A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne

This is a well laid out fantasy with an unusual narrator.  Fintan is a bard of the Poet Goddess Kaelin.  He essentially is the narrator of the story.   The lands that are illustrated in the book take their Kennings or talents from either the land or the gods of the lands.  It isn’t clear which.  Those on the sea have talents of the sea, those in the forest have talents of the forest.   Kennings are acquired through great sacrifice and there are not many in any country that has a Kenning. 

The story is focused on the Bone Giants invasion but the intricacies are more focused on the individuals and their nations and how they respond to invasion.   The Bone Giant invasion seems to be religion based but that is unclear as they are a mystery to the folks they are attacking.

Fintan starts the story by trying to explain the history of the war to a vast crowd of refugees.  Fintan has a unique way to tell stories that provides a highly realistic story for the crowds.  

Hearne does a nice job and allows his story teller to provide a lot of depth on characters with an explanation as to why he is doing so.  He also points out the irascibility of both nation states and leaders and how that can lead to tragedies.

A good book, I recommend it.

Web:  https://kevinhearne.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

King of Ashes by Raymond Feist

I have no  recollection of ever disliking a book by Feist.  I have tried to read everything he has written.  His character portrayal and plot development are outstanding.  This book is set in a medieval type of environment.   Five kingdoms ascribe to the Covenant which is a peace accord when one organizes a betrayal of the kingdom of Ithrace, the Firemanes.   Daylon Dumarch, the Baron of Marquensas, is an unwilling participant in the betrayal and is fraught with guilt.   The plot revolves around Hatu and Declan who eventually find each other.  

Feist books are always a treat.  He leavens this book with a touch of magic but it is primarily the maturation of Hatu and Declan who, no doubt, will be the principals in books to come.   The weave of the book is tight with each seeming aside being pulled into the main theme.   I can’t wait to see what abilities will be attributed to the Firemane.

This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

Web: http://www.crydee.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Brothers Three by Layton Green

I enjoyed Layton Green’s previous books but he has stepped up his game with this one.  Three brothers and their friend are thrust into a thoroughly unbelievable situation and forced to cope with the supernatural.

Val, Will and Caleb are the three brothers and Lance is Will’s best friend.  The author does a great job in creating likeable and yet flawed characters.  Each one is a realistic example of how different and yet similar siblings are.

The alternative universe or multi-dimensional theories provide the gist for the plot.  The evil necromancer, Zedock is the despicable villain.  

The author allows each character to mature and grow throughout the book.

I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading the sequel, The Sprit Mage.

I highly recommend the book.

Web Site:   http://laytongreen.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Happy New Year 2018

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

 My first reaction to a book marketed as YA and having premarital sex, alcohol abuse and bad behavior was negative.  That reaction was primarily due to the age of the person  that I had planned on giving the book.  Introspection is a wonderful thing, after some thought I realized my preconceived notions colored my reaction to the book.

Tess is a troubled teen in a restrictive household.  This is a theme that should have resonated clearly to someone with my background and eventually it did.  Tess ends on a journey and the journey is one of growth.   Tess grows into a person that she can live with and she finally over comes her self loathing.   I

don’t see this as a spoiler as the journey is the story, not the result. 

I enjoyed the diverse characters and the quigutl were intriguing.

I recommend the book.

Web; https://rachelhartmanbooks.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Merry Christmas 2017

Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra

 India sometime in a post apocalypse world.   There are remnant portals left by either an advanced civilization or aliens that are a peripheral part of the story.  The main plot is focused on a mostly matrilineal sheriff type of law enforcement group and it’s lone male group, more precisely on a young man and woman from each group.  

This story set seems to be in the area of

Kyra is a bit of a rebel in her home group but becomes more so when her mentor and mother substitute dies mysteriously.   Rustan takes his ethics very seriously and when he errs in fulfilling an assigned duty it racks him with guilt.

This book is a nice character study of two young people struggling in a very different world.  

I enjoyed it.

Web: https://ratiwrites.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.