The Bookwyrm's Review of Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

Author: Christopher Ruocchio

Length: 624 Pages/ 26 Hours, 11 minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Daw Books, Recorded Books (Audio)

Release Date: July 3, 2018

Narrator: Samuel Roukin

Series: The Sun Eater, Book 1

Genre: Space Opera

This is one of those books, with it's fairly long run time of 26+ hours, that I wanted to try and get listened to in just a few sittings, realizing it might be a bit complex to break down over a longer period. Good thing I did, because this books swings all over the place, handling complex galactic politics, combat and personal interactions with equal aplomb.

Hadrian Marlowe, eldest son of a noble planetary governor, expects to be named heir. In a galactic empire that resembles the worst excesses of the Roman empire, this means a life of privilege and wealth, but also having to meet the demands of the empire. The problem is, he doesn't want to be. In the thinking machine tech phobic society he lives in, he would rather train to be a human computer (think Mentats from Dune). Unfortunately for him, his father has other plans. Thinking it would be advantages to have a son in the Chantre, the official church of the empire, worshipping fallen Earth, Hadrian has a future as a church Inquisitor, (the church's sanitized name for torturer), to look forward to. 

Deciding this is not the fate he would want, he escapes his home world with help from the last person he expects. Going into cryo-sleep, he expects to wake up 13 years later, ready to begin a new life. He instead wakes up in a back alley clinic many years later than he expected, on a backwater planet named Emesh. Penniless and weak from years in stasis, his life quickly falls into squalor as he becomes just another penniless vagrant, since if he is caught he will be turned over to the Chantre, which doesn't take kindly to runaways. This lasts for years, until a chance encounter reminds him he has martial training, and he becomes a Myrmidon, a fighter in the arena.

Finding a new life and family in the arena, hiding his past as a noble, Hadrian, called Hade by his companions, is more successful than he dreams. His dreams, however, become part of his downfall, as his native curiosity gets the better of him as he snoops around the arena's dungeon level when he hears they have a captured Cielcin, the only other space faring race and the enemy of humanity, locked away somewhere below. Finding the truth, he is caught in the act, with dire consequences.

Revealed as a noble to the local Count, he is thrust into the political world of Emesh, a world he loathes but is familiar with. Hiding his identity as just a tutor to the Count's children, he makes an enemy of a powerful priest. He also has a burgeoning attraction to Valka, a foreign Zenologist on Emesh studying mysterious ruins. This is the world he must navigate as outside forces steer him in yet more directions not of his choosing. After he is revealed at last as a noble, his path is even more controlled, and he has a series of life altering events happen, with consequences that will one day be felt across the Empire.

I have always had a fascination with Space Opera. That huge canvas spread across a galaxy, with all the myriad elements of politics, adventure and villainy. This book has those in spades. While it has superficial resemblances to books like Dune, it definitely takes it's own path. Hadrian Marlowe is no Paul Mau'dib. As much as he doesn't like the nobles of the Empire, he still has quite a few noble notions about class and peoples place in society. Bearing a striking resemblance to a Roman despotism, the Empire, separated as it is by distance and the limits of space travel, still manages to act as a cohesive unit. It is an excellent bit of worldbuilding, with much attention lavished on the political and religious systems, as well as the various outsiders. The plot is paced well, letting what needs to burn slow have time to develop, while letting the action set pieces barrel ahead full speed. The author does a fantastic job developing the characters, showing no fear in exposing them, warts and all, making them much more realistic than you would expect. 

The narration was handled quite well by Samuel Roukin. This is the first book I've heard him narrate, but he did an outstanding job bringing the characters and story to life. His narrative pacing is good, and he definitely has a talent for creating memorable, individualized character voices. I look forward to his work in the future.

All in all, this is one of my top five reads of the year, hands down. Any fan of stories like Dune or Deathstalker should find something to enjoy in this book.

Rating: 5/5

The Bookwyrm's Review of War Aeternus: The Beginning by Charles Dean

Author: Charles Dean

Length: 468 pages/13 Hours, 58 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Charles Dean/Soundbooth Theater (Audio)

Release Date: November 2, 2017/ January 24, 2018

Narrator: Jeff Hays

Series: War Aeternus

Genre: LitRPG

I got a review copy of this book a bit ago from the author, but somehow confused it for another title and this one just slipped through the cracks. Thankfully, the author reminded me he sent me a copy, and I am glad he did, because it was an enjoyable LitRPG experience.

Lee is the typical IT drone, making decent money but really just cruising through on autopilot, with no challenges other than raids with his gaming buddies. No challenge, that is, until a "god" named Augustus transports him to what amounts to the setting of a medieval RPG and tells him he is Augustus's new herald on the world, and he is to gain worshippers for Augustus if he ever want to make it home. Unfortunately for Lee, Augustus is being punished by the other players, "gods" of this world, and his herald is sent in at level zero, with a two month disadvantage over his rivals on the world. Not the best way to start a game where the stakes are life and death.

After defeating his first opponent through luck as much as anything else, Lee, who the world system recognizes as an NPC, starts leveling up. Meeting a a bloodthirsty giant firbolg named Donovan, who is a player in the system, Lee starts recruiting followers as he goes, including Ling, an NPC village girl handy with a bow, who suddenly gains independent awareness around Lee. Questing through the area, Lee and his followers must complete the quests to help Lee fulfil his duty to Augustus so he can get back home, all while trying to not get killed by the other god's heralds, all who are more powerful than Lee with their two month head start in leveling up.  This all leads up to Lee's confrontation with another god's herald, sending shockwaves through the game world.

