Cold comes calling...

I've just finished reading Jim Butcher's newest book in his Dresden Files series Cold Days.  This is the kind of storytelling that just works so well.  Butcher's Dresden continues to impress with each adventure, and Harry meeting up with his fantastic cast is just some of my favorite material I think I've ever read.
For those of you who aren't familiar; Harry Dresden is a practicing Wizard in the city of Chicago.   As in Chicago of 2012.  The Dresden series is the 'go to' for Urban Fantastists.  Other folks might match him...but I haven't read anything that's done Urban Fantasy better.  He faces off with Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, psychic monsters, ghosts, things from outside the universe, the fae, oh and the original demons... all manner of baddies.
You'd think someone who goes up against these kinds of foes must have some serious advantages...and on occasion? You'd be right, but most of the time Harry's still trying to figure out what they're up to before he can take advantage of his many tricks.  He gets beat up.   A lot.  It's actually kinda funny, Butcher typically comments on how much he makes Harry suffer through.  And I suppose that's the thing that I like about Harry most.  He gets THROUGH it.  He takes it and keeps on going.  There are times when I'd really appreciate having those qualities in myself.  Probably what makes Harry such a good protagonist.

Anyhow, this latest entry in the Files is basically to familiarise everybody with the new groundwork in Chicago, supernaturally speaking, since Harry's absence and those things he did in Changes that rocked the face of the 'Dresden'verse'.  We start outside of reality in the Fae realms and Harry is finding out just how bad things are going to get with Winter (the Court, not the weather) when he gets his first job.  And it's a doozy.  So back to reality he goes.

Then it's a series of amusing events as Harry meets up with his old crew once again and finds out all kinds of secrets 'man was not meant to know'.  Then again, that's what Wizards do.  That's why they're Wizards.

Harry getting set with his new dynamic with Molly his apprentice is touching and there's a little bit of a spark there that Butcher's been flaming for a while.  The reunion with Thomas is hysterical and leads to some great little insult-wars between the pair of them.  I'm fairly convinced Butcher was watching Supernatural for inspiration at one point.  Harry meeting with Mouse is all kinds of adorable, but the one everybody was waiting for was Karrin Murphy.  I mean folks have been hoping for Harry and Murph to get together and have spell-flinging ninja babies since the first trilogy finished, so Butcher had a LOT to live up to.

And he managed to pull it off.  The conversations between the characters felt REAL even if some of the stuff they talked about was fantastic.  The emotions and the relationships that were so important.  The people that they were?  Those couldn't have been more genuine.  And that's one of the big highlights of the Dresden Books.  The Characters all HAVE it. Character I mean.  They're interesting and complicated and lovable and... I know I'd hate being in the same room as Thomas because of the jealousy I'd feel, but I still think he'd be awesome to have a beer with.  Harry too, especially if we could manage it at Mac's Pub.

I digress... well I do that a lot, but anyhow back to the point.
Changes was necessary to be the big shake up point for the stories, and Ghost Story, while interesting was basically just filler to get Harry back with everything else going on in his life.  But Cold Days along with Summer Knight has just gone up as one of my FAVORITE Dresden tales.
They may not be for everybody.  But I sure love 'em.

The Great Game...

George R. R. Martin's critically acclaimed series "The Song of Ice and Fire" has been in my library since it's initial publication.  And let me just say, there are GOOD reasons that the critics love these books.  The characters are deep and well developed, and the stories that Martin tells from the various characters points of view all follow actual evolution of all of them while each paints a bigger picture of the world around them.  And that's without getting into the deep mythology that has grown with the series (initially a trilogy, now projected into a 7 book series).  Now the folks taking a look on here may be wondering why I'm bringing this series up now... and for that I say... Isn't it obvious?   HBO has finally got their series project of "The Game of Thrones" up and on the air.... and it's every bit as deep and well made as it's original publication.  HBO shows their conviction to bring quality programming projects to their audience that I haven't seen since Band of Brothers.  No, I'm not being facetious...I think the quality of the work being done here is that good, though the subject matter is pure fiction, rather than history, it doesn't change the quality of the work being done.  The production team got a great cast set up all of whom fill their characters roles with apparently no effort.  Now, as much as I'd love to get into spoiler territory, I'm going to refrain... cause I feel everything presented in the story is much better if you just let it unfold as you watch.  What I am going to say is that there are few things I've seen on television that consistently impressed me throughout the full duration of the program....and the premiere episode of The Game of Thrones was one of them.  One other thing that I want to tell the folks who may read this is that if you thought that the storys beginning was impressive?  Jus hold on to your hats...cause this is going to be one heckuva ride.

