Books Archives - Page 64 of 71

Yzabel / December 28, 2012

Review: Crewel

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

“May Arras flourish at her touch.”

For generations, girls known as Spinsters have been called by Arras’ Manipulation Services to work the looms and control what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die. Gifted with the unusual ability to weave time with matter, sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys is exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But Adelice isn’t interested. Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Review:

From the moment I read the blurb for this book, I was deeply interested by what its world would be: a society in which special women are able to weave time and matter? That was just screaming for my attention. I was all the more interested that I’ve been a player of the pen & paper game “Secrets of the 7th Sea” for quite a few years, in which my main character is a young woman whose sorcery is based on seeing and (re)weaving strands of Fate between people; and she’s from a country where only women can use that sorcery, and as such are maintained under very strict male dominance, either father’s or husband’s (same for other women there, by the way: either kept into menial work or as classy courtesans, but still not enjoying that much freedom). You can see why “Crewel” would appeal to me even more.

Now that I’ve read it, I can say I wasn’t disappointed. The world at first reminded me of the one in Matched (with people required to find a husband/wife and marry at 18, although they still had a choice between several matches through ads/profiles, and weren’t just assigned one), but it wasn’t all the story was woven around, and soon enough I also felt that said world of Arras was more developed, and hid something else. This is something that I’m never at ease with in dystopian (especially YA) novels, at least the ones I’ve read so far: the world they’re set in too often feels like one country, and you’re left to wonder what’s happened to the others, why they’re not stepping in to counter said dystopian society, and so on. In Crewel, it seems there’s actually a reason to that, Arras indeed being one ‘bubble’ cut from the rest. (I say ‘seem’, because we may get to learn more about that in the second book, but I can’t say yet if the world-building in that one will deliver or not.)

The love triangle so common to a lot of YA novels was present, and not that useful; on the other hand, given the world developed by the author, at least *some* kind of love interest for Adelice was logical enough, since boys and girls were being kept separate from birth to 16, and I assume that seeing some for the first time without the barrier of segregation would quickly spark something. And it wasn’t too enforced, and wasn’t the main focus of the story. Besides, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that same-sex relationships were tackled as well: they too were bound to happen, so kudos to Gennifer Albin for not just conveniently sweep them under the rug and pretend they didn’t exist. The book wasn’t judgmental about that point, which was good.

I liked reading about the weaving process. It was a little confusing at first, but when I paid closer attention, it made more sense. I guess because “reality as a tapestry” and “weaving reality” are concepts I’m already familiar with (through another pen & paper game), so I managed to picture how it would work quickly enough. Perhaps this will be a more difficult aspect for the book for other readers, though, so I don’t know if it’s actually a quality or a flaw.

The one thing that left me annoyed sometimes were the characters, some of which felt a little too unidimensional, although their actions and reactions were understandable in such a world (Maela, for instance: she often felt like a cardboard villain, yet at the same time, I could fathom why she would behave like she did, having no other hopes in life than gaining power, and thus being personally threatened as soon as the power she had was challenged). And while I liked Adelice in most of the book, I felt it weird that while still enjoying some kind of ‘freedom’ before testing, she appeared as meek, shy and unnoticeable, yet as soon as she sets foot in a place where she’s going to be under even more scrutiny, and even more in danger, she starts standing her ground way too much for her own good. As said, I liked that aspect of the character (it made her able to step in and take acton), but I wish it would have been made clearer from the very beginning. As things were, I wondered at first if it was the same person I was reading about.

I have high hopes for the next book. But I’m also somewhat fearful, because of how the first one ended, and now I’m wondering how the world I liked seeing depicted in it will appear in the second one.

Yzabel / December 27, 2012

Review: Let The Right One In

Let the Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Oskar is an outsider; bullied at school, dreaming about his absentee father, bored with life on a dreary housing estate. One evening he meets the mysterious Eli. As a romance blossoms between them, Oskar discovers Eli’s dark secret – she is a 200-year-old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood.

Review:

I’ve thought some more about how to review this book, and I somehow feel that I should give it more stars, but I’m still unsure. Because it falls in that category of novels that leaves me “I liked it a lot, but…” (and though the ‘buts’ aren’t so easy to explain, they still remain).