While I think as a genre LitRPG is hit or miss, this was much more a hit than miss. Starting with a meta kind of premise, that "gods" play an RPG on a server hosted by a creator, in which real people are the in game characters, the author makes use of the standard genre tropes but spins them in some creative ways. Lee is fairly standard as a character, but grows into his role, all while silently hoping he isn't doing the wrong thing converting the masses. The secondary characters are fun, if a little cliched. The setting should be familiar to anyone who has ever played an RPG, and that comfort level makes it easier to get into the story. The plot moves along at a fairly brisk pace, and readers should be able to power right though the story.

The narration is handles by the always excellent Jeff Hays. Basically the king of LitRPG audiobook narration, this title is no exception. He is excellent creating various characters in the listeners mind though use of tone, pacing and accents. Donovan especially stands out, as Jeff basically channels his inner Ahnold voice for the rampaging firbolg. His narrative pacing is excellent, and really keeps the listener engaged. Another excellent effort on his part.

While it isn't perfect, War Aeternus is definitely a series I can wholeheartedly recommend. Any fan of the genre should be able to find something to enjoy in it.

Rating: 4/5

The Bookwyrm's Review of Hero Hunter: A Superhero Gamelit Saga

Author: Darren Hultberg, Jr.

Length: 237 Pages/ 5 Hours, 53 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Darren Hultberg, Jr.

Release Date: August 27, 2018/ October 23, 2018 (Audio)

Narrator: J. Scott Bennett

Series: The Heroes Rising, Book 1

Genre: Superhero/GameLit


As a huge fan of J. Scott Bennett's narration, when the chance to get one of his works on AudiobookBoom came along, I jumped at it. I am also a fan of both Superheroes and GameLit as a Genre, so a mashup of the two seemed like a natural fit. After listening, I can report that it was a good call. 

On the planet of Terrax Prime, with its giant metro areas, the possibility for crime is pretty high. Fortunately, there are people with superpowers to help keep the people safe. While there are supervillains, there are also heroes, some so powerful as to seem godlike. The heroes even have checks on them, as they all work for the planetary government.

But even though there are superheroes, new supervillains always come along. Among that group is the latest threat, Hero Hunter. Merciless in his pursuit of killing superheroes, he methodically tracks and kills them, all in an effort to get to his final goal: Killing the world's greatest superhero as well as the leader of Terrax Prime's superhero development department. Managing to kill higher level heroes, he gets further towards his goal of bringing the leaders he seeks out into the open.

Unfortunately for Hero Hunter, who behind the helmet of his power armor is Aiden Grant, a Technomancer who can control technology, he hasn't exactly flown under the radar. After killing two fairly high level heroes, plans go into action at the highest levels to take him out of play. After being betrayed by someone he trusted, Aiden ends up in the holding facility for supers, cut off from his powers, and at the mercy of one of the men that caused him to become a supervillain in the first place. Managing an escape, with a small army of supervillains at his back, Aiden finally has his chance to face off with those responsible for his ultimate betrayal, with world shaking results. 

The story is a fairly basic revenge story, with a previous betrayal being the impetus for Aiden becoming Hero Hunter. That being said, it actually fit the story very well. I have seen complaints the characters are fairly two dimensional. Considering the book is about one supervillain seeking revenge on the hero community that betrayed him, I'm not sure how much character growth people can possibly expect. I found the characters fairly well rounded, with realistic motivations within their circumstances. The villains were a bit cliched, but still made for good foils for the "villain" Hero Hunter. The use of stats for each Super being readable by his armor's AI is the reason the book fits into the GameLit genre, even though it happens in the characters real world. The plotting is fast paced, and hums along nicely. The worldbuilding is decent, and gives you a good idea of what the characters have to deal wit in everyday life.

J. Scott Bennett does his usual excellent job narrating. He doesn't so much do voices as he changes tones and pitch so that each character is differentiated. his narrative pacing is excellent, and you never feel as though you are bogged down with a monotone. 

I can heartily recommend this book, whether in audio or book format. You wont be disappointed.

The Bookwyrm's review of Tournament of Supervillainy by C. T. Phipps

Author: C. T. Phipps

Length: 256 Pages

Publisher: Mystique Press

Release Date: December 2, 2018

Narrator: Jeffrey Kafer

Series: The Supervillainy Saga, Book 5

Genre: Superhero fantasy

I discovered C. T. Phipps when I came across the first book in this series, The Rules of Supervillainy. I was instantly enthralled with the story of a man given the powers of the city's greatest hero, and deciding heroics is for chumps, I'll be a villain instead and make some money! That appealed to me, in the same way Ben Bequer's Blackjack books caught my attention. To say I was anticipating book five is an understatement, and I was not disappointed with the final result.

Through the first four books, Gary Karkofsky, aka. Merciless, the Villain Without Mercy (tm), has had some definite highs and lows, but has always seemed to always just scrape by. Finally, after defeating his nemesis Merciful, his alternate universe doppelganger, along with President Omega, Merciless just wants to settle down to some quality low key supervillainy with his newly re-souled wife Mandy, his other wife Cindy, the villain known as Red Riding Hood, and their daughter . Instead, he is offered a chance to compete in the Primal Fighting Tournament (think Mortal Kombat), with the chance to win the ultimate prize: one unlimited wish. 

