Lore

A humorous poke at fantasy books and games

Reviewed: 01-17-20

Humorous books often fall flat for me but this time I must admit I often found myself chuckling quite a few times. Orconomics takes a look at the financial eco-system that fuels a world where being an adventurer is a standard career pursued by many and heading into a dungeon to slay monsters for loot is merely a job. Adventurers are common and all of them are part of the Heroes Guild where they can achieve levels when they are assigned points for killing foes. What is a foe? Well it is anything designated as such by the guild and quests are contracts that are funded by investors who are investing in the potential loot to be collected by killing those foes. This book takes a look at those in the background of this peculiar financial eco-system, and how they are manipulating things to their advantage, but the main stars are a party of down-on-their-luck adventurers caught up in the middle of these machinations.

Gorm Ingerson is a Dwarven berserker who fell on hard times twenty years ago when his career was derailed by a botched quest. He has since been thieving just to get by when he suddenly finds himself being strong armed into a quest with a band of fellow misfits. This group of "adventurers" is meant to fail in order to serve the financial purposes of those in the background, but for Gorm it is an opportunity to actually get his life back on track so he plans to turn this set-up into a genuine opportunity. He is accompanied by 2 wizards who hate each other, a drunken Elven archer addicted to healing potions, a thief who fancies himself a bard, and a weaponsmaster who is seeking his own death. Not to mention his incompetent goblin squire that he somehow recently became saddled with. Sounds like most parties I have found myself in across my many years of gaming. :)

This book pokes fun at the many tropes found in fantasy books, RPGs, and video games and it does so in a manner that actually works. It has many amusing moments along the way and before you know it you are engaged in a story with characters that you actually care about. So if you are looking for a fun change of pace within the fantasy genre then this is a worthy pick up. It is the first book of a planned trilogy with the second book, Son of a Liche, already available. Doug Tisdale Jr. does the narration and he does a great job delivering on the humorous tone of the writing.

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5 people found this helpful

A humorous poke at fantasy books and games

Reviewed: 01-17-20

Humorous books often fall flat for me but this time I must admit I often found myself chuckling quite a few times. Orconomics takes a look at the financial eco-system that fuels a world where being an adventurer is a standard career pursued by many and heading into a dungeon to slay monsters for loot is merely a job. Adventurers are common and all of them are part of the Heroes Guild where they can achieve levels when they are assigned points for killing foes. What is a foe? Well it is anything designated as such by the guild and quests are contracts that are funded by investors who are investing in the potential loot to be collected by killing those foes. This book takes a look at those in the background of this peculiar financial eco-system, and how they are manipulating things to their advantage, but the main stars are a party of down-on-their-luck adventurers caught up in the middle of these machinations.

Gorm Ingerson is a Dwarven berserker who fell on hard times twenty years ago when his career was derailed by a botched quest. He has since been thieving just to get by when he suddenly finds himself being strong armed into a quest with a band of fellow misfits. This group of "adventurers" is meant to fail in order to serve the financial purposes of those in the background, but for Gorm it is an opportunity to actually get his life back on track so he plans to turn this set-up into a genuine opportunity. He is accompanied by 2 wizards who hate each other, a drunken Elven archer addicted to healing potions, a thief who fancies himself a bard, and a weaponsmaster who is seeking his own death. Not to mention his incompetent goblin squire that he somehow recently became saddled with. Sounds like most parties I have found myself in across my many years of gaming. :)

This book pokes fun at the many tropes found in fantasy books, RPGs, and video games and it does so in a manner that actually works. It has many amusing moments along the way and before you know it you are engaged in a story with characters that you actually care about. So if you are looking for a fun change of pace within the fantasy genre then this is a worthy pick up. It is the first book of a planned trilogy with the second book, Son of a Liche, already available. Doug Tisdale Jr. does the narration and he does a great job delivering on the humorous tone of the writing.

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High risk conclusion to the 3rd Ark Royal trilogy.

Reviewed: 01-12-20

The latest interstellar war has been a back and forth affair so far, but an advancement in technology on the human side of the equation offers up a unique opportunity. So far the enemy has had the tech advantage due to their faster-than-light (FTL) communications, which allows them to react much faster than the humans or tadpoles, but now FTL travel without a tramline is becoming a reality. This means that ships will no longer need to take a predictable path from one star system to another and humanity can strike directly at the home world of the enemy. There is a catch though: it is a one way trip, which means it is a win or die mission for every ship involved.