In terms of how I like my vampires, “Let the Right One In” stands on the right side of the fence: there’s blood, there’s horror, and creatures who’re not sappy and not part of humanity anymore. Definitely a horror story, yes. I think that what lessened my appreciation of it was the pace (I’d have liked it a little faster); some of the secondary characters (I couldn’t connect with Lacke, Virginia and a few others); and how bleak everything was (but the latter part probably has more to do with my mood these days, so don’t take it as close to objective at all). I’d have been content enough if the story had revolved around Oskar, Eli and Håkan only. Also, there were a few moments that made me wonder how they hadn’t been found out yet, given their blunders in terms of feeding; I’d have assumed that any vampire as old as Eli would have learnt to plan better. (Well, I guess you can tell I did play “Vampire: the Masquerade”, and consider practical aspects first, huh?)

Special mention to Håkan, by the way, because creepy guy is so creepy. Kind of like a train wreck: it’s so horrible, but there’s some dark part inside you that keep you watching all the same. And somewhat liking it, too. Yes, it’s deeply disturbing, I know.

Yzabel / December 26, 2012

Review: The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

In this mesmerizing debut, a competition between two magicians becomes a star-crossed love story.

The circus arrives at night, without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within nocturnal black and white striped tents awaits a unique experience, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stand awestruck as a tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and gaze in wonderment at an illusionist performing impossible feats of magic.

Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is underway–a contest between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in “a game,” in which each must use their powers of illusion to best the other. Unbeknownst to them, this game is a duel to the death, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.

Review:

This is one of those curious cases where I find lots of faults with the book, yet still end up liking it.

The world of the circus depicted here fascinated me. I’m usually not up for lots of long descriptions, but the author’s writing flows so smoothly that I couldn’t help but being entranced, and find everything delightfully enchanting. Strong visual imagery of the circus, its tents, the characters, their clothes… kept on invading my mind, especially as the dominant colour scheme was all in black, white and grey, with a touch of purple, which are colours that speak to me like no others can (perhaps because of the whole ‘polar colours’ symbolism). Erin Morgenstern created a place full of eerie yet pleasant visions, and I couldn’t help but coming back to her book and read more about those.

The second reason why I liked it is something that a lot of people find fault with, but that I personally appreciate: shifting timelines. I’m quite good at navigating such narratives, and I’m fond of the foreshadowing (or the ‘aha, so THAT was it!’) aspects made possible through it.

On the other hand, the plot itself and the characters were the novel’s weak points for me. Mostly the characters are interesting because of their quirks, but I’m convinced the author could have done more with them, make her readers closer to them. And the plot wasn’t what the cover blurb advertised: intriguing, with a certain amount of suspense, yet not the daring, somewhat dangerous and active ‘competition’ I had been led to expect. It’s a shame, for I guess it wouldn’t have been a bother if from the start I had known that I was going to read something that was slower-paced, and different in many ways. Also, the love story may have been stronger, with more impact, if the two characters had been aware earlier on of who they were to each other, and if they had been able to compete really face to face, and have more time ‘together’. I understand that they got to know each other through their creations; still, it wasn’t exactly as palatable this way.

I liked how everything tied up in the end, though, and I may read the novel again later on, to see if this changes my perception of the whole story.

Yzabel / December 24, 2012

Review: Halfskin

Halfskin by Tony Bertauski

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Biomites are artificial stem cells that can replace any cell in your body. No more kidney failure, no severed spines or blood disease. No cancer. Pharmaceuticals become obsolete. With each dose of biomites, we become stronger, we become smarter and prettier.

We become better.

At what point are we no longer human?

Nix Richards nearly died in a car accident when he was young. Biomites saved his life. Ten years later, he’s not so lucky. The Halfskin Laws decree a human composed of 50% biomites is no longer human. Halfskins have no legal rights and will have their biomites shutdown. It’s not called murder, merely deactivation.

Cali Richards has been Nix’s legal guardian since their parents died. She has lost far too many people in her life to let the government take Nix. She is a nanobiometric engineer and will discover how to hide him. But even brilliance can succumb to the pressure of suffering. And technology can’t cure insanity.

