The Naming of the Beasts

A thrilling ride and a very good book on its own, but as a finale for the series it unfortunately was a bit disappointing.

I loved the Felix Castor books. Mike Carey's witty writing and interesting characterisation made it a wonderful experience to read through all the five books. And while this one was probably the most exciting one of them all, it disappointed me with a stereotypically evil scientist archetype (that for me was just beyond the pale) and with some major unanswered questions that I expected to be addressed after the fourth book's revelation about the nature of (some?) demons and this book's teaser about that one note that suddenly appeared in the world that Castor is trying to play but can't quite manage to.

If you want to know more I will go into more details in the next paragraph, just be careful, we are getting into SPOILER TERRITORY.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

In "Thicker Than Water" we learned that humans can turn into demons, and were left wondering if all demons where once human. Unfortunately we learn nothing further about this. A huge missed opportunity!

Then there is that seem of something new coming into the world, the world as a whole changing in a mysterious manner. The note that Castor hears but can't quite make out, the zombies talking about the changes, the world not wanting them anymore. This invokes the expectation that it will lead to some kind of revelation, but it never does.

Mike Carey seems to have some major issues with scientists, especially medical scientists, or at least his portrayal of them suggests this. Professor Mulbridge is the stereotypical evil scientist, compared to Nazi doctors, described as having science as her religion (this made me cringe) and appearing to have no morals or conscience. This kind of bad cliché typecasting annoys me, because I am someone who values reason and the scientific approach, and I wish we had more nuanced portrayals than what we get here or in Carey's "The Girl with all the Gifts".

Finally, the way they beat Asmodeus left me a bit puzzled. They shoot Rafi's body him with the tiny glass bits, which supposedly have to remain inside or else the demon will resurface. I am not an expert when it comes to medicine but presumably having tons of sharp bits of glass inside your body would be problematic, no?

Oh, and one more thing: Rafi, from all that we learn about him, seems to be quite a dick, who treated people badly and is solely responsible for the mess he got himself into. At some point I found it very hard the empathise with him. Also, was I the only one that found it odd that he is supposed to be from the Czech Republic, but all his family and the house he grew up in where in Macedonia? Did I miss something or was that an editorial oversight?

So, overall a well written and exciting book, but sadly only a mediocre end chapter for the series.


The Naming of the Beasts by Mike Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thicker Than Water

Another thrilling (mis-)adventure in the life of Felix Castor.

Carey is really good at this, and once again he does not disappoint. The writing is witty and the plot is intriguing. The book builds on everything from previous books without actually requiring you to read them first. (Although I would recommend to do so, just because they are really good! :)). It also has some very interesting new information about the nature of demons, that hopefully will be explored more in the future.

I did see 2 of the big reveals coming quite early on and I had the feeling at least one of them should either have been revealed sooner or covered up a bit more, because it was just too obvious already.

As we get closer to the end the first person narrator moves away from one of the main plot of the book and so it feels a bit like we are missing out on the details of that ending in favour of the set up for the next (and final) chapter of the saga. That set up is very exciting, but I still would have liked a few more paragraphs about this book's plot wrap up.

Anyway, great book, worth reading!


Thicker Than Water by Mike Carey
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard

Anthropmorphic Elephants in space! \o/

(Actually the Fants are mostly not in space, but that wouldn't have made as catchy a tagline.)

I really enjoyed reading this book and i can wholeheartedly recommend it for being a beautiful, funny and exciting journey. The narrative is well paced and written. The world is really interesting and well crafted, and its different races and characters all have their own charm.

So, one might ask, why not a higher rating then? Well, for me, some of the logic in the book just did not hold up, both in regard to the actions and decisions of the characters (mostly one particular character, the main character's best friend) and to the the way nefshons work when it comes to memory. Also, something that was casually mentioned in the blurb turned out to be something that was supposed to be a reveal towards the end of the book. Granted that is not the book's fault, but it somewhat diminished the experience for me. Plus the consequences of that revelation and what was uncovered about them where a bit of a let down as well. Last and also least, a minor thing: I am still disappointed that the Giant Panda friend of the main character, that was mentioned as an example for that particular species in the appendix, never actually appeared in the story.

All in all, it seemed to me that the book could have used one more editorial overhaul to strengthen its overall coherence.

