My Faith in Frankie

I am happy to confirm that this is still just as delightful as I remembered it being. :)

Mike Carey has written many excellent comics/graphic novels/whatever-you-want-to-call-them, but My Faith in Frankie might just be my favourite one. Much praise goes to the art-team of Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel. The artwork complements the words perfectly, resulting in story that is funny, charming and deliciously over the top (in a very pleasing way).

Originally a four issue full colour mini-series in comic book format, it was then collected into a smaller sized black and white collection. If you have the chance, try to either get the original comics or the "Vertigo Resurrected" edition that reprinted them in their original format and in colour. The artwork is excellent and the small format doesn't do it justice and the colouring really contributes to setting the moods and black and white does not work quite as well for this. (If however the black and white digest version is all you can get, get it anyway, you will still have lots of fun.)

This definitely deserves more recognition (and a proper full size & colour trade paperback treatment)!


My Faith in Frankie by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Unfathomable Sisterhood of Ick

Science Fiction works quite well for short stories in general, as you can spin a tale around an interesting "what if..." and see where it leads you. In this case it leads to an exploration of the humand mind, love, friendship and trust. Nicely executed with an interesting contra-cliché twist.

I tend to think of short stories as snacks between meals (i.e. novels) and in the world of snacks this was a tasty sweet smart cookie.

Available online at: http://www.tor.com/2014/06/16/the-unfathomable-sisterhood-of-ick-charlie-jane-anders

P.S.: Be smarter than me and don't let the cover confuse you. I only briefly glimpsed over it and did not realise that it was the cover of the magazine the story originally appeared in and the image had in fact nothing to do with the story. I was slightly confused for a page or two, before I finally discovered my error in judgement. ;)


The Unfathomable Sisterhood of Ick by Charlie Jane Anders
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fairy Debt

Includes everything you'd expect from Gail Carriger: witty writing, tea, cupcakes and even hideous hats. (Keep this book away from Ivy, she might get ideas!) It's not as polished as her later works - more of a raw gem - but it's quite funny and charming and definitely an entertaining read.


Fairy Debt by Gail Carriger
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

What a lovely book full of wonders and wisdom and weirdness and witches and wyverns and winds and whatnots! :D

I enjoyed this on so many levels. Its a fairy tale about fairy tales and the telling of said tales and way the machinery behind the scenes works. Its also simply wonderful and endearing and it made me laugh and go "awww!", and sometimes it made me sad and then comforted me again. I cannot judge its appeal for children, for I am (at least nominally) not a child anymore, but my soon to be 42 year old adult self was beaming with delight while reading it. I will say that the topics it raises and lessons it might teach one, are certainly excellent. ("You are not the chosen one. [...] You chose yourself.")

Before I forget I should praise the language, the weaving of words, which is beautiful and evocative and draws you right in, and the charming cast of characters, which are extraordinarily well imagined and depicted. I fell in love with all of them from the heroine to the villain and everyone in between, with a special place in my heart for A-Through-L, the best friend one could wish for (even if the point of friends really is that they eventually leave you, one would hope to have someone as true and knowledgeable - at least up until a certain point in the alphabet - along for as much time as is possible).

So, as you might have gathered from all my sentimental blathering, this one left its mark on me. I wholeheartedly recommend it to whomever, whatever and however old you are!


The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

Silently and Very Fast

An artistically told story about (artificial) intelligence.

Silently and Very Fast is quite hard to describe, especially without giving to much away. It's also slightly hard to get into - or at least it was for me. The storytelling technique and the writing is very sophisticated and elaborate. It took me until chapter four to get the first idea what everything I had read so far was actually about. After that I was hooked.

The narrative slowly expands and explains and evolves. It can at times be demanding but I am very glad I did not give up on it. It is a beautiful book and I found it very touching. It is also a book the makes you reflect quite a bit about the way we think and feel and why we do what we do the way we do.

Definitely worth your while!


Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model

An amusing short story that will make you laugh and maybe even want to learn about stuff (like e.g. looking up "fermi paradox" on wikipedia ;)).