Cali and Nix keep a slippery grip on reality as they elude a maniacal federal agent dedicated to saving humanity from what he calls ‘The Biomite Plague’.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #728 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

This book surprised me in more than one way. It wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be at first (I think I expected something like car chases and the usual stuff you see in books/movies when an innocent has to elude the government/FBI/police), but this in itself wasn’t a problem, because what I got instead was just as interesting, if not more.

A few months ago, I read “The Annihilation of Foreverland” by the same author, which was already quite good in my opinion (and I could sense its shadow in the ‘dreamland’, too). In “Halfskin”, his writing is even better, and I had no problem picturing scene after scene. The world depicted by Tony Bertauski here is close enough to our own for a reader to quickly find his/her way in it. The major difference is the importance of widespread biomite technology, a technology that brings a lot of good things to humanity (healing, improved brain abilities…) yet has an underlying ‘dark side’, as biomites themselves behave like cancerous cells and keep on replicating, gradually replacing human tissues, even sane ones. The issues raised by this pervade the story, both through the main characters’ narratives and through the short blog entries and stories of a few other people; while the latter may seem unrelated at first, they do shed light on the pros and cons of biomite technology, in a balanced way that makes it hard to decide quickly “this is good” or “this is bad”. Here lies another side of the book I appreciated: it contains a lot of potential for such questions, but it doesn’t give us the answers, instead leaving us to reflect upon the technology itself and make our own opinion about it.

The characters themselves, especially Cali, Nix and Marcus, are all interesting in their own way, as well as believable. Nix just wants to live, like any other 17-year-old young man wants to, and it is later proved that he’s actually quite generous, going as far as to sustain a lie that is harmful to him in more than one way, in order to avoid harming another person. Cali has already lost too many beloved ones, and her desire to save her brother is very human and understandable. As for Marcus, his position is that of an integrist, yet it isn’t a totally blind one, for it is motivated by genuine concernt about what makes human beings human, and how to ensure that humanity as a whole doesn’t cross a supposed line that would doom it.

I found a few scenes in the last chapters confusing, though, especially the one in the hotel (I had to go backwards and read some things again to fully get what was happening); but I’m partly at fault, because I wasn’t reading in the best conditions either. I’m also not sure yet about the role played by the lagoon, although I think it made an interesting parallel to Cali’s other 5% of brain functions; but I like to think that said lagoon (and Raine) will be important in a potential sequel, and if there is one, I hope that the dreamland, as well as a couple of elements at the very end, will play a part.

Yzabel / December 17, 2012

Review: The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

As a new age dawns in England’s twelfth century, the building of a mighty Gothic cathedral sets the stage for a story of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal. It is in this rich tapestry, where kings and queens are corrupt – and one majestic creation will bond them forever.

Review:

I liked this book enough to want to read on and know what would happen next: even though some of it was predictable, it was kind of a given that reversals of fortunes and new developments would be part of it, and that was something I wanted to read at the moment, so it was alright with me. (Perhaps I wouldn’t have enjoyed it in other circumstances, though.)

The architectural descriptions were accurate enough; I didn’t know that much about cathedrals in that regard, and so I managed to learn a few things in the process. Also, there was a scene that happened in the town I currently live in, and I’ve always had a soft spot for cameos, not to mention that this one was unexpected (at least until the last third of the book).

I’m not giving it more than 3 stars, though, because mostly the characters weren’t that exceptional. I wanted to know more about what would happen to them, sure, and I partly felt connected to them, but nothing more. The ‘good guys’ sometimes did things that weren’t so good (for instance, what Jack did in the first Kingsbridge church), and this helped in making them appear a little less unidimensional. ‘A little less’ being the keyword here. The ‘bad guys’ were really bad, perhaps a little too much—in spite of Philip’s claims, Waleran struck me as greedy for power, period, not as a ‘genuine man of God’ who only took his duties so much to heart that any means to an end would do.

The other reason is the book’s length. I would’ve knocked a good 200 pages off it without blinking. After the first 600 pages or so, I started growing a little impatient, and wanted the twists and turns to stop and the plotlines to be resolved at last. (Good point, though, in that they all are; some readers may find fault in how conveniently everything gets tied together, but on the other hand, there’s nothing left hanging, and this can be a positive aspect too.)

