Review: Epitaph

Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I preferred the first one. I'm certainly detecting a pattern in how the author likes to structure her books, and that structure heavily features a ton of foreshadowing about the doomful, dread event that will happen. Other recurring themes include Jesuits and Jews.



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Review: Shadow Magic

Shadow Magic by Patricia C. Wrede

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was Wrede's first novel, and I could tell because it took until the final few chapters (when there happened to be more dialogue) for the voice I remember from her Enchanted Forest Chronicles to start to appear in more than glimpses. Until then it was still an enjoyable a book but I thought I was reading Sharon Shinn or Robin McKinley (the final battle was EXTREMELY reminiscent of The Blue Sword's!), with an extra dose of Tolkeinism.



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Review: Blackwork

Blackwork by Monica Ferris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars







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Review: The Magicians

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



The Magicians : Narnia stories :: Cards Against Humanity : Apples to Apples
Except it's not the fun, shockingly forbidden amusement of your first game of CAH. It's the jaded, not-quite-buzzed-anymore feeling of your fifth or sixth playthrough of the same base set of cards with the same group of friends. There's a little bit of satisfaction in taking a trick (in reading an amusing or well-constructed phrase) but most of the time it's just a bit of something to do to pass the time, no longer novel in its crassness. Furthermore, the plot was glacially slow to get underway.



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Review: Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It didn't grab me as much as the first (and, to a lesser extent, the second) book did. Maybe that's because I was distracted while listening, or maybe it was because it tried to do a little bit too much. The whole Stellian storyline felt shoehorned in, and some aspects never resolved to my satisfaction - what about the creepy fruit and the pointy teeth? Eliza. Why? Where did she come from, all of a sudden, in the third book of the trilogy?



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Review: The Sparrow

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book earns a rare five stars from me. At first glance it is "Jesuits in space!" but that barely touches the outer fringes of this book. This is a novel first, and a tale of science-fiction second. I was struck by that while I was reading it because, while the first-contact aspects of the plot are critical to the story, this is clearly a case of an exploration of some themes made possible via a creative spin on science. The interview with the author at the back of the book confirmed my feeling that she didn't set out to write science fiction, but that does not mean that her creation didn't put her on solid footing within the genre!
The characterization is exquisite and heart wrenching -- Russell is as brutal as George R. R. Martin, but swaps the element of surprise for that of foreboding foreshadowing. The questions this book asks are deep and difficult. They are questions of faith (who would have thought I'd be interested in that?) and questions of morality and science and history.
I set out thinking I would have an escape from reality, and instead I found myself confronted with some of the most existential realities of life. And it was so well-written that I didn't even resent it for sneaking in serious topics when I had been looking for a lark!
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author, both in sci-fi and in other genres.



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