First of all, what a great title! And luckily the fun doesn't stop there. I smiled and laughed throughout the whole book, which of course is only about 30 pages long, but the author makes good use of that limited space (no pun intended). Very well crafted with a catchy title, a funny first line, an interesting premise and plot, witty words and an entertaining ending. The whole thing reminded me quite a bit of the late Douglas Adams (which is a big complement, because I very much adore his work) in its light-hearted take on some sombre topics.

Now excuse me while I go and hug my towel.


The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model by Charlie Jane Anders
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Six Months, Three Days

An interesting and stimulating thought experiment.

I read this story right after finishing the amazing "All the Birds in the Sky" and unfortunately it did not grab me in the same way. Something about the writing and the two main protagonists just didn't click (I did like Marva though). However, while I might not have enjoyed the actual narrative as much as I hoped (and I can't rule out that maybe my expectations where unreasonably high) the themes it touches and the thoughts it provokes are extremely interesting. Is free will just the way our brains interpret a deterministic reality or do we really have a choice? And whichever maybe true, do we have to spend our time with eyes on the future or is it possible to simply live in the fleeting moments of the here and now?

Obviously the book can't answer such profound philosophical questions for you, but if only for making you wonder and think about these topics, questioning things you might have taken for granted or never given a thought before, I would argue that it is worth reading.


Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders
My goodreads rating: 3 of 5 stars

All the Birds in the Sky

Beautiful.

Of course there is much more that can be said about All the Birds in the Sky, but if you wanted to put it in a nutshell: simply "beautiful" describes it best. I had such a wonderful time with this book and when I finished it, it left me with a deep sigh of satisfaction.

It is a science fiction fantasy about love and life - sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes upsetting, sometimes soothing, but certainly never boring. In fact it is probably one of the most "distilled to its essence" books I have ever read - as close to "fat free" as you can get, leaving out anything that is unnecessary. I guess some might find this structure disruptive, while I found it most refreshing and welcome!

Without spoiling anything: There is one revelation in book 4 that I saw coming from miles away, so it was a bit of a surprise to me that one of the main characters did not discover it sooner. Then again, another character seemed to agree with me on that so you could presume that this was maybe even intentional. It certainly did not diminish my enjoyment of the story in any way and luckily knowing this one thing in advance did not spoil the ending at all.

It has been said by others, but it is true nonetheless, so I will mention it too: This is a most enchanting intertwining of the science fiction and fantasy genres, and for me as a fan of both, the result was something truly amazing.

P.S.: I definitely should thank Brad for reviewing this book, because that's what made me aware of its existence!


All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blameless

Gail Carriger makes it look so easy, the way she seemingly without effort but with elegance in abundance weaves witty prose of Oscar-Wilde-ish proportions, it leaves the reader in awe (and delighted laughter).

I feel that there is little I can add to what I already wrote in my reviews for the previous 2 books in the series. The only thing I could think of that one could hold against the author is that she provides in essence "more of the same", however when that "same" is so remarkably exhilarating, I really don't see how one would complain about that.

So while it can naturally not quite provide us with the "all new and shiny" appeal of the first book, the narrative puts our familiar cast of characters in shocking situations that they have never been before and thus forces them to evolve and develop in the most exciting and amusing fashions. If Soulless set the stage and Changeless expanded upon it and eventually shook things up dramatically, then Blameless embarks on the journey of putting things back together, traveling on intense and interesting roads to a new status quo.

Eloquent, exciting and highly entertaining.


Blameless by Gail Carriger
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

Changeless

A wonderfully witty and somewhat scandalous sequel.

Firstly and most importantly: Gail Carriger's prose is pure delight! Like its predecessor Soulless, this is a book that never seizes to entertain with its eloquence. I must admit had a little bit of an issue with a particular part of the plot (see below), but that never prevented me from enjoying myself tremendously. Truth be told, while this is a book about supernatural mysteries in a strange steampunkish world, it is at its core a comedy of manners and thus what makes it shine and what is most important is not the plot per se but the way the story is told - which is with great and seemingly effortless panache!

SPOILER WARNING:  The next paragraph contains revelations about the main plot!

