What has come before.

I'm not a super fast reader. Plus I have that stupid thing called a job, which cuts into my reading time, I like TV and have a handful of shows I watch every week. So when the year began I wanted to set a realistic goal to hit this year. I figured I could at least read two books a month. Three might be pushing it. So I set a goal of 30 books. With a good summer, I'm ahead of pace.

Here is what I've read so far this year, along with the rating I gave them, and the link to my review if I did a full one.

The Warrior-Prophet by R.Scott Bakker 9.5

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson 6.5

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold 8.0

The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford 9.0

The Thousandfold Thought by R.Scott Bakker 9.0

Dune by Frank Herbert 8.5

Supreme Power HC Graphic Novel by J.M.S. 9.0

Shadow Twin by Dozios, Martin, & Abraham 7.0

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham 7.5

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 9.0

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny 8.5

Dying of the Light by George R.R. Martin 8.0

The Clan Corporate by Charles Stross 7.5

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick 9.0

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 9.5

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold 7.0

Neuromancer by William Gibson 8.0

Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff by Christopher Moore 9.0

River of Gods by Ian MacDonald 8.5

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch 9.5

The Lies of Locke Lamora

"Richer and cleverer than everyone else!"

That's the cry of the Gentleman Bastards, in The Lies of Locke Lamora by debut author Scott Lynch.

Lies is the first volume in a planned seven book series called the Gentleman Bastards.

Set in the canal city of Camorr, Lies is part Oliver Twist, part heist movie and is as fun of a romp as you could want to read. The prologue starts with our young protagonist, Locke, being sold from one gang of thieves into another where he is trained into adulthood where most of the story takes place. Scott uses interludes between the present day chapters to tell more of the backstory of the Gentlemen Bastards. Its a toll he uses very well, at least for the first 3/4 of the book. The flashbacks set up action in the present with a wonderful sense of timing and flair. However, the last few interludes, are not flashbacks, but more history lessons, and while they were informative, they felt a bit out of place to me.

While some of the plot elements are fairly standard, the way they are executed keeps them from seeming cliche. In fact and exciting as the plot was, I don't think its the best part of the book. Its the dialogue that I fell in love with, the witty banter that brings to mind some of the best I've ever read, like GRRM's Tyrion Lannister. The thief with the heart of gold would be all to easy of a trap for Lynch to fall into, but he manages to avoid all pitfalls, and deliver a book that should be heralded as a classic of the genre twenty years down the road.

I loved this book, it has all I could want, action, drama, suspense, plot twist, fun characters, witty dialogue. Do me a favor, do yourself a favor, read this book. Buy it now. If you cant buy it, beg borrow or steal it. The Crooked Warden will reward you. :p

9.5 out of 10

River of Gods

Ian McDonald earned a Hugo nomination last year for this novel set in near future India. The year is 2047 and the Hamilton Acts have restricted the development of all AI beyond Gen 2. India has shattered into smaller warring nations. A drought has nearly dried up the Holy Ganges. This is the backdrop for a complex and beautiful story.

McDonald uses a Point of View chapter style to weave his plot. Nine separate characters start the story and they are eventually intertwined and woven into a rich tapestry. Mr. Nanhda, the Krishna cop, His wife Parvati. Professor Lull and his protege Lisa. Shiv, the gangster. Vishram, the family blacksheep, Tal the Nute, Najia the reporter, and Khan the political advisor.

The vision of the future presented is exciting and scary. Its relatable enough to seem well within reach.

Overall I really liked this book, It was a complex tale and not one to be lightly read. I found myself getting lost a few times, but in the end it was well worth the investment put into the read.

8.5 out of 10

Signed Lies

The flash kinda muted out the actual signature.

Scott Lynch

I attended a reading and signing by breakout author Scott Lynch at Dreamhaven last night. Snacks and fizzy drinks were served. There was a nice turnout of probably 25 -30 people, many of whom seemed to be friends of the author. Scott was very friendly and outgoing, and was cracking me up all night, starting with him addressing the crowd just prior to staring and cracking "What are you looking at? I don't have to be nice until 6:30." Much witty banter with the crowd ensued, most especially with his lovely fiance who was seated in the front row.

Let me interject the fact that regrettably, I haven't had the chance to read the book yet. I had ordered a copy from Neil at Clarkesworld. But Neil going the extra mile sent the books off to be signed, resulting in a slight delay. Being the book addict I am, I of course purchased an additional copy last night to get personally signed.

The reading consisted of the entire prologue, which is available for download here. If you haven't read this books yet, and aren't sure you want to, read this, and it will convince you. I've attended a number of readings over the past year or so, and some authors are certainly more enthusiastic than others. You could tell that Scott really enjoys his book, because he certainly seemed to be having fun reading it. He delivered all the punch lines with proper flair.

After the reading, Scott answered questions for quite awhile. The first question was about his career as a fireman. Scott then regaled us with several amusing anecdotes regarding folks of questionable intelligence, running the gambit from fireworks, or smoking in bed, to intoxicated 20 somethings, dry ice, and superfluous nipples. He also discussed the providence of landing not only a 2 book deal from a 45 page prologue, but it evolving into a 6 book deal, and optioning book 1 off into a movie.

