked both Snow and Bao. They broke my heart a little. The writing is lush and flows beautifully, some moments are like ancient Chinese paintings.

The story was too slow-paced, though. I started to lose patience in the second half of the book. Some plot points did not get resolved. But the ending was nice :)

4 stars :)

(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!)

>66 Alexandra_book_life:
BB'd

>67 majkia: Nice!

>66 Alexandra_book_life: definitely should be on my list of upcoming reads.

>69 jillmwo: I can recommend this one for sure!

For breakfast today, I am starting Demon Daughter by Lois McMaster Bujold, book 12 in Penric and Desdemona series. I am anticipating a good read. Hurray!

Blurb

A six-year-old shiplost girl draws the kin Jurald family of Vilnoc into complex dilemmas, and sorcerer Learned Penric and his Temple demon Desdemona into conflict—with each other. It will take all of Penric’s wits, his wife Nikys’s wisdom, and the hand of the fifth god’s strangest saint to untangle the threads of their future.

>71 Alexandra_book_life: I've been meaning to get to that series, thanks for reminding me.

>72 Karlstar: This is one of the nicest fantasy series I know of. You are welcome, of course!

Demon Daughter (I can't believe there are now 12 books in the Penric and Desdemona series!) was over much too quickly, and I loved it!

Some thoughts:

After so many books, these characters feel like family.

Lois McMaster Bujold’s books are wise about families – the author knows exactly how good families work, how good marriages work. There are lots of details to make a reader happy.

I marveled at how easily the story flowed, and how small the brushstrokes were. It takes a lot of skill and experience for the author to know know exactly when to show and when to tell, and how much. Also, there are three POV’s in 150 pages, and they follow each other seamlessly. Everything looks deceptively effortless.

There is a lot of cozy domesticity in this novella. Yet, there is also a lot of darkness, tough questions, moral dilemmas and heartbreak. Otta’s story is desperately sad. Seeing Penric and Desdemona disagree, quarrel, be upset with each other was disturbing. If there will be more books, I wonder where they will go from here?

5 stars (of course)

Today is a pretty lazy Sunday :) Among other things, I finished a manga volume - Blue Flag Volume 7. It was excellent!

Some thoughts:

The characters take you on such a difficult emotional journey. Somehow, volume 7 turned me inside out in ways the previous ones did not (and I loved all of them!).

Conversations, conversations, conversations – they hit you, they don’t let go. I find that I am in the story up to my ears and have trouble coming back to my world.

The aftermath of Toma’s confession becomes a whirlpool that sucks everyone in.

It’s fascinating to watch these young people discussing and clashing over gender roles, HBTQ, friendship, and differences of opinion in general – even though I’ve heard it all before, both the stupid crap and the wise things.

Futaba, Masumi and Mami have yet another conversation that leads to an emotional explosion.

“There’s no way you could understand what it’s like… for people who don’t dare whisper what they want to shout.”

Phew. I want to give everyone a hug and make it better. I wonder what will happen in volume 8? It’s the final one...

5 stars!

Me and my buddy readers are now at ca 23% in King Hereafter. We've set a very good pace for this book, with 50 pages a week.
Yes, it's dense, and there is a lot to take in. But the writing is amazing, and all the motivations, intrigues, backstabbing, feelings are so interesting to follow and try to unravel.

>76 Alexandra_book_life: That's another one I've been meaning to get to. Dorothy Dunnett has to be brilliant in rendering the story of MacBeth.

>77 jillmwo: I can recommend it wholeheartedly! It's not an easy read, but I am hooked now.

Last year, I subscribed to Clarkesworld magazine. I wanted to support them. For me, it is also a great way to read short fiction from time to time and discover new sci-fi authors.

Just finished Clarkesworld Issue 205

I ended up enjoying this issue, despite a very shaky start and three rather meh stories.

“Possibly Just About a Coach” by Suzanne Palmer – a whimsical and very short piece about a couch, the universe, and everything. I’ve read similar stuff before and this author’s stories are usually better. 3.3 stars, I guess

“The Blaumilch” by Lavie Tidhar – a fully realized, vivid world. The story takes place on Mars, it’s the outback, and people are just living their lives, finding out who they are. Brilliant. 5 stars.

“Down to the Root” by Lisa Papademetriou – the galaxy may be huge, and human lives small… But life, loss, friendship, and debts paid never fade. 4.8 stars.

“Such is My Idea of Happiness” by David Goodman – in a dystopian England, the gene-manipulated minority rules. Maybe there is a way out? I liked the world-building, but the story itself did not make me feel anything. 3.6 stars.

“De Profundis, a Space Love Letter” by Bella Han – in a universe where all stories are written and recycled by machines, there are no more stories that move hearts. There are lots of cool descriptions, but little plot. 3.6 stars.

“Post Hacking for the Uninitiated” by Grace Chan – hackers extraordinaire take on a corrupt government. People can be hacked too… Well-written, imaginative, gripping. I want to spend more time with these characters! 4.9 stars.

“Rafi” by Amal Singh – in a dystopian society, a seed grows into something amazing. I loved everything about this story. 4.9 stars.

“Timothy: An Oral History” by Michael Swanwick – it’s a new world, a world without men. An excellent and well-written thought experiment. The characters and their different voices are very believable, it’s impressive for such a short story. 4.4 stars.