What bothered me a bit about the plot was how Angelique - of whom Alexia knew as soon as she entered her household by the end of Soulless that she would most likely be a spy for the Westminster hive - was the most likely suspect and in the end indeed the culprit. I kept thinking that there must be a twist coming, because it would be too obvious otherwise. It seemed highly, highly unlikely to me that Angelique was never ever suspected by Alexia throughout the book right until the end. Also, after every assassination attempt I was waiting for some kind of immediate investigation to follow, but the protagonists' capacity to get distracted from that kind of behaviour seemed endless. Still, as mentioned above, I can easily forgive such small matters in the light of the amazing charm and wit of the storytelling.

So, I can highly recommend this book, although I do suggest you have the follow-up novel (Blameless) at hand as well, because the ending will make you want to immediately continue reading on... (I feel for those poor souls, who read the book when it came out and had to wait for the sequel!)


Changeless by Gail Carriger
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

American Gods

To quote the author from his introduction: "a long piece of prose with something wrong with it"

Before I go on, I feel I should mention that I have been a fan of Gaiman's stories for a long time. I loved all of Sandman, I adored Good Omens and consider it one of the best books of all time, I really liked Neverwhere, I was captivated by Coraline, I enjoyed all the short stories I read.

So with that in mind and due to the fact that American Gods came highly recommended, I expected to have a similar experience with it. Well, this one was different. Not pure love and joy, but more like a love-hate relationship...

I actually started the book (the original version) years ago, but only ever made it to page eighty-something (according to my bookmark that was still in there). I could not actually remember much about the reasons why that was, but it happened during a phase where I did not get much reading done at all, due to being distracted by all too many things happening in my life. So I figured that it was probably my fault and not the book's. However, after recently getting my reading mojo back and starting over (this time with the expanded "Author's preferred text" version) I almost didn't make it through again. I am pretty sure that if it didn't say "Neil Gaiman" on the over I probably would have quit around the same time.

I did however soldier through and I am glad that I did, because when the book gets good, it gets really good, Neil Gaiman magic style good. But until then and in between, it was sometimes extremely exhausting and at one point I felt the urge to grab my old hardcover edition and hit the author on the head with it (in a strictly metaphorical fashion).

So why oh why was this, I kept asking myself. Why was it so hard for me to read this book when everything else that involved Neil Gaiman had been such a joy? After putting quite a bit of thought into it, I think I discovered the primary reason for it.

I mostly blame Wednesday.

Mr. Wednesday, for me was such an unlikable character, he spoiled much of the fun for me. Mr. Chapman describes him in the book very accurately when he says "He’s an asshole. Always was an asshole. Always goin’ to be an asshole. Some people is jes’ assholes, and that’s an end of it.” I feel for the character to work, it would have required me to feel for him on some kind of level, but I just couldn't. I found him annoying and off-putting (the scene with the teenage waitress was particularly painful), and I believe that is one of the main reasons the first 120 pages so difficult for me. (And yes, I know Shadow is the main protagonist, but Wednesday plays such a major role that he really can't be ignored).

Luckily at some point came the introduction of Sam and Lakeside and everything that happened there and I loved those sections. (Sam is probably my favorite character in the book and I wish she had a bigger part in it). Still, aside from me and Wednesday not getting along, I could never get into the rhythm of the book. I feel its pacing is all over the place, starting of real slow, then finally feeling like it would get into gear, then stepping sideways and back and forward and trailing off again. (I did actually wonder if the original, shorter version was maybe have been better in that regard?) It was only during the last 25% of the book that - at least for me - it finally developed a flow that made reading it an unhamperedly enjoyable experience.

On a purely intellectual level I can appreciate many of the book's qualities, but to me it ended up feeling like the author tried get too many things into this one story and ended up with a rag rug kind of narrative. This made me a little bit sad, because it was a really good story and I wish could have enjoyed it more than I did. Is this the author's fault? Probably not. Clearly many people loved the approach he took. But for me, this was not the Neil Gaiman I was looking for. So (besides Wednesday) I probably have myself to blame for that.

To conclude, let me say that this book has a lot to offer and parts of it are truly amazing. It was the way those parts where woven together that I found problematic. All in all, I am glad I read it, but I probably won't do it again.


American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My goodreads-rating: 3 of 5 stars

Soulless

This book was such a joy to read, I constantly had big happy smile on my face, laughing out loud many a time. It is delightfully fabulous and so much fun!

