"Blaze" review

Blaze is not just a Stephen King novel. It's billed as "the last Richard Bachman novel". For those of you not in the know, Richard Bachman was King's pseudonym for a time, under which he published some of his early novels. Bachman's true identity was revealed with the release of Thinner, and King released a statement that Bachman had died from "cancer of the pseudonym". Blaze recounts the story of a man (last name, Blaze) whose partner in crime has come up with the ultimate job. But before the job goes down, Blaze's partner is killed. Or is he?

As a thriller, Blaze works wonderfully. Better still, however, is the way that King/Bachman gives readers a glimpse into the life of Blaze. Whether its his childhood or his mind, King never fails to entertain in this sense. There is a sense of tragedy and loss surrounding the book, and perhaps some of King's farewell to Bachman is encompassed in these pages. The book also shows that King can write a great novel in a short space (when he wants to). In about 300 pages, he creates characters and a story that is hard to forget.

My rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: The Dark Half, Duma Key, and Warbreaker.

Blog Description Change

I've changed my blog description at the top of the blog! This really isn't all that important, but it got me started thinking about other possible taglines:

The Writer's Notebook: Because I've got too much time on my hands.

The Writer's Notebook: Because you've got too much time on your hands.

The Writer's Notebook: Because, let's face it, we can't all be Speculative Horizons.

The Writer's Notebook: I read your books for you.

The Writer's Notebook: Why don't more people have interesting taglines?

The Writer's Notebook: I read fantasy. I write fantasy. Get over it.

The Writer's Notebook: Because I've got way too much time on my hands.

The Writer's Notebook: Because Rand's kind of bustin' a move there.

The Writer's Notebook: Because I maybe have a little bit of writer's block right now.

The Writer's Notebook: Because I got my copy of Warbreaker a full three days before it officially came out, and now I'm over halfway through. Suckers!

The Writer's Notebook: Because you'll actually sit here and read all these taglines.

That's all for now! Coming Soon: The reviews I mentioned before, and Warbreaker, too. It's goood.

The Ruins of Gorlan, Dragon's Heart, and The Blade Itself

Ranger's Apprentice-- The Ruins of Gorlan: John Flanagan's bestselling YA fantasy begins strong, showing he has the writing chops for anything. The story (a boy named Will is rejected from Battleschool, but is taken on as the apprentice of a Ranger) would break under the weight of cliche if Flanagan wasn't such a good writer. The third person omniscient viewpoint is used to dangerous effect here as well, switching from character to character sometimes after only a few paragraphs. Once again, this would fail if Flanagan was any worse than he is. But John Flanagan is a fantastic writer, and with Ranger's Apprentice he has created a world we want to return to in the sequel, The Burning Bridge. This series deserves all the publicity it gets.

My rating: 8.5/10

The Pit Dragon Chronicles-- Dragon's Heart: Jane Yolen has done the impossible. She has returned to her Pit Dragon trilogy of books (written in the 1980s!) for one last story, set immediately after A Sending of Dragons. Jakkin and Akki return home after a year in the hands of the murderous Trogs, with several dragons and secrets in tow. Akki wants to go to the Rokk to research the incredible change that came over them at the end of Heart's Blood (Book 2), attempting to ensure the information doesn't fall into the wrong hands. But when she sees a familiar and frightening face, she is kidnapped, and it is up to Jakkin to save her. All of the characters from the original Pit Dragon Trilogy return. Many have revelations. Others are killed off, something Yolen rarely did in the original trilogy. And this book gives a better ending to the series, which had ended too abruptly at the close of Sending. Finally, the encyclopedia entry at the end of the book serves as the perfect epilogue, giving a lot of fun facts away if you're paying attention. This is something I thought I'd never see, and now that I've read it, I can't help but wonder how the series did without it in the first place.

My rating: 10/10

Series rating: 9/10

The First Law Trilogy-- The Blade Itself: Joe Abercrombie bursts onto the scene with a wonderful debut novel. It's really quite impossible to talk about the story, but what really shines in this novel are the characters. There's Logen Ninefingers (or the Bloody-Nine), a barbarian who's been in one scrape too many. There's Jezal dan Luthar, a snobbish nobleman who only cares about winning this year's tournament. There's Inquisitor Glokta, the most intriguing and sympathetic torturer I may have ever seen. And there's Bayaz, First of the Magi, who brings them all together. The minor characters are both numerous and fleshed-out. This is the start of a trilogy in the vein of George R. R. Martin, bold, frank, and ruthless, and it is captivating right from the first chapter (The End). It's impossible to put down, and definately in contention for my "Best Debut" category this year.

My rating: 9.5/10

P.S. : In other news, Patrick Rothfuss has just returned from a trip to Europe, and The Wise Man's Fear is in manuscript form. Here's a size comparison:

Coming Soon: Blaze, The Dark Half, and Duma Key (a Stephen King special)

"The Lost Books-- Lunatic and Elyon" reviews

Ted Dekker's Circle Trilogy captivated readers with an alternate world with events that impact our own. He introduced us to the Books of History. With the Paradise Novels he returned. And, at the beginning of last year, he began an epic 6-book jaunt back into the land of Roush and Shataiki, Forest Guard and Horde, Elyon and Teeleh. But last summer, with the publication of Chaos, it seemed as if the journey had ended with book four of six.

Here's the truth: It's not over yet.

Long-time Dekker fans will remember the climax of Red, when Elyon's lakes turned (you guessed it) blood red. Thomas had discovered the secret of the change and those who followed him formed the Circle. The Horde, however, took over the Middle Forest.

