REVIEW: If At First.... (short story) by Peter F Hamilton

If At First.... (short story) by Peter F Hamilton
Publishing information: Kindle
ASIN: B0057P10OI
Copy: Free at all major eBook sellers
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "Peter F. Hamilton has proven himself a modern master of epic space opera, carrying the tradition of far-future empire building begun by Heinlein and Asimov into the new millennium. But Hamilton is also a master of the short story, and when he tackles one of science fiction's most enduring themes-time travel-the result is as provocative as it is entertaining. It starts in 2007 with a break-in. The victim: Marcus Orthew, the financial and technological genius behind Orthanics, the computer company whose radical products have delivered a one-two punch to the industry, all but knocking PCs and Macs out of the ring. The perpetrator: a man obsessed with Orthew. Just another simple case of celebrity stalking-or so everyone"

If At First is a teaser for Hamilton's latest release Manhattan in Reverse. Which is also short story collection. When we begin reading If At First we get a glimpse of a mystery as it seems time travel may be the reason for the company Orthanics success. I have to admit I was caught up in the story quite quickly and enjoyed the little bit of character and world building that was present in the teaser. At some point I will more than likely purchase Manhattan in Reverse. For those readers who want a glimpse at Hamilton's writing it is a nice way to ease into it and get a taste. For those readers who are familiar with Hamilton, it is a taste but not nearly enough as it hints at a great story.

While this is just a teaser and not the complete story, it is worthy of checking out and gives you a sense of just what is available in the collection and gives you a taste that should be an amazing story that will unfold in the novella.

Plot 7/10
Characters 9/10
Style 8/10

Overall 7/10

REVIEW: The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder

The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder
Publishing Information: Kindle
Publisher: Pyr; 7 September 2010
ISBN 10: 1616142405
ISBN 13: 978-1616142407
ASIN: B00558VRNQ
Series: Burton and Swineburne #1
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "Sir Richard Francis Burton--explorer, linguist, scholar, and swordsman; his reputation tarnished; his career in tatters; his former partner missing and probably dead.
Algernon Charles Swinburne--unsuccessful poet and follower of de Sade; for whom pain is pleasure, and brandy is ruin!

They stand at a crossroads in their lives and are caught in the epicenter of an empire torn by conflicting forces: Engineers transform the landscape with bigger, faster, noisier, and dirtier technological wonders; Eugenicists develop specialist animals to provide unpaid labor; Libertines oppose repressive laws and demand a society based on beauty and creativity; while the Rakes push the boundaries of human behavior to the limits with magic, drugs, and anarchy.

The two men are sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum when Lord Palmerston commissions Burton to investigate assaults on young women committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack, and to find out why werewolves are terrorizing London's East End.

Their investigations lead them to one of the defining events of the age, and the terrifying possibility that the world they inhabit shouldn t exist at all!"

Like everyone else, I was drawn to this novel based on the cover art. Sadly however, cover art does not show up on the Kindle. But it did get it on my radar and I finally found the time to sit down and read it.

The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack begins with Sir Richard Francis Burton and a symposium where he is planning to refute certain claims from a former friend and colleague. That friend is found dead. It is this event that starts Burton on the mystery that is his friend's death. Along the way he becomes a special agent of the king and meets many of the individuals that support him while he is doing his duties as the king's agent. Burton was an interesting character. He was a little bit Sherlock Holmes and a little bit Francis Drake, with some Jack Burton thrown in for good measure. He is joined by his friend Algernon Charles Swineburne. While he did help Burton a small amount during the novel, saying he is his partner he did not have a lot of time in the novel. I know this is the beginning of a series, but Swineburne was not very involved in the case for most of the book. He was just a constant character who popped up from time to time until the very end when he was more involved.

As for the setting, it is jolly ole' England in the mid 1800's. A few things have changed making it slightly more steampunk. But overall, it is the same. There were a few things that I found humorous when Hodder was describing some of the technology of the time, but it will be difficult to see how they truly affect the story.

