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thecaptainsquarters
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
Well me mateys, while this be an interesting read, it certainly wasn't what I was expectin'. I somehow expected it to be much better. It started out with a brilliant quoting of "the last Saskatchewan pirate" which be a shanty that all me crew should know and love.
The first main character we meet is the awesome pirate, Jack. Ye see Jack is a reverse pharmacological engineer who takes lifesaving drugs from the major tech companies and recreates them in order to give them to the poor. A pharma pirate Robin Hood. Yup I was on-board immediately. Jack sells other black-market "non-necessary" drugs as her side gig to make the money fer her larger calling. Only she just released a reversed batch of drug called Zacuity to get said funds and unfortunately it be havin' unintended consequences. Like death. Which goes against Jack's ideals and desires. Can she make it right or will the pharma companies catch up with her and run her through first?
So yes great beginning. The central theme of the book seems to be that money in this version of the world does not make ye free and that everyone is either a literal slave to society or intellectually so. The world building was well done and realistic. The patent law in this book was a lovely concept. Everything belongs to someone else (usually a corporation) and so how money and information flows can be a mess. It isn't overbearingly done. I'm just a nerd.
In addition to Jack there be robots and indentured humans and scientists etc. This is where I found most of me enjoyment of the book. I loved Paladin who is one of the military bots sent by the pharma to get Jack and to help quell any information about their drug having adverse consequences. Frankly Paladin was the reason this book was worth reading. Paladin is a recently made bot whose has the most growth in the novel. I very much enjoyed the perspective of this bot in terms of inter-robot interaction, trying to figure out how humans work, and personal exploration of how programming affected thought. Me other favourite character happened to also be a bot raised by human scientists.
Unfortunately I found most of the humans to less multi-dimensional. Jack has so much promise and then makes extremely odd unintelligent choices while on the run. The human side-kick to Paladin has a sexual urge for the robot and the subplot got tiring. Also the pacing was uneven and several times made me want to stop reading. And the ending was abrupt and extremely unsatisfying. I am not unhappy that I read this but it ended up being just okay. Awesome ideas but not enough payout. I am not saying don't read this book. I just think there are better robot related books out there. Check out a recent read, sea of rust, for example.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Well me mateys, while this be an interesting read, it certainly wasn't what I was expectin'. I somehow expected it to be much better. It started out with a brilliant quoting of "the last Saskatchewan pirate" which be a shanty that all me crew should know and love.
The first main character we meet is the awesome pirate, Jack. Ye see Jack is a reverse pharmacological engineer who takes lifesaving drugs from the major tech companies and recreates them in order to give them to the poor. A pharma pirate Robin Hood. Yup I was on-board immediately. Jack sells other black-market "non-necessary" drugs as her side gig to make the money fer her larger calling. Only she just released a reversed batch of drug called Zacuity to get said funds and unfortunately it be havin' unintended consequences. Like death. Which goes against Jack's ideals and desires. Can she make it right or will the pharma companies catch up with her and run her through first?
So yes great beginning. The central theme of the book seems to be that money in this version of the world does not make ye free and that everyone is either a literal slave to society or intellectually so. The world building was well done and realistic. The patent law in this book was a lovely concept. Everything belongs to someone else (usually a corporation) and so how money and information flows can be a mess. It isn't overbearingly done. I'm just a nerd.
In addition to Jack there be robots and indentured humans and scientists etc. This is where I found most of me enjoyment of the book. I loved Paladin who is one of the military bots sent by the pharma to get Jack and to help quell any information about their drug having adverse consequences. Frankly Paladin was the reason this book was worth reading. Paladin is a recently made bot whose has the most growth in the novel. I very much enjoyed the perspective of this bot in terms of inter-robot interaction, trying to figure out how humans work, and personal exploration of how programming affected thought. Me other favourite character happened to also be a bot raised by human scientists.