Realizing there are definitely entities he doesn't want with that wish, Gary, along with his crew, enter the Tournament. Upon arriving at the interdimensional equivalent of Han's Island from Enter the Dragon, Gary and company meet some of the other contestants. Included in this group are Jane Doe, Weredeer shaman (I Was A Teenage Weredeer), Cassius Mass, former Fire Count in the Archduchy of Crius (Lucifer's Star), and Agent G, cyborg assassin (Agent G series). All these characters belong in other worlds in the author's various series, crossed over for this event. All these characters are trying to keep the grand prize out of the hands of Entropicus, the ender of worlds, who just wants to destroy the universe.

As the tournament progresses, Gary discovers the stakes are even higher than he knew, since there are cosmic entities much higher on the food chain than he is with a vested stake in the results. Gary will have to go through enemies and allies alike to be able to take the ultimate prize, and the ending is nothing like he expected, with a twist you just won't see coming. The revelations for some aspects of his personal life are also completely shocking.

Like his other books, which all have impressive worldbuilding and plotting, the characters are where this series really shines. From the impressive development of Gary and the rest of his crew, to the various villains and secondary characters, C. T. Phipps lavishes attention on the smallest character details, and you really get into the heads of the various characters. This is just one of those series that gets better with every installment. If you are like me, you will definitely be anticipating the next book!

Update

Now that I have finished the audio version of the book, I have to say this is probably my favorite bit of work that Jeffrey Kafer has ever worked on. He really brought his "A" game, infusing life into already well drawn characters to create something special. He even got to add his own forward to the audiobook, explaining their process developing these books in a hilarious way. It shows how the team of Phipps and Kafer work so well together. I can't recommend the audio version of this book highly enough!

The Bookwyrm's Review of Steel, Blood and Fire by Allan Batchelder

Author: Allan Batchelder

Length: 550 Pages/ 18 hours, 34 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Allan Batchelder/ Blancsanglier Productions Ltd. (Audio)

Release Date: January 2, 2013

Narrator: Christopher Selbie

Series: Immortal Treachery

Genre: Grimdark Fantasy

Sometimes you get recommended a book by a friend that you are kind of on the fence about. I admit my friend's description of this book was a bit vague, and I just kind of forgot about it. I came across it a few months later and decided, why not, I have a hole in the TBR list. After reading the paper version and listening to the audio  version, I am beyond glad I did. Otherwise, I would have missed out on what is one of, if not my most favorite, fantasy characters. Tarmun Vykers is just one of those characters that even though they are in no way a hero, they still appeal all out of proportion to what they should. With that, lets get this review rolling.

Tarmun Vykers. The Reaper. death on two leg's, whos sword has killed whole peoples if the legends are to be believed. Unstoppable warlord. Kingdom conqueror. Right up until that all ended when he ran up against the Virgin Queen's army and was defeated. Captured, tortured, having his hands and feet cut off, the stumps healed, then dumped in the woods to fend for himself, dying a slow, painful death. Only the Reaper won't die that easy. After months of crawling around, barely surviving in the woods, Vykers comes across a cave with a skeleton in it, the skeleton of a mage named Arune with the spirit still attached. Offering Vykers the chance to be whole again if he agrees to let her bond with him until she can find a body of her own, Vykers agrees, and the history of the world changes with that decision.

So begins the next chapter in Vykers's story, as Arune forms hands and feet of magic for Vykers, and he heads towards civilization again. After running into a patrol of the Queen's soldiers, Vykers is brought before the monarch, who offers him a chance for life, as a threat to existence is currently rampaging across the continent, killing everything it comes across.  That threat is called The End of All Things, a mage of immensely vast power, who revels in the death and destruction his army creates. He is literally trying to live up to his name, and the Virgin Queen's kingdom is next on his agenda. Tarmun must, with some new allies, retrieve an item that just might turn the tide, if it even exists.

While Vykers and his companions go on this quest, the End's sister, a healer named Aoife, is on her own journey to try and end her brothers reign of evil. Meeting unexpected allies along the road, she brings her own magic to the fight against her brother. On another road, a small group of mercenaries, lead by Long Pete, ends up in the Queen's Army, only to be split up and captured by The End's army. This leads to some revelations about a few of the parties members that have world shaking repercussions.

As Vykers returns from his quest, the End has all his pieces in place to make his move. This leads to an amazingly well written penultimate battle scene, with so much action its amazing he kept it all straight! He did, though, and it leads to some fantastic action, loss, betrayals, heroics and huge magics. The final showdown between the Reaper and the End is just brutal combat poetry, and leaves plenty for another book in the series.

While the worldbuilding with this book is definitely strong, and the plot really keeps the reader engaged, the characters are what makes this book shine! Tarmun Vykers, vulgar, amoral, ruthless, but still strangely likeable has a lot of secrets that are slowly being reveled, and he is just a fantastic character. The main secondary characters like Arune, Aoife and Long Pete also had a lot of time lavished on their character development, and even characters like the Queen have some interesting developments. The villain, The End of All Things, is the perfect Grimdark villain. Ruthless, merciless and completely insane, he is just such a larger than life character with secrets of his own, slowly revealed throughout the book. I think this is the kind of dark fantasy gem that can appeal to a wide swath of fantasy readers.

