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thecaptainsquarters
Ahoy there mateys! I just finished ghost wall and didn't know that book was by this author. I tried to read this memoir before I went to Iceland and found it rather boring. The beginning talks about the author's summer trip to the country when she was 19 before getting into her time living there. I didn't even make it past that summer portion. I returned the book to the library with the intention of never picking it up again. Now that I have read ghost wall (still pondering), she does seem to have an odd writing style that might not be for me. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there mateys! This be me ninth book in me 19 in 2019 list! So this was the novel that started me foray into the series even though I read it second. It won the Nebula, Locus, and Hugo awards in 2004. When I set out to read it, I didn’t know it was a book two. I am glad I read Chalion first as this book is set three years after that one and features a prior side character. Ye can read this first though there will be spoilers for the first book. I would suggest reading them in publishing order. The main character in this one is a forty-year old noblewoman, Ista, with an atrocious past. This book certainly had more magic than the first book. That was the highlight of this book for me. Well that and watching a woman finally coming into her own power. As Ista grows more self-assured, she begins to allow her true personality shine. I absolutely loved Ista’s burgeoning humor and insight. Also I loved a side character named Liss. This book seemed more action-filled then the first and had a different tone. There also be some great twists. I thought the plot was fantastic and the ending was wonderful. It really was a great second novel.
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Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there mateys! This is the third book in publishing order and yet the first in terms of chronology. Though the book is set in the same world, it has a completely different set of characters from the first two. There still are the Five Gods in this book but there is also other (older?) magic in the form of shape-shifters. It was compelling and yet odd at the same time. The romance also takes a bit more of center stage in this one. That’s not a judgment though, just a fact. In this book, a young woman is charged with murdering the next-in-line for the throne. It was self-defense but no one cares about that. Ingrey is charged to take the body and the accused back to the capital. He is the only one who seems to care about the truth of the prince’s death. But the circumstances of the journey are far-reaching. The ending of this book was immensely satisfying and yet something was lacking in this tale overall. I think the story was compelling but I didn’t really fall in love with the main characters. But the writing is lovely and I do be glad I read it. Plus there be pirates and an ice bear! Arrrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This book was a very fast read with a bit of an agenda against big business and guns. The setting is in a company called "Cloud" which is basically a stand-in for Amazon. So what happens when Amazon takes over the world? This book is an excellent look at a very negative future where this occurs.
In this story ye follow two folks. Paxton was a small business owner until Amazon . . . I mean the Cloud . . . forced him out because he couldn't compete with the pricing and contracts. And then, with limited options, Paxton has no real choice but to take a job with said Cloud. He goes in with the hope of getting some kind of revenge. Only he has no idea what kind or even how to go about it.
Zinna is focused, driven, and on a mission. Money is at stake and so she is determined to get into Cloud, finish her task, and get back out again. But success is more elusive than she would like. She discovers that Paxton may be the key to accomplishing her goal. But both Paxton and Zinna find that their time within the Cloud and with each other starts to change the way they view the world and their places in it.
The Cloud itself was kinda fascinating. The company is set up to be a utopia. Employees live, work, and play in one complex. It was designed to "save America" and be geared towards worker's rights. Only, like in most utopias, human greed, sloth, and apathy get in the way.
Both the systems in place and how they are failing were interestingly juxtaposed. Part of this was in the employee structure. Zinnia finds herself in one of the lowest positions, a picker responsible for putting ordered goods on the correct conveyor. Paxton finds himself in security and in the midst of bureaucratic politics and power struggles. Neither wants the roles they have been given. I absolutely loved following their thoughts, daily struggles, and shifts in emotions towards the Cloud and each other.
The utopian ideals are wonderfully portrayed in the form of blog entries from the dying company founder. Interspersed within the overall plot structure, these musings helped cement and articulate both the brilliant veneer and the seedy reality. This only furthers the absurdity and desperation of this version of future America.
