Upcoming Release: Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C. Esslemont

This morning I was looking through Transworld's catalog for the rest of 2011 and they have Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C. Esslemont (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound) slated for a December 8th, 2011 release (update - it now seems to be a January 12, 2012 release). They list the title as Orb Sceptre Throne (which surprises me because I find it kind of a silly and awkward title and expected it to change). So, fans of the Malazan world and it's greater story can rejoice. There is no cover art yet but they do have a synopsis (that is full of typos). I can't copy it, so I've transcribed it below (I try to preserve the typos in the transcription - there are lots):

The epic new chapter in the history of Malaz - the new epic fantasy from Steven Erikson's friend and co-creator of this extraordinary imagined world...

The tumult of great powers colliding has passed, leaving the city of Darujhistan and its good citizens to get one of their lives of politcking, bickering, trading and above all enjoying the good things it has to offer. However, this peace is illusory because of a treasure hunter, digging amongst the ancient burial grounds that surround the city, is about to uncover a hidden crypt, full of sealed vaults. Armed with magic-deadening otataral, he will open the last vault - the one no other dared touch - and in so doing will set free the most powerful and destructive of the Jaghut tyrant kings...

And fortune hunters are also at work far to the south of the Malaz. A fragment of Moon's Spawn, once the home of Aonmander Rake, Son of Darkness, crashed into the Rivan Sea and created a chain of small islands. Legends have already arisen around them, the most potent of which is that here is hidden the Throne of Night - claimed by some to be the seat of Dracoinus, ruler of Eternal Night, and by others to be the throne of Mother Dark herself. Either way, all who seek this ancient artifact - from magic-weilding mages and battle-scarred warriors to a Malazan army deserter called Grift - believe it will bestow unlimited power upon the eventual possessor. The stakes are high, greed is rife, betrayal inevitable and murder and chaos lie in wait...

Books Received: June 27 - July 15

Books Received: June 27 - July 15 2011

Something Completely Different

When life and work get busy this series tends to get overlooked. So, it's a been a while. The picture below is of the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge that straddles the Arizona-Nevada border and Colorado River (it's about 800 feet above the river). Not only is a cool bit of engineering, but it's special to me because I did the geologic investigation for it's design. I spent about 6 months in the field for the project that included geologic mapping, rappelling, lots and lots of drilling, helicopter recon and more mundane things like providing traffic control for the drillers. It was a lot of hard and often very miserable work (temperatures in the summer routinely hit 135 in shade (57 C) and there was pretty much no shade to be had - the rock got hot enough to cause second degree burns to exposed skin. And now it's awesome to see the project completed. A couple of weeks ago (when the picture was taken) was my first trip back to that area since I last did field work on the project. It was a nice experience, in spite of it being 115 in the shade (46C).

Hoover Dam Bypass, Nevada-Arizona

Review: The White-Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker

The Great Ordeal is the name of a vast army under the command of the Aspect-Emperor and purported God of Gods, Anasûrimbor Kellhus. They march north to confront the forces of the No-God and forestall a coming apocalypse. The Great Ordeal is a collection of ancient enemies and allies with a greater number than any army in thousands of years. However the land they travel through is barren, lacking water and food. They are surrounded by enemies, the half-man, half-animal Sranc that have numbers far greater than they. They are constantly attacked – they are hungry, tired and thirsty. They are doomed and dying. It is The Great Ordeal.

Unfortunately, my reading of The White-Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker (The Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) also felt like The Great Ordeal*. It was an effort to read from page one. I was starved for interest, I thirsted for understanding, and I was constantly harried by philosophical rantings through to the end. Frankly, even though I’ve raved about Bakker in the past and still consider myself a fan, I’m surprised that I finished this book.

The White-Luck Warrior is the second book of The Aspect-Emperor Trilogy and functions pretty much like you’d expect a middle book to. It takes the threads of the first book further, a lot of ground is covered (physically and philosophically), there is some cool action and a few pretty big reveals but nothing is really resolved and the book is left hanging on the cusp of something new. The Judging Eye (The Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) was a book that figuratively and metaphorically looked backward in time – The White-Luck Warrior is most often too wrapped up in the present to worry on the past or future. Presumably the third book, tentatively titled The Unholy Consult, will look to the future.

