tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58642121341365148042024-03-06T00:03:29.123+00:00Bastian's Book Reviews(Mostly) speculative fiction book reviews. Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-15807450527288672752021-02-01T12:34:00.003+00:002021-02-01T12:34:43.389+00:00Politics: On vaccines, the EU, and BrexitSo, last week, the EU caused massive outrage in the UK with plans to prevent vaccines produced in the EU from entering Northern Ireland. How did we get here? Is the EU being evil, or reasonable? Who are the bad guys and the good guys in all this mess. Unsurprisingly, I have opinions.Let's start with the obvious: The UK government has been consistently terrible at managing the pandemic and Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-37986842225047656742020-06-25T20:22:00.001+01:002020-06-27T09:00:35.347+01:00Book review: The Twisted Ones by T. KingfisherIt's been a while since I wrote a review. I've been in a reading slump, which started last year and only got worse due to 2020 being the lovely year it is. So when I read a book that actually got its hooks into me - a book that rekindled some of my enthusiasm for reading - I figured it's only fair to review it.The Twisted Ones was that book. The story starts with our narrator arriving at the Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-10478082197759482362019-11-03T16:50:00.002+00:002019-11-03T17:11:40.824+00:00Review: Lilian's Spell Book by Toby Litt
Lilian's Spell Book starts out like many a traditional gothic haunted house horror novel. A family inherit a mansion in the countryside from a distant uncle. There are odd conditions in the will (they must practice Catholicism and not sell anything). Lawyers seem to discourage them from taking up their inheritance, and there is a woman cleaning the house and a gardener who seem... very peculiarFederhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-10121985979664682682019-08-31T14:36:00.003+01:002019-08-31T14:36:33.783+01:00Review: The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson
When G Willow Wilson, author of Alif the Unseen, Cairo and Ms Marvel, writes a new novel, it goes immediately on my do-not-pass-go. go-straight-to-preorder list. So, naturally, I was quite excited when The Bird King was published a couple of months ago.
The Bird King is the story of Fatima, a concubine at the court of the last sultan in Spain, and Hassan, her gay friend and magically gifted Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-21699207976870462902019-08-03T17:06:00.000+01:002019-08-03T17:17:01.786+01:00Book review: Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson
Alif the Unseen is the story of a teenage hacker living in a generic Arabic emirate somewhere in the Gulf region just before the Arab Spring. He's good with computers, but immature, and useless when it comes to girls.
When, after some girl trouble, Alif creates a clever little trojan that can identify a person online regardless of which device, handle, or website they use, and make them Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-7192038862287656752019-06-24T19:39:00.001+01:002019-06-24T19:39:55.800+01:00Review: The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
The October Man is a short novel set in Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London / Peter Grant contemporary fantasy universe. Only it's not set in London and Peter Grant isn't in it...
When I first heard that Ben Aaronovitch was writing a novel set in Germany, I thought that meant Peter Grant was going on a bigger outing. So far, he's been to London, London, London, rural Hereford and London. I Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-47454268737391342522019-06-20T14:52:00.001+01:002019-06-20T14:54:04.866+01:00Review: Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell
There is something mildly unsettling about a title like "Queenslayer". Probably it's the fact that I am a bit of a sexist when it comes to matters of violence: male characters dying or suffering don't usually bother me (EXCEPT Wash in Serenity. Damn Whedon!), but female characters getting killed, even if they are Lady f***ing De Winter in the Three Musketeers or Ma-Ma in Dredd, that usually Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-40408815138670302132019-06-15T11:44:00.001+01:002019-06-15T11:44:21.481+01:00Review: The Steerswoman Series by Rosemary Kirstein
I've recently finishing the third and fourth novels in the Steerswoman series. Reading the books was joyful and wondrous, while finishing the fourth book felt rather sad: who knows if the series will ever be completed, and now I have no more Steerswoman books to read...
