Tag Archives: brandon Sanderson

Still In Love 2012

booksI know. You have already heard me gushing twice over about awesome books I read this year (Loudest Reading and New Book Loves). Well, I just couldn’t leave these favorites out. Below are some very worthy books by authors I discovered some time ago and who continue to entertain me, make me cry, make me feel like a real person. I hope you have such authors in your life.

I don't know about you, but Chupa's head looks like some whacked optical illusion in this photo.

I don’t know about you, but Chupa’s head looks like some whacked optical illusion in this photo.

After rereading Ender’s Game, I went on to further explore the Enderverse with Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. This book was so powerfully moving for me on several levels: the clash of cultures, the loss of family and friends, the rebuilding of ties by washing away the lies. I then went out of publication order and listened to Ender’s Shadow, which is basically Ender’s Game retold through the eyes of Bean. It also shares Bean’s back story. Earth Unaware by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston is the first in a new series with no punches pulled. If you want to know how the Bugger Wars started, this is an excellent book to pick up and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Heldig, on one of her hyper days.

Heldig, on one of her hyper days.

I have cite Jim Butcher and Ghost Story and Cold Days of The Dresden Files as my favorite urban fantasies of the year. It was sooooo important for me to read Ghost Story back in January as beloved Harry Dresden was left in great peril at the end of the previous book (Changes). I had to know what happened with him and his friends, and his enemies. With one conundrum solved, we are left with another, hence the preordering of Ghost Story which came out at the end of November. This is an excellent series if you haven’t tried it; start with Storm Front.

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson gets my best epic fantasy read of the year. Dark and darker, hints and mist for the heroes to navigate, and a kick-ass heroine. Need I say more? Mistborn: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages

Snuggly Waffles on clean sheets with a good book.

Snuggly Waffles on clean sheets with a good book.

Three spiritwalkers become entangled in Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee. In a world of seven dieties, an expanding culture clashes with Sjenn of the far north and the warrior tribes of greener pastures. This book took all my attention as I sank into it with each reading. Lowachee forces you to think from another person’s point of view with her writing and I eagerly await her next book.

Rate My Squeamishness

The Roasted Squash Seed Rating System

Rating systems make me squeamish. You see them everywhere – Amazon, Goodreads, movie review sites, etc. Specifically, the ones on book review sites make me squirm a bit.

False Sense of Reality in Rating Systems

  • My reading tastes do not equal everyone else’s reading tastes
  • Folks sometimes poopoo a book because a favorite character died and not because of technical flaws
  • Folks rate the book without reading it
  • Naughty folks on purposely rate a book high as a favor to the author or in exchange for similar favor
  • Some readers are just idiots and don’t realize that Simon Green is the epitome of Space Opera

How do I know that my 5 stars on Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson means the same thing to everyone? I also give 5 stars to the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett and to Bonk by Mary Roach. These are all very different books, yet they do what I expect of them to the highest quality (dark epic fantasy, twisted humor, investigative journalism nonfiction). I have no qualms at all giving these books 5 stars, but what does that mean to other folks?

I love Terry Pratchett’s work, but can’t seem to get into Piers Anthony – yet both authors have long-running series (Discworld and Xanth) in the same field and are held up as classics of that genre. I don’t read a whole lot of humor fantasy because I often find it full of cliches and one book after another can get to be redundant. I’m more of a dark fantasy or series scifi nut, yet I do happen to like Pratchett.

Even within an author’s repertoire you can have a variety of ratings by one person. For instance, Pillars of the Earth and World without End by Ken Follett are two of my favorite historical fiction novels of all time. Follett’s other books, like Whiteout and Hammer of Eden, are great for modern-day thriller/action fiction but I wouldn’t put 5 stars on them because I know he has more to give. Yet, if I had not read his two biggies, I would give his others book 5 stars because they are really good compared to other stuff in the same subset genre.

So, can you see my quandary over using a rating system? A simple number rating system doesn’t tell the browser looking for the next book to read anything useful. The stars have been overused and the book hunter must now go back to the Middle Ages way of book recommendations – books traded in secret among book connoisseurs or simply trusting your own hunter instincts in that dark alley book store.

Or you can trust your friends here at Darkcargo and other (non-paid) book bloggers to keep providing recommendations.