As mentioned in my review of The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar, if found Miss Carriger's writing style so charming and witty that I fell in love with it right away. In Soulless she has created a multitude of wonderful characters, all of them interesting in their own regard, with the voice of the main character being especially noteworthy in it's delightfulness. In addition to that, the author's narrative timing is superb, knowing exactly when to elaborate and when to quickly move forward. The book has an enchanting quality to it and If I had not been forced to read it in multiple sessions - by busy days and lack of reading time - I would not have put it down before finishing it in one go. Alas, nature made it so that one has to sleep at some point, no matter how much one might protest.

I am ever so grateful to my wonderful wife for the recommendation. This book has brought me happiness in abundance, and for that I feel I simply cannot praise it enough.


Soulless by Gail Carriger
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rivers of London

With a great flow (no pun intended) of funny prose we dive (again n.p.i.) into a highly interesting world.

Another recommendation from my wonderful wife that I enjoyed a great deal. The writing is funny, the story is compelling and the way magic is approached with a scientific mindset is refreshing and interesting. Being the first book in a continuing series it does its job very well, sucking you into the world, telling you a good story and leaving you intrigued and wanting to know more.

All this praise notwithstanding, I feel I should mention that at one point I almost stopped reading when I felt the voice of the first-person narrator slipped into uncomfortable diction. That point was when I read the following...

"The voice belonged to a plump round-faced woman of the sort that develops a good personality because the alternative is suicide."

Also, a bit later, when a character is described as a "terrifying lesbian" I cringed again and question the intent behind such words.

After brooding about this for a bit, with English not being my native language and with people I know would not tolerate misogyny having read the book and not having issues with it, I decided to give the author the benefit of the doubt here and read on.


Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch 
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar

A delightful read, even if you are (like me) unfamiliar with the other books in the series.

My wife mentioned Soulless to me recently, when I asked her to recommend something witty and funny written by a female author. Unfortunately the kindle version is currently not available for sale (apparently its being worked on by the publisher and will be back in 2-3 weeks), but this short story was, so I decided to start here.

I'm not sure, if I would have gotten even more out of this, if I had read other books of the Parasol Protectorate series first, but going in without any prior knowledge of the characters and the world, I must say that I was not at all disappointed, quite the contrary. The writing is superbly funny in a clever and charming way. I love Gail Carriger's style! The story itself was compelling and made me even more curious about the world the author has created, than I already was. I can't wait to read more.


The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar by Gail Carriger
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good Omens

When asked about my favourite books, this one has been on the list for a really long time. So long in fact that I recently realised I had forgotten so much about the details of the plot that I really should read it again.

It was close to 20 years since I last read it I believe, so the question was: would it live up to all the wonderful memories I had saved, cherished and nostalgically built up over the years? The answer is: Hell yes!

I was an amazing book when I was in my early twenties and it is still an amazing book now I am approaching the notorious forty-two. The combination of Gaiman & Pratchett is a recipe for incredible wit, charm and clever humour, all highly inventive and wonderfully executed. In my mental filing system this always gets mixed up with the works of Douglas Adams, and as far as I am concerned that is a huge compliment, as Adams is probably my favourite author of all time.

I own an old paperback edition of the book, but for rereading I bought the e-book, since I prefer reading on an e-reader these days (big letters for old eyes...). This new editon has a couple of little extras, like an interview with the authors and short texts by the authors describing each other and the way they worked together. As good an excuse as any if you where thinking about getting an electronic version. ;)


Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dead Men's Boots

Another entertaining chapter in the life of Felix Castor (although Castor himself might have issues with the "entertaining" bit).

It's been a while since I had read the first 2 books (which I both enjoyed a great deal), which unfortunately meant that - because my brain is really bad at remembering these things - I had forgotten most of the details. Luckily for me all the essential information was recapped at the right moments, so I could enjoy part 3 without having to restart at book one.

Mike Carey's writing style, and in particular his sense of humour is right up my alley and once again the story is a compelling one. If you liked "The Devil You Know" and "Vicious Circle" you will not be disappointed. The established cast of characters, already very strong and interesting, is explored further and some interesting new characters get introduced that may or may not appear again in the future. Also we get to learn a little bit more about what presumably is the "metaplot" of the series.