However, despite all that and as mentioned earlier, I still enjoyed it a great deal. It was a good book, I just feel it could have been a really great one. It started out extremely promising but in the end sadly just did not quite make it - at least for me. But please, read it, enjoy it and make your own opinion! :)


Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen
My goodreads rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sleeping Giants

Oh dear, it feels like I am just handing out five star reviews left and right these days. But rest assured they all deserved them, and this one does as well. :)

I loved the interview storytelling approach. It's the first time I read a book that used such a technique, so I cannot compare, but I can say the way it is executed here is admirable. Without having an actual narrator, there is still action, suspense, character development and a conclusive narrative. It also sets up a world, or rather a universe, that is intriguing and that I am eager to learn more about.

Kudos to Sylvain Neuvel, this is a fantastic first that stands on its own, but also lays the foundation for (hopefully) a lot more to come!


Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
My goodreads rating: 5 of 5 stars

Prudence

Imagine Soulless meets (Joss Whedon's) Serenity. In other words: Shiny! :)

I adore Gail Carriger for her way with words and I loved the Parasol Protectorate series from start to finish. So I could not wait to jump some twenty odd years into the future and find out what happened to all my beloved characters and the word they live in.

While new series focuses mostly around new protagonists, or protagonists we knew only in their infancy, there is enough of the old guard around that things feels immediately familiar. Admittedly it took me a while to get used to the fact that while I am highly invested in the characters of old, they are not the main focus of the story here.

This is Rue's (don't call her Prudence) story and what a story it is. It takes a bit to get into gear, but understandably though. After all this is the "pilot episode", where all the protagonists have to be introduced and the world has to be set up (particularly for readers that might have not read The Parasol Protectorate, even though they really, really should :)). This is a book that starts slow, then quietly accelerates and suddenly, before you know it you find yourself in a hilarious roller coaster ride of epic proportions. By the end I was in tears from all the laughter and the ingenious ridiculousness of everything that revolves around Rue and her chaotic crew.

Rue is not Alexia, you have to get over that. However there is a lot of her parents in her and the way her metanaturalness manifests not only physically but also psychologically is a very interesting approach. Her journey is one of finding herself, starting out by imitating others and slowly finding her own way. In a way it is also a metaphor for the book itself, starting off as a sequel of its predecessors and by the end having well established its own place in the Parasol-Universe. It's also a bit of a therapeutic tool for the readers to make the journey from Parasol to Custard a little easier.

I for one was fully on board by the end of the book and I can't wait for July, when the next chapter in the ongoing adventures of The Spotted Custard gets released.


Prudence by Gail Carriger
My goodreads rating: 5 of 5 stars

Timeless

A most satisfying conclusion to an amazing series.

It's always a bit see to see something beloved and cherished come to an end. However I am a strong supporter of endings. Of course there is that part of me that wishes a good story could last forever, but I'd rather have a finished story over five fantastic books than one and goes on and on until it trails of and looses itself and the the readers interest. Although I certainly would not have said no to more Parasol Protectorate, I feel Gail Carriger hit the sweet spot with concluding the story with Timeless the way she did.

Suffice to say the writing is excellent as always, the book is hilariously funny and at the same time tantalizingly exciting. While the last book focused on Alexia all the way through, this time we have interesting side stories going on, which for this final installment of the series is not only a good thing but almost a necessity. Without giving away too much, I have to admit, there was more than one time that I actually could not wait for the main plot to take a break because I got overly excited about one particular story involving two of my most beloved supporting characters, which turned out to be my favourite part of the book.

I had two minor moments of mild disappointment, one having to do with hairmuffs and some jokes involving them that felt just a tad frumpy for a genius of language and humour like Carriger. Admittedly I feel a bit like a spoiled child writing this, because the only reason this even stood out as a bit mediocre was that I am so used to the sheer excellence of every sentence in her writing. The other thing was a bit more substantial and had to do with revealing "The Truth about the Octopus", which left me with a bit of a "Oh, I see, well I guess that makes sense, although..." feeling.

Nevertheless this book more than deserves its five-star-rating. It tells a wonderful story in a most exquisite way. Gail Carriger's stories are a lot like life - all about having the most amount of fun you can get out the journey. The mystery, intrigue, action and adventures are just the icing on the cake. The main attraction is all the love and laughter.

The book wraps up just enough to leave you with a feeling of satisfaction but leaves enough strings unattached to keep you invested in the incredibly intriguing universe that the series has established. It's a beautiful ending for the Protectorate and at the same time the perfect setup for the Custard that is to come... :)


Timeless by Gail Carriger
My goodreads rating: 5 of 5 stars

Heartless

Pregnancy escalates into glorious chaos and hilarity. As always the writing is superb, witty and charming. This time the narrator never leaves Alexia's side, which I enjoyed a lot and thought was the perfect approach to let us take part in the ever increasing level of drama in her life. What a ride!


Heartless by Gail Carriger
My goodreads rating: 5 of 5 stars