>78 Alexandra_book_life: Uhoh. I might have been hit by a ricochet. Putting that on my OverDrive wishlist.

>80 clamairy: I am happy to be of service! I think it's good to invest some time into this book, but it is rewarding.

>79 Alexandra_book_life: Sounds like the good stories are very good, which must have made up for the meh ones. I've read a couple of Tidhar's novels and enjoyed them and this story sounds great.

>82 Sakerfalcon: Yes, so it was. I haven't read anything else by Tidhar before, now I am very curious to try his novels.

"Maia observed gloomily that thus far the life of an emperor seemed chiefly to involve sitting in a small room and watching other people come and go."

I started rereading The Goblin Emperor for my book club. It's just as wonderful as I remember - maybe even more wonderful...

Blurb

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend... and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

>84 Alexandra_book_life: I love The Goblin Emperor and the two sequel novellas featuring Celehar. The audiobook versions are well done, too, and I have listened to them repeatedly when I've run out of podcasts and other audiobooks. Comfort reads :)

>85 tardis: The Celehar books are lovely as well. I agree, they are all comfort reads :) I am enjoying this reread immensely!

>84 Alexandra_book_life: It is a great book, I really enjoyed it, but I wish there were more with Maia.

>87 Karlstar: Same here! I wish the author would write more about Maia...

>87 Karlstar: and >88 Alexandra_book_life:. Add me to the list of those who want to enjoy another book about Maia.

>89 jillmwo: Yes, I've added you too :)

I've let some lovely people talk me into another buddy read - so yesterday I read the first two chapters of City of Stairs. I've read Foundryside and Shorefall before (I can't seem to get to book 3 in this series for some reason), and liked both of them. But I can already tell that this one is so much better - slower, more mature, more interesting. I hope it stays this way ;)

The Goblin Emperor was such a delight to reread!

Some thoughts:

The book hit me much harder emotionally than the first time – then I was busy following the plot, figuring out the world-building and the details (the names, the names!). This time, I was there for each emotional turmoil, each trauma, each unexpected kindness and moment of happiness.

One of my favourite tropes in books is characters that are out of their depth and must develop and grow with the challenge (is that because I love learning new things myself? ;) ). And don’t you just love Maia all at once? He has been neglected, unloved, abused since he was eight. He also has pride, dignity, curiosity, kindness, honour, the desire to do the right thing. It’s just so incredibly nice to follow Maia’s journey, watch how he treats other people, grows with each conversation, discovers things he is good at, builds relationships and friendships.

“… you must try living for ten years with a man who hates you and whom you hate, and see what is does to sharpen your wits.”

“But he did not forget, and told himself he would not forget, that it was possible for people to be kind without ulterior motive, that sometimes bargaining was not necessary.”

I also think that Csethiro Ceredin is awesome! Somehow, there was less of her in the book than I remembered. This is probably because she makes sure to steal every scene she is in. I would dearly love to have a novella with her POV – preferably involving a duel with somebody who’s been mean to Maia. (Pretty please?) Isn’t Csevet (who suddenly becomes the emperor’s secretary) Cliopher’s distant cousin, by the way? I am thinking about The Hands of the Emperor, of course. I am convinced that he is. His POV novella would not be unwelcome either (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).

It was interesting to read about Thara Celehar again, knowing what I know from “his” novels in the series. It was a strange mixture of heartbreak and delight.
“ ‘Mer Celehar’s notions of obedience are most individual,’ Maia said wryly.”

I am so reluctant to leave this universe now… It’s nice to know I can reread Thara Celehar’s books too :)

>92 Alexandra_book_life: I would welcome more books (or novelas) set in this world, as well. I greatly admired both Maia and Celehar. The names, though. Ack!

>93 clamairy: There seem to be quite a few of us waiting for more books... Yay!

> 92. I loved that book. Didn't know there were sequels, so thanks for the bullet!

>95 littlegeek: You are most welcome! :)

>91 Alexandra_book_life: "I hope it stays this way"

It does. But maybe not how you might expect. I have read both trilogies and found The Divine Cities superior to Founders. That's only my opinion though so I'll be interested to hear what you think.

Edit: Fixed a word...

>97 ScoLgo: It sounds intriguing! I've read three chapters now, and I am still very pleased with the book.

"I have never met a person who possessed a privilege who did not exercise that privilege to the fullest extent that they possibly could."

City of Stairs is very very very good! I think it's shaping up to be one of this year's memorable reads. I'm about halfway through at the moment.

>99 Alexandra_book_life: That trilogy is one of my favourites! I can't think of anything else quite like it.

>99 Alexandra_book_life: I'm glad you're enjoying it. I bought the first one a while ago. I think need to get to it soon.

>100 Sakerfalcon: A perfectly timed nudge in the right direction for me. :o)

>101 clamairy: Do it Clare! The Divine Cities is the rare trilogy that not only wraps up with a decent ending but also does not suffer from 'middle book syndrome'; City of Blades was, for me, the strongest of the bunch.

>102 ScoLgo: Okay! LOL It's 2nd (or 3rd) in my pile, then... It depends on when my next OverDrive hold comes through.

>102 ScoLgo: The third one, City of Miracles, was my favorite.

>100 Sakerfalcon:
I see you have taken to supporting >99 Alexandra_book_life: in taking Book Bullet shots at the rest of us. I see you have been zinging >101 clamairy:.