Unfortunately I found most of the humans to less multi-dimensional. Jack has so much promise and then makes extremely odd unintelligent choices while on the run. The human side-kick to Paladin has a sexual urge for the robot and the subplot got tiring. Also the pacing was uneven and several times made me want to stop reading. And the ending was abrupt and extremely unsatisfying. I am not unhappy that I read this but it ended up being just okay. Awesome ideas but not enough payout. I am not saying don't read this book. I just think there are better robot related books out there. Check out a recent read, sea of rust, for example.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster
Ahoy there me mateys! Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this non-fiction eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I discovered this book looking into St. Martin’s Press’ releases because I previously read castle of water which was one of me favourite reads of 2017. One of me odd jobs back in the day was helping a company who organized houses. They needed more people to help with a specific hoarder’s house and I needed extra funds so I signed up. To say it was an eye-opening experience into that specific mental illness in an understatement. So what in the world must trauma cleaning be like? I honestly expected this book to have a lighter tone to it like stiff does about the business of dead bodies. I somehow thought it would be funny yet respectful. While the book was extremely respectful and had funny moments, it turned out to be a heart-wrenching tale of one woman, Sandra’s, amazing journey to survive and thrive in life.
If ye expect this book is going to be about the “trauma” as seemingly indicated in the title, ye might be mistaken. The book does look into “living clients,” the hoarder aspect of the job in particular, using extremely vivid imagery about smells, trash, and the difficulties of getting people to let go of clutter. It does not deal as greatly with the aspects of the job like industrial clean up or murder scenes. Perhaps that it is to help the reader because the author’s turn of phrase, while sometimes lyrical, is so stark and effective at times. But ultimately there is plenty of trauma in dealing with Sandra’s life story. It is seemingly more harsh then cleaning murder scenes. It seems crazy to say that but that’s what it felt like to this reader.
Ye see Sandra’s life started out rough and it seems like a miracle that she not only survived but became the thoughtful wonderful person found in the pages of this biography. She was born a male in Australia, abandoned as an infant, and then adopted by a Catholic family. This family was no picnic. The father was an abusive alcoholic. The family eventually had more blood-related children after adopting Sandra, which, in combination with the belief that their son might be homosexual, led to a life of hell. Ugh. I won’t get into the rest of the details here. Makes me stomach clench just to think of it. As the blurb states, before she was a trauma cleaner, “Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife.” She was one of the first patients to have gender reassignment surgery in the 1980s.
It was the portrayal of life as a non-conforming society individual that I found as compelling as I did heart-breaking. While Sandra’s life seems to have had love and joy in it, there also seemed to be a pervading sense of self-doubt, denial, and pain. It is the pain that lingered throughout the tale and made it a hard read. I have amazing respect for the journey and am grateful to have read this book. I highly recommend it but only wish that I had felt more joy in how Sandra’s life ultimately has turned out in the end.
So lastly . . .
Thank you St. Martin’s Press!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I discovered this book looking into St. Martin’s Press’ releases because I previously read castle of water which was one of me favourite reads of 2017. One of me odd jobs back in the day was helping a company who organized houses. They needed more people to help with a specific hoarder’s house and I needed extra funds so I signed up. To say it was an eye-opening experience into that specific mental illness in an understatement. So what in the world must trauma cleaning be like? I honestly expected this book to have a lighter tone to it like stiff does about the business of dead bodies. I somehow thought it would be funny yet respectful. While the book was extremely respectful and had funny moments, it turned out to be a heart-wrenching tale of one woman, Sandra’s, amazing journey to survive and thrive in life.
If ye expect this book is going to be about the “trauma” as seemingly indicated in the title, ye might be mistaken. The book does look into “living clients,” the hoarder aspect of the job in particular, using extremely vivid imagery about smells, trash, and the difficulties of getting people to let go of clutter. It does not deal as greatly with the aspects of the job like industrial clean up or murder scenes. Perhaps that it is to help the reader because the author’s turn of phrase, while sometimes lyrical, is so stark and effective at times. But ultimately there is plenty of trauma in dealing with Sandra’s life story. It is seemingly more harsh then cleaning murder scenes. It seems crazy to say that but that’s what it felt like to this reader.
Ye see Sandra’s life started out rough and it seems like a miracle that she not only survived but became the thoughtful wonderful person found in the pages of this biography. She was born a male in Australia, abandoned as an infant, and then adopted by a Catholic family. This family was no picnic. The father was an abusive alcoholic. The family eventually had more blood-related children after adopting Sandra, which, in combination with the belief that their son might be homosexual, led to a life of hell. Ugh. I won’t get into the rest of the details here. Makes me stomach clench just to think of it. As the blurb states, before she was a trauma cleaner, “Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife.” She was one of the first patients to have gender reassignment surgery in the 1980s.
