Ark Storm, by Linda Davies

Ark Storm by Linda Davies

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ark Storm isn't your average disaster book, where the focus is on the event and the horror it unleashes. The titular storm only occurs in, maybe, the last fifth of the book. Instead, the book is more of a thriller focused on the events leading up to the storm. These involve a confluence of activities and events that include suspicious car crashes, dead prostitutes, traumatized scientists, financial shenanigans, mysterious ex-military types, venture capitalists with a god complex, international terrorists hiding behind the mantel of wealth, and El Nino. Threading between all of these other factors is a scientific scenario that is, indeed, based in fact. Put it all together and you've got a whirlwind of a story that flows like an atmospheric river. (Yeah, I had to throw in some meteorological puns.)

And that flow is what may be one of Ark Storm's main flaws: Everything is too easy, and the conflicts seem to be resolved too quickly. The coincidences are too convenient (eg, a financial law enforcement task force happens to be investigating the same sleazeball getting tips from an aunt in California who knows more than she's supposed to). Not to mention that one of the most fantastical (as in not real, as opposed to gnomes and knights) elements of the novel is the ease with which various federal law enforcement agencies cooperate and partner to bring down the bad guys. There are no interagency pissing contests and no upper-level dick swinging. A once-in-a-millennium storm may be a longshot, but feds playing well together? Now that's some science fiction.

Still, Ark Storm is a fun read, and you'll learn something along the way.

Disclosure: I received an electronic version of the book via NetGalley.



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The Last Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko

The Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Usually when a series book takes a trip from its usual setting, it's a sign that the author is running out of ideas to keep the storyline fresh. In Lukyanenko's The Last Watch, taking a familiar character and putting him/her into an unfamiliar setting works well, almost a natural progression from Twilight Watch's side trip to Prague. As the protagonist Anton (and the reader) is educated more deeply about the essence of who the Others are and travels further into the Twilight world, the story expands externally from Moscow and heads farther afield into Edinburgh and the Stans. And although the external plot deals with a series of murders in Edinburgh, the book simultaneously delves into Anton's internal struggle over killing a vampire he once considered a friend and his role in the overarching struggles and balance of power between the Watches. To paraphrase Anton near the end of the book, he feels like a small screw in a huge, merciless machine. No doubt this struggle will come to a head in the fifth and final book in the series.

Despite some story holes (who couldn't guess the killer's true identify after the name was provided), Last Watch is a worthy successor that crosses genre (fantasy/scifi/mystery) boundaries.



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Twilight Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko

Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Not many series get better as you get farther along, but the tales of the Others may just be one of them. Perhaps what I'm sensing is Lukyanenko's move from straight action to a more winding philosophical treatise on what makes the Others tick, the differences between the two "sides," and the individual characters on which he focuses. Again, the focus of this novel (or set of three stories) is Anton, although many characters from the earlier books make appearances: Sveta (now his wife and the mother of his little Other), Gesar, Zabulon, Edgar, Kostya, and Semyon. These stories center around issues of metaphysics--the relationship between magic and energy in the Others and in humans--and how these issues could be used within the world for good or ill (or a combination thereof). Twilight Watch is a great example of how good fantasy/science fiction can make you stretch your brain a bit.



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Day Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko

Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The world of the Watches, as this series is sometimes known, seems pretty straightforward: You've got the Light and the Dark. Should be simple, right? Dark bad, Light good. Well, not so fast. One of the main themes of Day Watch is that the line between the sides is thinner than either side, particularly the Light, would admit. Like the first in the series, this volume is told in 3 separate mini-novels. Familiar characters make an appearance, but these stories are told from the perspective of the Dark, which depicts the events of Night Watch in a new light while adding to the canon. Although I enjoyed all 3, the section dealing with Alisa was probably the one that touched me the most.



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Nightwatch, Sergei Lukyanenko

The Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I found this book in the reverse of the usual process, after watching a movie based on this novel and the next in the series. In Russia, the series represented sort of a breakout hit for the science fiction genre there. I can see why it was so popular. Despite opposing forces of the Light and the Dark, the world of The Others (not-quite humans who include in their ranks vampires, shapeshifters, seers, witches, and magicians) is one of shades of gray; the narrator for Nightwatch, one Anton Gorodetsky, especially so. In fact, the alternative plane of The Twilight--only accessible to the Others--operates in tones of sepias and grays. In addition to great world-building with interesting, nuanced characters, Lukyanenko tells one hell of a story. Actually, he tells three stories in this novel. The reader will ride along with battles large and small, doublecrosses galore, doomed romance, and wicked chase scenes (even in text). I enjoyed Nightwatch so much that I started the next book in the series, Daywatch, 10 minutes after I finished the first.



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Parasite, by Mira Grant

Parasite by Mira Grant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Having read 4 of Mira Grant’s novels, I have to wonder who she trusts the least: the media, science, government, or parents. None of those entities come out looking good in her books, although all have what they feel are valid reasons for taking (or not taking) actions that impact others negatively. Money and power often play huge roles, as does the butterfly effect: when one decision or action—even with good intentions—has unanticipated ripple effects that change the world.

All of these concerns and more present themselves in Grant’s newest work, Parasite (the first in a series of the same name). Set about 15 years in the future, the book tells the story of Sal Mitchell, a young woman who in many ways is even younger: She has no memory prior to a car accident 6 years earlier after which she was saved from the brink of death by a genetically modified tapeworm. In fact, almost everyone, in the U.S. at least, has one of these implants, made by one company and created to address antibacterial resistance and immunodeficiency. As is usually the case, this miracle cure for everything from allergies to diabetes is too good to be true.