The next paragraph contains very minor spoilers - feel free to skip it, if you are concerned.

I am usually not one to nitpick about little details, but for some reason this time around, there where 2 minor things that I noticed that I wish would have been addressed, but weren't. Nothing major and nothing that spoiled the fun, just minor inconsistencies, namely: Fix looses his whistle when he is attacked by the loup-garou at the vet. He never goes back to reclaim it but later on he takes it out of his coat. Also he spends half the book without a functioning cell phone, even though he would have had plenty of time and opportunities to get a new battery.

All in all, it was another fun ride and I am very much looking forward to book 4 and 5 now.


Dead Men's Boots by Mike Carey
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Der Kontrabaß

German language alert: When I read books that were written in German I review them in German as well. 

Wie beschreibt man ein Lieblingsbuch? Wie vermittelt man die Freude daran, es wieder und wieder zu lesen? Schwierig, so etwas.

Man kann natürlich die Vorzüge des Buches auflisten. Man kann erklären, es sei geistreich und witzig, so dass man oft laut Loslachen muss, auch wenn es 3 Uhr früh ist und alles rund um einen schon schläft (und man nicht so wie der Kontrabassist 95% schallundurchlässige Wände hat). Man kann hinzufügen, es sei hochintelligent und in einer Symbolhaftigkeit weit mehr als nur ein Einblick in das Leben des Kontrabassisten, vielmehr eine Versinnbildlichung des modernen Lebens des vielleicht nicht ganz, aber doch irgendwie freiwillig Unfreiwilligen.

Das alles klingt ja schön und gut, aber vermag wohl kaum im Leser dieser Zeilen das Gefühl entfachen, dass dem Verfasser jedes Mal beim Lesen des Buches innewohnt. Man kann vielleicht hoffen, das man genug Neugier geweckt hat, um zum Lesen des Kontrabasses anzuregen. Und falls nicht, so ist es ja eigentlich auch egal, den die Freude am Lieblingsbuch, die ist ja im Grunde etwas zutiefst persönliches, und bleibt ungetrübt.

Kurz gefasst: Wer heute noch nicht gut gelacht (vielleicht weil es gerade nichts zum Lachen gibt), oder nachgedacht (womöglich gar wegen der Angst, dass mangels eines 22 Semester Philosphiestudiums bestimmt eh nix Gescheites dabei heraus kommen würde) hat, dem sei das Lesen dieses Buches ans Herz gelegt.


Der Kontrabaß by Patrick Süskind 
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

Drei Geschichten und eine Betrachtung

German language alert: When I read books that were written in German I review them in German as well. 

Als selbst an "Amnesie in litteris" Leidender, freue ich mich schon jetzt aufs zukünftige, nochmalige Lesen und darauf, an den selben Stellen ins Schmunzeln, Nachgrübeln und aus dem Gefühl der Verbundenheit himmelhoch Jauchzen zu geraten.

Derweil meine Erinnerungen noch weitgehend unverblasst sind, ein paar Worte zu den einzelnen Texten:

Der Zwang zur Tiefe
Prägnant und ergreifend.

Der Kampf
Sinnbildlich, geistreich und zum Nachdenken anregend.

Das Vermächtnis...
Gewitzt und unterhaltsam, wenn auch für mich persönlich, die am wenigsten fesselnde Geschichte.

Amnesie in litteris
Hier sprach mir der Autor aus der Seele und entlockte mir beim Lesen schriftlich nur schwer reproduzierbare Laute, welche der Freude und dem Entzücken darüber nicht alleine mit diesem Leiden dazustehen Ausdruck verliehen. Welch ein Befreiungsschlag!


Drei Geschichten und eine Betrachtung by Patrick Süskind
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Über Liebe und Tod

German language alert: When I read books that were written in German I review them in German as well.

