August to September Reading Round-up

So I've been reading a few things that I haven't talked of much here so I thought an update was in order. Just because I don't write a review doesn't mean it isn't worth checking out. Some of the below will get a full review while others make me feel like I'd be repeating myself as they are series books.

Except for the first these recent reads also show that I hit another big book wall after The Black Prism and The Way of Kings. Reading lately has tended to be books of less than 500 pages and that will probably continue for the next month or so.

The Passage by Justin Cronin - Every good thing you've heard about the series is true. If you like The Stand and I Am Legend than you can't miss this. Cronin has breathed new life into apocalyptic fiction that is rewarding and memorable. Don't expect sparkly vamps here. They are out for blood and to take over the world. As rich as the world-building it is the characters you'll be drawn to as they make their way through a world out to destroy them. The story is too long at points, but Cronin's style is to fill-in as many gaps as possible even when skipping 80 years of history. Highly recommended.

My Dead Body by Charlie Huston - This is the last of the Joe Pitt casebooks and what a doozy it is. Huston more than managed to close the series out in a big and satisfying way. Almost too satisfying given what Joe Pitt goes through, but Joe is the anti-hero of anti-heroes. He never does it the easy way, but he still gets the job done. On a whole Huston has written one of the most solid vampire series in years. Just be sure to have a shot of whiskey handy to bring you down from the adrenaline rush. Highly recommended.

Clockwork Phoenix 3 Edited by Mike Allen - This was my first Clockwork Phoenix anthology, which have been lauded as being a bastion for strange and wonderful fiction. It definitely lives up to that. I didn't connect with all of the stories, but there were quite a few that stood out. Expect a review of some of my favorites in the future.

The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer - What a perverted hoot this one was. Expect a full review in the next week or two as well as an interview with the author. Recommended for fans of zombies and lovers of the odd.

Unnatural History by Jonathan Green - The first in Abaddon's Pax Britannia series of Steampunk pulps. This is just a plain fun read. The hero of the tale is a bit too goody-goody for me, but there is a lot going on in this world so I plan on delving in a bit deeper. Recommended for fans of George Mann and classic pulps.

Antiphon by Ken Scholes - Some very big things come to a head in the latest volume in The Psalms of Isaak series. Scholes packed so much in much it felt too rushed. Barely time to breathe before flipping to another point of view. And even though it had some of the biggest revelations in the series it is so far my least favorite. This could be because Rudolfo took a turn for the worse and a back seat role during much of the story and Jin was nearly a nonentity. But we get plenty of Isaak and Neb, which almost makes up for it. Even with problems this is still one of the most original series going and light years ahead of most Fantasy. Recommend, but start with Lamentation.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu - Yu automatically wins the longest title of the year award. Review to come. Highly recommended.

Salute the Dark by Adrian Tchaikovsky - The fourth book in the Shadows of the Apt series brings a resolution to many story lines and character arcs including the big Wasp conflict. I've been loving this series and this arc ender didn't let me down. It still didn't bring me back to the high that was Dragonfly Falling, but it made everything I've read up to now worth all the time spent, which is what should happen in a long running series. With more Shadows of the Apt books on the way I'm eager to see where Tchaikovsky takes the series from here. Highly recommended.

Hellboy: Oddest Jobs edited by Christopher Golden - This is a prose collection of short stories in Mignola's Hellboy universe with stories by China Mieville, Joe R. Lansdale, Tad Williams, Garth Nix, Amber Benson, and Mark Chadbourn. I've been eyeing this collection for a while even though it is the third of the series by Golden. A friend recently gifted me a copy.  It was the Mieville that I really wanted. Most of the stories caught the flavor of Hellboy quite well with a few missteps.  The Lansdale was a standout even though Hellboy's voice was a little too polished, but it mixes in some crazy concepts such as a ghost train.  Tad Williams's story "The Thursday Men" was also quite memorable making use of an old nursery rhyme in a fantastic way. Recommended.

Homeland by R.A. Salvatore - The first in the Drizzit series was selected for me by Sam Sykes as part of his bravest challenge. It was much better than expected, which is all I'll say for now. Review to come.


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REVIEW | Sleepless by Charlie Huston (Ballantine)

Sleepless is Charlie Huston's 11th and probably most challenging book to date. It is definitely one of the most difficult books I've read in recent years, but not challenging in the sense that I couldn't follow what was going on as the events and actions of the characters are all too believable. Sleepless while in keeping with Huston's noir style is vastly different from his other works. This is more than just a brooding type book like the Joe Pitt casebooks.

