i just read

I Just Read: Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

I Just Read: A book review I haven’t done one of these posts in a while, mostly because I’ve been reading this long ass book! Leviathan Wakes is an action, science fiction novel by James S. A. Corey, who is apparently not a real person. It’s the name shared by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Plenty of writers collab to make a book; these guys merged their names together in an unholy amalgam. Whatever.

What can I say about Leviathan Wakes? You should read this book. It is amazing. It combines elements of a murder mystery and hard-boiled detective fiction with action-packed space battles. Plus there’s vomiting zombies. I’m not even joking.

The story follows a duel narrative style. We follow the journey of two protagonists and their investigations at the start of interplanetary war. Abraham and Franck probably each wrote for one of the characters. I’d like to talk to the one who wrote Miller because he’s just great.

Leviathan Wakes creates a realistic version of the future. Mars is colonized (old news) and humanity has pushed out to the asteroid belt. Belters have lived on the fringes of our Solar system for generations, to the point where they’re lives and experiences differ so much from people on Earth and Mars, that sociopolitical circumstances have bred the conditions for war. Which, as I see it, will definitely happen should we colonize space.

But before you think this is some dry, tedious exploration of interplanetary politics, think again. It is hella exciting. From the very beginning you’re pulled into a sinister mystery and watch as a terrible war blooms around you. You’ll either root for Holden, the uncompromising captain, or sympathize with the burned out, grizzled detective Miller. I literally cheered when he did something that would shock most, but it had to be done.

The book’s not perfect (none are). There were about three times where I thought the book could have ended satisfactorily, but it kept going. Although I love a long book and never want a story to end, it felt like it was dragging. I think the last few chapters were tacked on to set up the future books in the series, rather than end this narrative. They feel anti-climatic after the events prior.

All in all its a book every sci-fi fan needs to read. It has just about everything you want in a novel. And plenty you’re not expecting.

TL:DR: read Leviathan Wakes

I Just Read: Hell is Empty, by Craig Johnson

I don’t think I can say enough good things about the Walt Longmire series. I’ve been a fan for years, ever since I discovered The Dark Horse on Audible. It’s the fifth book in the series and I immediately went back and started on the first. Hell is Empty is the seventh book in the series.

The book details a harrowing day-in-the-life of a Wyoming sheriff named Walt Longmire. While escorting a group of violent criminals to a team of FBI agents, the most dangerous escapes. Walt is the only man able to track the dangerous, and very crazy, Raynaud Shade up the mountains during a snow storm.

Most of the Longmire books blend rich characterization with compelling detective work. As a reader I really believe there is an intrepid, Vietnam-vet sheriff somewhere in Wyoming, solving crimes with his Cheyenne buddy. The stories are engaging without being saccharine or clichéd. And because it’s an ongoing series, I got to know the characters better than most TV shows.

Hell was a refreshing installment. Johnson manages to bring something new to each book while maintaining a consistent tone. The previous entry Junkyard Dogs felt like a misstep, bordering on comedy. It took a long time for the main case to arise and I was wondering where it all was going. With Hell Longmire’s back on form, jumping straight into a mind-bending challenge almost from the beginning.

Even so, the book drags, especially towards the end. I wanted it to be over with several events earlier. That could have just been my own temperament, or the pace at which I read it. There were plenty of great moments to end the story on, but it kept going. The final climax feels, well anticlimactic, after the harrowing moments leading up to it. But with a writer like Johnson, I’m not entirely surprised. He loves to subvert expectations and throw in twists whenever he can.

A special note about the audiobooks: definitely listen to the audiobooks. Narrator George Guidall is fantastic. He brings Walt to life, along with the many colorful supporting characters. This is simply a series that works best with his voice behind it.

TL;DR: get started on the Walt Longmire series. Be sure to get the audiobooks.

I Just Read: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

I’m not sure what to make of Ender’s Game. Yeah there was a failed movie and the writer is a controversial figure these days. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is what you feel about the book. Ender’s Game feels like a book that’s been copied and borrowed-from too many times to have the same impact when it was first published.

I won’t go on and on about the plot. Suffice it to say, it’s about humanity fighting off an alien force. They enlist children to help with the war effort. And although there’s some unexpected twists and revelations, particularly by the end, it loses its impact in an age when there are so many other Science Fictions books with similar ideas.

(Old Man’s War comes to mind, but that book has much more humanity in it to make your care).

And that’s a problem, because the uniqueness of the book is a large part of what can make it likable. Ender is a hard character to relate to. He’s young, but not childlike. He already has the makeup of a hardened soldier. He faced daunting odds, sure, but as a reader I didn’t care about him.