It was the portrayal of life as a non-conforming society individual that I found as compelling as I did heart-breaking. While Sandra’s life seems to have had love and joy in it, there also seemed to be a pervading sense of self-doubt, denial, and pain. It is the pain that lingered throughout the tale and made it a hard read. I have amazing respect for the journey and am grateful to have read this book. I highly recommend it but only wish that I had felt more joy in how Sandra’s life ultimately has turned out in the end.
So lastly . . .
Thank you St. Martin’s Press!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! Okay with a title like that how could I not be intrigued? Would this novella finally settle the grand debate once for all: octopi or octopuses? And what exactly does an octopus pirate look like?
I was intrigued. The story is set in the Victorian era wherein the pregnant wife of a ship's captain is washed overboard. Miraculously, the baby survives and is washed to the shore of a Scottish island. An elderly solitary nun named Mary discovers him and vows that he is a gift from God for her to raise. She loves young Coco despite his so-called deformities and they form a strong bond.
The set-up to the story and the early years detailing Coco's life on the island were the highlights of the story for me. Now don't get me wrong, Coco goes adventuring and joins the circus and starts to learn to become a pirate. Arrrr! But the simplicity of Coco's early years were me favorite part of the book. The relationship between Mary and Coco was heartening even fer this salty Captain.
Once Coco is forced to leave the island, we add in a larger cast of characters. Ye see the circus actually does have some magical talent. Whether it is a mermaid, a teleporter, or even Coco with his own burgeoning magical discoveries, life gets a little more complicated. Plots are hatched to travel back in time to fight as pirates. Plots are hatched to harm Coco.
The plot and motivations fer the whys and hows are very light. However awesome and fun Coco is, he is not really in charge of his destiny in this installment and luck seems to direct his path. Though the next book seems set-up for him to begin to truly stand on his own and I do believe I shall partake of that adventure.
And the octopus of the title? Coco's special relationship with octopuses needs to be read about and not spoiled. So if ye like octopi then nab a copy and tell me what ye think . . .
To see me other reviews check out https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I was intrigued. The story is set in the Victorian era wherein the pregnant wife of a ship's captain is washed overboard. Miraculously, the baby survives and is washed to the shore of a Scottish island. An elderly solitary nun named Mary discovers him and vows that he is a gift from God for her to raise. She loves young Coco despite his so-called deformities and they form a strong bond.
The set-up to the story and the early years detailing Coco's life on the island were the highlights of the story for me. Now don't get me wrong, Coco goes adventuring and joins the circus and starts to learn to become a pirate. Arrrr! But the simplicity of Coco's early years were me favorite part of the book. The relationship between Mary and Coco was heartening even fer this salty Captain.
Once Coco is forced to leave the island, we add in a larger cast of characters. Ye see the circus actually does have some magical talent. Whether it is a mermaid, a teleporter, or even Coco with his own burgeoning magical discoveries, life gets a little more complicated. Plots are hatched to travel back in time to fight as pirates. Plots are hatched to harm Coco.
The plot and motivations fer the whys and hows are very light. However awesome and fun Coco is, he is not really in charge of his destiny in this installment and luck seems to direct his path. Though the next book seems set-up for him to begin to truly stand on his own and I do believe I shall partake of that adventure.
And the octopus of the title? Coco's special relationship with octopuses needs to be read about and not spoiled. So if ye like octopi then nab a copy and tell me what ye think . . .
To see me other reviews check out https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
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Ahoy there me mateys! This novel is the fifth in the Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series written by one of me favorite authors. If ye have never read any books in this series, I suggest ye start with book one called Sabriel. If ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril.
The book is the fifth book in the series but the fourth in terms of chronology. I highly enjoyed revisiting the world of the Old Kingdom though this book is not me favorite in the series.
Side note: I can never make up me mind on whether Sabriel or Lirael is me favorite. I go back and forth every time I re-read one of them.