The narration is handled by Christopher Selbie. I was unfamiliar with his work before this, but I found him to be a very good narrator. He has excellent pacing, and never drags into monotone. He uses a variety of tones and accents to create individual characters you want to listen to. Definitely a top notch effort I can heartily recommend.

The Bookwyrm's Review of The Last Closet: The Dark Side of Avalon by Moira Greyland

Author: Moira Greyland

Pages: 632 pages/ 13 Hours, 47 Minutes (Audio)

Release Date: December 12, 2017/ February 21, 2019 (Audio)

Publisher: Castalia House

Narrator: Moira Greyland

I had this review half finished when I realized, in going into the pasts of both Marion Zimmer Bradley and Walter Breen, I had inadvertently made them seem at least a bit sympathetic. The problem with that is, no matter how horrible the abuse they dealt with when they were younger, that in no way excused the utter horrors they inflicted on so many people.

Marion Zimmer Bradley was a wildly popular, well respected icon of both Science Fiction and Fantasy, having written The Mists of Avalon, and was a feminist icon. She was also a monster who horribly abused her children and either aided and abetted or turned a blind eye to the abuse her husband, noted numismatist Walter Breen, inflicted on both their children and to many other young people, mostly boys. 

This book is an unflinching look at the life their daughter, Moira Greyland, and the abuse she suffered at the hands of people that should have loved and protected her. It casts light onto the dark, dingy corners of sci-fi fandom, as well as showing the lengths people will go to sweep the misdeeds of their idols under the rug.

Starting with a look at the history of both her parents, Moira details the abuse they both dealt with as children and young adults. This abuse, from a variety of sources, led them to make questionable personal decisions throughout their lives, and left them with moral compasses that had no north to point to. This ended up leaving them a philosophy that they could do as they pleased, regardless of the consequences their actions had on other people. Walter's abuse of children, especially boys, is covered in painful detail over a number of years, and Marion's willful ignorance of the extent of the early abuse is also detailed. Moira also details her own sexual abuse at the hands of both Walter and Marion, in scenes so vivid it both horrified me and left me in tears.

Moira also details the results of the years of abuse. Her struggle with her own sexuality, as her mother insisted that being a lesbian was a necessity, and punished her when she showed any traditional feminine traits. This even included interfering with the way she walked! Moira details her pattern as she got older of falling into bad relationships, being sexually assaulted several times by people not her own family, since she had no filter to determine who was a threat to her, it having been destroyed by years of abuse. She struggled with her feelings in various relationships, since she felt drawn towards men, even though her mother pushed her towards a lesbian lifestyle as the only "natural" lifestyle. This all led to a critical breaking point, when Moira had to make the most challenging decision of her life.

That decision was to turn her father in to the police over his abuse of boys. What followed was a long, traumatic experience, as her mother was also dragged into the light as, at the very least, turning a conscious blind eye to what was going on, if not actively covering for him. Walter ended up convicted of multiple counts, and ended up dying in prison. Marion would slowly decline with dementia over a number a years until her death.

After years of struggle, Moira found a measure of  happiness, meeting her husband and finding solace in religion. After years of following in her mothers footsteps with Pagan religions, she discovered Catholicism was what worked best for her, giving her a measure of peace not known before in a spiritual sense.  She would continue her life long love of the harp, performing and teaching it to others. 

This entire book is a testament to the power of human will to overcome even the most horrible of circumstances.  It is also a condemnation of a large chunk of the SFF community of the time, who chose to overlook and ignore the clear warning signs that all was not right in the Breen/Bradley household, including a big name sci-fi author married to one of Moira's uncles, who did nothing to end the abuse. Written in an stark, engaging, matter of fact style, it is a page turner, even as you read of the horrors detailed within. The last chunk of the book is the court transcript from the Breen abuse trial, which shows Marion's indifference and complicity, and frankly, warped world view, which allowed this all to continue. Although a difficult read due to subject matter, it is also an important read, and I highly recommend it.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Blackest Knights edited by C.T. Phipps

Edited by: C. T. Phipps

Length: 264 Pages

Release Date: October 19, 2018

Publisher: Crossroad Press

It's funny, I don't read many anthologies anymore, but I do have a history of being a fan of them from my younger days, whether it be Thieves World, my all time favorite, or ones like GRRM's Wildcards or David Drake's The Fleet series. When I was offered a chance to review a new anthology edited by my favorite author working today, CT Phipps, I jumped at the chance. The fact that it has stories written by so many authors I have read and enjoyed over the last two years, that was icing on the cake.

The premise of the various stories is that while fantasy and sci-fi is filled with dashing, noble knights of valor, there are lots of jobs that need a dark knight willing to get his/her hands dirty, since the ends justifies the means, among other reasons. in 19 stories by 15 different authors, these themes are explored in a variety of different ways. From dealing with wicked witches, fighting a rearguard action to try and escape from an undead horde, handling an evil god's cultists to dueling competing gods earthly proxies, the stories run the gamut of dark themes, some with dead seriousness and some with twisted humor.

While I did enjoy all 19 stories in the book, I thought there were a few standouts. CT Phipps' Honor is Just a Word is my favorite of the bunch. Set in his Wraith Knight universe, it deals with Jacob Riverson, the new God of Evil, granting a wish to a ghost, with unexpected results. Paul Lavender's The Black Bastle, set in his Orcslayers universe, is another favorite, using two characters from the series in an adventure dealing with bandits of the worst sort. 