In The Judging Eye Bakker set out to write a much more accessible book than those in The Prince of Nothing Trilogy – a book that could be enjoyed on a more surficial level without sacrificing the deeper, intellectual and philosophical journey. I felt that The Judging Eye was a huge success in this approach. So I was surprised and dismayed that Bakker chose to not write The White-Luck Warrior in the same style – there is almost nothing accessible about it. The style is dense, the language is very technical and philosophical and there is an over-reliance on referencing the history and long-dead peoples of the world (and their long, unpronounceable names). Generally this makes for a hard, slow slog of a read that can only be stomached in short doses and fails to create any connection between the reader and the book.

The lack of accessibility is made worse by the overwhelming negativity of the book. Sure, this is the second book of trilogy – there should be despair and a general lack of hope. But Bakker takes this several orders of magnitude further. I cannot and will not pretend to understand much of the philosophical underpinnings of Bakker’s writing, but I will say that it doesn’t present humanity in a positive light. In combination with a harsh, caste society under the thrall of Kellhus, it becomes downright unbearable. Even the few attempts at dark humor Bakker attempted in The Judging Eye are lacking, leaving nothing hopeful to grasp. I understand this is largely the point, but again, it makes for hard, uninspired reading.

If you take the time to read an interview with Bakker or (god help you) read his blog, then you’ll get an impression of Bakker being rather unsympathetic towards readers who do not take the time and mental effort to read into the philosophical underpinnings of his books. After all, that is the point of them. He is also well aware that the choices he makes in his writing style will largely be inaccessible. Considering these, I must admit that I don’t have the time or inclination to read as deeply into this book as necessary (and quite possibly not the intellectual acumen).

 My family life and work life keep me so insanely busy that I only have short chunks to read in. And I’m usually both mentally and physically exhausted when it’s time to read. For me reading is a break – an escape. Yes, I read as a form of escapism. I’m not after pure pulp fiction, I generally like a good bit of meat with my fiction (as evidenced in my opinions of other books, including Bakker’s earlier work). But The White-Luck Warrior simply did not work for me, due both to Bakker’s choices in writing and my own situation. We didn’t fit. That’s a shame. I still believe that Bakker is one of the most important writers in the SFF field today, but with The White-Luck Warrior he has become even more of a niche that only the few will be able to enjoy.

*OK, perhaps my intro is harsh sounding and just a bit too clever and campy, but in the two months it took me to read this book I often referred to it in my head as The Great Ordeal and the slog of slogs (my typical time to read a book is 1-2 weeks, so 2 months was excruciating).

Dancing With Dragons

I came home from a couple of day sof travel to find this waiting. Awesome! Though the truth is that I won't be reading it anytime soon as I decided many years ago to wait until the series is complete before reading any more (I've read the first 3). I simply don't have the time to do the re-reads necessary to stay sharp on this series before each new book with such a long interval in between releases. Though I'm not complaining - George, take as long as you need to do it right. I've got plenty of good books to keep me busy while I wait.

Thoughts and Links

I don't typically do link posts these days, but I've seen a lot of fun and interesting things, so I decided it was worth a full post.

• Apparently a few copies of A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin  (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound) got shipped early by Amazon in Germany and fans are anxious, spoilers are appearing, and bunch of folks have their panties in a bunch. Oh well, I find it amusing, but I can see the issues.

• China Mieville created a monster for Mark Charan Newton - how cool is that!

• I can't say that I watch much many beauty pageants so it's through the links of others that I found out that the latest Miss USA show actually asked contestants if evolution should be taught in schools. As a scientist (and also as a religious person) I find the very concept horrifying and fear the future of a country that refuses to believe in science. Thankfully I'm not alone, and others are much more humorous than I - should math be taught in schools? (trust me, it's brilliant) Oh, and the actual winner was one of the few who stood up for evolution (and she's a big fan of George R.R. Martin).

