Thursday, February 23, 2017

Books read in 2017: No. 5 -- Fire & Ice (Book I of The Icefire Trilogy)

by Patty Jansen

Started: Feb. 15
Finished: Feb. 23

Notes: This is another author new to me, someone I've been meaning to check out for a while now. Plus, I often feel as if I don't read enough women writers, so here's another opportunity to correct that; this isn't some need to be politically correct, but my wanting to experience different writers' voices.

Mini review: A generation earlier there was a rebellion that overthrew the magic-wielding royals in this world, but now the heir who has been in hiding for decades is trying to sneak back into the palace to regain his political power from the current rulers. That brief description doesn't sound all that unique, but it's the details which make the difference. Unfortunately, this one had some similarities, especially thematically, with the Awakened books, one of which I'd just read before this book ... so, that shot down some of my interest. That's not the author's fault, however, just timing. That being said, the writing here is decent, the characters interesting enough to hold me along, and the plot and world were better than average. What interested me the most was how magic worked in this world. There's still some things needing explaining, but that's for future books in the series. Could I recommend it? Sure.

Monday, February 20, 2017

At Nerdarchy.com: The Darkness

Over at Nerdarchy today, I write a little about how I don't consider most of my fiction writing to be all that dark, despite what some have said about it.

Friday, February 17, 2017

ResAliens Blog: Review of The Kobalos Trilogy

ResAliens Blog: Review of The Kobalos Trilogy: Review by Lyn Perry The Kobalos Trilogy by Ty Johnston  is a high fantasy series featuring Kron Darkbrow. Here are my short reactions t...

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Books read in 2017: No. 4 -- The Awakened II

edited by Hal Greenberg

Started: January 21
Finished: Feb. 15

Notes: My short story "Marazook" appears in this anthology, based upon the upcoming The Awakened RPG from Samurai Sheepdog. I've read some of these tales, but not all of them, so I figured I'd check out what my fellow writers accomplished.

Mini review: It was nice to see what others have done with this fantasy world in which some people gain magical powers when they turn 19 years of age, a world where kings vie for the powers of these Awakened, even to the point of kidnapping them, in groups or individually. My favorite story was probably the last one, "Ice" by Jaleigh Johnson, because it had a soft, personal touch absent from most of the rest of the tales, but I also truly enjoyed "Many Tentacles, Reaching" by Ed Greenwood and a handful of others. As of now, there is to be an "Awakened Modern" book and "The Awakened III," and I'm looking forward to taking part in them and reading them.

Monday, February 13, 2017

At Nerdarchy.com: Adventure, the video game

This week my Nerdarchy article is another Blast from the Past, this time looking all the way back to the Adventure video game for the Atari 2600.

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

At Nerdarchy.com: Nerd shopping

This week over at Nerdarchy, I take a look at just what you can buy at the Nerdarchy store. No kidding. They have shirts, hats, mugs, and a thong. Yes, I said "thong."