It’s been a while since I talked about books I didn’t write. Over the past few months, I’ve read a number of them. Here’s a rundown.
The Passage by Justin Cronin – Post-apocalyptic vampire story. Incredibly long. Drags a bit in the middle. Overall, though, an excellent world. It gets me very, very excited for the next book–which is due in 2012, I guess.
Infected: Prey by Andrea Speed – Written by a friend of mine. Really good. It’s actually two books in one. It involves a gay private detective. And if that’s not enough to entice you, he’s also a were-cat. He turns into a lion AND can eat throats. Why are you still here? Go buy it!
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart – Aside from having one of the best titles I’ve heard in years, SSTLS is also a pretty good statement on American economy. The reviews on Amazon are all over the place, ranging from “Shteyngart hates America” to “This book should be listed as erotica”. I’m going to skip all of that and say that this is a dark, incredible read that really makes you think about our future.
Act of Will by A.J. Hartley – I actually picked this one up based on the cover. And it was alright. The action was incredibly well-done. I actually felt like I understood where all the players were on the battlefield, and I actually felt the jarring effect of each crossbow bolt and sword slice. I can’t say as much for the main character. Hated him with a passion. But, everyone else was good. And the story was pretty well constructed, even if I figured it out halfway through.
Jhereg by Steven Brust – Classic fantasy from 1983. I’ve wanted to read it for a while, but I never took the opportunity. I’m glad I did. There’s a reason this series is still going on. Brust knows how to write an engaging story with fun characters and events. I just read the first book (The Amazon link above leads to a collection of the first three books) but I’m already trying to find digital copies of the next two for my Kindle. There were some definite problems with the book, such as some pretty stilted dialogue and the occasional cheesy joke. But, I can definitely see potential there, and I look forward to continuing the series.
So, yes, there you have it: what I’ve read over the past few months. Up next is How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. Again, I’m attracted to the book based on the name. To be quite honest, a good title can completely sell a book to me. Yes, I’ve been burned before. But, usually, if the title is a bit witty, captivating and fun, you’ll find the rest of the book to be the same. I guess we’ll see if Mr. Yu can live up to his title.