29 Jun 2011

Review: The Secret Adversary

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The Secret AdversaryThe Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

International intrigue, kidnappings, missing documents and constant deceiving… the plot of this fast-paced novel is as witty and compelling as the main characters, steadfast Tommy, no-nonsense Tuppence and the rich and extravagant Julius (who, if this were a movie, would be chewing scenery left and right). While the fear of a labour strike paving the way to a Socialist revolution in Great Britain might seems a bit silly … (Read more)

21 Apr 2011

Review: Blindsight

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BlindsightBlindsight by Peter Watts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is SPOILERY

This novel will repeatedly challenge your point of view. Armed with mind links, prostheses and mechanical extensions, multiple personalities, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, self-regenerating spaceships and gene-resurrected vampires, the humans in the book often feel more alien and inscrutable than the mysterious structure they are sent to investigate – in particular because the main character and narrator is, himself, incapable of true empathy. On the other … (Read more)

12 Apr 2011

Review: God’s War

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God's WarGod’s War by Kameron Hurley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m conflicted about rating this book. One one side, the writing is fluid and the worldbuilding is spectacular: the middle-eastern/Islamic cultures are well rounded and believable, and there is no dumbing down for the Western reader (if you don’t know what a dhoti or a burnous is, get ready to google a lot in the first few chapters; also, a bel dame is not a French pretty woman); and … (Read more)

27 Feb 2011

Review: The Habitation of the Blessed

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The Habitation of the Blessed (A Dirge for Prester John, #1)The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yet another wonderful read from Catherynne Valente, this time the first volume of a trilogy dedicated to the mythical Prester John, fabled king of the three Indies. Once more Valente recounts the story through the words of many characters: John, the befuddled but not so innocent priest; Hagia, the blemmye and his future wife; Imtithal, the panoti, who told tales to three children in a … (Read more)

22 Dec 2010

Review: Fair Play

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Fair PlayFair Play by Tove Jansson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A different way of looking at love, through the small and normal things, the little idiosyncrasies, difficulties and compromises of a relationship between two older, temperamental persons. Though at the beginning of the book the relationship between Mari and Jonna might appear strangely detached, it doesn’t take much to understand the complexity and the unseen between the words and to warm up to their rapport.

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13 Nov 2010

Review: The Summer Book

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The Summer BookThe Summer Book by Tove Jansson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The wonderful story of a small child and her grandmother, living together a long summer on an isolated island, learning to know and adjust to each other. Tove Jansson’s style is, at least in this translation, short and to the point, quite matter of fact, and that oddly contributes to make this collection of short vignettes even more poetic in its simplicity.

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16 Aug 2010

Review: In the Cities of Coin and Spice

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In the Cities of Coin and Spice (The Orphan's Tales, #2)In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It always takes me forever to read through Cat Valente’s books. Maybe because I don’t really ever want them to end.

The second and last volume of the Orphan’s tales is identical in structure to its predecessor but different in its tales: the stories seem to lose their ‘high adventure’ quality to become more personal, intimate, dirtier, and the sense of loss permeates … (Read more)

28 Jun 2010

Review: Fragile Things

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Fragile Things: Short Fictions and WondersFragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Collections are difficult beasts to handle, especially when they bring together material that ranges from the very short to the novella, touching different genres and subgenres, often out of the original context they were written for.
It is easy, when rating such a book on the whole, to base yourself on the parts you didn’t like rather than the bits you liked – and there … (Read more)

15 Jun 2010

Review: In the Night Garden

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In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales, #1)In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stories within stories like matryoshka dolls, intertwined within a complex tapestry. The tales of the titular orphan will bring you into a world of fantasy and wonders, perils and mysteries, witches and wizards, monsters and princes, heroes and sailors, saints and stars. Cat Valente at her best.

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26 Feb 2010

Book review – Thomas Riley

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Oh Ahnonay, how much I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.
Well, not many actually, but it’s extremely annoying when you find you missed one cloth and have to go through the whole thing again. Aargh.

On other news, I was in Negilahn waiting for the portal to appear and decided to pass the time by writing a short review of a steampunk YA book I read recently. So here you go:

“Thomas Riley”, by Nick Valentino

Plot recap: … (Read more)