I really did find this book to be a fun and slightly alarming look in the potential future of big business. The negative for me was the last several chapters of how Zinna's mission resolves and the subplot of revolt. Neither of these elements worked in terms of plot resolution. It felt too Hollywood in its ending and I would have preferred a much more nuanced take. The ending in particular fell completely flat. For all of me dislike of the end of the book, the concepts, characters, and Cloud made it totally worth reading.
And for the record, I love Amazon. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Crown Publishing!
This book was a very fast read with a bit of an agenda against big business and guns. The setting is in a company called "Cloud" which is basically a stand-in for Amazon. So what happens when Amazon takes over the world? This book is an excellent look at a very negative future where this occurs.
In this story ye follow two folks. Paxton was a small business owner until Amazon . . . I mean the Cloud . . . forced him out because he couldn't compete with the pricing and contracts. And then, with limited options, Paxton has no real choice but to take a job with said Cloud. He goes in with the hope of getting some kind of revenge. Only he has no idea what kind or even how to go about it.
Zinna is focused, driven, and on a mission. Money is at stake and so she is determined to get into Cloud, finish her task, and get back out again. But success is more elusive than she would like. She discovers that Paxton may be the key to accomplishing her goal. But both Paxton and Zinna find that their time within the Cloud and with each other starts to change the way they view the world and their places in it.
The Cloud itself was kinda fascinating. The company is set up to be a utopia. Employees live, work, and play in one complex. It was designed to "save America" and be geared towards worker's rights. Only, like in most utopias, human greed, sloth, and apathy get in the way.
Both the systems in place and how they are failing were interestingly juxtaposed. Part of this was in the employee structure. Zinnia finds herself in one of the lowest positions, a picker responsible for putting ordered goods on the correct conveyor. Paxton finds himself in security and in the midst of bureaucratic politics and power struggles. Neither wants the roles they have been given. I absolutely loved following their thoughts, daily struggles, and shifts in emotions towards the Cloud and each other.
The utopian ideals are wonderfully portrayed in the form of blog entries from the dying company founder. Interspersed within the overall plot structure, these musings helped cement and articulate both the brilliant veneer and the seedy reality. This only furthers the absurdity and desperation of this version of future America.
I really did find this book to be a fun and slightly alarming look in the potential future of big business. The negative for me was the last several chapters of how Zinna's mission resolves and the subplot of revolt. Neither of these elements worked in terms of plot resolution. It felt too Hollywood in its ending and I would have preferred a much more nuanced take. The ending in particular fell completely flat. For all of me dislike of the end of the book, the concepts, characters, and Cloud made it totally worth reading.
And for the record, I love Amazon. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Crown Publishing!
Ahoy there mateys! Many of the crew were following the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019. I never knew much about it and had tons of fun following the posts on the subject. That is where I learned about this book. I wish I could remember who convinced me to pick it up but sadly that particular note was washed overboard.
What interested me in this story was the idea of a family who chose to go on a vacation with an “experimental archeology” class where participants spend their time as though they are living in the Iron Age. Silvie is a teenager whose dad is the one obsessed with that era. While her father has been training her for Iron Age survival all her life, Silvie longs to be like other normal teens and experience modernity. But this trip is her father’s dream come to life and he is determined to experience it to the fullest.
I found this short novel (152 pgs.) to be both odd and enjoyable. Part of this be the writing style. The author has little to no punctuation, no dialogue indicators, and long paragraph formatting. So it took me a moment to understand what was going on. Overall, I wasn’t quite sure if this hurt or enhanced the story.
The Iron Age components of the book were the best part for me. One of the elements of this story deals with bog bodies. Wikipedia has a list of discovered bog bodies that be fascinating. Many of these bodies ended up in the bog via ritual sacrifice. The other element is that of the ghost wall. It be a wall where the heads of the ancestors are on posts at the top as a sort of mystical protection system. There is no real archeological evidence for a ghost wall only one fourth-hand account. The author decided to use one anyway. The wall is rather weird but interesting. And of course completely useless.
