Review: Santa Olivia

By Jacqueline Carey



It took me awhile to pick up the Kushiel books. In fact, all of Phedre's trilogy had been published when I started. I fell in love with Carey's writing, though I know some found it too purple. Then I was impressed by BANEWREAKER and GODSLAYER, where she wrote a different type of fantasy and used a different style. Then came Imriel's trilogy, where she used the same style as with Phedre, but managed to convey a completely different voice. Now she's ventured into the realm of standalone, with SANTA OLIVIA. In this one, the fantastic elements are highly limited and of a more scientific nature.

It begins with the story of Carmen Garron, who lived in Texas near the Mexican border. Not a bad place to live, until the area is cordoned off due to a pandemic and a search for a criminal. Now the villagers live in a military zone, forgotten by the rest of the world. But Carmen falls in love twice, and has two very different kids.

Boxing is the way out. There's a prizefight periodically, in which a civilian winner can leave with the person of their choice. Tommy Garron is the most promising contender yet. He's loved by the people and his sister, Loup Garron. But they were separated when their mother died - she lives in the orphanage. With her fellow orphans, they seek to teach the soldiers to respect the villagers, using the abilities Loup inherited from her father.

Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong. Loup must make some tough choices, and could end up hurt no matter what she chooses. I enjoyed reading about the fearless but loving Loup, who desires to protect those close to her and give hope for a better future. I liked how Jacqueline Carey handled her sexuality, making it not that big of a deal. I liked Tommy, who was a good kid, and the orphans, who were also good kids. I liked Miguel, who wasn't a good kid, but was learning to be a better man once he started associating with people who expected more of him that thuggish behavior.

Carey developed a harsh setting, but she populated it with motivated and good-hearted characters. (Not to say there aren't those who aren't filled with spite and ruin things for other people.) She uses language well to evoke the setting, though it begins with way too many uses of the word "fuck." It either lightens up when the story focuses on Tommy and Loup, or I started blanking it out more.

I enjoyed the fairytale ending, even though many fates were still unknown. Loup deserved her happiness. While I am partial to superher stories and Jacqueline Carey, that does mean there's more room for disappointment. But this one satisfied me quite well. (For the younger readers of my blog: You might want to wait on this one due to the sex and language. Or not, if you an handle it. Know what you're comfortable with.)

Review: Dull Boy

By Sarah Cross
You can also visit her el jay.

Sarah Cross is a Taurus born in the year of the Monkey. She is four inches taller than Wolverine, but does not have adamantium claws ... yet. Fierce but cute Pallas' cats are her favorite animals--and if you don't think that is relevant, then you really don't know her. She grew up in Ohio and now lives in New York. DULL BOY is her first novel.

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Summary:

Sometimes I wish I didn't care what would happen if anyone knew the truth about me. But I do care. I have to keep this - super strength, flying - a secret. No one can know - not my parents, not my friend . . . It's just that it's getting harder to hide it.

Superpowers are awesome - unless you actually have them, like Avery does. There's only so much he can pass off as "adrenaline" before people start to get suspicious. Probably it's best to lie low, so guys in white lab coats don't come to carry him away, to find out what makes his freakish body tick. Who wants to be vivisected? But flying under the radar becomes a whole lot harder when you can actually fly. It's dangerous to be different, so for now he'll pretend to be normal, unremarkable Avery - a dull boy - anything to keep his secret safe.

What he doesn't expect is the horrifying truth about where his powers came from, who else might have them, and the madness of one villain's plan to turn this superpowered dull boy into something even more powerful and amazing.

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This book was waiting for me when I moved back home from the dorms, and I picked it up and devoured it that night. (And I went to sleep early, since I needed to wake up the next day to drive.) Boy, did it hit most of my <3 buttons. (It does star a group of superheroes. That's number one.)

I liked Avery, who doesn't really think of using his superstrength and flight for anything other than protecting those who need it. Of course, he has some control issues that end up making him look like a delinquent. (Not to mention he keeps breaking things at home.) Of course, his power incontinence is nothing compared to Nicholas's.

I think I loved Darla most. (Well, aside from Catherine, but that's a given. She's sarcastic, hard-working, and has way cool powers.) Her power is her intelligence - and it didn't come with social skills, though she seems to think so. She's the uber-geek, ready to form them into a team on par with the X-men. Of course, some of the others doubt there is practical application for their powers. It's fun to watch them all go out together and find lost girls or stop a mugger. All of them want a place to belong, like any teenager, with or without superpowers.

And that's exactly what Cherchette is offering. But she gives off a bad vibe that has nothing to do with her ice powers. Should they trust that she can help them with their powers, or should they continue to stumble along on their own? And if one of them does accept her offer, what about Sarah, whose power wasn't considered valuable enough?

I really enjoyed this origins tale. (I also really hope the ending was a set-up for the next adventure.) It's pretty light, but Nicholas's power might be disturbing to some readers. I know I found some of the implications creepy. Sarah Cross does paint a believable dark side to waking up with superpowers. Along with the ending, I hope that there's a sequel because I believe there's still more of these characters to explore. We know some about their home lives and dreams, but there's more to be plumbed. (And more romance to develop too!)

And can I mention that I loved the use of comic book font? It was a nice touch of design.

Traveling to Teens is a tour event for authors of any genre. If you're an author (or blogger) who wants to participate, please check out the TtT blog.

Review: Fault Line

By Barry Eisler

I hate generic thriller titles. Luckily this one gives a good idea of what you'll find inside with the blurb - a mix of military and techno thriller. Alex Treven is moving quickly up his law firm's ranks, and knows his new client is what he needs to make it rich. All they need to do is secure the patent on his program - until both the client and Alex's insider at the patent office turn up dead. Unsure of what to do, Alex calls his estranged brother Ben, who turns out to be a government spook rather than the simple Army guy Alex expected.