• I posted a mini-review* of Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan (Book Depository, Powell's Books, Indiebound) last night. The good folks over at @tordotfantasy retweeted the link. Apparently M.D. Lachlan (@mdlachlan) - a pseudonym for author Mark Barrowcliffe - didn't like that @tordotfantasy would tweet an ultimately negative review. I find that sort of public reaction fascinating, amusing and a bit troubling and unprofessional. I also find it troubling that @tordotfantasy quickly tweeted a link to a more positive review that Lachlan suggested. It's not so much that @tordotfantasy tweeted another review, it's the apparent influence that the author has. The inevitable question is do authors advocate for what reviews get tweeted (or not) for folks like this?

• I've always considered Orson Scott Card to be a real asshat, but this old article that is new to me really brings home the point - oh, and it's entirely possible that OSC didn't actually write Ender's Game, which it turns out is basically retelling of the life of Hitler (according to the article anyway).

*For me, a mini-review is something short and to the point. There is very little detail or supporting evidence, just my quick opinion of a book. Basically, either I don't have the time or I don't have the inclination to write a full review.

Mini-Review: Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan

Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) has a lot going on – it’s a Nordic epic as a young prince falls from grace and fights through the known world to find the woman he loves, it’s a historic journey through the Viking world, it’s an urban fantasy in a time and place without a true urban setting, it’s a classic tragedy about brothers separated at birth and star-crossed lovers, and it’s the mythic beginning of werewolves as the Norse god Fenrir seeks to fulfill his destiny to kill Odin with a little help from trickster, Loki.

Unfortunately, for me, even with such a variety of interpretations, Wolfsangel largely falls flat. I believe that this is due in large part to the characterization – I simply didn’t connect enough with any of the main characters to care much about the outcome. Additionally, the epic adventure across Viking lands fails to feel epic – it felt like an uninspired re-telling of a great story with an annoying teenager at the center. However, I think it was the unrealized potential that disappointed most – that and relatively high expectations from so many positive reviews.

In spite of my disappointment, I am rather excited to see where Lachlan goes from Wolfsangel. It appears that this will be an epic series that spans the ages as the main players are re-born again and again through history and into modern times. The series continues with Fenrir (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) with a Viking siege of Paris 100 years after events the events of Wolfsangel. Perhaps I’ll feel the potential is realized in these future volumes – I hope so.

A Room With A View: Las Vegas, Nevada

I was at a conference in Las Vegas last week and the view below is from the hotel room. It was nice - I managed to avoid ever going into a casino even though I was close to The Strip and literally right across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe Casino. The coolest parts - I stood on the edge of a crater created by an atomic bomb and saw the now completed Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge (which I did the geologic investigation for). As for around here, I'm hoping to have an actual review or two up this week. We'll see.

Books Received: June 13 - 27

Books Received: June 13 - 27, 2011

Update

I'm off to Vegas for a conference, so real content will be light around here for a bit more. I have a mini-review of Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) to write and I'm still slogging through The White-Luck Warrior by R.Scott Bakker (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound). I also have a whisky review mostly written and I'm sure I'll post a couple of pictures, but the real content is still a bit off as I'm overwhelmed in life and work.

A Room With A View: St. George Utah

I had to do a fast-turn-around project at the end of last week outside of St. George, Utah. I'd never been there before, so it was nice to see. Especially since I spent a few hours in Zion National Park on the way.

St. George, Utah

Books Received: May 24 - June 13

Books Received: May 24 - June 13, 2011

Something Completely Different

A short-fuse project came up this week that required me to go to southwest Utah. The challenges of getting around the Grand Canyon from where I live meant that I drove accross norhtern Arizona and southern Utah to get there - which is some of the most spectacular scenery in the country and world. Included was a brief stopover in Zion National Park. In fact, about the time this post goes live, I'll probably be back in Zion on my return home - I plan to spend a few hours hiking before making the 5-hour drive back to the house and family.