When I saw your post I clicked through to the City of Stairs page and immediately saw The Rook, Tigerman, Arcadia and The City & The City as recommended reads relating to this book. Having read and really liked all the recommended books, and having read your enthusiastic recommendation for the trilogy, I have to admit that you and >99 Alexandra_book_life: have scored a hit on me. I was trying to avoid this, but you and your co-conspirator, not to mention back-up from >102 ScoLgo: and >104 reconditereader:, have forced me to admit defeat.

>100 Sakerfalcon: >102 ScoLgo: >104 reconditereader:

Such lovely comments, thank you! I am looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

>101 clamairy: I hope you will enjoy it too!

>105 pgmcc: I am happy to be a book co-conspirator, actually :)))

>108 Alexandra_book_life:
I see you have a knack for this type of subterfuge. I am sure you will inflict many future wounds with your well aimed book bullets. Your co-conspirator, @Sakerfalcon, is a dab-hand at hitting unsuspecting victims with her deadly accurate aim.

>109 pgmcc: Hah! Blaming all these good-hearted denizens of the Pub for your own inability to walk past a bookshop without entering. Honestly, if the secret intelligence services had any sense at all, they'd always begin any surveillance of your movements by identifying the nearest bookshop or library.

>110 jillmwo:
Hmmmm! I see you have the mind of a counter-espionage operative.

>110 jillmwo: Then they'd just have to put a new Ken MacLeod or C.K. McDonnell book in the window to bait the trap.

>112 Karlstar: Definitely, that strategy would work!

City of Stairs - I am done! This was so good :)

Some thoughts:

Refreshingly brilliant

My goodness, am I a happy reader or what? This book is complex, mature, heartbreaking. It is also quite a wild ride. The world-building starts off slowly, and then the speed just keeps increasing. By the end, it’s a landslide – an excellent way to plot your novel.

The world is impressive – and so are the themes the author tackles. We begin by seeing everything through the conqueror’s lens. Yet nothing is black and white. The oppressed (they have endured hundreds of years of slavery, hundreds of years of horrors) became the oppressors, and the once powerful people are now the oppressed. Look, see what is does to both. The new conquerors have ended gods. They have outlawed magic and brought… well, they have brought progress: plumbing, running water, science, gender equality, etc, etc. The conquerors have also erased history, robbed people of their heritage, their culture, their stories. So, which team are you cheering for, dear reader? You are on the side of progress, I suppose, but how much should progress cost?

“Historians, I think, should be keepers of truth. We must tell things as they are – honestly, an without subversion. That is the greatest good one can do.”

And if the “good guys”, aren’t really all that good, what shape will your journey of realization take, how will it begin?

“But you must know that if the corruption is powerful enough, it’s not corruption at all – it’s law.”

I also love what Robert Jackson Bennett does with organized religion, faith, and the relationship between people and their gods. It’s wise and it hits you hard.

But I did mention the landslide and a wild ride? Yes, there are also deadly spy games, assassins, ancient horrors come to life, crazy magic, and (last but not least) cool characters with great backstories.

I’m team Shara in many things – you’re awesome, Shara! – and this includes tea.

“Coffee refreshes the body,” says Shara. “Tea refreshes the soul.” (And then you’re all set for saving cities and whatnot.)

Sigrud is one of those characters that you’d love to have at your side when having an adventure. I would like to thank my buddy readers for pointing out that he is basically a Murderbot. There is lots of lovely Sigurd action. Everyone: OMG, monster, help, run, what do we do... Sigrud: “I can kill it.” And then he does.

The ending is a great setup for the next book, but not a cliffhanger to make you run after it. I like that, it gives this book time to settle in my mind, put down roots, make me think some more.

(Just a very minor thing: I didn’t quite understand what the deal was with the absolutely ridiculous pseudo-Russian names. Adding flavour to your world is fine, but may I recommend more than one Google search?)

5 stars!

>114 Alexandra_book_life: Yeah, that's a great series. Even with how awesome the first book is I thought it gets even better. Hope you continue to enjoy them :)

>115 Narilka: I hope so too! Thank you :)

>110 jillmwo: Ha!
Honestly, that would probably be true of all of us though!

>114 Alexandra_book_life: So glad you enjoyed it! You have many more pages of pleasure ahead of you!

>114 Alexandra_book_life: I think I've been struck! i just purchased the whole trilogy in an omnibus edition!

>118 littlegeek: I have read a few other RJB works and his The Divine Cities trilogy is, in my opinion, his best to date. The Founders trilogy wasn't bad but I didn't think it was nearly up to the gold standard he set with The Divine Cities. Of the three RJB stand-alone novels I have read, American Elsewhere was the best of them. I thought it had a bit of a Tim Powers meets Walter Jon Williams feel to it, in some ways.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Cities trilogy. This thread has me seriously contemplating a re-read.

>118 littlegeek: Enjoy! I hope you will :)

>117 Sakerfalcon: Thank you very much :)

I started reading Paladin's Grace today. It's been a lot of fun so far, I'll see what happens. I usually enjoy T. Kingfisher's books! This one is very fluffy with a bit of darkness, I think.

>122 Alexandra_book_life: The best part of this one for me was the scents. Sandalwood! Cinnamon!