Yzabel / December 14, 2012

Review: The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice: or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie R. King

My rating: [rating=1]

Summary:

In 1915, long since retired from his observations of criminal humanity, Sherlock Holmes is engaged in a reclusive study of honeybee behavior on the Sussex Downs. Never did he think to meet an intellect to match his own—until his acquaintance with Miss Mary Russell, a very modern fifteen-year-old whose mental acuity is equaled only by her audacity, tenacity, and penchant for trousers and cloth caps, unthinkable in any young lady of Holmes’s own generation.

Under Holmes’s sardonic tutelage, Russell hones her talent for deduction, disguises, and danger: in the chilling case of a landowner’s mysterious fever, and in the kidnapping of an American senator’s daughter in the wilds of Wales. But her ultimate challenge is yet to come. A near-fatal bomb on her doorstep—and another on Holmes’s—sends the two sleuths on the trail of a murderer whose machinations scatter meaningless clues and seem utterly without motive. The villain’s objective, however, is quite unequivocal: to end Russell and Holmes’s partnership—and their lives.

Review:

I’m going to add those books to the list of “novels I wish I had enjoyed more”. My opinion about it is very, very mixed.

The biggest peeve I have with it are what I’ll deem “weak characterization”. I read all the Sherlock Holmes canon—the novels as well as the short stories—and while I can enjoy a Sherlock that is a little different from Doyle’s (after all, I did enjoy Thomas Day’s over-the-top Holmes in L’Instinct de l’Equarrisseur), here it kept on feeling… wrong. Actually, the impression the whole novel left me with was that of fanfiction. Nicely written fanfic, alright (the style of the writing itself was really pleasant to read), but fanfic all the same, and not in the good meaning of the word. Mary Russell’s middle name must be “Sue”, and she suspiciously smelt of author self-insert; she’s pretty, witty, intelligent, has read a lot more than any girl her age, has got heaps of money waiting for her… and her ‘defects’ don’t really ring true (she had an awful lot of freedom, for someone supposed to be under her nasty, resenting aunt’s tutelage). From the start, I couldn’t push myself to like her, nor to like reading about her. She was just too perfect in many regards, and knowledgeable in too many areas, considering her age and past, especially at the beginning of the novel.

Next thing: stop bashing Watson, thank you. I’ve never enjoyed those versions of SH where Watson was just a bumbling idiot. He’s far from being it in Doyle’s stories, and even if he may seem clueless at times, let it also be said that anyone would look clueless, next to Sherlock Holmes (he’s a genius, after all—albeit a misogynistic one, with sociopath tendencies). I was deeply annoyed every time Mary felt compelled to make some remark about her “foolish Uncle John”, and, worse, when Holmes himself talked about him in similar terms. Or completely forgot about him when it was clear that he may be targeted too, and had to be reminded by Mary. No. Just no.

The story itself could have been more interesting, were it not for a certain amount of inconsistencies. First, why that foreword about how the author received a manuscript evidently written by Mary herself, yet had to correct its (I quote) “atrocious spelling”? That just doesn’t add up with Mary’s repeated intelligence, Oxford studies, and overall large bundle of knowledge (yes, I know “knowledge” doesn’t equal “excellent spelling”, but please, this was just too weird). Some of the events boggled the mind (the Palestine trip, for instance, didn’t bring anything to the story, and made me wonder what the heck was the point). Also, the novel felt more to me like a collection of short stories put together—as if they had been written that way first, and then only strung together with an overall plot added as an afterthought; this contributed to reinforcing my impression of all of this being originally fanfiction, with the author putting herself in a place of choice to live through adventures with her favourite character (from the signature at the bottom of the ‘introduction’ as well as from the characters’ behaviour, I’m going to take a guess and predict that in some later book, Mary will marry Holmes).

To be honest, I wouldn’t exactly say it’s a totally bad book. It’d have scored one more star from me if it had been a completely original story, without Sherlock Holmes, or maybe with just Mary working on her own cases, without him at her side, and only being a remote mentor. But as it is, Holmes would’ve better be left alone.

If you thoroughly enjoyed Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, don’t bother with this book. And if you haven’t read them yet, well, do that instead, too. It’ll be a much more interesting and fulfilling experience.