Much of the novel deals with the juxtaposition of modern folk playing at being primitive and with gender stereotyping. The college professor in charge likes the idea of pretending to be an Iron Age expert but has no practical knowledge. Both students and teacher occasionally sneak to the village to eat due to their abysmal foraging skills. For them the trip is a lark with no real stakes. For Silvie’s father, this is his chance to feel like it be life and death. And herein lies the problem.
Because Silvie’s father wants this experience to be authentic. He is the alpha male who hunts and preens when the other men praise his skills. Finally he can be in his rightful element with the professor and boys. The women are left to cook, forage, and do as they were told. Silvie and her mother are used to the father’s abuse and need to subjugate. However there is a female college student named Molly who has common sense and a no nonsense attitude. She is portrayed as the foil to the father. Molly existence also helps Silvie to see what life can be like outside of her father’s house.
This book is full of abuse and power issues. For such a short book, the author does a great job of letting the reader understand Silvie’s problems and family history in a concise fashion. The book is really portrayed from Silvie’s viewpoint so there be an odd mix of Silvie’s strength of naturalist knowledge marked against her lack of mental and physical power when it comes to her father and dealing with social situations.
It is the abuse angle that made this a less than fantastic read. This was not because it was too graphic or unrealistic. It just seemed so cliché in how it was used in the story and particularly in the ending. It overwhelmed the other interesting issues and concepts for me. It wasn’t bad per se but I would have preferred for Silvie to have more personal agency in the end instead of a rescue. And I didn’t like how the rituals were used in this book either. I personally felt that the story went down several very predictable paths. Molly could have been a much better catalyst then she was.
In doing research after finishing the book, there were lots of articles explaining that ghost wall is a parable for Brexit. I didn’t get that while reading but found the concept and article interesting. I so don’t analyze and deconstruct me books in the way the linked article did. Also here is an interview with the author discussing these issues. So while the book was only an okay read immediately after finishing, I did find the subsequent discussion, research, and concepts behind the book to be fascinating. No regrets and worth the read. Arrrr!
Side note: Besides the Women’s Prize, this book was also nominated for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize Longlist (2019). This “annual award of £10,000 for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place.” I didn’t really get a sense of the spirit of the place while reading this. Also this author’s non-fiction memoir about Iceland was nominated for the same prize. I didn’t know the same person wrote it until writing this review and previously abandoned ship on that one. But the judges seem to love her work.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
What interested me in this story was the idea of a family who chose to go on a vacation with an “experimental archeology” class where participants spend their time as though they are living in the Iron Age. Silvie is a teenager whose dad is the one obsessed with that era. While her father has been training her for Iron Age survival all her life, Silvie longs to be like other normal teens and experience modernity. But this trip is her father’s dream come to life and he is determined to experience it to the fullest.
I found this short novel (152 pgs.) to be both odd and enjoyable. Part of this be the writing style. The author has little to no punctuation, no dialogue indicators, and long paragraph formatting. So it took me a moment to understand what was going on. Overall, I wasn’t quite sure if this hurt or enhanced the story.
The Iron Age components of the book were the best part for me. One of the elements of this story deals with bog bodies. Wikipedia has a list of discovered bog bodies that be fascinating. Many of these bodies ended up in the bog via ritual sacrifice. The other element is that of the ghost wall. It be a wall where the heads of the ancestors are on posts at the top as a sort of mystical protection system. There is no real archeological evidence for a ghost wall only one fourth-hand account. The author decided to use one anyway. The wall is rather weird but interesting. And of course completely useless.
Much of the novel deals with the juxtaposition of modern folk playing at being primitive and with gender stereotyping. The college professor in charge likes the idea of pretending to be an Iron Age expert but has no practical knowledge. Both students and teacher occasionally sneak to the village to eat due to their abysmal foraging skills. For them the trip is a lark with no real stakes. For Silvie’s father, this is his chance to feel like it be life and death. And herein lies the problem.