Of course Vanguard is one of those ships and this one-way scenario allows for a build up to a high stakes conclusion. Susan and Georgina both find their lives on the line in very different ways as humanity goes for the knockout punch. Avoiding a long drawn out war that we probably can't win has a lot of appeal and the nature of the foxes to completely surrender when they are beaten makes this tactic a viable one. Of course this new technology is not without its kinks and Nuttall never hesitates to use that as an excuse to create some of his bigger plot points. In past books I have had issues with how contrived some of those scenarios would feel but in this case it worked for me. This book is a solid conclusion to the 3rd trilogy and a definite step up from the second trilogy.

Overall I have enjoyed my time with Ark Royal books, and there are plenty more of them, but I am not sure I am going to proceed further than this. The next two books go back in time to revisit the first interstellar war to tell more stories in that setting and then book 12 starts up a new trilogy to move the story arc forward once again. I may pick up with book 12 at some point, but for now I am happy with where things are at the end of this book. Ralph Lister narrates again with his usual caliber of performance and frankly it wouldn't be an Ark Royal book without him, even if he isn't my favorite narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

The war heats up...

Reviewed: 01-05-20

The first engagement of the war is now over and both Susan Onarina and Georgina Fitzwilliam find themselves in very different situations based on their decisions during that conflict. Vanguard barely survived to make it home under Susan's leadership and upon return to Earth she finds herself taken into custody for relieving Vanguard's former commander. Although she is quite certain that he was unfit for duty, Susan knew at the time that taking such a drastic step would have consequences and now is the time to find out just what those consequences are. On the other hand, Georgina is now in the uncomfortable role of being first middy in charge of four new midshipmen and she is not certain that she is ready for this new responsibility.

As both lead characters face their new challenges head on, humanity must sort out what role it is going to play in the new war. The two new enemy species are much closer to tadpole space than they are to human space so many governments feel that we should hold back resources and worry about ourselves first. Of course, we do have a treaty that obligates us to fight alongside the tadpoles and if they are unable to defend their space then we would be next anyway, so the military leadership stresses that doing our part now is really in our best interest. Humans being humans is always annoying.

Being the middle book of a trilogy, little is resolved by the end of this one but the story does advance for both the main characters and the story arc. I am certainly enjoying this more than the second trilogy and would say it is on par with the original, although that one was still a little better just because the stakes were higher. Ralph Lister continues to narrate and his many British accents remain a solid choice, although as is usual his performance is good but not great.

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A unique dystopian tale

Reviewed: 01-01-20

In the 23rd century rising oceans and diseases that rapidly mutate have become a real threat to both humans and food crops, and only the offerings of the calorie companies have kept humanity alive. These hated corporations use genetic hacking techniques to produce food crops that grow for just a few generations before the diseases adapt and wipe them out, and they use their food as leverage over everyone. Willing to do just about anything to obtain new seed stock to give them an advantage these companies have private armies and almost unlimited funding. Thailand has done its best to stay autonomous from such companies, but Bangkok is a drowning city where tensions between government factions are rising. AgriGen sees this as an opportunity to acquire access to Thailand's coveted seed vault and a simple windup girl finds herself at the center of this coming storm.

Gene hacking has made Cheshire cats a mischievous reality and also genetically modified elephants into megadonts to provide efficient power. Of course such science was applied to human DNA as well, and that is how the new people were created. Emiko is such a new person, also known as a windup girl, because of the manner in which her DNA coding makes her limbs move in a stuttering fashion. New people are treated as property, and Emiko has become a mere sexual novelty in a seedy club after she was left behind by her former Japanese owner. Her life is miserable and as she yearns for more she becomes the spark that ignites the powder keg of Bangkok.

This is the second dark future tale that I have read from Paolo Bacigalupi and in both he does a great job of of creating unique environments for his stories to take place in. I do feel like The Water Knife is the better book of the two, but if you are looking for something more unique then The WIndup Girl is the clear choice, although know going in that it does get rather raunchy at times. Jonathan Davis does an excellent job on the narration.