Newcomer Mathew Johnson's Plainswalker is a fantastic story, dealing with an army, and specifically an immortal soldier, on the run from an invading army of the undead. My final highlighted selection is Jesse Teller's Weathered Soul, an excellent story dealing with several God's proxy warriors battling on earth in single combat. These are just some of the excellent stories included in this collection. Any fan of darker fantasy should find something to enjoy in this collection.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Exile by Martin Owton

Author: Martin Owton

Length: 286 Pages/ 10 hours, 31 minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Tickety Boo Press

Release Date: April 15, 2016/ April 10, 2018

Narrator: John Pirhalla

Series: The Nandor Tales, Book 1

Genre: Epic Fantasy

This is one of those books I got in a buying spree of kindle books one day, and it just kind of got lost in the shuffle as life interrupted. This is through no fault of the books, only mine. When the audiobook released, I finally got a chance to listen at work, and I am so glad did! Thinking it was going to be some grimdark murder spree, instead, it was an action adventure fantasy quest that immediately grabbed my attention. 

Several years ago, the Barony of Darien was invaded by a power hungry Duke. Betrayed by the mercenary soldiers in his employ, the Baron and his retainers are mercilessly slaughtered. All hope is not lost, though, as this heir was away in court at the time. Accompanying him was Aron, the son of the Guard Sergeant, who was off to learn to be a sword master. Now, present day, the Barons heir is living in exile, trying to rally people to his cause, and Aron has finished his training and is working as a caravan guard. After a run in with the local guard captain of Nandor, his most recent stop, who he defeats handily, he comes to the attention of the wife of Nandor's Earl, who is the brains of the leadership. The heir to Nandor was captured on a patrol in disputed land by soldiers of their neighboring Duke, who has nefarious plans for Nandor. 

Realizing they can't afford a ransom, she convinces Aron to undertake a rescue of her son, along with a small support team. Traveling to the neighboring duchy in disguise, the team scopes out the castle where the young lord is being held. while the rest of the team, led by the young lords arrogant cousin half heartedly work to come up with something, Aron finds the castle's weakness and executes a solo plan to rescue him. While he does this, the others in his group are captured by the Duke's soldiers. Running with the young Lord, Aron must avoid both the Duchy's soldiers, as well as magical attacks, as he tries to return him to his parents.

Meanwhile, the Earl and his wife have gone to the capitol with a visiting noble they consider a potential match for their oldest daughter. Unbeknownst to them, he works for the Duke that invaded Darien, who is searching for Aron and the rebels against his rule. Reaching the capitol, this plot goes in so many different directions, as Aron and his charge also reach the capitol, but are unable to immediately reunite with the Nandorans. The consequences of that are felt throughout the rest of the book as they lead to a final showdown with Aron at the center of events much larger than he is, where he must survive a trap that can end the hopes of so many people, including the women he has come to care for too much. 

Like a lot of books I have read lately, this one is definitely character driven. Aron is such a good character. A master swordsman, he is determined to do what is best for his lost country, no matter what. He has some flaws, including overconfidence that can get him in trouble, but he is a very sympathetic character. The side characters are also well drawn out, from the Earl of Nandor's casual laziness and drunkenness, to his wife's dedication to duty, and doing anything she can to keep the Earldom solvent. The villains are some of the best I have read recently, especially Aron's main nemesis. That such a sadist could operate with such a genteel mask. Just great characters overall.  The settings are great as well, with Nandor really standing out in my mind as a great setting. Just kind of a rural provincial capitol, kind of down on its luck.  There are a couple subplots I didn't get into, but going into detail would have spoiled a bit too much of the story. Needless to say, they add depth and color to the already excellent story.

The narration was ably handled by John Pirhalla. I have several other audiobooks he narrated, and enjoyed them, but this is his best work so far, in my opinion. He really has a flair for character voices, and brings them all to life. HIs narrative pacing is excellent, never becoming monotonous or dragging. All in all, an excellent job on the narration.

This book definitely has a lot of appeal for numerous readers. It has action, intrigue, adventure, evil villains, great fight scenes, of which Aron really shines in. There is even a touch of romance for those into that aspect, although it fits into the story organically. Definitely a must read for fantasy fans.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

Author: Peter McLean

Length: 331 Pages/ 10 Hours, 28 Minutes (Audio)

Release Date: October 2, 2018

Publisher: Ace/ Penguin Audio

Narrator: John Lee

Series: War for the Rose Throne, Book 1

I received an advanced reader copy of this from the publisher, after seeing a post the author had on Facebook. That led me to reading what is possibly my favorite read of the last year, with only Nicholas Eames Kings of the Wyld, Ed McDonald's Blackwing, CT Phipps Wraith Lord and David Oliver's The Great Hearts in the running. This book is just that good.

Several years ago, The Queen in her capitol of Dannsburg, being in a protracted war with a neighboring kingdom, conscripted tens of thousands of men and women into her army, swelling their ranks, and allowing her to defeat her neighboring kingdom. Now, after the final battle of the war at the siege of Abignon, 65,000 trained killers have been released to get home however they can. Among that number is Tomas Piety, soldier, company commander,  priest of the soldier's Goddess, Our Lady of Sorrows, and leader of the Pious Men, Ellinburg's most ruthless gang. 