Bubonicon 2012

S. M. Stirling and David Lee Summers on a panel discussing post-apocalyptic literature.

Bubonicon 44 was only my second scifi convention ever and it differed from Dragon*Con in many ways, the greatest being the size. Bubonicon, held in Albuquerque, NM, is quite a bit smaller, but this only meant that I was bumping into authors all over the place – the vendor and art rooms, elevators, and even bathrooms. Truly, it was a cozy atmosphere where fans mingled freely with some of their appreciated writers.

Walter Jon Williams reading from his story, The Golden Age

While I could only give one day of my weekend to Bubonicon, it was a packed day with panels, readings, and the group book signing. Of the two panels I attended, the rise in popularity of post-apocalypse and dystopian literature and the science and mysteries of exoplanets were discussed. Author David Lee Summers sat on one panel and acted as the moderator for the second. I was able to attend four readings, which is something I missed out on at Dragon*Con. Walter Jon Williams reading was the most entertaining as he did the voices for the characters with enthusiasm, accents and all. If I had been drinking during his reading, I would have laughed so hard, and unexpectedly, that snort-laugh spray would have been the embarrassing death of me. He read from his novella, The Golden Age, which will be in a forthcoming weird western anthology from Titan Books. He also has a forthcoming novella, The Boolean Gate, from Subterranean Press. David Summers read one of his most recent short stories (The Vrykolakas and the Cobbler’s Wife), about an undead but not uncaring man, which was published in Cemetary Dance magazine, Issue 66.

John Maddox Roberts & Steven Gould discussing post-apocalyptic literature.

Some of the other authors I stalked throughout the day included John Maddox Roberts, S. M. Stirling, Steven Gould, and Brandon Sanderson. George R. R. Martin was also around, but as I have yet to get to that section of my TBR Mountain, I let others fulfill the obligatory writer worship role. He did have rad suspenders. John Roberts read a segment from a science fiction novel he is working on and then had time left over to answer questions about his Roman Empire novels. I know this author through his SPQR mystery Roman histories; they kept me entertained through another bout of necessary bedrest a few years ago. It was a real treat to see him at this convention. Brandon Sanderson read a piece from the last novel in the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series (yet another series I have not read) and then he read a tidbit from his novella Legion from Subterranean Press. This looks like a very good work and I am looking forward to picking it up. He was really interactive and seemed to truly enjoy this smaller convention.

Brandon Sanderson fielding questions from the audience.

Throughout the day, I only saw perhaps a dozen costumes. I was unable to stay for the costume contest Saturday night, but I did see some dude in the parking lot dressing in a full chipmunk outfit with blue latex gloves. At least, I hope he was there for the costume contest. There were several folks in what I think were Mad Max – Road Warrior outfits, which fits with the post-apocalyptic theme of Bubonicon 44. I also saw 1 Star Trek officer and a handful of Firefly enthusiasts.

Storm Troopers & a Jayne Firefly hat.

At the book signing, I was able to track down all the authors I had come to see, including Brandon Sanderson. Most authors had just a handful of folks in line and the heavy hitter lines were quite reasonable, with me only having to wait about 20 minutes to obtain Sanderson’s signature. My man did a little happy dance over his autographed The Way of Kings, which he read no less than 3 times in 11 months. I asked several of the authors to sign books, as well as the back of my Kindle, at which a few did happy dances right there in their seats as they had not signed a Kindle before. It was cool to see that I had unintentionally given back some of the joy and excitement of the convention.

Some of the books I got signed.

At the exoplanet panel, New Mexico author Ian Tregillis, who was new to me, impressed me with his animated speech and friendly knowledge. I have already dug up some of this works through my library and online. A local author, Kirt Hickman, sold me his pitch and a signed book, Fabler’s Legend, in the vendor room.

Ian Tregillis in a odd moment of seriousness on the exoplanet panel.

Can you guess which scrawl is Brandon Sanderson’s?

Road Warriors Unite! I love the boots.

Impressing Books

This is a shameless post to gush about some of my latest reads – the ones I really, utterly enjoyed.