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2 people found this helpful

Does this classic from 1954 still hold up?

Reviewed: 01-01-20

I am Legend was published way back in 1954 and it has been brought to film twice, both times starring big name actors. The first time was in the 1971 film, The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston, and then again in 2007 with the film, I am Legend, starring Will Smith. That is quite an interesting pedigree, but does the original story from over 60 years ago still hold up? It's is a horror story about the last man on Earth struggling to survive in an apocalyptic world set in the late 1970s. A plague has wiped out most people, except for Robert Neville, and the crazed infected lunatics that rule the streets after the sun goes down. Neville must take full advantage of the daylight to make sure he accomplishes all required survival tasks in order for him to get through the night. Day by day this is a never ending struggle for survival and Robert is no longer sure he can continue to win it...

If you have seen the 2007 movie of the same name then you should know that this book shares little in common with that film, so that means you can still experience this book without the plot being spoiled. Although it was written more than half a century ago I would say that it has held up pretty well and it is clear to see how this book inspired many other authors to write their own apocalyptic tales. Is it the best end of the world story ever written? Far from it, but it is still worth experiencing just for the influence it has had on the genre that it helped create. Robertson Dean does the narration and just like the story, his performance is adequate, but not great.

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9 people found this helpful

The start of a new story arc

Reviewed: 01-01-20

Each trilogy within the larger Ark Royal series centers around a single ship and an associated alien contact story line. The initial trilogy featured an outdated carrier class ship, Ark Royal, and first contact with the race that became known as the tadpoles, which led to an interstellar war. The second trilogy featured a heavy cruiser class ship, Warspite, and first contact with the planet Vesy that contained a reptilian race not as technologically advanced as humanity. The Warspite trilogy had us fighting amongst ourselves and it just wasn't as good as the original. This third series features the first ship from a new class of battleship, Vanguard, and another story of interstellar war that hopes to recapture the glory of the initial series. Does it work?

Well it is too early to tell after just the first book, but the start is certainly a step up from the second series. Vanguard is a ship that is designed take a beating, which puts it at the front of the action in every space battle so that helps to keep things moving along. That's good because I don't yet know how I feel about the 2 main new characters who offer you perspectives from both the top and the bottom of the hierarchy on Vanguard. The first is Susan Onarina, the new XO of Vanguard, who finds herself with additional responsibility because the eccentric captain of the ship isn't reliable in a fight. Unfortunately I found this situation to be rather contrived and I am not sure it made the story any better. The second new character is George (Georgina) Fitzwilliam, who is the niece of the First Space Lord, and also the newest midshipman on Vanguard. This makes her the lowest ranking officer on the ship and she quickly finds herself in hot water because the senior midshipman has it out for her due to her privileged family ties. I found her situation much more engaging than that of the XO and thus found myself caring more about her in return.

So this third trilogy is off to a better start than the second, so we shall see where it goes from here. Ralph Lister remains the narrator and his ability to do various UK accents continues to make him a good fit for the material. This is military sci-fi through and through so if you are new to the series then clearly start with Ark Royal, but if you have already read the Ark Royal series and enjoyed it then this book is also worth considering.

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Life isn't easier down on the surface.

Reviewed: 01-01-20

Now that the battle for the Metal Islands is over, the aftermath of that battle becomes the new focus. The former residents of the Hive now find themselves living on the surface and this ancient prophecy fulfilled isn't the dream life that was expected. X quickly discovers that uniting the Sky People and the Cazadores into a single community is much harder than just letting them kill each other. Neither side truly respects the other and just because X is weary of killing it doesn't mean everyone else is. X's attempt to form a new combined society in the Metal Islands could lead to a brighter future, but it is far more likely to just result in the extinction of the human race...

As usual there are the obligatory Hell Diver missions full of action and mutant enemies, but now that the story has moved onto the surface the bigger story arc takes center stage. The Cazadores and their brutal society don't make for trustworthy community members, but it turns out that the former residents of the Hive don't prove to be any better. Both sides make life difficult for X who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. As soon as he starts to keep the peace by hiding secrets from both sides it becomes obvious that things are likely to unravel. Not to mention that the mutant creatures and robot killing machines aren't the only enemies threatening them as the Cazadores had some previously unknown human enemies of their own that are still bent on taking them down.