>123 clamairy: Let's not forget gingerbread! ;)

>120 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks for the bullet!

>125 littlegeek: Yes, you are most welcome!

I flew through Paladin's Grace and finished it today.

Some thoughts:

Make way, rom-com and severed heads coming through!

What a delightful read! The writing is easy breezy, but it doesn’t mean that everything will be soft and fluffy: gruesome things happen, and this is not a relaxing universe to live in.

I liked the idea of paladins, filled with a god’s grace (well, in the case of this particular god it’s berserker rage that makes them Murderbots ;) ). Then the god dies, and the paladins are broken… and dangerous.

One particular paladin (Stephen) gets embroiled in a mystery that involves assassinations, poisons, lots of severed heads, evil priests, courtroom drama, and a perfumer named Grace. Grace is a scent geek, has past trauma to deal with, and she doesn’t need to be rescued, thank you very much. Oh, and Stephen’s hobby is knitting, when he is not busy intimidating people by being a big muscular guy in armour. Can you tell where this is going?

The rom-com tropes are tropes for a reason: sometimes they work. They work here. Yes, Grace and Stephen do a lot of “but he/she probably didn’t mean anything by this; he/she cannot possibly be interested in me; I’m too broken for her/him, this is a mistake.” Where is that shaker I use to try and make fictional characters see reason? Ah, there it is. Shake, shake, shake. Nope, it’s not working on Grace and Stephen :))) They are both adorable, though, and you root for them.

“He wished that he could break out his knitting, but for some reason, people didn’t take you seriously as a warrior when you were knitting.”

There is a lot to chuckle at, and the dialogues are delicious:

“Yes, I hear there are assassins about.”
“Not very good ones.”
“Sometimes that’s what you want in an assassin.”

I am happy that there are more books in this series (apparently, each paladin gets a book).
T. Kingfisher has yet to disappoint me, it seems ;)

4.25 stars

>127 Alexandra_book_life: The humor in this one was the best.

The Paladin books are great, they keep getting better!

>129 reconditereader: I will definitely read the rest of the series! But not all at once, probably. It's easy to overdose on this kind of books (for me, at least).

I've started The Deep Sky, a book club read. I am not sure what I think about it just yet. The premise is interesting, but I don't like the writing very much. Still, these are early chapters ;)

Blurb

Yume Kitasei's The Deep Sky is an enthralling sci fi thriller debut about a mission into deep space that begins with a lethal explosion that leaves the survivors questioning the loyalty of the crew.

They left Earth to save humanity. They’ll have to save themselves first.

It is the eve of Earth’s environmental collapse. A single ship carries humanity’s last hope: eighty elite graduates of a competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space. But halfway to a distant but livable planet, a lethal bomb kills three of the crew and knocks The Phoenix off course. Asuka, the only surviving witness, is an immediate suspect.

Asuka already felt like an impostor before the explosion. She was the last picked for the mission, she struggled during training back on Earth, and she was chosen to represent Japan, a country she only partly knows as a half-Japanese girl raised in America. But estranged from her mother back home, The Phoenix is all she has left.

With the crew turning on each other, Asuka is determined to find the culprit before they all lose faith in the mission—or worse, the bomber strikes again.

>131 Alexandra_book_life: I liked this one quite a bit. She has one coming out this summer that's a sci-fi heist adventure.

>132 libraryperilous: Nice to know! :) I still have mixed feelings (I've read about a third of the book), but I think this is an interesting author to follow.

Done with The Deep Sky!

Some thoughts:

I’ve been struggling with myself how to rate this. Four stars was way too generous… Three stars was way too harsh – but maybe not entirely unfair.

The premise is great: a space mission that is humanity’s last hope; a near future Earth full of environmental disasters and global conflict; cool future technology; things go badly wrong and there is a traitor onboard; the crew has to investigate and save the mission.

I liked the latter half of the book, because of all the danger, drama, excitement and whodunit. The pages flew by, rapidly and satisfyingly. Alpha the ship AI was cool.

Are you sensing a “but”? Yes, I do have quite a few of those:

I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. They felt flat and uninteresting. Asuka, I am sorry, but I want more from my main characters than an inferiority complex the size of the known universe and memories of past traumas.

The whole crew selection process? All right, you take a bunch of talented twelve-year-olds, put them into a boarding school and train them for many years. If they (some of them, at least) are to be a spaceship crew, should not cooperation skills be one of the priorities? Not an one-on-one academic battle royale, with rankings? This was possibly the reason so many of the spaceship crew were crumbling so nicely under pressure. Also, there was no difference, personality- and maturity-wise, between the characters at twelve etc and the characters as adults. Annoying!

The mystery was too easy! I guessed the villain (villainness ;) ) about halfway through the book (not all the details, though).

The author said in the acknowledgments that some of the mistakes in physics were intentional. Nice save, but it doesn’t mean that this reader can’t be annoyed. There is suspension of disbelief in sci-fi and suspension of disbelief in near future sci-fi ;) Hmmm, they are supposed to reach Planet X in 20 years. So, I am assuming something like light speed, unless they are using fusion rockets (speculative future technology) and are going to Proxima Centauri, our nearest star. It’s not mentioned where the heck Planet X is, so let’s say it’s not Proxima Centauri. Anyway, the crew has been hibernating for 10 years, they wake up, and lo and behold, ten years have passed on Earth. Isn’t that convenient? There is also lovely instantaneous communication with Earth, using quantum computers (just add quantum – well, at least it was done better here than in Spaceman of Bohemia). For some reason, they only have one onboard and no backup plan for communication when more shit hits the fan. Who planned this mission???