Zelazny's Lord of Light

This is a classic piece of science fiction and one of my favorite books of all time... I find myself reading fairly regularly every year... and each year I find the book speaks to me in a new way.  The book originally ran about 250 pages, but it's current incarnations are about 300... but it's an incredibly quick read.  The first chapter of the story deliberately takes place in media res of the over-arching storyline with the resurrection of Mahsamatman (or Sam as he preferred to be known), and introduces us to our protagonist and a few other players in the drama.  It is designed to get the reader involved by asking questions... who are these people that call themselves by the names of Hindu gods and goddesses?  What are they doing?  What has become of this world they live on?  All these questions and more are addressed slowly, as the flowering of a blossom with different parts revealing themselves in turn and each bringing more answers, and then more questions.  

One of the reasons that I find myself so drawn into this book time and time again, is the complexity of the relationships and characters we are introduced to.  Our protagonist character Sam is a "god" of the trickster mold... playful, cunning, infinitely devious and brilliant, but also very very human in the best possible way.  He sees injustice around him and is compelled to speak against it...even to rail and wage war against "Heaven" itself for his cause.  He cares deeply for his friends and allies, but is very aware of their own capabilities and allows them to make their own choices.  Watching his efforts to change himself and his world is elegant and tightly written.  

This fantastic story which elegantly skirts the lines between science fiction and fantasy also has compelling concepts of technological advancement.  Along with an elegant parable regarding the nature of religion and faith, and how they can become corrupted.  There are few books that I tell all of my friends to read.  This is one of them.

The Magicians

The Magicians is the second novel from Lev Grossman, book critic for TIME magazine.  A throughly well constructed fantasy and work of fiction.  It's frequently compared with the Harry Potter series, but with a CONSIDERABLY more adult target audience.  Set in modern day New York, the series focuses on gifted youngsters whose talents extend much farther than anybody could really expect.  Basing some of his concepts of magic on the old hermetic/Pythagorean philosophies, the magic isn't ever really explained and it really doesn't need to be, it's enough to know that the young people are gifted.  The novel also has a familiar call back to the stories of  C.S. Lewis' Narnia, with a series of books that the folks at the gifted school Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy seem obsessed with, and the novel has a terrific twist near the end.  The characters are all rapidly painted, but fully fleshed, showing considerable writing technique... Though the novel feels like more mainstream fiction, meaning that there is little chance of more writing on the characters or in the world the writer created I hope there's more at some point in the future.  I highly recommend this novel for folks who enjoy either mainstream fiction or excellent stand alone fantasy.

Fable 3- not what I was expecting...

While I enjoy the heck out of all kinds of video games, and the latest incarnation of Fable isn't an exception, the game really doesn't live up to much of the hype that went around it.  With each version of his Fable series the head of Lionhead studios has promised gamers the moon, and while getting part of the way there, more often leaves us part way, gasping for air.  One aspect where he has become more insightful (in my estimation) is in his marketing.  He got involved in Kinect marketing with Milo last year (the primary demonstration of the systems capabilities...one that has yet to be introduced to the market), and that got him started with his Fable 3 marketing... And getting folks excited by the concept of getting into the Fable system once again and becoming King (precisely where the last game left off) didn't hurt either.  The promise of "evolving gameplay" a cool concept that brought a lot of attention to the series... Followed by the novel Fable: The Balverine Order by Peter David just before the games publication to get the series more into the public eye.  All great little marketing strategies to keep the game and his publishing company in the public eye.
The game itself is a fun bit of fluff.  None of the "remarkable" gameplay that was mentioned in press releases and lauded really made much of a difference.  I was hoping to enjoy John Cleese's role as Jasper the butler in the game's version of the pause menu, but after the first couple hours of gameplay his dialogue stopped completely, rendering the "alteration" of the pause from actual menus to a playable space moot.  Not to mention MORE time consuming.  The "evolving gameplay" that had been discussed while interesting to see, didn't actually see much evolving.  I used "hammer" type weapons through the entire game, which traditionally would have made the main character into a more muscular heavy built figure saw no changes in him at all.  The experience system for weapons is an interesting distraction, and most only change, when tasks for them are completed, and the fact that the evolution of the hero's weapons (Not the Legendary ones with experience bars) evolve throughout gameplay even without use.  I was terribly disappointed that while some of the weapons evolved through use, NONE of the magic system did.  The moral choice system throughout the game was actually my greatest disappointment, since the only real benefit to choosing the "evil" or "wicked" options being the accumulation of additional wealth.  And while in early game that can be a big asset, anybody who played the previous one, or investing in available real estate (in game) will quickly have more than enough available cash.  And that's without trading with pawn brokers throughout the game world.  Making the moral choices pretty much moot.  The "touch" system was also a big deal in press packets... but didn't really see a lot of effect to the game, just a change in animation.   The addition of the "Kingly" gameplay after the revolution in game was something truly new and fun... and would have been fantastic... if there had been more of it or more to do with it AFTER the game's conclusion.  All in all it's a decent game, with some great concepts to it that COULD have been great... but falls short at the end.  For me the best aspect of the game I found was the excellent packaging and design work on the collectors edition.
Now, that's a lot of material and not a great deal of praise for a very worthwhile effort that will likely speak to the development of a lot of games in future... and hopefully won't rule out a Fable 4 which may take all the best elements from the previous series.  Thus far the best element to come out of this series on Fable, was Peter David's book.  While it may not have a "pithy maxim" that could express the moral of the story, his book has a terrifically crafted narrative, interesting characters, and paints a more interesting picture of the world the Heroes of Albion inhabited than many of the games.  It also had a much more effective "moral lesson" necessary for the name of the series to stay accurate.  The book included a weapon for the game as well... but that was more of a marketing ploy... likely an effective one, but I hope that it will introduce some gamers to a great author and suggest that they may want to pick up some more of his work.
So in short... the Fable the novel:  Excellent... highly recommended.
Fable 3 the game:  For enthusiasts only... otherwise rent or Gamefly it.