Complicating things is the other person who needs to be protect - Alex's Iranian assistant Sarah, who isn't happy with Ben's scrutiny. She pays attention to politics and doesn't like people judging her based on her race. (Who would?) It doesn't help that Ben doesn't respect the lawyers' profession and they don't respect his.

Barry Eisler does a great job of presenting each of the character's beliefs on good and evil, worthy pursuits, and the necessity of the means without necessarily condoning any of their points of view. But while Alex is against killing, his reactions do seem out of place sometimes. Sometimes Ben does go overboard but Alex sometimes gets pissed when Ben clearly was helping him stay alive.

The secret ability of the software did sound far-fetched, especially when FAULT LINE aims for a realistic feel. (Eisler includes a list of websites about real world incidents mentioned in the book.) Luckily, no one really uses the software so it doesn't matter that much. I did enjoy how things played out - who the bad guy was, how one of the brothers finally got them to stand down. Brains and brawn learned to work together, a little.

I really liked Alex, when he wasn't yelling at Ben needlessly, because he was rather capable for the damsel-in-distress figure. I'm used to the hyper-competent military man in thrillers, but I liked that the intellectual wasn't a total dweeb. Sarah, while likeable enough, was a little flat. She was mostly there for love interest and catalyzing the hero's maturation. I did like Ben, though he fit a more standard mold, and though his and Alex's misunderstandings about each other played well. Eisler also uses the setting to good effect.

Despite it's title, FAULT LINE wasn't an overly generic, cookie cutter thriller. Yes, it obeyed the genre's tropes, but it had interesting ideas, a tight story, and characters worth reading about. I might wait for the paperback, but this one is good for an afternoon of distraction.

FAULT LINE is a stand-alone novel and available now. Eisler's previous six novels center around assassin John Rain, starting with RAIN FALL. He can be found at his website, MySpace, and blog. I particularly recommend the entry titled "Gay Cooties vs Terrorist Mojo."

Review copy provided by Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

Books Read in 2009 (Week Twenty-One)

Week Twenty-One



Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers (Contest)



Jolted: Newton Starker's Rules for Survival by Arthur Slade (Contest, signed)



She's So Money by Cherry Cheva (Bought)



Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (Review copy, hardcover)



Eon: The Dragoneye Reborn (Dragoneye, Book One) by Alison Goodman (Review copy, ARC)



Fault Line by Barry Eisler (Review copy, hardcover)



Breath and Bone (Lighthouse Duet, Book Two) by Carol Berg (Bought)



Kushiel's Mercy (Imriel Trilogy, Book Three) by Jacqueline Carey (Bought)



Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, Book Six) by Rachel Caine (Review copy)



Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Bought)



Willow by Julia Hoban (Contest, ARC, signed)

Review: tales of the MADMAN underground: An Historical Romance 1973

By John Barnes



John Barnes has written buckoos of SF books. I must now pick up some of them. TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND is non-genre YA but writing this good should not be missed. The subtitle calls it a historical romance, but that's a little misleading. There are several girls in Karl Shoemaker's life, and while he basically ends up with one the rest are still there. (And it's oh-so-easy to see why they fall for him. For those who I know in real life - like my former roomie who always hopes I'll mention her - he's a literary Justin Su.)

To be honest, TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND is all over the place. All of the members of the Madman Underground, the school therapy group, do have serious issues. Those issues are given the weight they deserve even while mocking the therapy the kids are offered. Karl's decided he's going to act normal for a week, so that he won't get sent to therapy this year. Then he'll go the week after that, taking things one bit at a time. It's hard when things at home haven't let up - his mother's still an alcoholic who steals the money he saves for after he leaves the army. He's working too much to sleep well, and that takes a toll too. Plus, Karl just isn't the kind to ignore his friends when they need him. And the madmen . . . they need him. He's also got instant chemistry with new girl Marti, which gives him another connection that's not "normal" since she's a new madman.

This book is funny, irreverent, heart-breaking, hopeful, and utterly absorbing. It's 500+ pages and I'm not even sure it took me four hours to read. (And believe me, my niece is a distraction. She's too cute not to be.) I love Karl's snarky, cynical narration. I love that he's been hardened by life but he's still the kind of guy who would do anything for his friends. (Even though he's trying not to be that guy because it would ruin his shot at getting out of therapy.) I love that he is messed up and knows it but still tries his hardest. He's got motivation. And though he wouldn't like to think it, he's laden with scruples. (Why do you think all the girls go for him? Scruples are hot.)

I love the supporting characters too. Paul, who picks up men in his drum major uniform. Cheryl, who has the world's creepiest family but still manages a full social life. Darla, who's scary and awesome and scary and fascinating. (And scary.) And Marti, who's really just as nice as Karl. (This could go on for awhile. There are loads of characters, all magnificent. Except maybe the super super ladies.)

I have to admit: I wanted to read this from the moment I got it. Bright, eye-catching cover, cool title, mysterious blurb . . . but I really didn't know what I was getting when I opened it. I wish every book I picked up blew me away like this one. Barnes may like writing SF better, and I sure am giving those a chance, but I hope he has another YA in him. If all he gives us is TALES OF THE MADMAN UNDERGROUND, I will be satisfied. Step into Karl's shoes for a week. You won't want to take them off when you turn the last page.

(Seriously, the cover pic will take you to Amazon, where you can pre-order it. I was about to put that the book is out now since my ARC says May 2009, but it turns out the current release date is June 25. But now you're forewarned to buy/check out the book when you see it. MEMORIZE the cover.)