My other “buts” are mostly spoiler territory, so I think I’ll save them for the book club meeting.

There were flashes of promise in this debut novel, however. I might try this author’s other books in the future.

3.5 stars.

We do half stars here - just click the fourth star once and then again and it goes to 1/2.

>134 Alexandra_book_life: I didn't have a problem with the irrationality of the selection competition because it seems like the kind of obnoxious thing a billionaire would concoct. Whatshername was modeled on Elon Musk, and he only gets worse as time goes on, lol.

Hope your next read is less frustrating for you. :)

Edited: autocorrect

>135 Bookmarque: Yes, the ½ stars are a nice plus. Sometimes I wish we had ¼ and ¾ stars, too.

>135 Bookmarque: Oh, good, thank you! I've been wondering if that was possible.

>136 libraryperilous: I thought about Elon Musk as well ;). Yes, it does sound like the sort of thing that would come out of his brain. It was still frustrating :)

Thank you! I'm planning to continue with the Divine Cities trilogy next, and read City of Blades. It should be good.

>137 clamairy: They have those on Storygraph. It's neat!

I read the November 2023 issue of Clarkesworld magazine, and there were many stories to love :)

"Eddies are the Worst” by Bo Balder - a world with aging population, low birth rates, labour shortages and clones. People make do, it’s a human thing. This was very good! 4.2 stars.

“Bird-Girl Builds a Machine” by Hannah Young - your mother builds a mysterious machine for you… Great writing; I liked the twist at the end. 4.2 stars.

“The Long Mural” by James van Pelt - People on a generation ship are painting a long, long mural. Some of them are not who they seem. Wonderful in every way. 4.7 stars.

“The Parts That Make Me" by Louise Hughes - a cyborg on a spaceship crew wakes up after repairs and reminisces. Very nice - and too short, I wanted to spend more time with it. 4.3 stars.

”The Mub” by Thomas Ha - strange creatures are everywhere, the world is dystopian. More horror than sci-fi, but I found it interesting. 3.5 stars.

”Eight or Die” (Part One) by Thoraiya Dyer - alien abductions, missions on distant planets and lots of great weirdness. This is a novella, to be continued. It’s pretty amazing, too. 4.9 stars.

“Thin Ice” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa - AIs as conquerors; but the story is really about colonialism and robbing peoples of their culture. I prefer less heavy-handed messaging, but it’s a good story. 3.8 stars.

“To Carry You Inside You” by Tia Tashiro - of neuroimplants and their many uses… This is the author’s first published story? This is excellent! 4.4 stars.

4.25 stars overall :)

>141 Alexandra_book_life: I've heard really good things about Thoraiya Dyer's writing talents.

>142 libraryperilous: I have heard great things about Thoraiya Dyer as well, but this was my first story by her. Now I want to read more!

>142 libraryperilous:, >143 Alexandra_book_life: That names rings a bell ... on checking my library I see I have her novel Crossroads of Canopy. Now where on earth is my copy?

"Killing echoes inside you. It never goes away. Maybe some who have killed don't know that they've lost something, but they have."

City of Blades is amazingly good. I am about halfway through, and I am already looking forward to book 3. Divine Cities trilogy is worth all the praise it's got :)

Phew. I finished City of Blades. Yes, it continued to be amazingly good.

Some thoughts:

What an unexpected sequel this is, unexpected in ways that turn out to be the right ones. City of Blades is darker, grittier, more cruel, more tragic, more personal than the first book. There are many deaths. There is a lot of heartbreak. It made me feel so much, so deeply.

Our main POV character this time is Mulaghesh. Tough, snarky, stubborn. She has PTSD after the Battle of Bulikov in the first book. She is so damaged, yet unbroken.

“You do what you feel is right not because it is satisfying, but because you find any other option to be intolerable.”

Mulaghesh has mysterious events to investigate and goes to Voortyashtan, a forbidding place that has worshiped war, death, grief, and destruction for hundreds of years. As the mystery unfolds and the stakes climb higher and higher (of course they do), we see the unfolding of Mulaghesh’s backstory, which is horrific.

I loved seeing Sigrud again. The dark spaces this book occupies needed things such as

“How the hells did you get in here?”
“I picked the lock?”

“I have booze hidden all over the place. Dead drop training has its uses beyond espionage.”

Sigrud’s character arc goes to a horrible place, too, though.

War is another main character. The idea of war as something perpetual, something inevitable, something progressive, something glorious (Mulaghesh comes to reject this so wholeheartedly.) War crimes that make everyone into a victim, both the victims and the perpetrators – this is hard for me to stomach, even as I acknowledge that it’s true.

“But a soldier, a true soldier, I think, does not take. A soldier gives.”
“Gives what?”
“Anything,” says Mulaghesh. “Everything, if asked of us. We’re servants, as I said. … A good soldier does everything they can so they do not have to kill.”

“Killing echoes inside you. It never goes away. Maybe some who have killed don’t know that they’ve lost something, but they have.”