In any case, this book felt different then the other four. I believe it is because it is following several characters at once. The book tends to be split in the perspective of Lirael and Nick on one hand and then Ferin on the other. While the other books do sometimes change perspectives, they usually centered on the title character.
I adored Ferin. She is a new introduction to the series and she rocks. I loved pretty much everything about her – how we meet her, what her upbringing was like, her viewpoint on the world, and above all, her spunk. I wouldn’t mind having a whole book just about about her and what happens next..
I enjoyed seeing Lirael again but did not enjoy the development of her relationship with Nick that much. Now don’t get me wrong. I liked getting resolution on things hinted at in book three but I wanted to get back to the main plot and the action.
At usual, I loved everything that dealt with Death and the bells. That is one of the concepts I found to be so satisfying way back when in book one. I continue to love the Charter marks. And the entire Old Kingdom in general.
The only thing I would have preferred is a more linear story line than switching back and forth. However, that might mean removing Ferin and that would break me stony heart.
So I continue to adore Garth Nix and will continue to read everything he will write in the future. If ye haven’t read anything by this author then pick up the first book of this series. One of me best mates borrowed the beginning trilogy and loved it so much I gave her me copies as a gift and bought me another set. They are that good.
If ye liked this review, check out me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
The book is the fifth book in the series but the fourth in terms of chronology. I highly enjoyed revisiting the world of the Old Kingdom though this book is not me favorite in the series.
Side note: I can never make up me mind on whether Sabriel or Lirael is me favorite. I go back and forth every time I re-read one of them.
In any case, this book felt different then the other four. I believe it is because it is following several characters at once. The book tends to be split in the perspective of Lirael and Nick on one hand and then Ferin on the other. While the other books do sometimes change perspectives, they usually centered on the title character.
I adored Ferin. She is a new introduction to the series and she rocks. I loved pretty much everything about her – how we meet her, what her upbringing was like, her viewpoint on the world, and above all, her spunk. I wouldn’t mind having a whole book just about about her and what happens next..
I enjoyed seeing Lirael again but did not enjoy the development of her relationship with Nick that much. Now don’t get me wrong. I liked getting resolution on things hinted at in book three but I wanted to get back to the main plot and the action.
At usual, I loved everything that dealt with Death and the bells. That is one of the concepts I found to be so satisfying way back when in book one. I continue to love the Charter marks. And the entire Old Kingdom in general.
The only thing I would have preferred is a more linear story line than switching back and forth. However, that might mean removing Ferin and that would break me stony heart.
So I continue to adore Garth Nix and will continue to read everything he will write in the future. If ye haven’t read anything by this author then pick up the first book of this series. One of me best mates borrowed the beginning trilogy and loved it so much I gave her me copies as a gift and bought me another set. They are that good.
If ye liked this review, check out me others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! This was the absolute perfect read for the last book of 2017. I was first introduced to this author with his book afterparty. That book was a sci-fi dealing with illicit drug use which I found to be fun, thought-provoking, and twisty. Those same adjectives could also be used to describe this one. This book kinda reminded me of a prayer for owen meany, only a lot less sad.
This book follows the Telemachus family who have paranormal abilities. The family is zany and endearing. Seriously I would write more but I have been beaten to the punch by me crew who frankly explains this one better than I ever could.
So check out this review by Mogsy @ thebibliosanctum for an excellent take on this novel!
https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/07/03/review-spoonbenders-by-daryl-gregory/
See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
This book follows the Telemachus family who have paranormal abilities. The family is zany and endearing. Seriously I would write more but I have been beaten to the punch by me crew who frankly explains this one better than I ever could.
So check out this review by Mogsy @ thebibliosanctum for an excellent take on this novel!
https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/07/03/review-spoonbenders-by-daryl-gregory/
See me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! This book was described as being in the spirit of station eleven but with ticks. Being as I love me some dystopian fiction I gave this one a shot.
So in this version of Earth, ticks have become a menace that is so bad that most humans live in zones beyond controlled wastelands (the salt line) and walls that keep them sequestered and safe from the natural world. The difference in this book is that a lot of the outside world is still beautiful. So there are very rich adventure seekers that pay vast sums of money to go on death-defying adventures to see fall foliage or the mountains etc. But beware if a tick bites, they only have a very limited time to burn them out of their skin or risk serving as an incubator for tick eggs - usually with fatal results.