Because Silvie’s father wants this experience to be authentic. He is the alpha male who hunts and preens when the other men praise his skills. Finally he can be in his rightful element with the professor and boys. The women are left to cook, forage, and do as they were told. Silvie and her mother are used to the father’s abuse and need to subjugate. However there is a female college student named Molly who has common sense and a no nonsense attitude. She is portrayed as the foil to the father. Molly existence also helps Silvie to see what life can be like outside of her father’s house.
This book is full of abuse and power issues. For such a short book, the author does a great job of letting the reader understand Silvie’s problems and family history in a concise fashion. The book is really portrayed from Silvie’s viewpoint so there be an odd mix of Silvie’s strength of naturalist knowledge marked against her lack of mental and physical power when it comes to her father and dealing with social situations.
It is the abuse angle that made this a less than fantastic read. This was not because it was too graphic or unrealistic. It just seemed so cliché in how it was used in the story and particularly in the ending. It overwhelmed the other interesting issues and concepts for me. It wasn’t bad per se but I would have preferred for Silvie to have more personal agency in the end instead of a rescue. And I didn’t like how the rituals were used in this book either. I personally felt that the story went down several very predictable paths. Molly could have been a much better catalyst then she was.
In doing research after finishing the book, there were lots of articles explaining that ghost wall is a parable for Brexit. I didn’t get that while reading but found the concept and article interesting. I so don’t analyze and deconstruct me books in the way the linked article did. Also here is an interview with the author discussing these issues. So while the book was only an okay read immediately after finishing, I did find the subsequent discussion, research, and concepts behind the book to be fascinating. No regrets and worth the read. Arrrr!
Side note: Besides the Women’s Prize, this book was also nominated for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize Longlist (2019). This “annual award of £10,000 for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place.” I didn’t really get a sense of the spirit of the place while reading this. Also this author’s non-fiction memoir about Iceland was nominated for the same prize. I didn’t know the same person wrote it until writing this review and previously abandoned ship on that one. But the judges seem to love her work.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I picked up this book because it was described as being like the road (loved) or station eleven (one of the best books ever!) but set in Ireland with zombies and a feminist bent. Sadly I only made it to the 20% mark before giving up on this completely.
I couldn't connect with the main character, Orpen, at all. I thought that Orpen dragging her sick companion around in a wheelbarrow was silly and should have led to her death multiple times during the brief portion of the book that I read. The dog companion was pointless to the plot and basically did nothing useful either.
Even though the setting is Ireland, there was nothing in the story to evoke a feeling of that country. It could have been set anywhere else with little change to the story. I also did not like the first-person narration style or the use of flashbacks for the history of the characters. The flashbacks were jarring.
Then there be the skrakes i.e. zombies. These are super fast zombies that roam in packs and can seemingly track deer by scent. But somehow Orpen manages to only encounter them one on one and dispatch them with some unrealistic hand-to-hand fighting and a couple of knives. Plus of the two she fought in the 20%, one was a small zombie and the other was crippled which helped lead to her victory. That was lucky given that the author reiterates multiple times how much weaker the trek is making Orpen. With the defeat of the second zombie came the realization that this book was not to me taste at all.
Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar and rather formulaic. Check it out and see if ye be on the side of yer Captain or with the crew.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Flatiron Books!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I picked up this book because it was described as being like the road (loved) or station eleven (one of the best books ever!) but set in Ireland with zombies and a feminist bent. Sadly I only made it to the 20% mark before giving up on this completely.
I couldn't connect with the main character, Orpen, at all. I thought that Orpen dragging her sick companion around in a wheelbarrow was silly and should have led to her death multiple times during the brief portion of the book that I read. The dog companion was pointless to the plot and basically did nothing useful either.
Even though the setting is Ireland, there was nothing in the story to evoke a feeling of that country. It could have been set anywhere else with little change to the story. I also did not like the first-person narration style or the use of flashbacks for the history of the characters. The flashbacks were jarring.