Speaking of the story, it was a bit lackluster. It started out as a interesting mystery but there are a lot of references to rape and sexual assaults on females which I did not really care for and thought that they were not handled in the best light. They did not seem to be given the seriousness that they deserve. Since they are instrumental to the case, I would have liked to have seen them handled better than just clues to follow.

Between the callous way the rapes were handled and the build up to the final confrontation, the book just lost it's luster. Burton is an interesting character but he barely was able to keep me reading to follow his adventure. Swineburne was not even likable. The mystery is the only real winner in this novel as it is written well and somewhat entertaining. I have no plans to continue with the series.

Plot 5/10
Characters 7/10
Style 5/10

Overall 5/10

Quick Take, The Sacred Hunt, by Michelle (Sagara) West

I've been away from SBR for a while, but now that grad school is over, I've plenty of reviews to put up. While I have read a ton of books, I'll be offering "Quick Takes" on most, and full fledged reviews only on those I truly enjoyed, or were pleasantly surprised by.

I have recently finished both Hunter's Oath and Hunter's Death, by Michelle (Sagara) West. I had been meaning to read them for some time, but had not gotten around to it. I have 200+ books sitting around in various stacks (here in The Omnibus Cave), so when searching for a new read, I wait for one of the many to mystically reach forth and seize my attention.

It is my understanding that West later continues in this setting with the Sun Sword series (six books) and the House War series (a projected five book series, with four already out). I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that West plans to continue writing in the Essalieyan setting in a new series, sometimes referred to as the Black Gauntlet and sometimes as the End of Days (references made by the author herself). Outside of the Essalieyan setting, West has written a series called The Sundered (published between '91 and '94) and an episodic series called Chronicles of Elantra ('05 to present).

The Sacred Hunt is a quick duology that introduces the reader to the Essalieyan setting. Originally released in the mid-90s, Hunter's Oath and Hunter's Death are among the earliest of West's bibliography.

The Good:
West handles characterization better than most. West's characters 'come alive' from her story and are easily believable. West also has a setting that holds a great deal of promise. While the Sacred Hunt does no more than to scratch the surface of this, her subsequent series in the same setting surely go more in depth on topics of culture, history, theology, et al.


The Bad:
One thing that I have particular difficulty in dealing with are editorial and proofread errors. There are spelling mistakes that can jar the reader's rhythym. There is also some haphazard sentence structure. While neither common, nor rare, there is the occasional sentence that can also break the reader's rhythym, requiring the re-read and re-re-read of the sentence in order to simply figure out precisely what in the hell? the sentence was trying to communicate.

An element of West's style that began to irritate me a bit was the confusing use of generic pronouns (e.g. he, she). The twist of the tale would change from one POV to another, and yet spend a paragraphy or two, or sometimes a page or two, using the word he, or she. By the time the reader is able to finally deduce which particular POV this is, the reader's perception has to be reset, and then the reader needs to re-read that previous portion in order to fully appreciate the gravity of what has just transpired in its appropriate context. While this may have been intentional, and seem clever on face-value, it becomes a chore.

"The Bad?" Need it be said?....the cover art.

The Remainder:
Overall, I am not sure whether or not I liked West's writing style. I instinctively want to say I liked it. Under more intense and analytical consideration, West's style may have been the catalyst for some of the elements I listed under "The Bad." It's hard to say either way.

I would describe West's style as something part way between a stream of consciousness and regular dialogue. As one reads the tale, one gets the sense of eavesdropping on another's own internal, mental dialogue. For the overwhelming majority of the time, I found that it worked rather well.

Plot 7/10
Characters 8/10
Style 6/10

Overall: 7/10

REVIEW: Geist by Philipa Ballantine

Geist by Philipa Ballantine
Publishing Information: Kindle
Publisher: Ace; 12 September 2010
ISBN 10:0441019617
ISBN 13:9780441019618
ASIN: B00452V3I2
Series: Book of the Order #1
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists...