The strength of the novel lies in the characterizations and in the overlaying ideas of the adventure-seekers. Each member of the expedition has interesting reasons for venturing beyond the salt line. In particular the relationship between Marta and Wes was very much a favourite. Edie and Violet were two other beloved characters. I also thought the ticks and their impact on society were well through out and portrayed.
The main problem I had with the book was with the politics of the outer-zone survivors who take the adventurers hostage. Once the hostages reach the village and are trapped, the books plot went downhill for me. The outcomes were a little predicable and the politics were rather simplistic. The pacing slowed down. I continued to read because of the characters but was overall unsatisfied with the ending. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the read. I just didn't think it was amazing. But the characters and ideas are worth reading this novel and who know ye may love it more than I did.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
So in this version of Earth, ticks have become a menace that is so bad that most humans live in zones beyond controlled wastelands (the salt line) and walls that keep them sequestered and safe from the natural world. The difference in this book is that a lot of the outside world is still beautiful. So there are very rich adventure seekers that pay vast sums of money to go on death-defying adventures to see fall foliage or the mountains etc. But beware if a tick bites, they only have a very limited time to burn them out of their skin or risk serving as an incubator for tick eggs - usually with fatal results.
The strength of the novel lies in the characterizations and in the overlaying ideas of the adventure-seekers. Each member of the expedition has interesting reasons for venturing beyond the salt line. In particular the relationship between Marta and Wes was very much a favourite. Edie and Violet were two other beloved characters. I also thought the ticks and their impact on society were well through out and portrayed.
The main problem I had with the book was with the politics of the outer-zone survivors who take the adventurers hostage. Once the hostages reach the village and are trapped, the books plot went downhill for me. The outcomes were a little predicable and the politics were rather simplistic. The pacing slowed down. I continued to read because of the characters but was overall unsatisfied with the ending. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the read. I just didn't think it was amazing. But the characters and ideas are worth reading this novel and who know ye may love it more than I did.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
Ah the beautiful cover with both dragons and ships lured me in. Arrrr! The author, Naomi Novik, hooked me and had me super excited to read this collection of stories revisiting the dragon, Temeraire and his world. This collection did not disappoint. It contains 6 stories and 26 drabbles. What is a drabble? I’ll get to that . . .
“Volly’s Cow”
This is a very short story about Temeraire trying to obtain the vote of Volly. I am not quite clear on the whole voting plotline as I have yet to finish the whole Temeraire series but of course I like silly Volly and the story did entertain.
“Planting Season”
This story showcases John Wampanoag, an enterprising dragon trader. Apparently he shows up later in the Temeraire books. All I know is that this story was one of the highlights for me. This is a colonial-era story with John’s navigation of both Native American and European factions. Short yet sweet.
“Dawn of Battle”
This story involves Jane Roland before the Battle of the Nile and the destruction of L’Orient. Jane is a young captain trying to exert her influence on her male crew. I adored her relationship with Excidium. It is amazing that this story took place before the action of the battle and yet was exciting in its own right.
“Golden Age”
This fabulous story is a re-imaging of how Temeraire and Laurence meet. Temeraire, called Celeste in this incarnation, is washed up on the shore of a seemingly deserted island. The first part of the story is told from Celeste’s point of view about how he develops and what occurs on this island. The second half is from Laurence’s point of view. From battles at sea to fights with kraken to the burgeoning friendship of man and dragon, this one was a pure delight.
“Succession”
A lovely story that takes place in China and tells the story of Temeraire’s inception and the start to how his egg ends up meeting Laurence. I loved the viewpoint of Qian and her viewpoint of the Chinese politics. It shows such a different dragon culture from the European fighting forces centered one.
“Dragons and Decorum”
A Pride and Prejudice retelling with Elizabeth Bennett as a Captain with her own dragon. Amazing. ‘Nuff said.
“Drabbles”
Apparently a drabble according to the author is “a story of 100 words – and while there are many debates on how strictly this limit should be observed, for purposes of this collection I have kept to the exact number.” The collection contains 26 of them. These snippets were very interesting and well written but overall just left me wanting them to be longer. Perhaps these will be turned into longer stories in the future. Mulan with dragons anyone? Yes please.