Finally it was time for signing. Scott nixed the singing as he was worried about liability due to brains bleeding if he attempted to sing the book. He was once again extremely nice, and took the time to write some nice personal inscriptions. Once I get mine scanned or photo'd I will put it up here.

Lamb

"The fist time I saw the man who would save the world he was sitting near the central well in Nazareth with a lizard hanging out of his mouth. Just the tail end and the hind legs were visible on the outside; the head and forelegs were halfway down the hatch. He was six, like me, and his beard had not come in fully, so he didn't look much like the pictures you've seen of him."

Lamb, The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore is the most enjoyable book I've read in years. I suppose you'd have to say its irreverent, but unless you are pretty uptight, I think anyone would be hard pressed to claim that its disrespectful.

The premise of the book is pretty much spelled out in the extended title. Moore endeavors to fill in the blanks in the life of Christ from his birth until his ministry. He uses humor as his vehicle, telling about the life of Christ from the perspective of his best friend, Levi, who is known as Biff.

Jesus, or Joshua as he is named in the book, (Joshua is the English version of the Hebrew Yeshua. Jesus is the Greek translation. Christ is Greek for messiah. The H., well Biff never asked what that stood for.) and Biff grow up together in Nazareth. They have their childhoods, which were not quite normal, but hey one of the is the son of God, how normal could he be? The whole son of God part is where the crux of the story gets underway. Josh doesn't know how to be the messiah, so he and Biff embark on a journey to find and to learn from the three Magi who witnessed Christ's birth.

I loved this book. I laughed out loud countless times while reading it. The story was fun and it was a nice relaxing read. I haven't read a book this amusing since the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy. If you have never read Moore, and you have any sense of humor make sure you pick this one up.

9 out of 10

Neuromancer

"Cyberspace. A consentual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation."

"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

Neuromancer by William Gibson was a groundbreaking sci-fi novel, and was awarded the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Philip K. Dick awards in 1984. It effectively introduced "cyberpunk" as a sub genre of science fiction. Gibson coined the term "cyberspace" and envisioned the internet and virtual reality well before either existed.

The book follows Case, a former cyber cowboy, who jacks in and surfs cyberspace for his employers. But he went to far and now has been severed from the matrix. A mysterious power offers to fix him, in return for going along on one last, dangerous mission. Case is joined by Molly, and lovely yet deadly bodyguard, and the ex military man Armitage.

Neuromancer is a relatively short book clocking in at just over 250 pages in my trade edition. The influence this book has had on the genre is undeniable. Movies like the Matrix seem derived almost completely from this work. The world Gibson unfolds for us is remarkable. Like Verne before him he predicts where technology will go uncanily.

However, personally I found it rather hard to follow it points. The story never totally grabbed me. Conceptually I was hooked, but I just couldn't like it as much as I wanted to. I don't think this style is really my cup of tea.

8 out of 10

Paladin of Souls

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold is the second book in her Chalion series. It won the Hugo award for best novel in 2004. While I enjoyed the book, I think there were probably some better choices out there.

The story takes up where the Curse of Chalion left off. If you havent read the first book and don't want to be spoiled skip to the end of the review.

The curse of the golden general has been lifted, and Cazand Iselle have settled in to their new roles as Queen andChancelor. For Dowager Royina Ista though, things have changed. With the curse lifted so has her madness, or so she hopes. In order to gain some freedom she sets off on a pilgrimage with some old friends and some new.

Along her journey she discovers that there are demons loose in the land. Not only that but there are new tensions along the border of Jokarna. More troubling yet, are her dreams. Is her madness truly gone?

The book clocks in at just under 500 pages. It probably could have been been shrunk to two thirds that side without much trouble. I felt there was too much exposition, and that too much of it was repeated. I read the first book. I know the story of Lord dy Lutez. I can deal with hearing it retold once, but two or three times, is too much. There wasnt anything groundbreaking in this book, but it was still a good story worth the read.

7 out of 10

Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is a prolific writer probably best known for her Farseer trilogy. She has also written the Live Ships trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy set in the same world. She is currently working on the Soldier's Son series. She also wrtes contemporary fantasy under the name of Meagan Lindholm.

I got the chance to meet Ms. Hobb last year during a reading at Dreamhaven books. She was very nice and engaging. To this point I've only had the chance to read the Farseer books, but the other Hobb books are in my collection, and I'm looking forward to getting a chance to get to them finally.

The Forever War

"Tonight we're going to show you eight silent ways to kill a man."

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman won both the Hugo an Nebula Awards for Best novel, and its easy to see why. It is truly a masterpiece of hard Sci-Fi. Written as an allegory to the author's own experience in the Vietnam War, the book follows the story of one young conscript and his time served in the never ending war with the Taurans.

Private William Mandella was drafted due to his unique skill set, and trained to fight in the far reaches of space. However due to relativity each mission while taking mere months subjectively can take years or even centuries back on Earth. Haldeman uses this to explore radical social and economic possibilities in our future.

I absolutely loved this book. The Science is hard enough to dazzle you, but not so hard as to leave you scratching your head in confusion. The story is wonderful. The author uses his experiences well to demonstrate not only the dangers a soldier faces in combat, but those he faces off duty, and while trying to reassimilate into the public. If you haven't read this book, and you at all enjoy Sci-Fi pick it up now.

9.5 out of 10