Yzabel / November 22, 2012

Review: I Hunt Killers

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

My rating: [rating=5]

Summary:

What if the world’s worst serial killer…was your dad?
Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.
But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could–from the criminal’s point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo’s Nod.
In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret–could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

Review:

I picked the ebook version, and now I deeply regret not having bought the paper one. Which I’ll buy when the second book is out. Because I’ll definitely read the second installment.

This novel was a terrific surprise: gripping and entertaining at once, although the themes tackled, and some gory scenes, probably wouldn’t be deemed as ‘entertaining’ by everyone. (I suppose you may say that gory doesn’t go well with YA, but I didn’t find them too graphic, so I guess they were alright in that regard.) The plot itself is fast-paced, not too complex, yet still intriguing enough, with a few potential culprits. But what I particularly liked, was that the most important point is Jasper’s psyche. Throughout the whole story, he has to fight his father’s influence, live with his always-present shadow, come to terms with his inheritance, with what he may or may not become, and this raises a lot of questions regarding nature vs. nurture. If your own father had from the start raised you to become a serial killer, would you necessarily become one too? Would your own sense of good and evil be so thwarted, forever, that you’d be fated to kill too? Or would you be able, if surrounded with ‘good’ people, to overcome such an education, and choose your own path in life?

Jazz is an interesting character, constantly questioning himself, his motives, and whether he will end up becoming a second Billy Dent. And there are occasions for him to become just that, when faced with choices to make, choices that may not seem such dilemmas to any other person but him; more than once, his thoughts carry him along dangerous paths, poising him on the verge of swinging one way or the other. His relationship with his crazy grandmother particularly reflects this: was what he choose for him, for her, the ‘proper’, humane choices to make? And what about the way he envisions his relationships with others, the way he always tends to resort to manipulating them, because ‘blending in’ is one of the first things his father taught him to do?

Barry Lyga was able to portray this young man without resorting to purely whiny, angsty writing, and in a way that makes it possible to relate to him whether you’re a boy or a girl, a teenager or an adult. Jasper is 17, and although he tends to delve into his problems a lot, life has also made him more mature in many ways, and he approaches his situation with a dark kind of humour that makes it all the more enjoyable. His best friend, Howie, also displays a sense of humour, and his funny retorts made me smile more than once; he too is a character that brings a lot to the novel, thanks to his touching relationship with Jazz. Another pillar of humanity in Jasper’s life is his girlfriend, Connie, who’s brave, independent, makes her own decisions, and doesn’t let him wallow in self-pity, constantly giving support while reminding him that he can fight his inner darkness if he wants to.

This book would have been interesting to me if only thanks to his theme; the relationships depicted in it really make it shine.

Yzabel / November 21, 2012

Review: One Last Lie

One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Philip and Jonathan have had the perfect life together for ten years – fulfilling every dream except that of having a child. Along comes Angela, Philip’s college friend who apparently conquered her old demons of obesity and manic-depression.

After reacquainting and becoming good friends, the three decide to have a child together through artificial insemination of Jonathan’s sperm.

From that point, Philip and Jonathan’s idyllic life begins to unravel. Angela’s mask of deceit gradually slips as her pregnancy awakens psychological and physical problems, leaving Philip and Jonathan regretting ever allowing her into their lives.

Told from an elderly Jonathan’s hospital bed, Angela’s tangled web unwinds into heartbreak, deception, legal battles, and finally murder – with a surprise ending no one could have ever imagined.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #436 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

This book proved a little hard for me to read, because I kept on wishing well to the two main male characters, since they were so sweet… yet I knew from the beginning that it couldn’t end well for them, and so, as odd as it may sound, I sometimes found it hard to go on reading. By not reading, I’d delay the unavoidable.

I so enjoyed the relationship between Philip and Jonathan; it had a caring, vibrant dynamics, and they looked and felt to me like people who’d really deserve to be happy, especially after a first scare (Philip’s cancer, that left him sterile–this isn’t really a spoiler, you learn it pretty early in the book). The love between these two men was strong, almost tangible. They were characters I ended up caring about deeply, and this isn’t something that happens too often with me. I kept wanting to tell them “guys, there’s really something wrong with that Angela woman, get the hell away from her, like, fast!” (Angela, yes, I couldn’t stand. Not because she had issues, but because it seemed to me that even with those issues under control, she was still, deep at heart, a cold, manipulative personality who only cared about herself, and was ready to go to many lengths, through many lies, to get what she wanted.)