While I enjoyed this collection immensely, there was one flaw of the kindle edition – the artwork. It was black and white which I did not mind for the historical feel of it. But each image was so small and several were missing altogether. I wish the art could have been enlarged when clicking on it so I could have seen the full details. I am assuming that the hardback will have no such problems of course. So if ye like dragons in general and Temeraire specifically, then pick this collection up!
Side note: the author’s website has larger versions of the artwork on it! Hooray! Reading by Amy Thompson is me favorite with Dragons in a Winter Clearing by Stephanie Mendoza being a close second. Okay but the cover art by Sandara Tang is awesome. That much wonderful dragon art . . . can’t complain. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Subterranean Press!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ah the beautiful cover with both dragons and ships lured me in. Arrrr! The author, Naomi Novik, hooked me and had me super excited to read this collection of stories revisiting the dragon, Temeraire and his world. This collection did not disappoint. It contains 6 stories and 26 drabbles. What is a drabble? I’ll get to that . . .
“Volly’s Cow”
This is a very short story about Temeraire trying to obtain the vote of Volly. I am not quite clear on the whole voting plotline as I have yet to finish the whole Temeraire series but of course I like silly Volly and the story did entertain.
“Planting Season”
This story showcases John Wampanoag, an enterprising dragon trader. Apparently he shows up later in the Temeraire books. All I know is that this story was one of the highlights for me. This is a colonial-era story with John’s navigation of both Native American and European factions. Short yet sweet.
“Dawn of Battle”
This story involves Jane Roland before the Battle of the Nile and the destruction of L’Orient. Jane is a young captain trying to exert her influence on her male crew. I adored her relationship with Excidium. It is amazing that this story took place before the action of the battle and yet was exciting in its own right.
“Golden Age”
This fabulous story is a re-imaging of how Temeraire and Laurence meet. Temeraire, called Celeste in this incarnation, is washed up on the shore of a seemingly deserted island. The first part of the story is told from Celeste’s point of view about how he develops and what occurs on this island. The second half is from Laurence’s point of view. From battles at sea to fights with kraken to the burgeoning friendship of man and dragon, this one was a pure delight.
“Succession”
A lovely story that takes place in China and tells the story of Temeraire’s inception and the start to how his egg ends up meeting Laurence. I loved the viewpoint of Qian and her viewpoint of the Chinese politics. It shows such a different dragon culture from the European fighting forces centered one.
“Dragons and Decorum”
A Pride and Prejudice retelling with Elizabeth Bennett as a Captain with her own dragon. Amazing. ‘Nuff said.
“Drabbles”
Apparently a drabble according to the author is “a story of 100 words – and while there are many debates on how strictly this limit should be observed, for purposes of this collection I have kept to the exact number.” The collection contains 26 of them. These snippets were very interesting and well written but overall just left me wanting them to be longer. Perhaps these will be turned into longer stories in the future. Mulan with dragons anyone? Yes please.
While I enjoyed this collection immensely, there was one flaw of the kindle edition – the artwork. It was black and white which I did not mind for the historical feel of it. But each image was so small and several were missing altogether. I wish the art could have been enlarged when clicking on it so I could have seen the full details. I am assuming that the hardback will have no such problems of course. So if ye like dragons in general and Temeraire specifically, then pick this collection up!
Side note: the author’s website has larger versions of the artwork on it! Hooray! Reading by Amy Thompson is me favorite with Dragons in a Winter Clearing by Stephanie Mendoza being a close second. Okay but the cover art by Sandara Tang is awesome. That much wonderful dragon art . . . can’t complain. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Subterranean Press!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! While drawin’ up me lists of 2016 for me log, I realized a curious thing – out of 134 books read, not a single one was a re-read. In me enthusiasm of discovery and taking suggestions from me crew, I did not revisit a single old port for plunder! And part of what I love about readin’ is re-visitin’ old friends. So I decided to remedy that and thus created me new category where I take a second look at a previously enjoyed novel and give me crew me second reflections, as it were, upon visitin’ it again . . .