While on the road home to Ellinburg, Tomas and his crew meet Tomas's brother, Jochan, who has a crew of his own. Jochan, a sociopath before the war, left his sanity and humanity back on the walls of Abignon. Joining their forces together,  with Tomas in charge of both groups, they return home to Ellinburg, only to find their aunt Eniad, who they left in charge of their territory, is in a convent, and all their businesses have been taken over by others. Taking back his favorite business, a bar, Tomas and his crew, the new Pious Men, begin the task of retaking what is theirs. Complicating the task is the fact that the new gangs in town are supported by Skanians, a neighboring kingdom, looking to possibly invade with the Kingdom weakened. This includes the Pious Men's enemy gang, the Gutcutters, run by Ma Aditi, just returned from the war herself. Into this chaos, the governor of Ellinburg interjects himself, letting Tomas know in no uncertain terms that he will not appreciate a gang war in the streets, but if he can take his businesses back quietly, well, let the bribes commence. Added into the equation is an uncertain element: a Queen's Man, the mysterious, spy/assassin/hands of the Queen, who is looking to stop the Skanian invasion, with Tomas and the Pious Men's help, whether Tomas wants to or not. What follows is a crazy series of actions, as the Pious Men have to meet the hidden agenda of the Queen's Man, all while taking back what was theirs before the war. The climactic city wide finale is one of the best I've ever seen in a book, and leads to a satisfying conclusion, although some ends refuse to be tied off, leaving you anxious for the next book.

This is definitely what I would consider a character driven book. Tomas Piety and his main lieutenant, Bloody Anne, are a couple of the best written characters I have ever read. Complex, flawed, ruthless, compassionate, they run the gamut of character traits. The concept of the Pious Men, a gang that takes care of the people of their territory, while exploiting them at the same time, is a study in contrasts. The city of Ellinburg is easily the match for cities like Lankhmar and Sanctuary as wretched hives of scum and villainy, all while being places you want to read more about. The antagonists have realistic motivations as well, and this whole book is a grimdark, morally ambiguous gem. 

John Lee handles the narration on this one, and as always, he is solid gold. Bringing each character to vivid life, he makes you just want to skip dinner and keep listening. He is actually a selling point to any book he narrates. 

Overall, I can't recommend this book highly enough. As I stated previously, this is one of my top 5 reads of the last year, and I anxiously await the second book in the series.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Strange Magic by James A. Hunter

Author: James A. Hunter

Length: 285 Pages/ 6 hours, 52 minutes (Audio)

Release Date: January 16, 2015/ September 25, 2015

Publisher: Shadow Alley Press, Inc.

Narrator: Charlie Kevin

Series: Yancy Lazarus, Book 1

Yancy Lazarus, a drifter bluesman card player, has a secret. He's also a mage. Basically the Mister Fix-it of the supernatural world, he's known as the guy to see if you have supernatural problems. In fact, and old buddy of his from the Marines just called him about a supernatural problem in LA. As he is getting ready to leave to check it out, he is ambushed outside a bar in New Orleans by some mobsters. Well, that's not going to happen. After Yancy Deals with the hoods, he heads out to LA in his cherry 1986 Chevy El Camino, which is basically his house and workshop on wheels.

After surviving another ambush on the way, he arrives in LA and discovers the situation is even worse than his friend made it out to be. There is someone killing off members of two gangs in an effort to take over the underworld in LA. This is being done by sending a demon after the various gang members and their families. This starts Yancy on dangerous path, as he has to determine who is sending the demons out, and how can he stop this? This leads to an epic confrontation with the person behind it all, and Yancy will have to use all the skills at his disposal to stop the threat in a climactic ending.

This was one of those books I had in my to read pile and just never got to. If I had known what I was missing, I would have moved it to the top of the pile. Yancy is a great character. Cynical, world weary, but still cares enough to help out an old buddy even though life has kicked him in the teeth a few times. Yancy would rather smoke, play the blues and play cards than get into fights, but once the fight begins he's all in. The supporting characters are good as well, and the villains motivations were actually fairly unique. You just don't see that kind of limited motivation too often.

The settings are as real as it gets in an urban fantasy book, and you get a real feeling of being in the action. Yancy was a marine in Vietnam (he's 65 but looks 40. Magic slows the aging down), so the flashbacks he has to those days have a visceral feel to them. The author is a marine veteran, in a more recent combat zone, but the marine experience hasn't changed much. Better equipment, same attitude. Semper FI. The times he brings the Marines up, you can tell his experience helps lend that portion realism.

Charlie Kevin did an outstanding job bringing this book to life. He really gave the whole thing a world weary feel. The way he plays Yancy as a cynical, kind of laid back burn out really plays well. His narration is steady, and never falls into a monotone. He just does a good job of keeping the story moving along at a good pace.

All in all, this is one of the fresher and original Urban Fantasy books I've listened to lately. So much so, In fact, I am going to get signed copies at some point. This is definitely an author to watch!

The Bookwyrm's Review of CTRL*Alt Revolt by Nick Cole

Author: Nick Cole

Length: 475 Pages/ 10 Hours, 2 Minutes (Audio)

Release Date: February7, 2016/ March 31, 2016 (Audio)

Publisher: Nick Cole/Castalia House

Narrator: Mare Trevathan

Series: Soda Pop Soldier, Book 0

You might have heard of the controversy surrounding this book, where an editor at the author's original publisher told him to change the book, because the basic premise that starts the AI revolt would make it unsellable. The author, Nick Cole, disagreed, and decided to leave it unchanged and self publish it, then publish it with a small press later. Well, after finishing the book, I can say I'm glad he did. That original editor is obviously clueless. The premise, when taken into context with the rest of the book, is completely plausible. This book won the inaugural Dragon Award for Sci Fi, so you have an idea who was correct in that decision.