Robert Jackson Bennett has put me through a grinder, he has taken me on a roller-coaster ride of darkness, adventure, tragedy, and badass action (go, Mulaghesh). The ending was riveting.

5 stars!

>146 Alexandra_book_life: I really need to start a re-read of The Divine Cities. I envy your getting to experience them for the first time and expect you will also like the conclusion in City of Miracles.

>147 ScoLgo: Thank you :) I am looking forward to reading City of Miracles very very much!

And here is a book club book I just started reading:

Premier Sang by Amélie Nothomb

I picked up the original, my goal being to read at least one book in French per year (preferably more), so that my lazy brain will not forget the language entirely. Wish me luck :)

The English title is "First Blood", and the blurb says:

A moving fictionalized account of Nothomb’s own father, this is the acclaimed author’s most personal and heartfelt novel.

The Republic of the Congo, 1964. A young man faces a firing squad, preparing for his last moment on Earth. He is known as a complex and complicated man whose childhood left him hungry for affection and attention and who transformed his emotional wounds into a brilliant career as a diplomat and a negotiator. Now he finds himself negotiating for his own life, together with the lives of 1,500 Congolese citizens.

Inspired by the life of her father and by her lifelong effort to understand him, Amélie Nothomb’s new novel is about life-and-death decisions, about reckoning with one’s past, reconciling with one’s parents, and about the hard, often humorous work of determining one’s own path.

Premier Sang was short, about 170 pages, so I'm done. I did alright with the French...

Some thoughts:

I’ve never read anything by Amélie Nothomb, now I think that it would be nice to read more. This book is an homage to and a biography of the author’s father, Patrick Nothomb (partly fictionalized, I’m guessing).

It begins with Patrick facing a firing squad during a hostage crisis and ends with a rescue. In between, there is a life. I liked the writing very much.

“… je vois ma joie insolite d’exister.
Insolite parce que insolente: autour de mois régnait le chagrin. J’avais huit mois quand mon père est mort dans un accident de déminage. Comme quoi, mourir est un tradition familiale. ”

There is a kind of frozen dignity in the prose. Things are described with sympathy, a touch of sarcasm, and a touch of heartbreak. Patrick’s mother cannot love him:
“Ses chaussures à talons faisaient en s’éloignant un bruit superbe qui me rendait malade d’amour.”

My favourite part was the time Patrick spent with his paternal grandfather the baron and his family. The baron is so charming, so dignified – and terrible, out of touch with reality. The household is ridiculously horrific (horrifically ridiculous?). Yet Patrick experiences that naive and oblivious happiness of childhood, when you adapt to strange situations you don’t completely understand and learn to enjoy them. Perhaps you enjoy them even more if you are not loved enough.

“De ce que j’avais connu en six années et demie d’existence, ces vacances de Noël furent ce qui ressemblait le plus au bonheur. ”

I was slightly less interested in Patrick the adolescent, checking how much time I had left in every chapter. The story of how he met his future wife was entertaining, though. And the last chapter was riveting.

4 stars.

>146 Alexandra_book_life: That series is so great :) You are in for a treat. City of Miracles was my favorite of the three.

>151 Narilka: Oh, this sounds wonderful! I'm already looking forward to rereading all the books at some point.

I'm starting another book club read - Under Fortunate Stars. It seems to be a nice undemanding space opera ;) Currently, the ship "is being hammered by some kind of anomalous subspace energy." Well, of course it is. Fun!

The blurb

Fleeing the final days of the generations-long war with the alien Felen, smuggler Jereth Keeven's freighter the Jonah breaks down in a strange rift in deep space, with little chance of rescue—until they encounter the research vessel Gallion, which claims to be from 152 years in the future.

The Gallion's chief engineer Uma Ozakka has always been fascinated with the past, especially the tale of the Fortunate Five, who ended the war with the Felen. When the Gallion rescues a run-down junk freighter, Ozakka is shocked to recognize the Five's legendary ship—and the Five's famed leader, Eldric Leesongronski, among the crew.

But nothing else about Leesongronski and his crewmates seems to match up with the historical record. With their ships running out of power in the rift, more than the lives of both crews may be at stake.

So, now I finished Under Fortunate Stars. I thought I would have more fun, I'm disappointed.

Some thoughts:

My friends, I have just immersed myself in a Star Trek episode that was almost 500 pages long.

(With maybe a bit of Firefly thrown in, but I only ever saw two episodes, so I am not an expert.)

The above is not a bad thing in itself, Star Trek being Star Trek :)

“It’s like the ship is being hammered by some kind of anomalous subspace energy.” Well, of course it is!

“I’m a mathematical genius, not a fucking magician.” (That was the best line in this book!)

I thought I was going to have fun. The story was not very original, but interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. And I did have fun (all these fortunate coincidences ;) ), but only for a while.

The writing keeps you going from chapter to chapter. This is not the kind of writing that goes right to your heart, and that’s usually ok for this kind of book. It kept giving me an unpleasant aftertaste, though. Also, there were way too many long, long, long info dump conversations that tried my patience. All of them should have been cut in half (at least).

The Felen and the Voiced are very obviously “inspired by” Ann Leckie’s universe – the Presger and the Presger Translators. I rolled my eyes at that. All the books out there influence each other in some way, but there is borrowing and then there is borrowing. Borrowing done badly is just annoying.