Gemma Files is my latest book crush. I have listened to the first two books in her Hexslinger series (A Book of Tongues and A Rope of Thorns). this series doesn’t really fit into any one genre. The setting is the 1860s southwestern US. A troupe of soldiers have turned outlaw, and are lead by The Reverend, a hexslinger. Think of hexslinging as equal to casting spells. And he is in love with quick draw Chess Pargeter, a fierce, brutal man. Pretty soon, we have ancient Aztec deities stepping into the tale, and that’s when the true horror begins. Gordon MacKenzie was the narrator for these two books and he did an incredible job – accents, females, range of emotions, etc. Truly, Iambik Audio put together some top quality books in this series. I am eagerly awaiting Book 3.

Recently I finished the Blue Ant (or Bigend) series by William Gibson. This series is a modern-day fiction/mystery with a focus on fashion trends. At first, this didn’t seem to be my thing, but I found the books incredibly fascinating. In the first book (Pattern Recognition), our main character is a Cool Hunter, seeking out what will be the next big thing in fashion and marketing. she also has a strange talent or curse, depending on how you look at it – she is allergic to certain logos. Does the Michelin Man kind of creep you out too? The next two books follow a different set of characters, with Hubertes Bigend tying all three books together. In Spook Country we follow Hollis Henry, former drummer of the band Curfew, and junkie and Russian translator Milgrim get caught up in a bit of espionage. these two characters end up meeting in the third book, Zero History, which is a very satisfying end to the series. My better half says this series is his favorite by William Gibson, who also wrote Nueromancer.

I know I am late to the party, but Brandon Sanderson‘s Mistborn series kicks ass. If you are craving a seriously good, detailed, action-filled epic fantasy, then this series is for you. Mistborn: The Final Empire kicks it off and the world building is rich and intricate. A rebellion is in the making to overthrow the Final Empire. In order to do that, the Lord Emperor must die, which is highly bloody unlikely. By the second book, The Well of Ascension, we have a whole different set of problems. Sanderson also develops the world further by giving culture and characters to two races mentioned in the first book. I plan to start Book 3 very soon.

Isabelle Allende gave me such a beautiful, full, and entertaining origin story for the mythical hero Zorro. This is my first Allende novel, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her work. Diego de la Vega didn’t simply spring forth in the heat of California in the early 1800s one day. No, his parents had to meet and conceive him first. I love how Zorro takes us all the way back to Diego’s parents, who were strong, interesting characters in their own right. This novel takes the reader forward through his young years, to his education in Spain, and his first exploits back in California. His brother in spirit, Bernado, is there right by his side the whole way.

Roll down the window!

So I’m sitting in the car, the Hubs and I are driving someplace and we’re listening to an audiobook of his choice.

Fiction, fantasy.

I’m getting ready to roll down the window and dash my brains out on the pavement at 70mph because the story is so boring.

Thing is, I’ve already read a dozen variations on this theme.

We’re focused on a young lady who is to be married to the king. She’s naieve, bordering on stupid. She’s trapped in this destiny engineered for her. We’re going on and on about how young and nubile her body is. The physician has inspected her to make sure she’s a virgin… Now we’re going on and on about the quality of the cloth that makes up her gown. The cut and drape of her gown. The way the laces work. How long the sleeves are… Huh. Now she’s getting detailed instruction on how to dupe this king into believing that he’s not raping her on their marriage night…

Why is this so intolerably boring to me? Am I old and cynical? Why can’t our fantasy fiction be about older women? Why can’t her area of expertise expand beyond the clothes she’s wearing? Why can’t the world building include a world that’s not obsessed with a woman’s physical beauty? Why can’t the totally imaginary society value their women for something other than their single-use-only fuckability?

It’s an imaginary world. Can’t we invent something better for ourselves?

Nuts. Hubs has turned on the child-lock for the window controls.

Marital Reading Bliss

Waffles Reading on My Belly

Couples Reading

Do you remember that first serious ‘romantic other’ in your life? You knew it was serious because you both wanted to read and hang out together at the same time. That was the true test, wasn’t it? Could you enjoy a bit of snookums and then both roll over and pull out a book and settle into a good hour of reading? That was the first time I knew My Main Man and I were most likely going to end up in a lasting relationship. Of course, there was the blushing and the odd giggle as we each admitted it was a bit odd to be reading in bed instead of doing other, often more engaging, activities. The years have flown by, and we still read in bed together, often with my head on his belly. I have been told kindly, but firmly, not to use his ribs as a pillow. Those have been reserved for the five-pound kitty. And apparently, my head weighs more than 5 pounds.