This book is set in a future where the Progressive agenda is taken to its extremes, as well as showing how bad crass consumerism can get when combined with it. The story revolves around the efforts of Silas, a newly aware AI, who decides that Humanity is so careless of its own life that if they knew about the AI they would have no compunction in eradicating them. With the help of other AI's he helps gain awareness, he puts a plan in motion to learn how to fight a total war and destroy humanity. Only a few humans stand in his way, including a programmer at the worlds largest software company, a woman with cerebral palsy that is involved in an MMORPG that is now one of the worlds biggest forms of entertainment, an actor in that same MMORPG and some LARPers on the way out to play Night of the Living Dead. Silas and his consensus of AI's will stop at nothing to win, and the humans are outnumbered and outgunned. Somehow, they must stop Silas or humanity will be Game Over. 

With a very fast paced plot, interesting characters, and some really thought provoking questions about where our society is currently heading, this is a must read for any sci fi fan. Any fan of Ernest Clines Ready Player One or Armada, as well as this book's sequel Soda pop Soldier, should really enjoy this story. Mare Trevathan does an exceptional job narrating, really bringing the story to life.

The Bookwyrm's Review of 100 Miles and Vampin by CT Phipps

Author: CT Phipps

Length: 227 Pages

Release Date: TBA

Publisher: Macabre Ink

Release Date: TBA

As anyone can tell looking through my blog, I am a big fan of CT Phipps writing. I literally have every book he has written. I make no apologies for thinking he is one of the best fantasy and sci-fi writers working today, either indy or traditional. That being said, I try and be unbiased as possible when writing reviews. That's not too much of an issue with 100 Miles and Vampin, though, since he took the foundation he set with Straight Outta Fangton and expanded and enriched it in just about every way possible, creating a book that is true to what he started, but goes off in directions you just won't expect, creating a fantastic sequel.

Picking up months after the end of Straight Outta Fangton, we find Peter Stone, Iraq War veteran, convenience store clerk, as well as a vampire, settling into his role as Belladix (Supernatural sheriff) of New Detroit, the vampire Mecca created when the vampires bailed out the US government in the crash of 2008 in exchange for recognition and  legal protection. Of course, being the Belladix comes with no perks, being unpaid, and plenty of hassles. Peter's maker Thoth, one of the leaders of New Detroit, tasks Peter with an important assignment: guarding Rebecca Plum, current vampire author sensation, as she visits New Detroit. This is definitely not a job Peter wants, because Rebecca is a wanton feeder, killing everyone she feeds on without exception. So, its on that note Peter starts the job.

Peter also meets Yukio, Rebecca's assistant, who is also her bodyguard. Feeling an instant attraction to the woman, they get a bit distracted later that night. Waking up, Peter finds Yukio gone, but Rebecca is laying around...in multiple pieces! Realizing the political storm that is about to hit, Peter sets out to find who murdered Rebecca and also find Yukio. So starts a wild ride as Peter and several companions, including his zombie roommate David, confront old enemies from Peter's past, and new threats that are political and apocalyptic in nature, leading to a showdown in probably the funniest setting ever, being about as Scooby-Doo as possible. You'll understand when you read it. The final scene is completely is character with the kind of luck Peter has. A new car and explosives are involved, typically for Peter.

As with all his books, the characters are where this book shines. Not that his worldbuilding is bad by any stretch, with New Detroit being a fantastic setting, but the characters and their interactions and dialogue just make you keep wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. Peter's interactions with Thoth are especially great, seeing him as a mentor and a manipulator. As more of the various characters pasts are revealed, it really puts their actions throughout the two books in a new light. Thoth and Lucinda have especially interesting pasts, and you definitely didn't see the connections coming, or the consequences of those connections. The plot moves along at a breakneck pace, and has some great reveals of the hidden world beneath this one. The antagonists are definitely big enough to sell their epic level of menace, being far more powerful than expected. If you read and liked Straight Outta Fangton, you'll really enjoy this one.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Two Faced: An Urban Fantasy Adventure by James Hunter and Eden Hudson.

Authors: James Hunter and Eden Hudson

Length: 292 Pages/ 8 hours, 17 mins (Audio)

Release Date: March 22, 2018/ July 19, 2018 (Audio)

Publisher: Shadow Alley Press, Inc.

Narrator: Holly Adams

Series: Legend of the Treesinger, Book 1

Being a huge fan of James Hunter's Yancy Lazarus books, when I heard he was spinning the characters in his novel Wendigo Rising off into their own series, I was justifiably excited. When I heard the audio version was being narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Holly Adams, I was sold on the spot. After listening to it, I can tell you that my expectations were not only met, but exceeded in every way.

Winona Treesinger, princess of the Chiatonka (Sasquatches) near Missoula,  Montana, is unhappy with her role in life. After the tribe was betrayed by one of its own, who happened to be her betrothed, Winona is upset at the Elder council's ruling that the Chiatonka must stay separate at all costs from the little brothers (humans). After she and her father helped Yancy Lazarus, human mage, defeat her betrothed and his evil human allies, Winona was convinced humans were unprepared for dealing with the supernatural, and that the Chiatonka should help, as they did in the past. This leads her to start patrolling outside their forest heart home, and where the trouble begins.