Like most first books in a series, Parasite takes its time revealing the situation—Sal’s history as well as the story of the implants—unravelling details and bit of information via Sal’s current experiences as well as article and book excerpts from various sources, including 3 creators of the implants. Though the book may move slowly, with a lot of detail about how Sal got to her current place in the world, the story itself captured my interest from the beginning and didn’t let go. Grant uses cliffhangers well, so that you just have to peek into that next chapter to see what happened. Alas, she ended the book the same way, so I felt like someone snatched away a piece of chocolate cake after allowing only one bite. Hopefully, Grant will fill the time until the appearance of the second book with related novellas, as she did with her Newsflesh series.




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Lots of books!

First the reviews:

Ancestor, by Scott Sigler

Forty Signs of Rain, by Kim Stanley Robinson

Fifty Degrees Below, by Kim Stanley Robinson

Spillover, by David Quammen

Now the rest.

Yes, it's been 2 months since I've finished a book, for a variety of reasons. First, I didn't want to get involved in another nonfic book until I finished Spillover, which was loooong (but totally worth it). Fictionwise, I just didn't get into anything for a bit. On the homefront, I was busy knitting and Netflixing, and...

Life has gotten really weird and life-changing recently. When the summer started, Spouse and I were seriously contemplating leaving the New Orleans area. I couldn't find a library job, the state legislature is batshit insane, and Spouse thought it would be rather difficult to be a family attorney doing crazy things like trying to help women and gay people (crazy for LA at least, where change won't happen until at least 2 more generations die off, although between the chemical and oil industries that may happen sooner than later). We both applied for positions in the Bay area, and I made it to the second round of the hiring process for my wet dream medical librarian job when...

I got a library job here, at last, and everything changed once again. Because the position would involve a pay cut and because Spouse still doesn't have a professional job, keeping our house was simply untenable. So, with some cash from my 401K at former job, we're going to clean it up a bit and put it on the market this fall. We're on the sliver by the river, and I don't expect we'll have any problems selling. With the money from the sale, we can dig ourselves out of the financial hole that Spouse's delayed re-entry into Grown-Up Land has caused. And I can finally get to enjoy New Orleans again, going out with friends (I actually have some!) to eat and hear music and maybe Spouse if he's good.

And in the midst of all this, I was sending resumes, prepping for interviews, and doing the work of at least 2 people since we were so understaffed (for about 3 weeks, I brought editing home every night).

So it's been a busy, crazy summer, and the fall looks to be similarly stress inducing (getting the house ready to sell, finding a rental, seeing if Spouse graduates and registers for the bar exam, and digging in to the new job, which is going quite well so far). Hopefully it won't be another 2 months before I finish a book.

After, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

After by Ellen Datlow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Short stories are a hard literature form to do well: Despite being the soul of wit, brevity is often not a strong suit for writers. "After" demonstrates that you don't need a 7-book series of 700-page tomes to do good storytelling. Dealing with topics of dystopia and apocalypse as they relate to young adults, the 19 individual stories (well, one is a poem) vary widely in their approaches and specific subjects. Although all rate a "pretty darn good" IMHO, some will linger longer than others. For me, N.K. Jemisin's "Validectorian" was one of the best, hitting me in the gut with its message about who the true monsters are. Likewise, the twist in "Faint Heart" by Sarah Rees Brennan made it one of my favorites. "After" is another great collection from this editing team.



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Book: The Eyre Affair

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Intelligent, witty, funny as hell, with a touch of more serious themes (eg, the influence of a corporation on a nation), I liked this book a great deal. It straddled the line between mystery, literature, humor, and science fiction. Readers will probably want some basic literary knowledge; otherwise, jokes about the door-to-door Baconians trying to convince unsuspecting homeowners that Shakespeare was not the true author of Shakespeare's works will likely fly over their heads. Those little tidbits are what I enjoyed the most about the book. Fforde creates a world in which literature and the arts are given the attention that sports and other bread and circuses (Honey Boo Boo, anyone) merit in today's world, down to the hooligans causing riots over abstract art.



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Rasputin's Bastard's by David Nickle

Rasputin's Bastards by David Nickle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Damn. Just damn.

Nickle has a lot going on in this book, with layers upon layers of reality and not reality, such that you should probably not do what I did and go a long period between chapters, if you want to grasp everything happening here. As it is, this novel is the sort that lends itself to re-reading because the second and subsequent readings will provide much more depth (and recollection of which character is which and the relationships among them) than the first go-round. But the result is worth the effort: Nickle weaves a fine story here that dips into everything from Cold War-era spying to the nature of reality itself. Or at least that's what I got from it -- I have a feeling that different readers will have different takeaways. Some will focus on matters of mind control, others the mystery and suspense, still others will meditate on the dangers of true believers, whether they believe in a deity, power, or simply the lining of their own pockets (or, heaven forbid, all three). And therein lies the brilliance of the book -- its complexity while nonetheless telling a fascinating tale that will capture readers attention and imagination.

In interest of total disclosure, I obtained a free e-book from the publisher via a friend who works with them.


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Book: Arctic Rising

Arctic Rising by Tobias S. Buckell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fascinating scifi-ish speculative roller coaster thriller about the polar ice caps melting and the repercussions thereafter for the people of planet earth. As an airship pilot tries to find who shot her ship down, we're introduced to shifts in the balance of power in the world (eg, native peoples in the Arctic), the role of nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, human migration, war (official and otherwise), and even personal relations. The issues aren't black or white here, and neither are the characters, but I found it all fascinating.



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