The characters were not done well. I don’t mind flat characters in a “Star Trek book”, the problem was that this book wanted them to have some depth and tragic (oh, so traaaaaaaagic) backstories. It didn’t work.
That feeling of overwhelming second-hand embarrassment when you are watching a badly acted mediocre play? That was me for about two thirds of the book. “Oh, no, I can’t believe the author made character X say this.” The characters broke down in tears a lot, too, falling sobbing to the ground. I looked away, embarrassed. Cringe, cringe, cringe. I don’t think that was the reaction I was supposed to have ;) Oh, and the romance was achingly bad.

While I was still having fun, I thought it was going to be three star read – an entertaining and undemanding book with some flaws to facepalm at. But the bad characterization and ambitions that really have no place in a book of this kind made me so annoyed and impatient to finish that I am giving this two stars. Somebody give me better sci-fi, please!

2.5 stars.

I finished King Hereafter! It's been quite a journey.

Some thoughts:

How do you review a book you’ve lived with for two months, a book you loved at first, a book that let you down? I’ll try, I’ll try ;)

The life of historical Macbeth is quite different from Shakespeare’s version, and I was excited to read a novel about him. The writing hooked me, it felt so right for the times and the characters – there was a cadence of Icelandic sagas in the background, which was lovely. I am not an expert on European history of the 11th century, so there was a lot of fascinating stuff in the book: the end of the Viking Age; the melting-pot of cultures and languages in Northern Europe; kings and queens and earls and bishops and emperors and popes. Let’s not forget the intrigues and the battles (naval battles with longships!).

I loved Thorfinn (Macbeth) and Groa his wife. The romance was cringy, to be honest-“I’m treating you abominably, because I am in love with you and I am afraid of loving you.” Sigh.
Their marriage, after ”the Macbeths” learned how to relationship, was wonderfully described and made me feel for them both. (My favourite part was Groa ruling her own lands by herself, though.)

My buddy readers disliked the chapters about Thorfinn’s journey to Rome. I think that my fascination with and love for Rome helped in this case. The descriptions were beautiful, despite the political maneuvering that went on and on, chapter after chapter.

“The voices rose, and fresco and mosaic gave them back. Gold sparkled and winked through the mists of burned spices.”

“Below the liquid eyes of the Prophets, among the clear peacock wings of the angels, his men stood behind in the aisles and forgot who they were and where they came from.”

But why the disappointment?

This is a very ambitious book, with a lot of passion for history, and for Scotland’s nation-building. Unfortunately, it means that as the book went on and the author forgot about her editors (if she had them in the first place, which I doubt), there was more and more history and less and less historical fiction. In the meantime, I just wanted “a Dorothy Dunnett novel”, with characters that I would love, hate, despise, admire, root for, cry over. This is what the first four books of the Lymond Chronicles taught me to expect. Nope, it wasn't to be. The characters kept getting flatter and flatter and flatter. They were crushed by the weight of history, I suppose. Ha ha! The endless info dumps made my head swim, my eyes glazed over. I couldn’t tell all the secondary characters and historical figures apart any more.

It’s interesting that history started crushing everything after Rognvald (an amazing character, he was very Dunnett ;) ) disappeared from the book. I’m guessing that it was the end of the Viking age for the other characters, so that they could go about nation-building. This insight doesn’t help me much, the info dumps were still boring and unnecessary. It was frustrating to find flashes of brilliance in there, and imagine what this book could have been like.

The last two chapters were excellent, they made my heart ache. But now what I mostly feel is “Phew. Freedooom! Freedoooom! Freedooooom!”

3.5 stars!

>155 Alexandra_book_life: Oh no! I had just added this to my Libby wishlist last week, but I think I will be removing it now. Ah, well. At least it wasn't completely horrible.

>156 clamairy: It's a shame, really. There was so much potential in there, and some chapters were absolutely brilliant. Oh, well. I still have other Dunnett books to read.

What do I feel like reading now? I know, there is a new Victoria Goddard novel that just came out (in February!).. So, I choose The Bone Harp. This one is a standalone fantasy - not set in the Nine Worlds. I'm expecting a good read.

>158 Alexandra_book_life: Oooh I did hear about that. I hope you enjoy it.

>159 clamairy: I'm two chapters in, and it's gooooood. It's very different from the Nine Worlds books!

>158 Alexandra_book_life: As it happens, I had NOT heard about this one. I will add it to the TBR wishlist.

>161 jillmwo: Happy to be of service! :)

I just found a very nice interview with Penric & Desdemona in a blog called The Protagonist Speaks ;) Lois McMaster Bujold helped them get in touch.

Enjoy!

I am starting the final part of The Divine Cities, City of Miracles. I am very excited!

>7 Alexandra_book_life: Ooh, lots of YUM!

The Lymond Chronicles were enthusiastically recommended to me and I did struggle through, probably not even, the first half of the first book a couple of years ago. I'm told that if I hang in there, it's absolutely worth it but I didn't have time at that point (other library books expiring or some such, I expect). I do plan to go back and try again ... some time ...

>165 humouress: I agree that you need some patience with the Lymond Chronicles, especially the first book. After that, they are quite amazing... I am planning to read books 5&6 this year, I'll see how it goes.

>155 Alexandra_book_life: Aww bummer! I'm saving King Hereafter til after I finish the Niccolo's but now I'm not so sure.