I wanted a light read of something I knew I loved so I could just savor part of me weekend. This was absolutely perfect. I don’t know when I first discovered this novel as it was certainly way before this current log but I am glad to have revisited this old friend.
This is definitely one to recommend to me crew. The story involves a young plucky intelligent orphan who helps run Kazam which is an agency of magicians. Of course she is not supposed to be in charge but her boss disappeared! She is trying to hold down the fort but of course everything is going wrong.
Now ye think of magic and it sounds awesome. Well magic has been fading from the land and people hire magicians to do unexciting things like deliver pizza via magic carpet. The magicians are poor and struggling. This aspect of the world-building is absolutely awesome. I love how the magic works (or doesn’t) and how it is used. In fact the overall world-building is an absolute delight.
The story itself is whimsical and funny and clever and absurd. Jennifer is an excellent main character who of course is intelligent, honorable, snarky, practical, and awesome. The other characters are almost as wonderful. I want a Quarkbeast . . . I think.
It sort of has a similar feel of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles so if ye liked those then pick this up. Actually if ye haven’t read those books then do yerself a favor and get that series and this one. Ye won’t regret it.
Side note: Apparently book three has been out since 2015 and I never knew. I now know what me next two reads are going to be! Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I wanted a light read of something I knew I loved so I could just savor part of me weekend. This was absolutely perfect. I don’t know when I first discovered this novel as it was certainly way before this current log but I am glad to have revisited this old friend.
This is definitely one to recommend to me crew. The story involves a young plucky intelligent orphan who helps run Kazam which is an agency of magicians. Of course she is not supposed to be in charge but her boss disappeared! She is trying to hold down the fort but of course everything is going wrong.
Now ye think of magic and it sounds awesome. Well magic has been fading from the land and people hire magicians to do unexciting things like deliver pizza via magic carpet. The magicians are poor and struggling. This aspect of the world-building is absolutely awesome. I love how the magic works (or doesn’t) and how it is used. In fact the overall world-building is an absolute delight.
The story itself is whimsical and funny and clever and absurd. Jennifer is an excellent main character who of course is intelligent, honorable, snarky, practical, and awesome. The other characters are almost as wonderful. I want a Quarkbeast . . . I think.
It sort of has a similar feel of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles so if ye liked those then pick this up. Actually if ye haven’t read those books then do yerself a favor and get that series and this one. Ye won’t regret it.
Side note: Apparently book three has been out since 2015 and I never knew. I now know what me next two reads are going to be! Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! Yesterday I shared me second reflections of the last dragonslayer and discovered there was a book three in the series that I haven't read! So I decided to remedy that. But of course that meant taking a second look at book two first and giving me crew me second reflections, as it were, upon visitin' it again . . .
This be a fun second foray into the Ununited Kingdoms. Magic is on the rise but there be a fight to see who will control it. And what better way to come up with a winner then a duel! In this case it is Jennifer and the Kazam agency versus their competition, the iMagic agency. There is a bridge that needs to be repaired and each has a half of it to fix. Whoever finishes their part of the bridge first wins? Easy right?
Well maybe not when yer magicians keep disappearing, a quarkbeast is on the run, and silly politics are getting in the way. This was filled with more delightful shenanigans, quirky characters, and absolutely silly situations. I loved to see Jennifer back in action.
While I do think book one is the stronger book, this is still fun if not quite as good. It is just fluffy fun with no bigger purpose. But I enjoyed it and want more. Onto book three! Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
This be a fun second foray into the Ununited Kingdoms. Magic is on the rise but there be a fight to see who will control it. And what better way to come up with a winner then a duel! In this case it is Jennifer and the Kazam agency versus their competition, the iMagic agency. There is a bridge that needs to be repaired and each has a half of it to fix. Whoever finishes their part of the bridge first wins? Easy right?
Well maybe not when yer magicians keep disappearing, a quarkbeast is on the run, and silly politics are getting in the way. This was filled with more delightful shenanigans, quirky characters, and absolutely silly situations. I loved to see Jennifer back in action.
While I do think book one is the stronger book, this is still fun if not quite as good. It is just fluffy fun with no bigger purpose. But I enjoyed it and want more. Onto book three! Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/