Sleepless is horrifically real. The realism is at such a high level I felt I was reading the personal journal of someone who went through these events.  We are thrown into a harsh near future apocalyptic where a disease called Sleepless is running rampant. Those with the disease slowly degrade mentally and physically over a year before dieing. If anything they are very zombie-like yet worse off for realizing what is happening to them as opposed to becoming completely mindless, which would be a blessing in this case. This is a Los Angeles where factions have sprung up dividing the city and hope is all but completely lost. The SLP disease is spreading with more than 10% of the world's population infected. There is no cure and no hope for one. The only relief suffers can hope for is the highly regulated drug Dreamer/DR33M3R, which can alleviate most of the pain for a short time.

At first I didn't realize the story was told from two different points of view, which was probably just me missing a cue, but once I had a better handle everything coalesced well. The main part is from Parker Haas's compelling perspective who is a hard nosed undercover cop. I was immediately drawn to Haas as he is in a horrible situation from all angles, but he is still trying to do his job and care for his family as his wife suffers and his empathy for her captures you in its wake.

Haas was forced to go into drug investigation work while his wife is at home suffering from Sleepless with their infant. He trudges through LA's seedy underbelly dealing with drugged out rich boys and hardworking RPG entrepreneurs with selflessness and& resilience. A strong online RPG element is enmeshed in this world as everyone is trying to escape the daily horror that is real life, which echoes the fears of many mothers nowadays. The other point of view is that of a hitman who always collects his due. I was a bit taken aback by some of his proclivities as they seemed out of place, but he grew on me with the telling.

Huston proves with this work he is more than capable taking chances that pay off. Sleepless is a high concept Thriller that mixes just the right amounts of Noir Crime, Horror, and Science Fiction that'll keep you coming back despite the anxiety caused from the story. I give Sleepless 8.5 out of 10 Hats. It is a dark, but worthy journey to undertake. I'll definitely need some lighter fiction though to cleanse my reading spirit a bit lest it rebel.


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REVIEW | Already Dead (Joe Pitt 1) by Charlie Huston (Del Rey)

I know, I know. I was just ranting about Vampires in New York recently. How many books have come out in the last 10 years with Vampires in NYC? Shit loads. How many are aimed at men? Not as many as you would think. I've been seeing Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt series on UF for Men list for a few years, but until recently never looked beyond the covers, which are pretty cool. I'm glad I finally picked this one up as it hit all the right buttons. Already Dead is an easy and quick pulpish read at less than 270 pages, which can easily be finished in a couple sittings. Already Dead falls in the category of Crime novel more than Urban Fantasy, which is what sets it apart. I was reminded greatly of Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim (reviewed here) in terms of its badass style, format, and creating anti-heroes you can root for, although Joe Pitt has better control of his temper than Stark. Pitt is a mercenary of sorts in Manhattan. He is also a card carrying, blood drinking Vampire with an attitude problem, which leads to some great dialogue and violence galore. NYC was once controlled by The Coalition, which is one of the oldest Vampire clans. Nowadays Manhattan is divided into different territories with the Coalition controlling the largest portion from 14th street up to Harlem with the rest of lower Manhattan divided into small clans. Vampires from one group are not supposed to travel through the areas of the others without permission although some groups are friendlier with others. Joe Pitt lives south of 14th street in the area controlled by The Society, a group Pitt was part of in the past, but he now works as a free agent for any group that pays. The Enclave group is the most original aspect of the world build as they go about things very differently than other Vampires and I can already tell a lot of future books will center on them. Pitt is pulled from one group to another and is one of those characters that seems to just fall into crap and get pulled deeper and deeper. With his rough tone and punk demeanour, Pitt gets cajoled into what looks like a simple case of a missing rich Uptown girl who likes to go slumming while tracking down some roving Zombies which are a little too close to home. The world building is huge with the hierarchy and division of the Vampires and deep history many of the characters share in addition to some prophetic statements made by certain clan members. Packed full of bloody action, off putting sex, Zombies, and terse dialogue Already Dead is an impressive start to a series that you have to force yourself to put down. The Vampire politics are gorgeous and I can't wait to see how big this world gets as Huston has four books out with the 5th and last due out soon. Did anyone say Vampire War? I give Already Dead 8 out of 10 Hats. I plan to pick up the next couple Pitt novels at some point in the not too distant future. Trying out Huston's standalone crime novel The Mystic Art of Erasing All Signs of Death is a distinct possibility as well. Book link: US Europe Canada