Geistreich, witzig, intelligent, so wie man es von Süskind gewohnt ist. Auch die erfrischende Respektlosigkeit, mit der der Autor am Ende den Nazarener mit Orpheus vergleicht, ist äußerst bekömmlich. Alles in allem ein lesenswertes Essay, von dem man sich eigentlich nur wünschte, es wäre ein wenig länger ausgefallen, denn es hinterlässt einem mit dem Gefühl, der Autor hätte einem gewiss noch vielerlei kluge und zum Nachdenken anregende Dinge zu sagen gehabt. Nichtsdestotrotz eine rückhaltlose Leseempfehlung.

Zur Beachtung: Es handelt sich bei diesem Buch 1:1 um den Text, der ursprünglich als Nachwort zur bei Diogenes Erschienen Buchausgabe von "Vom Suchen und Finden der Liebe" abgedruckt wurde. Wer letzteres also bereits sein Eigen nennt, bekommt hier nichts Neues geboten.


Über Liebe und Tod by Patrick Süskind
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Girl With All the Gifts

For me, this was one of those rare books, that immediately enthrall you and make you want to never stop reading - sleep be damned and all that.

Reading through the free preview of the book, I fell in love with the Melanie character right away. The mix of deep love, intelligence and innocence she shows at the beginning of the book, might even have resulted in me getting a little teary-eyed. Must have gotten some dust in my eye or something *manly cough*... After that I bought it right away and read through it in 2 days.

The main plot is exciting and suspenseful and definitely contributed to the reading frenzy I experienced, but what truly captured me was the themes it touched, and most of all the emotional journey of the main character. Underneath it all it's a beautiful tale about love, as well as about growing up and finding one's place in the world.

The narrative style, where each of the chapters is told from the perspective of one of five characters, makes for an interesting read, once you get used to the frequent switches and - if you're me - get over the fact that it's not exclusively about Melanie and her view of the world. Also, as to be expected from the author, the book is clever, full of references and some witty one-liners, worth quoting.

The next paragraph contains information that might be considered minor spoilers - feel free to skip it, if you are concerned.

I had one personal issue with the book and that was that the Dr. Caldwell character to me had too much of the "heartless scientist" stereotype in her. Not that she was badly written, not that I don't believe people like her exist, I just personally wish we would have gotten a more nuanced version of her, see her wrestle with the things she does and feels need to be done, a little bit more. Scientists in storytelling don't often get a good rep, and - probably because I loved this book so much - I wish it would have given us a more approachable version of that character.

Despite what I just wrote in the above paragraph, I love this book. Not because I thought everything about it was perfect - but you don't fall in love with a book (or a movie, or another human being, or pretty much anything) by dissecting it and analyzing the quality of every individual piece and than adding it all up and judging it. You love it for what it is. And as a whole I enjoyed and I cherish The Girl With All the Gifts and the time I had with it tremendously. It was an amazing experience.

Disclosure: Many years ago Mike Carey once sent me 2 issues of the Inferno comic book series he wrote way back when, because he saw my post on a forum where I mentioned how much I liked what I had read from it, even though I was missing 2 of the books (including the ending). I also once drank tea at his house and he gave me a lift to the Bristol comic convention. He never asked for anything in return for any of this, which either simply makes him one of the nicest people on the planet, or means that I now owe him my immortal soul. Possibly both.


The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My goodreads-rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Rise of the Empire

Disclaimer: I did not actually read "A New Dawn". I intended to do so, mainly because I knew it featured Rae Sloane, whom I liked as a character from reading "Aftermath". I started reading New Dawn after I read all the other stories in the book and I just could not get into it. It's probably an unfair thing to say, because this is her first appearance and Miller created her, but the voice of the character felt wrong to me. It wasn't the Sloane I grew to like from Aftermath and Levers of Power. I'm also not a fan of Rebels and I did not find the Count Vidian character all that interesting, so the incentive to read it was just too low. Anyhow, I shelfed the story for "maybe someday".

Reviewing this in the order I read the stories.

The Levers of Power
Short and sweet. Sloane was one of my favourite characters from Aftermath and this was a nice little prelude to her appearance there.

Mercy Mission
Not bad, but it did nothing for me. (It might be more interesting to you if you watch Star Wars Rebels and know about the characters)

Tarkin
I could have done without so many prolonged jumps into the past, but aside from that I really liked the story. I felt Luceno did a good job with the character's voices, the plot was interesting and the build up to the finale nicely done.