Johnis, Darsal, and Silvie return to their home five years after they left it. And much has changed. They find themselves amongst the Horde, and they have lost the Lost Books of History-- again. Darsal is separated from Johnis and Silvie, and then captured. Now she must love the Horde for Elyon. For Johnis. But the general Marak, who gave the order for his own brother's execution, will be hard to love.

Meanwhile, Johnis and Silvie do not trust the red water. So they slowly, painfully, begin to turn Scab. And Johnis recieves visions from a piercing figure named Shaeda, with one purple eye and one blue eye. She is one of the Leedham, and she has chosen Johnis for a dangerous mission, one that will require him to become the very thing he wants most to destroy.

Ted Dekker has teamed up with another writer, Kaci Hill, to complete the series. Hill's writing is not unlike Dekker's, and together, they create a nonstop ride that leaves you breathless for all of the 600 total pages of these two volumes. There are some truly gripping action scenes here, and they are used to great effect to counterbalance some of the more emotional scenes with Darsal. Plus, Dekker and Hill really bring vampires into the mix, which is always a bonus prize for any tale well told. When all is said and done, while each Lost Book has a different feel from the last, I can confidantly say that Lunatic and Elyon are the best two of the series.

If you've never read Dekker... don't start here. You'll be totally lost. That's not bad in of itself, but you'll enjoy these gems better if you read The Circle Trilogy, The Paradise Novels, House, Skin, and the first four Lost Books before embarking on this journey. But don't worry. They're all really good.

Dive deep.

My ratings:

Lunatic: 9/10

Elyon: 10/10
Series rating: 9/10

Coming Soon: Dragon's Heart, The Ruins of Gorlan, and The Blade Itself.

"PENDRAGON: The Soldiers of Halla" review

Sorry I took so long. I finished reading this book on May 13, but I've been busy ever since. I've also had the chance to read a few other books: Nightmare's Edge, the conclusion to the Echoes from the Edge trilogy; Lunatic and Elyon, the last two Lost Books; the first couple of the popular Ranger's Apprentice books; and something a little more special-- Dragon's Heart, the long-awaited fourth novel of the Pit Dragon Trilogy (yes, I know) by Jane Yolen.

But first, PENDRAGON: The Soldiers of Halla.

This has been a year for series finales. I haven't even reviewed all of the ones I've read. But this one is perhaps the most important for me. The tenth book in the fantastic PENDRAGON series by D. J. MacHale. 600 pages long. And massive amounts of loose ends to tie up.

I'll say this first: The loose ends are all tied up. All of them. And it's not in the way you'd expect. And the book is amazing.

PENDRAGON has become epic in scope, and some of the style has changed from the early books. This one is DEFINATELY not a stand-alone. But the action is still cool. The jokes are still funny. The mysteries are still intriguing. And the characters are still interesting people to be around (albeit not the same people we met in The Merchant of Death).

I can't really say much about this book without giving anything away. I mean, everything I could talk about, you already know. It's the final battle for Halla. Bobby Pendragon and the Travelers against Saint Dane in a final clash of wills (and fists). So, despite the fact that I could talk about the series all day, I'm only going to say two things.

This is the way it was meant to be.

Hobey ho.

And so we go.

My rating: 10/10. Excellent in every way.

Series rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: Lunatic and Elyon

"STAR TREK" review

Okay, first of all, I'm not a Trekkie in any sense of the word. I've never even seen a whole TV episode of the series. I've seen the original 6 movies a couple of times, tops. So I know very little of the mythology behind Star Trek, J. J. Abrams' latest fims (only his second!). But I saw it with some Trekkies, and they enjoyed a bunch of clever nods to the series. I enjoyed it, too.

I'm not going to reveal the plot, because I really, REALLY hate it when people spoil movies for me. I can't even talk about the best parts, because they, too, tie into the movie's plot. I'll just say that the story is smart, fast, and compelling. The acting is top notch. The actors fill the shoes of their predecessors nicely, giving the spirit of those who came before without giving the exact performance of them. The special effects are breathtaking. The music is superb. And the action will knock your socks off.

The end of the film makes you want a sequel, and one is coming, hopefully by 2011. Just go see it. You WILL enjoy it. Boldly see what millions of other people are seeing, because they're right. It's one of the year's best movies.

My rating: 9.5/10

Coming Soon: PENDRAGON: The Soldiers of Halla

"The Last Olympian" review

I've now read Rick Riordan's series to the end. I discovered it not long after it came out, so I've been following it for about four years. Percy Jackson and the Olympians has become many people's answer for what to read after Harry Potter. They really share no similarities, save for the strength of the writing and the creativity of the story. So now, the final chapter: The Last Olympian.

Perseus "Percy" Jackson is about to turn sixteen, and the prophecy about him is on the cusp of becoming true. As he writes, "The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car." Did I mention I love the writing here? Percy is on a vacation with Rachel Elizabeth Dare (for those of you who've read Duma Key, she's RED), and she seems to have a huge crush on him. Percy's torn between two well-fleshed-out girls, but he really doesn't have time to concentrate. After all, he's got to save the world -- and Olympus -- in a mere 400 pages.

From here, the book whizzes along, leaving readers no time to catch their breath. The pages fly as if they were on the back of Blackjack the pegasus. Revelations abound. We see more of Luke's past, as well as Annabeth's. We find out what may be the only hope for the world. And yes, we find out who the Last Olympian really is.

Rick Riordan has a great talent for writing books that appeal to everyone, and Percy Jackson strikes a chord with everyone in at least one place. Characters die or endure horrible tragedy. Prophecies are made and fulfilled. The Oracle gets a replacement. And the demigods make a last stand that leaves no one untouched.

It's a worthy end to a fantastic series. And the best part? Riordan says there will be more.

My rating: 10/10.

Series rating: 10/10.

Coming Soon: Star Trek review.