The Setting & Premise
Rowan is a Steerswoman. She belongs to a group of women who dedicate
their life to knowledge andFederhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-24775800648915722412019-05-20T19:34:00.004+01:002019-05-20T19:34:57.851+01:00 Review: The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein
The Outskirter's Secret is the second novel in the Steerswoman series. Rowan, the Steerswoman and Bel, her Outskirter / Barbarian companion, continue their quest where the first novel has left off. They are still trying to find out more about the mysterious blue gem & metal fragments that they nearly got killed over in the first book. Now, they are headed into the Outskirts, where life is Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-50565022808887752742019-05-12T13:35:00.003+01:002019-05-12T13:35:47.952+01:00Review: The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
The Steerswoman is a women-centric fantasy novel, first published in 1989. It seems to have been way ahead of its time, and it feels very contemporary.
Rowan is a Steerswoman. She belongs to a group of women who dedicate their life to knowledge and information. They have a code: anyone can ask them any question, and they will answer it to the best of their knowledge. In turn, if they ask Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-16586138675884045562019-05-12T12:57:00.000+01:002019-05-12T13:45:40.922+01:00 Review: Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
Empire of Sand is a debut novel set in a fantasy empire of deserts and djinn-like spirits. Mehr, the daughter of the Governor of a city near the edge of the Empire, lives a life both pampered and persecuted. Her stepmother hates her and tries to keep her away from her little sister, while her father is a largely distant figure, indulging and protecting her through his station, but barely part Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-91994556941629631192019-03-21T20:20:00.001+00:002019-03-21T20:20:36.618+00:00Review: Semiosis by Sue Burke
Semiosis tells the story of a small colony of humans, settling on a new planet. They have left Earth and mankind behind: to them, Earth stood for ecological disasters, war, strife, and failure. Now, on a new planet, they hope that a fresh start will let them make a good job of it. They went looking for a way to live peacefully, productively, in equilibrium with nature, on a blank slate green Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-59597468419761856742019-03-18T20:05:00.004+00:002019-03-23T09:35:25.624+00:00Review: 1491: The Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
1491 is a book trying to give an overview of current thinking about what America was like before Columbus arrived. In particular, what the people, cultures and human ways of living were like (though animals and nature get a bit of a mention, too). It's also a book that tends to have unimpressive covers, both in the US and the UK editions. All I can say is I'm glad I eventually looked past Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-43730502439747177402019-02-15T20:30:00.000+00:002019-02-15T20:30:24.685+00:00Review: The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley
The Loosening Skin is another very smart, high concept, immersive novel by Aliya Whiteley. She is truly one of the most original talents writing speculative fiction at the moment.
The novel is set in a world where humans shed their skins every few years. And with the skin, they shed something crucial: (romantic & erotic) love. So, every seven or eight or ten years, humans get a Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-69438843692927277862019-01-26T20:32:00.002+00:002019-01-26T20:42:44.813+00:00Review: The Monster (Baru Cormorant) by Seth Dickinson
The Monster is the sequel to The Traitor, and the second novel of Seth Dickinson's Masquerade series. This review will contain spoilers for the first novel, so if you haven't read The Traitor, try that book first! It's brilliant!
The Traitor ended with Baru Cormorant's cold blooded execution of her true love, Tain Hu, in order that Baru would be able to ascend to join the shadowy conspiracy Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-17289632148792460682019-01-12T21:22:00.004+00:002019-01-12T21:29:53.685+00:00Review: The Traitor by Seth Dickinson
The Traitor (also known as The Traitor Baru Cormorant) is a novel set in an alternative world with alternative peoples, cultures, history. Unlike Westeros, it has no dragons, no ghosts, no magic - or at least, it does not have them yet, not in the parts of the world that this novel takes place in.
We first meet Baru Cormorant when she is a little girl in Taranoke, a volcanic island inhabited Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-1690789034356521652018-12-29T13:10:00.001+00:002018-12-29T13:17:51.590+00:00Review: The Dragons of Heaven by Alyc Helms
I was in the mood to read something fun. After browsing the unread books on my Kindle for ages, I decided to re-read, instead, and it's been a while since I first read The Dragons of Heaven. Fortunately, the book was as good as I remembered.