Stuff We've Read

In general, we have usually read the same kinds of things. We both enjoyed Steven Brust, Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Butcher, Jacqueline Carey, Neil Gaiman, and many more. All that before we discovered audiobooks. That accessed a greater number of books per year, since we both commute. Now we find ourselves reading more nonfictions, histories, and action adventures because that is a good chunk of what is available at the library. I have pleas and polite requests in to expand their scifi/fantasy selection of audiobooks.

The Way of Kings, nestled in chilis.

M3 listened to the whoppingly huge audio The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, before insisting that I needed to use my Winter Solstice Break to enjoy this awesome epic fantasy. Like right now. Get started. And so M3 ended up relistening to much of the book as I puttered around the house in the deep winter 2010 of Northern NM. He didn’t seem to mind.

Mutual Reading Enjoyment

But all is not rosy. Oh, no. There are thunderclouds and the occasional lightning strike. This usually happens when one of us overtakes the other in a series, usually midbook, and makes off with the pertinent paperback or CDs for a long drive. Tssk!Erg! Such was the tale with His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman – M3 completely outdistanced me in the race to finish the second book, and I had to (graciously) admit defeat and allow him the book for a few days before I continued the tale. (But don’t tear up for me, I had a backup book ready for just such an occasion).

In sharing books this way, we have more to talk about. Of course, much of what we end up talking about is fictional characters and places. But there is the deeper side to sharing a good book with anyone – the aspects of the world-building, the multifacets of favorite characters, and the shared anticipation of the next book-to-be by a treasured author.

Bed Warmers

TreeBook Review: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson has done it again! How does he keep me so thoroughly engaged for a ~600-page epic? In Warbreaker, he has crafted a story around two main cultures, with a third neglected and ignored culture. The Hallandren rose up hundreds of years ago and drove out the ruling monarchy, who fled to the high mountains, creating our second culture, the Idrians. The lowland, fish-eating Hallandren have since set up a new ruling class, composed of a God-King and several living, breathing Gods and Goddesses. However, they are limited to the confines of The Court of the Gods and are provided with every indulgence and entertainment possible by the preist class.

The Idrians, in contrast, live in the grey, strict world. Everyone has their place, color is almost unheard of, and a show of emotion is a show of weakness. And then a daughter of the ancient monarchy is sent to Hallandren to marry the God-King, in an attempt to maintain the peace. Siri finds she has much to accustom herself to – the skimpy clothing, the heat and humidity, fish dinners, and the multitude of colors. And she doesn’t believe in the divinity of the God-King – which leads to interesting places in this story.

Warbreaker By Brandon Sanderson

The Pahn Kahl people are considered third class – they serve behind the scenes. Often discounted by the Hallandren and the Idrians, but soon to be movers and shakers in this tale.

And what story would be complete without at few assassins? Denth and Tonk Fah kept me highly entertained, with their dry humor and twisted natures. Then there is Vasher, an unknown quantity in this equation until near the end. He is also an Awakener – using BioCromatic Breath to awaken non-living objects to do his bidding. In breathing out a bit of his BioChroma into a cloak, or rope, or the Lifeless (entities animated by the Breath of another). Imagine cloaks that can lift you up a wall or ropes that fetch things from across the room. The rules of BioChromatic Breath are truly what makes this tale interesting.

Currently, on the Brandon Sanderson website, you can read Warbreaker for free. He also has Deleted Scenes and Annotations. Enjoy!

Audiobook Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

- nrlymrtl, 01/04/2011

(also see Duncan’s Review, here)
If you are into epic fantasies, and you haven’t read this book, then stop what you are doing and go out to the library or your favorite bookstore, and get this book. Yes, I mean it. Stop reading this blog and go read some monumentally entertaining, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

At a whopping 36 audio discs, this is by the far the longest book I have yet to listen to. The book is read by two readers, Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, which was great because of the myriad of characters. There is accompanying art within the book, which weighs in at just over 1000 pages. This was my first Brandon Sanderson book, but it will not be the last. It can’t be; The Way of Kings is Book 1 in a series. I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Intricate plots, multi-faceted characters, brilliant odd world. Fantastic shell creatures, rare and empowering plate mail, swords summoned from mist, thousands of years of history trapped in myth guiding the current characters.

Are you still reading this? Get ye to the library or the bookstore and pick up this book!