Now Reading...

I've recently finished a bunch of new books, new as in, fresh off the shelves. I am surprised how much of my recent readings have been fantasies. I don't consider myself a huge fantasy fan, but have read a decent amount over the past few years. Lately, it seems the "must reads" have been more "fantasy/horror/sci-fi" type books. I will probably give longer reviews of some of the books I have read, but here are some quickies.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling: I though this was a good ending to the series. For me, definitely a more engaging book then Order of the Phoenix or The Half Blood Prince. The series if not without it's flaws, but I enjoyed it. What more can you ask for.

The Sunrise Lands by SM Stirling: The Book is the first in a series that ties up the "Dies the Fire: books with the Islander Books. I was skeptical at first. I like Post Apocalyptic Books, but usually, one you get into the second generation, it starts to lose it somewhat. Yet, I loved this book, probably more than the anybook in the loose series. Expanding past the Williamette Valley to give us more of a glimpse of the Country in whole breathed new life into the tale for me.

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora was probably my favorite "surprise" read of last year. The next book (in what seems like another Uber series) was not as great as the first, but, it was good. I enjoy the characters, and their eloborate schemes. I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series.

Dead Sea by Brian Keene: Yes, I am a zombie fan. Brian Keene is one of the premiere horror writers out there today. Dead Sea had more of a "Romero" feel to it. The Zombie animals are always a nice touch. I am not really a huge fan of gore, more of the survivalistic elements of the zombie subgenre. I think Brian does a good job of balancing the gore in his books. It's there, but it's not unbearable.

Eye of the Beholder by David Ellis: I was very disappointed in this novel. Ellis was one of my favorite "Legal/Crime" thriller writers, but this book was just disjointed. Way to many subplots that distracted from the overall flow of the story, plus a lot of poor editing mistakes (one characters age changes multiple times in the same paragraph)Yet, the ending was surprising, and the characters interesting, for the most part.

Hades by Russell Andrews: A fun crime thriller. I like Andrews work, but his last novel, Midas, was annoying full of political agendas and trick plotting. Here in Midas, I found the story much more intriguing. Still a bit far fetched ultra-comspiracy laden, but, the character of Justin Westwood really becomes much more interesting then in previous outings.

Right now I am reading "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. I am only about 200 pages in of the nearly 900 page novel, but I am enjoying it immensely. By the time I finish that, I imagine we'll be getting close to the release of Fatal Revenant, the next book in the Thomas Covenant series, so it seems I will be stuck in the Fantasy world a bit more.