Bottleneck
After reading Tarkin, I didn't feel Miller got him quite right in this short story. Otherwise it was ok. Something about the Vidian character always made me feel that he doesn't quite fit into the Star Wars universe. Maybe just a personal preference thing.


The Rise of the Empire: Star Wars: Featuring the novels Star Wars: Tarkin, Star Wars: A New Dawn, and 3 all-new short stories by James Luceno, John Jackson Miller  Melissa Scott and Jason Fry
My goodreads-rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Investigation

(The base of this review is the German translation published by Suhrkamp)

A thought provoking book that leaves your mind racing and thinking about what you read until you (hopefully) realize that it is not really a crime novel at all but much rather a philosophical discourse about reality and our perception and interpretation of it. If you approach it like a traditional detective story (which is unfortunately what the text on the back of the German edition suggests it is) you will probably enjoy the journey but might very well be disappointed by the conclusion. If you can forgive the fact that it is only masquerading as a crime story, this is a book that you will want to read again, but pay more attention to the things you might have rushed past the first time you read it.


Die Untersuchung by Stanisław Lem
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Perfect Weapon

Fast paced action-adventure with an interesting main protagonist, that I hope to read more about in the future.

She only got one line in the movie but she clearly is an interesting enough character to focus on in her own book(s). This short story does a good job of taking the reader on a fun wild ride of espionage and intrigue whilst revealing some of Bazine's backstory and establish her character. If this was a full length novel I might complain about loose ends, but since this is just a short introductory tale, I think the fact that it leaves us with unanswered question and eager to know more, is actually a good thing.

More, please! :)


The Perfect Weapon by Delilah S. Dawson
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Star Wars: Before the Awakening

Three gripping little tales, very well written, that give further glimpses into the lives of Finn, Rey and Poe.

I read this book shortly after seeing "The Force Awakens" and greatly enjoyed the way Greg Rucka managed to capture the voices of the characters. The stories aren't very long but the author makes the most of the available space to give us a narrative worth reading, further insight into the characters, and of course some interesting little tidbits of information to better understand and further speculate on things the movie showed us.

If you enjoyed Episode VII, this is well worth your time.


Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka
My goodreads-rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aftermath

A good story with interesting characters that I just wish was executed a little bit better.

Unfortunately the grammar and syntax of the book are very... strange. It almost feels like a first draft and/or a script with annotations rather than a finished novel. It took me some time to get used do the writing style - or maybe rather get past it - and start to properly enjoy myself.

In the end it was worth the initial struggle. And as mentioned the plot and the characters are much better than the overall writing (which to the author's credit seemed to work pretty well for the more action oriented sections). I am actually looking forward to the next two parts, which hopefully will continue to tell a compelling tale but in a better way than this one did.


Aftermath by Chuck Wendig
My goodreads-rating: 3 of 5 stars

Welcome to my blog about books (and stuff)

So I thought I could maybe get one of these blog type things.

I wasn't exactly sure why or what for, but I thought I might have one, maybe one with book reviews and... uhm... stuff. I've already written a bunch of reviews over on goodreads and I will reupload those here as well. Future reviews will be posted simultaneously, or at least that's the plan.

Why books?

Books are fun. Also I do quite a bit of reading these days anyway and since my time is limited and I am in my heart of hearts a terribly lazy bum, coming up with a new hobby just to blog about it was not on the list of things likely to happen anytime soon. Ergo books.

Why stuff?

Life teaches us that there will be stuff. Unexpected stuff. Non-book-like stuff. All kinds of stuff, really. So chances are that sometimes there will be stuff to write about.

Why "five hours late but moving fast"?

It is one of my favorite expressions from one of my favourite books.

Why me?

I won't say that I hadn't considered getting someone else to blog about me instead of me (remember, lazy - see above), but since I have trust issues and no one else wanted the job, I eventually ended up hiring myself. I'm not sure if that was a wise decision. I don't think I entirely trust the guy and he seems somewhat lazy.

Why you?

I honestly have no clue why you are reading this. But since you wasted enough of your valuable time to get this far, you might as well continue and read some of those book reviews I mentioned earlier.

Still questions?

Try this.