Touch of psychic....

Anton Stout sounds like a writer after my own heart....  I suppose that could be said of most of the folks I read...still He lists himself as an avid writer, gamer, with a love of music, and sometime actor.  That being said, while having a knack for the weird... his writing style in his book Dead to Me is entirely too uneven for me to recommend, as much as it pains me to say it.  While his concept of a Department of Extraordinary Affairs isn't new... his handling of it feels very...odd.  In addition, his protagonist Simon Canderous....while gifted with an unusual "psychic talent", that hasn't been covered in many publications to date, doesn't seem to have any actual "talent" with it.  Pyschometry is a cool sounding ability.. discerning an objects history by touching it sounds all kinds of nifty, and while Mr. Stout does a good job of making the DOWNsides of the ability readily apparent, his protagonists complete lack of control over his skill/ability makes for a weak story and fairly lame character.  Things do pick up towards the end of the book, but it doesn't make up for the weaknesses of the early story.  The series has another 2 paperbacks....and I have to wonder how exactly they got picked up by ACE Fantasy...  Hopefully they develop some more cohesion through the series.  Definitely not a recommended read, but there are some great moments in it.  I just have to say I have a hard time taking a book where the "white hats" are the Fraternal Order of Goodness...and called Foggies.  It seriously took something away from the story.  

Enter Sandman...

Sandman Slim is one of the latest in the growing recent trend of modern urban fantasies.  This one is coming from Richard Kadrey, a gifted writer with a flare for the bleak and a bit dirtier noir style.  Mr. Kadrey has said that his influences are very visible in his work, with classic noir, combined with the Crime style of Donald Westlake's  pseudonym Richard Stark, then adding in mysticism of the current urban style with the Christian mythos.  Kadrey  says that his writing tends to ramble and that it doesn't align itself with novels well, which can be seen in his books.  There's no clear chapter divisions, which makes for energetic but difficult reading...no places to pause or stop at night, and while it's an interesting style of development it's one that won't work for all readers.  For folks who pick up their books and plow through them, it's functional... but not so much for everybody else.  The character of James Stark (the protagonist of Kardrey's novel), is fun, harsh, sarcastic, obsessed with movies, and possessed of unusual occult gifts that even he doesn't understand.  His backstory is imaginative and weird, also full of potential for creative pitfalls and conflicts down the road that will be fun to explore further in the series development.  My primary issue with the story is that Stark's nickname, the one the novel is named for, and the series is titled for comes out of nowhere.  It seems the entire city of LA starts calling him "Sandman Slim" at some point and there is no clear reason why or what it ACTUALLY means. In the relative scheme of things it seems really minor, but the feeling it engenders lingers and colors the majority of the later half of the book.  That being said, it's a fun read..but not nearly so deep as the Kings and Queens of the Urban Fantasy...then again, he hasn't had the time to get to the same level of development they've got.  

MOG-World

So, Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw is now a published author in addition to the game design and web journalist credits to his name... As a fan of his web journalistic stylings I figured it'd be a fun time checking out his book.  I have to say it's an odd mix of styles... feeling at times, very similar to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series along with a great little send up on MMORPGer's (as the author calls them), going so far as thanking Blizzard Entertainment for three months he'll never get back.  Taking advantage of his general knowledge of the gaming development process, his natural knack for sarcasm, and the concept of progressively developed systems; Yahtzee's novel moves along at a brisk pace and kept this gamer giggling throughout.  With that in mind, Mogworld, is still in a very niche market for it's target audience.  Aiming for gamers and fantasy enthusiasts and taking advantage of Mr. Croshaw's reputation in the former community to contribute to 'buzz', the novel is definitely not going to be for everyone... it is, however, a fun time and a pretty quick read.  I hope to see more from Mr. Croshaw, but until then I'll just join the rest of his fan base over at the Escapist for his weekly gaming tirades.