Then there be the skrakes i.e. zombies. These are super fast zombies that roam in packs and can seemingly track deer by scent. But somehow Orpen manages to only encounter them one on one and dispatch them with some unrealistic hand-to-hand fighting and a couple of knives. Plus of the two she fought in the 20%, one was a small zombie and the other was crippled which helped lead to her victory. That was lucky given that the author reiterates multiple times how much weaker the trek is making Orpen. With the defeat of the second zombie came the realization that this book was not to me taste at all.
Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar and rather formulaic. Check it out and see if ye be on the side of yer Captain or with the crew.
So lastly . . .
Thank you Flatiron Books!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy novella eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, isle of blood and stone, and was very excited to get a copy of this companion novel. And I loved it! I read this in one sitting and was completely immersed in the story. The highlights of this one included:
The world-building - Seriously I loved getting more information about del Mar and the other surrounding countries. I still absolutely love del Mar's culture of exploration and the sea. I still love the function of maps in the society.
The main character - I loved that this was the story of Reyna who we met in book one when she was nine. She has grown up and has spunk and tenacity. Hooray for woman power and challenging the status quo. Arrrr!
Visiting old friends - I loved getting insights into how character's lives from the first book unfolded. They were certainly not the focus but I those tidbits I did get made me smile.
The tone - Like the first, this book is marketed as a young adult but can certainly be read by all ages.
The plot - this starts out with a lot of action and doesn't stop. It was great that lots of women were the focus of the story. I did like the romance in this one too and was glad that, like in the first book, the romance was not the focus. Instead the focus was were it should have been - on saving their friends. I also liked how the characters worked together and needed each other's talents to save the day.
The bad guys - The main bad guy in this book was a lot less cookie-cutter than in the previous book. He at least had motivations.
The ending - Some unexpected things happened at the end of this book and it made me happy. I loved it!
There were a few downsides to this book. I could have used more insight into the secondary characters. I especially wanted more about Blaise cause she was awesome. I would have loved more answers about the fantasy creatures introduced in this book. And I also would have liked more insight into the culture and politics of the countries outside of del Mar. That said, I did love what I got.
This companion book is the last in the series according to the author's Goodreads page. But I have to admit that I hope she writes another story set in this lovely world. Besides the ending of the novel hints at another potential mystery. Aye, more please! If ye haven't read this series, then I highly recommend it. Arrrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
I absolutely loved the first book in this series, isle of blood and stone, and was very excited to get a copy of this companion novel. And I loved it! I read this in one sitting and was completely immersed in the story. The highlights of this one included:
The world-building - Seriously I loved getting more information about del Mar and the other surrounding countries. I still absolutely love del Mar's culture of exploration and the sea. I still love the function of maps in the society.
The main character - I loved that this was the story of Reyna who we met in book one when she was nine. She has grown up and has spunk and tenacity. Hooray for woman power and challenging the status quo. Arrrr!
Visiting old friends - I loved getting insights into how character's lives from the first book unfolded. They were certainly not the focus but I those tidbits I did get made me smile.
The tone - Like the first, this book is marketed as a young adult but can certainly be read by all ages.
The plot - this starts out with a lot of action and doesn't stop. It was great that lots of women were the focus of the story. I did like the romance in this one too and was glad that, like in the first book, the romance was not the focus. Instead the focus was were it should have been - on saving their friends. I also liked how the characters worked together and needed each other's talents to save the day.
The bad guys - The main bad guy in this book was a lot less cookie-cutter than in the previous book. He at least had motivations.
The ending - Some unexpected things happened at the end of this book and it made me happy. I loved it!
There were a few downsides to this book. I could have used more insight into the secondary characters. I especially wanted more about Blaise cause she was awesome. I would have loved more answers about the fantasy creatures introduced in this book. And I also would have liked more insight into the culture and politics of the countries outside of del Mar. That said, I did love what I got.
This companion book is the last in the series according to the author's Goodreads page. But I have to admit that I hope she writes another story set in this lovely world. Besides the ending of the novel hints at another potential mystery. Aye, more please! If ye haven't read this series, then I highly recommend it. Arrrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/