The Dragons of Heaven is set in a world where there are superheroes, alliances of superheroes, magic, myths, and monsters. Missy, our protagonist, is the Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-868264637906119542018-12-27T00:39:00.000+00:002019-02-07T18:10:19.958+00:00Review: Empty Graves by C.L. Raven
Empty Graves is the latest novel by Cardiff based writers and entertainers CL Raven. I first encountered them at a small horror convention in Cardiff, where a workshop allowed writers to pitch story ideas. CL Raven, identical twins, were very charismatic and memorable, as was their pitch. I have read a few of their short stories since then, and quite enjoyed the comic horror ones.
Empty GravesFederhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-35007681606329032062018-12-22T23:49:00.002+00:002018-12-22T23:57:32.234+00:00Review: Tree Talk by Ana Salote
Tree Talk is a science fiction fantasy novel told from the perspective of an ash tree in a wild(ish) back garden. Ash lives her life in a way that does not have consciousness, but which involves a sort of communing with other plants, and a calm, plant-like way of being aware of the world outside her reach. Then one day Charlie, a little boy, touches Ash, magically awakening a mind. In the book,Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-91870955294160633032018-12-20T22:14:00.000+00:002018-12-20T22:14:02.085+00:00Review: Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
Swordheart is a romantic adventure novel by T Kingfisher (a.k.a. Ursula Vernon) set in the same world as the marvellous Clockwork Boys duology.
Halla, our heroine and a respectable widow, starts the novel locked up in her room, imprisoned by her awful relatives. Unfortunately, she has inherited a fortune after caring for a curmudgeonly collector and rogue uncle for years. Said relatives (by Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-40296181551591330642018-12-14T21:59:00.004+00:002018-12-20T22:14:23.633+00:00Review: The Prince of Cats by D. E. Olesen
The Prince of Cats is an adventure novel about a thief in a fictitious medieval Arabian city. We meet Jawad, our hero, in a dungeon, awaiting his fate. Instead of the executioner, a private guard comes to visit him, to interrogate him about the Prince of Cats - an infamous thief. Jawad offers up just enough information to be useful, so he is taken from the dungeon and put in the service of a Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-79399779129870070342018-12-03T19:50:00.000+00:002018-12-03T23:27:15.357+00:00Review: The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
The Mortal Word is the fifth novel in the Invisible Library Series. I happen to be a huge fan of the series, and have been since the start. In fact, a small quote from my review of the Invisible Library adorned the second novel as a recommendation blurb, which I was delighted about when I saw it. So it won't be a huge surprise that I enjoyed The Mortal Word.
In terms of plot, we join Irene as Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-90565939659986220892018-11-27T10:48:00.005+00:002018-11-27T15:33:10.185+00:00Worldbuilders Annual Fundraiser 2018
If you are a fan of fantasy and science fiction books, chances are that you have come across the novels of Patrick Rothfuss. They're wonderful.
However, this isn't a post about his fiction. This is a post about his other wonderful work: the Worldbuilders charity fundraising efforts. Worldbuilders exists to raise money for charities that make the world a better place - primarily Heifer Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-46829670281635734862018-11-26T13:38:00.000+00:002018-11-26T13:38:44.802+00:00Review: The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
The Bedlam Stacks is a historical fantasy novel set in Victorian Britain and Peru. The narrator, Merrick Tremayne, starts the story as a crippled man, physically and mentally, living in a dilapidated former mansion with his vicious, even more crippled brother Charles.
Charles was crippled by polio: he may be snobbish, bitter and mean, but he rules the home with confidence and an iron hand. Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5864212134136514804.post-32435769077270815902018-11-23T10:34:00.000+00:002018-12-06T15:04:50.267+00:0010 Brilliant Books You've Never Heard Of: Perfect Gifts For BookaholicsA couple of years ago, I wrote a list of Brilliant Books You've Never Heard Of. As Christmas is coming up, I thought it's time to update and expand the list!
Below are a few awesome books which even your bibliophile friends probably haven't read yet. These are books which probably never made it to a Waterstones 3 for 2 table, books which don't appear on the Goodreads shelves of avid readers I Federhirnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13656100595092562221noreply@blogger.com1