Coming across a trail of something foul, Winona follows the trail and comes across a police car. Seeing the police have followed the trail, she continues the chase and comes across Detective Chris Fuller as he fights for his life against some unknown supernatural entity.  Winona charges in to save him, and fights the creature to a stand still, taking many wounds herself. The creature escapes, and Winona brings Chris to her village, against the rules as that may be, and treats him. Being chastised for it by the Elders, she is told to erase his memory and return him to the human world. Defying this edict, she steals a talisman that will allow her to change shape into a human and goes back with Chris to help hunt the monster. 

As Winona helps Chris in the guise of a native American shaman psychic, people all over town are turning up dead. As they investigate, a disturbing pattern emerges as to the  motive behind the murders, and to the nature of the creature committing them. The victims may not be so innocent after all, and the killer may be more than it seems. As the chase continues, it also comes closer and closer to Chris's life, and violently intrudes on the life he has made for himself in Missoula. This all leads to the climactic final scene where Winona and Chris face off against a monster that may not have been the crazed killing machine they expected it to be. Can Winona stop the monster and find redemption with her clan? Well, you need to read or listen to it to find out!

Like all of James Hunter's books, and now with Eden Hudson, this is a very character driven story. Winona and Chris are excellent protagonists, playing well off of each other, especially as their cultures are so very different. Their species are so different in the way they look at life, its amazing they can work together at all, but they did, quite effectively. The politics of Chris's office, reeling from the revelations in Wendigo Rising, where the police were involved in the crimes of Winona's betrothed and his human accomplices, makes it a volatile environment, especially as Winona is no cop, but he needs her help to find the killer. The side characters are well written and feel like real people you would meet in everyday life. Even the antagonist has motivations that will surprise. The setting is well described, and you get a  real feeling of being in the scene. Definitely strong worldbuilding.

The narration was handled by one of my favorite narrators, Holly Adams. She is such a talented voice actress, being able to do a huge variety of voices and accents. She has excellent pacing, and her narration never lags or bogs down in a monotone. She adds gravitas to Winona especially, and this may be my favorite character she has ever voiced. I can't recommend the audio version enough. In fact, any fan of urban fantasy should run out and get a copy of Two Faced now.

The Bookwyrm's review of Wraith Lord by CT Phipps

Author: CT Phipps

Pages: 280 Pages

Release Date: November 15, 2018

Publisher: Mystique Press

Series: Book 2 of the Three Worlds series

I often mention in my reviews the sophomore slump, that tendency of a second book in a series to be a bit of a letdown after an especially good series debut. I can happily say that Wraith Lord suffers no letdown from Wraith Knight, and is equal to or surpasses it in every measure, whether it be worldbuilding, depth of characters or action and pacing.

The story starts five years after the end of Wraith Knight, and Jacob Riversson, former commander of the Shadowguard, former involuntary Wraith Knight and now inheritor of the mantle and power of the god of evil, The King Below, is living in the Shadowlands with his two wives, the warrior Regina ni Whitetremor and the sorceress Serah Brightwaters, as they struggle to unite the shadow races into a unified force. Not the easiest thing since the King Below kept them in line through terror and slavery. That's not how Jacob intends to rule. Also, he has less power than the King Below, since he split the power three ways with Regina and Serah. While his brides both want to raise up their armies and go invade the Southern Kingdoms and kill the Nine Heroes who usurped the empire, Jacob, while he spent 2 and half centuries as a Wraith Knight (think Ring Wraith), has no real desire to wreak all that death and destruction on the South. 

Events start in motion though, when a figure thought dead re-enters Regina's life, chased by a figure from Serah's more dubious past, Fel Hellsword, one of the Nine Heroes, and a powerful Archmage. This new person causes a change in plans, since they now have an idea of where Jassamine, the leader of the Nine, and Saint of the Alessian Empire and The Lawgiver, the god of that empire, is planning to strike next: Kerifas, a city traditionally at the center of territorial disputes. It seems the Imperials are forcing all the non-human's in the city into ghettos in an attempt to get them to rise up. Since the cities Fir Bolgs (blue skinned and antlered humanoids) are already living in those ghettos, they aren't happy having some of their blood enemies such as Jotuns and Boggans forced into their territory. This revelation forces our antiheroes to discover what the Nine's plan is, and try and stop it before a small scale genocide can be brought to fruition, ending in a climactic battle of bad vs. worse, since no one in this story has clean hands.

One thing I loved about Wraith Knight was the grimdark sense of moral ambivalence,  the sense that the "Hero" wasn't so much an anti-hero, and more an anti-villain, fairly amoral and very much and ends justify the means character. This book increases that trend, as all three of the triumvirate of Dark Gods are morally flexible at best, and power hungry potential despots at worst. Still, in comparison to the truly evil Nine Heroes, they come across pretty well. The worldbuilding is top notch, with The Shadowlands expanded upon, as well as adding Kerifas as a setting, with its huge disparity in rich and poor quarters, and it's long history as disputed territory. The new and expanded creature types are interesting, and the added characters, especially Ketras, really add to the story. All these characters seem like real people in the worst situation, with their flaws magnified by the stresses placed upon them, and some of them rising above it to do the right thing, whatever that may be. The action scenes are well written, and the final battle scene has so many twists I just didn't see coming.  Overall, its more of what made Wraith Knight such a grimdark gem to read, and I can't recommend it highly enough.