Couple that with the style of the writing. I generally look past style if the book’s engaging. You forget about the writing when engrossed in a well-written book. But there were numerous times the author over explained a character’s motive or emotional state. I skipped over long paragraphs that repeated what was succinctly said in the very first. That kind of verbosity felt over-indulgent on the writer’s part (but a good lesson to learn for new writers).

I almost feel like this is a “don’t meet your heroes” experience. Ender’s Game has been a celebrated Sci-Fi book for over twenty years. A classic I assumed I should read. But I was at best left nonplussed. It’s not a bad book, just one dated because of its influence. And too dour and negative to make me like the characters or setting.

TL;DR: Read Ender’s Game if you’re curious. But don’t expect a life-changing experience.

I Just Read: Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

Sadly I got into Discworld just a few months before Terry Pratchett died. I had heard of it for a long time, but didn’t bite the bullet until earlier this year. I regret not experiencing the adventures of Rincewind and his colorful friends while the author lived. Maybe I could have enjoyed the experience of reading each new book as it came out. Either way, I was just getting into this magical series when I heard the news of his passing. Weird and sad all at once.

But that hasn’t deterred me from pressing on. There are over 40 books in the series, a massive achievement for any writer. Sourcery is the 5th in the series. I won’t bother going over the earlier ones. They’re great in varied and special ways. Go and check them out if you wanna.

A part of me feels like Discworld is the series Tolkien would have written had he grown up in the 60’s. There is strong satirical vein throughout it, a obvious jab at the fantasy troupes we fanboys and fangirls know inside and out. But there is also a true love for the genre, a love that seemed to grow with every book (I’ll say right now that so far, my fav book in the series is Equal Rites, but enough about that). Discworld is the kind of high fantasy you’ll be ready for once you’ve gorged yourself on LoTR and Harry Potter and have graduated onto something smarter. And smart it is.

That being said I had a hard time enjoying Sourcery. It’s not a bad book. It’s probably a great book. But the way in which Pratchett lays waste to the Discworld, as the unstoppable boy sourcerer destroys everything in his path, even trapping the gods themselves, thus releasing frost giants to finish the job, was disillusioning. It almost felt that five books in, the author was trying to destroy his own creation. Or aiming at a soft reboot of sorts. But these books are always looking for ways to rewrite the rules the last one established. It makes sense, if you “get” this kind of story. Irreverence even unto itself. It’s entertaining and refreshing, but it can devolve into meaningless cynicism rapidly.

It don’t think Sourcery is cynical in any way. Cynicism is a modern day poison that kills creativity. But it does teeter on the edge a few times, almost going to such a point that you feel the stakes are meaningless and life in Discworld doesn’t matter. But I believe Pratchett had too much heart to push us over. He always pulls us back in time, saving the day once again.

The Discworld series is an amazing journey. It’s unlike most fantasy you’ll ever read, but it has it’s highs and lows. You need to adjust your expectations in order to appreciate the humor and rhythm. Once you do it’s a series worth losing your afternoons in. Sourcery may have had a few bumps for my taste, but it was gold where it counted.

TL,DR: Check out Discworld, once you get tired of D&D and Harry Potter.

I Just Read: Blood Money and Other Stories, by Elmore Leonard

I went into this short story collection completely cold. I knew nothing about Elmore Leonard except that he created the guy from Justified (a show I never watched). And he has been mentioned by Austin Kleon time and again. I’m not sure why I decided to pick up this book. I’ve been gaining a taste for Western fiction ever since I entered a classic movie kick a few years back (when I binged on Samurai flicks and the Man with No Name series). That led to reading things like True Grit and of course the delectable Walt Longmire series.

So I decided to give Leonard’s take on the wild west a try. Thank God I did. There are few writers as terse and eloquent as he. I’m not going to lie, there were plenty of places that felt dry. Or better put: so specific to early Western life that I had to invest some time in doing research. This was an era just after the Civil War, when Indians still had territories and trains were long groups of wagons. It took some getting used to. But once I adjusted my paradigm, it was gravy til the end.

What I love about Leonard’s prose is the lack of gloss. He speaks the plain truth, with no frills. I imagine he spent time cutting as much unnecessary text as a possible from his manuscripts, while still leaving something to read. By the end of his career I’m sure it was second nature to write in that style from the get go. As a writer who errs more on the side of verbose, this was as refreshing as a bucket of water to the face. Chilling, but eye-opening. And that’s not even getting to the amazing stories, with real but still heroic characters.

Do yourself a favor and read something by Elmore Leonard. Doesn’t even have to be a Western, he wrote across genre lines. His work has been adapt by Hollywood more times than Stephen King (arguable but it’s close). He’s a master story-teller. I’m excited I’m just getting started on his collection.

TL,DR: Go read this damn book.