If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that the story was predictable enough to me. Half into the novel, perhaps a little earlier than that, even, I figured out most of what was going to happen; as I went on reading, I didn’t want to see my suspicions confirmed, and alas, they were. But in the end, it doesn’t matter: predictable or not, this book remains strong anyway for its characters, for the relationships that tie (and separate) them, for the intense feelings that go through it.

Yzabel / November 20, 2012

Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened-of himself or some other fiend.

Review:

I really liked the TV series (especially the first two seasons), and so I wanted to read the book that spawned it. And I must say it’s one of those rare cases when I actually liked the TV adaptation more than the original.

I’m not even sure I’d have liked the book more if I had never watched the Showtime series first. While the idea behind it–a serial killer working for the police force, and focusing his killing urges on murderers only, on people who sort of ‘deserve to die’–appealed to me, if only out of curiosity, I found the execution and writing quite poor. Dexter’s tone as he tells his story isn’t so witty as condescending, and too often I felt that the events were told rather than shown.

I had a hard time with the portrayal of Deborah, Angel, Doakes and other characters: too often they just seemed to be here to add people to the story, but things wouldn’t have been much different hadn’t they been there. I thought they deserved to be given more room, and more credit: mostly the Miami police is described as a bunch of idiots absolutely unable to do anything, which is rather hard to believe.

The events, too, unfold in a bizarre way, and Dexter’s dreams looked too much like an easy way to get to the ending. There didn’t seem to be any real police work involved, and too many chance encounters/conveniently placed hints packaged in dreams. I expected more from this book in that regard, more investigation on the part of the characters, and not what felt like a series of deus ex machina.

Once again, I admit that having watched the TV series first probably influenced me a lot; but the flaws I perceived in this novel would’ve stood out for me anyway. It’s an easy read, perfect to keep you busy for a few hours, without having to think much; however, if you really want to enjoy such a story, my honest opinion is that you watch the show instead. The characters in it are better developed, and the various steps of the investigation much more believable (and present!).

Yzabel / November 17, 2012

Review: Reapers With Issues

Reapers With Issues by H.E. Ellis

My rating: [rating=5]

Summary:

Death and the other Reapers have a challenge. Earth’s population has made soul collection a big problem, and according to Death’s figures, it will only get worse. Death is a skilled but reluctant bureaucrat who tries to enlist help before Human souls start backing up.

But since no good deed goes unpunished, Death and the other Horsemen will have to put up with a whole new approach to management from Heaven.

What is an entity to do?

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #610 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

I’m always up for stories that poke fun about serious themes, and ‘death’ and ‘angels’ have always been such themes for me. Reapers With issues deals exactly with those: the heavy celestial bureaucracy, with all the defects the latter term entails, and how figures of terror, the Four Horsemen, must deal with very day-to-day, down-to-earth problems regarding death. Their main problem being that there are only the four of them to do the job, while humanity keeps on multiplying. ‘Grim’ and his fellow horsemen go to quite a few lengths to keep their heads up, from filing up reports to indulging in buying weed from Saint Peter’s offspring. I found it very funny to see familiar figures of heaven and hell depicted under various, different colours here, within what is a nice satire of the corporate and bureaucratic world. Lucifer is exactly the kind of smart, manipulative bastard I’d expect him to be. Grim tries to tackle problems as seriously as possible, but let’s just say that between War’s antics and the new management imposed by God, this is proving harder and harder as the story progresses.

The least I can say is that this novel made me smile and chuckle, a lot. Granted, there were a few times when the humour wasn’t very subtle; but I think the author also did a good job in not overdoing it, and when fun is being poked at sensitive themes, it is always done so in a good-natured way, not in a voluntarily offensive one. Also, I commend the editing work done on this book. I didn’t notice any of the usual typos and misprints that tend to spring, and the author’s writing style was fluid and pleasant, both in descriptions and in dialogues.

Really, I can’t find many faults with this book. It made me spend a very good time, it was a short and fun reading, its characters made me laugh, and all in all, it’s a novel I’d easily recommend to my friends.