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?"

Geist is a book I really wanted to like. But I just could not get into it. The characters just never got me going. Geist had a lot going for it but it just never took off.

The first problem I had was that Sorcha, our main character, is cold and distant. Not to mention married and out of love. When her husband is injured she has to take on a new partner, Merrick Chambers, while they share their thoughts through their bond, it quickly becomes obvious that her concept of fidelity is very different from the mainstream. Perhaps it is the world that Ballantine is trying to create but it certainly didn't feel like it as she was fighting with her attraction to another man. That man is Raed Rossin. He is probably the most interesting character in the series. He is cursed and geists/spirits seem drawn to him. However, even he had a hard time keeping my interest. Every character was seriously flawed in my opinion, which was a disappointment as I really wanted to like this book.

There is a lot of great stuff in the novel. The idea of a group of individuals that are sanctioned to remove geists (ghosts and other malevolent spirits) and possessions. I really liked that idea and was the reason I picked up the book. Sadly, I was disappointed almost three chapters into the novel. It seems I set the bar far to high for this one. I was hoping for a strong female protagonist and what I got was nearly the exact opposite. I found Sorcha to be nothing like what I had hoped for. The young girl( I mean woman) on the cover should be much older as I didn't expect her to be married, but far younger.

Geist may be right up many people's alley, but for me it just did not get the job done. Geist if the first in the Book of the Order series and is followed by Spectyr, and the forthcoming Wrayth. It is a series I have no plans to continue and will more than likely avoid at all costs.

Plot 6/10
Characters 4/10
Style 6/10

Overall 5.5/10

REVIEW: Me and Bobby McGee by Chad Coenson

Me and Bobby McGee by Chad Coenson
Publishing information: Paperback; 268 pages
Publisher: Inkwater Press; 17 September 2010
ISBN 10: 1592994881
ISBN 13: 978-1592994885
Standalone
Copy: Received from author
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "Prepare to embark on a thrilling comedic adventure seen through the booze-blurred eyes of Keesey Cypher, a government-trained killer with an ill-fated abundance of classified memories who has since resigned himself to a regrettable existence, sipping away his tainted past. It is this powerful thirst coupled with Cypher's hunger for games of chance that leads him to New Orleans' coziest dive-bar the day after Fat Tuesday where one night of seeming misfortune leads to a frighteningly funny reality of subversive politics, corporate greed, backwards logic, and star (double)-crossed romance. In this gripping social satire of modern times, Me and Bobby McGee pokes fun at the inane absurdities ingrained in our society, proving that freedom is truly subjective and karma is not just a philosophy, but a fate that is unwavering. And as an added bonus, for the careful reader and music fan, there are subtle connections throughout the novel to the classic folk song that inspired its title. In a world of terrible truths and impending doom, find out what happens when the only man with the power to stop it... decides not to."

When I received this novel in the mail I did not know what to expect. It sounded interesting and the fact that it seems tongue-in-cheek means it should be rather good. In some passages it was rather brilliant. But in the end it is rather cliche.

Our hero/anti-hero Keesey Cypher is not very likable. The author does his best to make him appear likable but he never won me over. In fact, anyone who has had the apparent training that Cypher should have had would find him to be a bumbling idiot. However, when you ignore his "past occupation" he is rather fun to watch struggle through his situation. However, certain points of the story it is necessary to remember his past and that is where things once again fall apart plot-wise. The supporting characters are entertaining and a little more grounded in reality but only just barely.

Our plot for Me and Bobby McGee has been done countless times before and supposedly the book has a lot of hidden messages related to folk music and other pop culture references related to that time in history. However, I was born after that time so, I missed all but the most obvious references, which in truth were still a little lost on me.

I do hate to give books low scores as I can only imagine what it takes to go through the painful process of writing and publishing what amounts to your baby. But because I just never really enjoyed reading this particular book, I have to. The book has won the 2011 Independent Publisher's Awards silver medal. But I cannot recommend this novel. It just was too cliche and I never felt a connection to the story or its characters.