>167 littlegeek: I know that others have loved it. But we were five in my buddy read, and we were all in agreement...

I finished The Bone Harp and I wish I could have stayed in the book for a while longer.

Some thoughts:

If The Silmarillion and The Hobbit were to have a baby… and that baby grew up and had grandchildren… then this book would be one of them.

This is pure magic. Everything sparkles and sings with it. The writing is dreamlike, woven out of myths and fairy tales. I found myself rereading paragraphs again and again. The rhythm of the prose was hypnotising. The pace is slow, ever so slow. But this is a book you want to stay in, be happy in, for as long as possible, so the pace is perfect (except for the “oh, no” when the book ended).

What would you have in an epic story about elves and Elfland? Yes, exactly. Bone Harp is not this kind of story. Instead, how about what comes after? After the battles. After the heartbreak and horror. After the dragon is slain. After the Enemy is defeated.

Tamsin the legendary hero, Tamsin the bard, Tamsin the fearsome killer awakes after a long magical sleep. He had been cursed; he himself had been a curse. Yet, here is a sense of peace.

“Nearer to him were green meadows, impossibly green, except where they were streaked and stippled with flowers – red and white, purple and gold, blue and pink, and some fine silvery thing like the glimmer of moonlight caught in his sword.
Tamsin breathed.”

He travels on, meeting two young elf-maids, River and Ash, to travel with. Their adventures and growing friendship are a delight.

" “Imagine,” River said dreamily, “other people!” Ash raised her eyebrows, and River hastily backtracked. “I mean – not that I don’t love you both - “
An utterly impossible inclusion, that both. River was so free with words. So free."

This is a tale of healing, of redemption, of forgiveness, of acceptance, of beginning anew, of allowing yourself to come home. This is also a tale of those left behind when heroes go on their fabled impossible quests. Klara! “O Lady of Starlight, Lady of Shadows, Lady of Song.” I’ve never thought any characters in any book would remind me of Lúthien and Beren, but there they were, Klara and Tamsin. (Theirs is not the same story, but the atmosphere, the impact are the same.) It’s just that their story is… deeper, more mature, perhaps?

I loved the emotional intensity of the many reunions. The book ends in the best way, and I still wanted more.

In the author’s note, Victoria Goddard talks about the possibility of a sequel. Yes, please!

5 stars!

>169 Alexandra_book_life: Oh boy! This sounds amazing. I will definitely be reading this sooner rather than later.

>170 clamairy: I enjoyed to so much! I am still thinking about the book, several days after having finished...

I finished City of Miracles! Divine Cities was quite a journey. I am still trying to decide whether I liked City of Blades or City of Miracles best.

Some thoughts:

City of Miracles is an excellent conclusion, the last piece of the puzzle that fits just so. It starts off as a hard-boiled revenge story – there are several chapters that are perfect action blockbusters and should be enjoyed as such – but develops into something deeper, darker and much more interesting.

We’re used to Sigrud being badass by now, right? “Just once,” he thinks, “I would like to think of a solution that does not involve me nearly blowing myself up.” It’s there still, but the book dives deeper into the nature of trauma, the cycles of violence, the corruption that any kind of power brings.

“You have made a weapon of your sorrow.”

“He was afraid to try to be decent, because he felt sure that he would fail.”

This is not only about Sigrud, of course. There are several characters that believe that their pain and anger has made them righteous, given them the moral authority to make fateful, horrible decisions and take revenge. The villain of the book believes this – he is creepily, brilliantly written. (No, I am not writing his name, because if you say the name, he will come to you, and you really really really don’t want that. Ew.)

Another theme is letting go of your power or choosing not too wield it. You may not like all the choices the characters make, but it doesn’t mean that all of the choices are wrong. No one has the moral high ground in City of Miracles.

I think it’s a good idea not to wait too long between the books of the trilogy. Then the emotional impact of certain conversations and reunions between characters will be so much stronger, all the layers of meaning visible. I really liked the scene where Mulaghesh and Sigrud meet again, people of many losses that they are.

(As an aside, I was glad to see Mulaghesh doing so well, and doing so well by the end of the book, too. If there was a new novel about her just doing politics, I would read it with pleasure:
“I am cursed,” says Mulaghesh, “with an abundance of things I wish to say, as we are well aware, Prime Minister.”)

One of my favourite parts was the interplay and the relationship between Sigrud and Taty, with him becoming an unexpected father figure. They end up rescuing each other in tragic and beautiful ways. The last chapter was perfect, I thought.

5 stars!

>172 Alexandra_book_life:
This is a trilogy I acquired on Kindle. It will, of course, be coming to France with us.

>172 Alexandra_book_life: I am very much looking forward to this series.

>173 pgmcc: Don't forget your charger!

>174 clamairy: I read the word "charger" there and immediately associated the term with knights rather than with electronic devices. *snort* I need to rejoin the world, I think.

>172 Alexandra_book_life: So glad you enjoyed it :) Such a fantastic series.

>174 clamairy:
Thanks, Clare. I knew I had forgotten something.

>173 pgmcc: Great! It will be interesting to discuss the books once they show up in your threads :)

>174 clamairy: This trilogy is excellent, I hope you will enjoy it!

>175 jillmwo: Who doesn't need a charger of the knight variety? You never know when it might come in handy, especially on a long journey.