Zion National Park, Utah

Review: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) is the first book in a series of (mis)adventures of the crew of the Ketty Jay. Combining a ramshackle mix of fantasy, science fiction and steampunk into the swashbuckling tale of an unlikely crew of privateers, Retribution Falls is the sort of adventure story made for so-called summer reading.

The first and most obvious comparison Retribution Falls literally begs you to make is with the Joss Whedon television show, follow-up movie and comics, Firefly, which has endeared a dedicated and cultish following. Firefly is also the story of a mis-matched crew of freebooters, always on the run and in need of cash – the comparison is completed by the aristocrat passenger on the run who joins the crew. As a fan of Firefly, I have to admit that I cringe a bit at the comparison because the strength of Firefly is in Captain Mal and his harsh honor and wit. Captain Frey of the Ketty Jay is no Mal – he’s much less honorable, nowhere near as witty, and all around less likeable, in spite of the charm that Wooding repeated attempts instill in him.

This is not to say that it’s all that it’s unfortunate that comparisons between Retribution Falls and Firefly don’t hold up all that long beyond the surface – the last thing I want is an attempted clone of Firefly. The crew of the Ketty Jay are all flawed and on the run – whether it’s a disgraced doctor, broken pilot, idiot kid, freed slave, or mysterious woman who doesn’t quite seem right, these people feel very real. Wooding takes the time to explore this in a way simply not possible on a television series (at least one as brief as Firefly).  Even Captain Frey, who is a thoroughly unlikeable, selfish, and lecherous jerk, has a charm about him that eventually seems to win over his detractors. We’ve all met the type in real life – in Retribution Falls he’s the captain of dirigible and its crew as they struggle for survival at the fringes of society.

The story itself is a fun adventure that introduces us a world of steampunk-ish technology, mixed races and species and a good bit of the supernatural with demons and a sort of vampire. One of Wooding’s most interesting imaginings is the ace-in-the-hole of the Ketty Jay,  its golem – a possessed metal creation (robot analog) that truly kicks ass and eventually is the source of the most touching (and skillfully written) parts of the book.

Wooding’s writing style is honestly a bit coarse and not as polished as I’d have expected from someone who’s published 16 books. Or perhaps Wooding feels that when writing about a crew such as the crew of the Ketty Jay, polished writing just doesn’t fit. For me, the humor was a bit off and feels forced – it seemed to get better as the book progressed, which indicates that I either got used to it, began to enjoy it more, or simply ignored it. My guess is it’s a mix of all three. I think the biggest issue I had was that far too much of the book passed before I felt any sort of sympathy for the characters, which can make for tough reading.

Retribution Falls is in the end a fun and creative adventure of a motley crew that’s in way over its head. I enjoyed it, but with a few reservations as I was often left cold and uninterested in the rather unlikeable Captain Frey. The obvious comparison is to Firefly, but don’t get hung up on that – Retribution Falls belongs with the many adventure tales of various genres involving pirates, freebooters, privateers and other crews of people struggling to survive in the dangerous fringes of society. Oh, don’t read the back cover blurb of the book – it contains a reveal that is best left for the text. The adventures of the Ketty Jay, Captain Frey and crew continue with The Black Lung Captain (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) and at least two more forthcoming books.

Update

Hello all. I know it’s been a bit quite around here lately, so I thought I’d chime in with an update. Things are just hectic – work is picking up (which is a good thing even if it does impact blog/reading time) and I had a couple of trips in there. And with all the time I’ve spent travelling or in the office (where things like Twitter are blocked), I’ve been pretty silent on all fronts.

I’ve simply not found the time to write a couple of reviews – so, for my own sanity and keeping my interest, I’ll probably do ‘mini-reviews’ rather than full on reviews of a couple of books just to keep up. This will be for Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) and Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound). I’m currently slogging my way through The White-Luck Warrior by R.Scott Bakker (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound). It’s good, sometimes very good, but it’s also a very dense and slow read. So, it’ll take me a while to get through with the 15- to 30- minute reading chunks I get. I’m not sure what’ll be next since I have quite a few books that I really want to read, but I imagine I’ll choose something a bit lighter.

So, I’m still here, though it’ll probably be a bit quite around here for a little while longer.