Plot 6/10
Characters 6/10
Style 6/10

Overall 6/10

REVIEW: CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh
Publishing Information: Paperback;
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press; 28 February 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827139-4-5
Series: Book 2 in the Cassa series
Copy: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…"

It seems like just yesterday when I reviewed the debut novel from Cavanaugh, CassaStar. and I remember liking the book as it was a great debut and had lots of room for sequels and further adventures. In this second installment, CassaFire, the story leaps ahead a few years to tell what feels like a completely different story, but with old friends.

When we catch up to our hero he has left his life of a frontline fighter pilot and taken up the less dangerous life of a shuttle pilot for a scientific vessel. Byron is haunted by his past and this is his way of dealing with the events from the first book. He is broken and damaged and doing his best to keep life in check. I really enjoyed Cavanaugh's writing in this book. The characters are deeper and the emotions are no longer just skin deep. A lot of new characters are added to the mix as well as some alien races that were missing from the first book. Byron has grown up and become responsible while still keeping his edge as the best pilot around.

Of course, CassaFire has action and Cavanaugh writes that well too. The battles are written much better this time around. In fact, there is nothing wrong with Cavanaugh's writing, if anything he has improved and told a tighter story with more complex characters. His craft has visibly improved. My only complaint is that there was a huge build up to a final confrontation and it didn't really live up to my expectations. That said it was still a satisfying conclusion and there is plenty of room for more action and adventure in the next installment.

As I stated in my first review for CassaStar, CassaFire is a great book perfect for someone looking for a light space adventure with a great characters and story. Highly Recommended. CassaFire is available next Tuesday.

Plot 7/10
Characters 7.5/10
Style  7/10

Overall  7.5/10

REVIEW: Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington

Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
Publishing Information: Paperback; 24 March 2011
Publisher: Orbit
ISBN 10: 0316087343
ISBN 13: 978-0316087346
Standalone
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "As the witch-pyres of the Spanish Inquisition blanket Renaissance Europe in a moral haze, a young African slave finds herself the unwilling apprentice of an ancient necromancer. Unfortunately, quitting his company proves even more hazardous than remaining his pupil when she is afflicted with a terrible curse. Yet salvation may lie in a mysterious tome her tutor has hidden somewhere on the war-torn continent.

She sets out on a seemingly impossible journey to find the book, never suspecting her fate is tied to three strangers: the artist Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, the alchemist Dr. Paracelsus, and a gun-slinging Dutch mercenary. As Manuel paints her macabre story on canvas, plank, and church wall, the apprentice becomes increasingly aware of the great dangers that surround her. She realizes she must revisit the fell necromancy of her childhood . . . or death will be the least of her concerns..."

When Bullington's The Sad Tales of the Brother's Grossbart arrived on bookshelves, I quickly ordered it and then devoured the novel as it was something fresh and yet spoke to the darker side of what I imagined the middle ages were. In Enterprise of Death, Bullington returns to that dark time in human history. This time around, we have a young woman as the protagonist and I think Bullington did an excellent job of bringing her to life. She seemed plausible and real. She is joined by a small group of individuals that help her and slip in and out of her life. However, they really had a hard time capturing my imagination and as I continued to read, I found myself loosing interest in the quest and the cast.

It is probably why I can't give a shining review of Enterprise of Death. my interest began to wane half-way through the story. Where his debut novel had great characters, Enterprise of Death's cast is lackluster at best. The plot is interesting, but without really caring about anyone in the story, I found myself drifting on to other thoughts. While I can't recommend The Sad Tale of the Brother's Grossbart high enough, I have to say stay away from this particular novel. Enterprise of Death just does not keep you interested.

With that said, I do look forward to Bullington's next novel what ever that novel may be. He is very talented but Enterprise of Death was not an entertaining read for me and that is what I look for in a novel.

Plot 7/10
Characters 4/10
Style 5/10

Overall 5/10