Words of Warding...

A short time ago I found myself perusing the bookshelves of the local bookshop and came across The Warded Man, by Peter V. Brett (also known as The Painted Man in some other publication areas).  It's the first in a series of fantasy novels the author's calling the Demon Cycle and if the quality of his writing continues improving I'm sure they're going to be seriously good novels.  With a solidly building fan base, I have hopes that the series takes wing and is a HUGE success, since the quality of the characters, and the story development is excellent through the first work.  The Desert Spear, the second story in the series is out on the market now, with a 3rd hopefully under works.    From first appearances in the next novel the main concern I have is that there may be  a glut of characters throughout his novels, which can create problems with plot focus.  Said plot focus problems are the main reason I left behind the Wheel of Time series Robert Jordan wrote, which is being finished by another author with Mr. Jordans passing.  While a breadth of characters can create some great point of view moments to project the readers all around the world that the author has created... too many and a single novel can loose cohesion and the readers can get lost in the shuffle from place to place.  Still, The Warded Man is a fantastic first novel, and seems to me to have been an excellent exercise in world building.  The concepts and places in the story are fully-fleshed out and vivid...and the world filled with wonders and horrors at the same time.  While the story is fully focused in a fantasy setting, the quality and characters would well and truly make it an excellent read for just about anyone.

Fractions of illumination

Brent Weeks is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors...  I loved his previous Night Angel Trilogy... a fantastic little paperback series published under the Orbit imprint, a company that seems to be going out of the way to get great fantasy stories out to the people who love them.  His characters are vibrant, detailed, and troubled...all of whom tend to get under your skin and keep you thinking about them.  These qualities in his writing are also visible in his first installment of his new Lightbringer series.  Both series have unique and deep "magic" systems, standard in fantasy series but often one of the elements that stands to set one writers series from the others.  The Black Prism, follows 3 focus characters...keeping the cast limited and allowing for development of the environment, setting, and character, preventing us (the readers) from getting bogged down with extraneous characters.  Any reader of The Night Angel series, will be aware that Mr. Weeks isn't afraid too pull the occasional fast one or misdirect, and he's more than willing to do so again in this new series, and though this one may cause a headache or two for the reader...it's still a very satisfying read.  Hopefully we'll see more fun developments as the series develops. 

Sometimes the best good guy... is a villian.

The Conqueror's Shadow is a fun bit of independent fantasy based around a specific conceit:  The villain isn't always JUST a villain.  Corvis Rebane is Ari Marmell's focal character and we are introduced to him at the height of his power before skipping ahead 17 years.  Ari uses the "skipping time" conceit to show us the characters at differing points in their history and to explore further depth of character.  As a frequent reader of "high fantasy" style stories it often seems easier to create remarkable villains than it is heroes, and it seems this author took that style of writing to heart, by crafting his "world-conquering despot" into an anti-hero.    While the 2 concepts of conqueror and hero often feel impossible to reconcile, Mr. Marmell builds his characters history well through his development and flashbacks finally showing how a man so battered by the system he lives in comes to decide that breaking the system to put it all together again is the result.  While the story isn't terribly original, it is a fun and quick read.. independent of the frequencies of trilogies and series that are so popular these days.   The novel is excellently written and developed, much like his previous "fantasy" style outing with Agents of Artifice for Wizards of the Coast's Magic the Gathering line.  Well worth checking out at your local library or picking up as a quick paperback if you're looking for a read that won't leave you high and dry waiting for the next installment.

Dreams that come...

So in this posting I'll be putting my thoughts up on Eric Nylund's Mortal Coil series... Mortal Coils and All that Lives Must Die.  I found Mr. Nylund's work after reading his imaginative development of the Halo universe for Bungie.  And having tried out these two novels, I've got to say, for a chemist he's got a heck of a talent for writing.
This series takes advantage of the new "Urban Fantasy" trend that's been developing over the last 8 years or so and combines it with traditional story fare of the hero's journey, temptation, meetings with monsters and gods, and most other tropes of the sub-genre.  While the story isn't necessarily exceptional, it is fun and with the development of some very entertaining villains, does bring some feelings of apprehension for the characters living it.  One of the things that spoke the most to me, was the finales of both pieces...primarily because while they do end each story, they don't end on a saccharine high note.  So... while the books are entertaining... don't go into them looking for a great many twists or surprises.  There is also a fun Reader's Guide to go with both books... If you can manage to tempt a friend or two to read your copy or grab one from the library, I'd imagine you could have a great discussion about your shared thoughts on the stories.