Best Served Cold - Joe Abercrombie

I loved the First Law series, and couldn't wait the extra month for the author's stand-alone novel, so I ordered it from the U.K. I was definitely not disappointed. Set in the same world as the First Law, a fantasy world that at times seems like medieval England with some modern insights, Best Served Cold follows Shivers, a minor character from the previous series. The plot for the book is nothing terribly new - bad people kill brother, sister swears deadly revenge - but that summary vastly undersells what the author has done here. The characters are very complicated and deep - the sister is the feared Monza Murcatto, a mercenary with thousands of deaths to her credit, and she is joined by the perpetually-inebriated Cosca, the counting ex-prisoner Friendly, the named man Shivers come to Styria to become a better man, the master poisoner Moreer, and countless others. The dialogues are sharp, and the author manages to bring humor into some of the darkest situations. I can't speak highly enough for this book or this author.

The Warded Man - Peter Brett

What a great book, especially being the first published work of Peter Brett. While it initially sounded like a cool story, I really wasn't sure what to expect from this. Seemed at first like a typical fantasy novel, but my goodness after only reading a few pages, I was hooked. There are three different point of views that we rotate between until near the end where the three meet up. Usually in books like this there is always at least one POV that is drudgery to read through. Not in this case, all three were incredibly written. Just enough back story was given to help you understand the current situation and there is enough left unresolved that I can't wait until book 2 and 3 are released.

I kept looking for something to dislike about this book. I felt that there must be a deeper message, something that the author is trying to tell about the current state of humans, but I never could really put my finger on it and even if it was there it did not get in the way of the story telling. One of the best I've read this year so far. 9/10

Dead Men's Dust - Matt Hilton

Joe Hunter is an ex-counterterrorism expert who leaves his native England to hunt down John Tefler, his half-brother in America, a petty thief that skipped out on his kids. John is in a situation of his own, running from someone and crossing lines with the Harvestman, a psychopath that takes souvenirs from his victim's body as he kills coast-to-coast. I like Joe, who reminds me of Jack Reacher (Lee Child) or Repairman Jack (F.Paul Wilson), but it seems like the character needs to grow a bit - I'll be checking out the sequel to find out if he does!

Hide and Seek - Jack Ketchum

Another good book finished up today. My first by Jack Ketchum even though he's been recommended to me by many people over the years. Hide and Seek starts off slow, but interesting. For most of the book I really had no idea where Ketchum was headed, but nonetheless it held my interest greatly. There was just enough tension of knowing something was going to happen, just not what. A few times, we were led down blind alleys and I thought, "Here we go..." only to realize soon, "whoops...that's not where we were supposed to be headed..."

Once we got to where we were going, the title became clear and I knew I was in for a ride. The atmosphere filled with tension and I found myself literally sitting on the edge of my seat while reading. Conclusion was satisfying, yet darker than I imagined it would be, with just enough resolutions to make me happy, yet a few unanswered questions that left me thinking about the book the rest of the evening. Very good and I'll likely be back to read more Ketchum. 9/10

The Doomsday Book - James Rollins

The Sigma Force is back! A senator's son is killed in the destruction of an experimental crop in Africa, and it appears that the Guild may be involved. The usual cast is back, including the purported double-agent Seichan, and the investigation leads to locations identified in the Doomsday Book, a survey of "wasted" sites in England. As with every Rollins novel, the characters and subplots seem to go in all different directions, but it all ties together and is an excellent read.

Sophie - Guy Burt

What a good read this was. When I picked up this book I really wasn't sure what to expect, I had heard good things about the author, but honestly my expectations were not that high. It was one of those books that in the beginning I thought to myself, "This is moving too slow ... I'm not sure I'll enjoy this .... why bother reading...", but something about it kept me moving through it. I was enjoying it without realizing it, nothing like some stealth enjoyment. When the realization hit me about a 3rd of the way in that I was actually enjoying this and had been from the get go, I plowed through the rest and couldn't put it down.

What was it about this book that I enjoyed so much? Just the pure story telling that goes on. Guy Burt can tell a story. He can draw you in, make you feel for the characters, make you feel like you're watching the story unfold from afar. I really can't tell too much of the plot without giving it all away, but let's just say that you'll think you'll have it figured out, find out you're wrong, then figure it out again and once more realize you're wrong, then finally get a grasp of how it all plays out and think that you're right, but then realize you're wrong once more. Great stuff. If you enjoy the psychological thriller genre or if you enjoy any genre as long as it's a good read, go out and get this book. 9/10+++

Relentless - Dean Koontz

The amazing thing about Koontz is that he can crank out 2-3 books every year and yet all of them are examples of great storytelling. This seems like it might be a touch auto-biographical, as the author Cubby Greenwich takes a beating from an influential critic named Waxx, and it soon becomes apparent that the criticism is intended as a death sentence for Cubby and his family. As the plot unfolds and other similarly-targeted authors and artists are identified, the characters kick into overdrive to resolve the situation before they are "resolved" themselves. Great literature? No, but an excellent summer read!

The Sign - Raymond Khoury

It took me three weeks to get through this book, not because it was long or "bad" per se, but because it just never inspired me to get lost in the story. Consequently it was read at 4-5 pages each sitting, and I breathed a sense of relief when I was done. A news crew is in Antarctica reporting on global warming when "the sign" appears overhead, which sets in motion a plot wherein a faction uses technology to create religious imagery and to subconsciously influence a famous priest as the the fall-guy. Really, not a bad plot, but just-okay writing (a few times the narrative jumps to "we" - nothing annoys me more than a break in voice). I wanted something more, as I am a fan of the author's first two books.

The Plant People - Dale Carlson

About a year ago Todd and I sat down over coffee and talked about what else, books. He related that a book stood out to him that he read as a youngster. That book being The Plant People by Dale Carlson. Always trusting Todd's instincts on books, I immediately went looking for a copy. I placed on my wishlist at Paperbackswap and about a year later this shows up in my mailbox.

I actually wasn't sure what to expect, Todd gave only a brief synopsis, but was looking forward to it nontheless. This book is written for the young teen in mind and I spent all of about 20 minutes finishing it. Originally published in 1977, this book came across (too my adult mind) as more of a propaganda piece for the environmental movement than a book meant to entertain. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained for those 20 minutes and I tend to overlook most preachy or propagandizing in books, and this was no different.

Get past the "humans are destroying the earth and humanity is now being punished, save for the few true enviromental lovers" message and you have a brief (very brief) diversion and I have no doubt that a young teen or pre-teen would enjoy this one even more. 7/10