I eagerly consumed this book upon release, and although I enjoyed it, I can't help but feel it has lost a little of the magic that made it work now that the story has moved to the surface. The survival of humanity is still at stake, and things are as bleak as ever, but now it feels a bit more like the many other apocalyptic tales that are available to read. That being said, I will not hesitate to pick up the next installment upon release because many characters I care about are still trying to survive and I have to know how it turns out for them.

R. C. Bray does the narration and there is no better voice for this brand of post apocalyptic action - he brings it to life and more.

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3 people found this helpful

Worthy finale to the Lightbringer series

Reviewed: 01-01-20

The Burning White is the long anticipated conclusion to the Lightbringer series and it is the longest book in the series by far. Brent Weeks brings all of the main characters back and he weaves the many threads of story together into one epic battle that determines the future of the Seven Satrapies. Then he tacks on three Epilogues and a "Postlude" just to make sure that he brings additional closure to some of the character arcs. That certainly has to be enough right? Nope, there is also a Shawarma scene available online which is intended to be read only AFTER you have read the book which is like a post-credits movie scene. This is all very welcome by me since I love closure and I hate to be left hanging, but is the ending of this series truly satisfying?

Well I guess that depends on which ending you are talking about. Brent has been layering complexity onto this story with each additional book and st the same providing new insight into old events that make you rethink what you know about the characters. This book is no different in that regard and it includes some interesting flashbacks that reveal key events from the past with serious implications about the future. Weeks keeps you guessing along the way as he builds up to the final battle where everything comes together and the future is determined. What is included in the actual book is indeed a satisfying conclusion but it is far from perfect. There are some plot developments that I didn't care for at all but I will leave it at that to avoid any spoilers. Overall it is a good series, with a few flaws, that ended at the right time.

Or did it? As stated earlier there is an additional Shawarma scene that can be found online (google for the link) that is intended to be read only after the conclusion of the book. This homage to the Avengers post-credits movie scene is a nice touch and I do appreciate the extra little bit of story. Time to move on to something else right? Nope. Because there is also the "real ending" to the story that Weeks has also published. Warning - read this at your own risk! Is that truly the real ending? I guess that is up to you to decide, but for me the Postlude events which are in the actual book prove that it is not the real ending and just the author having some fun.

Simon Vance narrated the entire series and since he is a master of his craft his performance makes listening a very enjoyable experience.

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The battle for Jackson...

Reviewed: 11-15-19

Clay's group of survivors is a dysfunctional bunch for sure, yet they keep everyone alive and they continually grow in number. Clay rules through intimidation and he is not afraid to kill his own people to make a point, yet he is reasonable when compared to some other members of his leadership group. The most unstable of that bunch, Ronny, is far worse than Clay and has been pushing for the group to move to Jackson for quite a while now. Ronny claims to have knowledge of farms and a stable food supply in Jackson, but of course his real motivation is his desire to get revenge against Sergeant Gibbs for the ass kicking he received in the gunfight back in book two. When Ronny finally manipulates things to convince Clay to move everyone north, they arrive in Jackson only to find that there is no food in the city. This sets up the final showdown between Clay's well armed group of scavengers and the members of the Jackson Commune, a much smaller group of people with barely enough food for themselves.

The tension builds in this one until a series of events brings it all to a head, and the Jackson Commune faces the prospect of their own extinction. Despite all the effort they have invested in protecting themselves, the Commune is in no way prepared for what comes their way when Clay's group moves into Jackson. Backed into a corner at the real possibility of starvation, Clay feels he has no good options and when Ronny lights the spark that ignites the powder keg this book delivers on the confrontation that has building since book one. Since I have grown to care about the characters in the Commune I eagerly moved through this story because i had to know how it all turned out.

Joshua Gayou wraps up the series nicely, but he also leaves some dangling threads that can be used to expand things further if he so wishes. I would say this is one the better "realistic" apocalyptic series and I definitely recommend it especially with R. C. Bray narrating the entire series and doing a hell of a job of it.

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2 people found this helpful