The Bookwyrm's Review of Shattered Dreams by Ulff Lehmann

Author: Ulff Lehmann

Length: 516 Pages

Publisher: Mystique Press

Release Date: March 24, 2018

This is one of those book I had on my TBR pile for a while, but just had trouble getting to it. Finally, I decided to read it, and life kept intruding, and it took way to long to finish. Not because it was bad or uninteresting, because that's not the case, just life kept interfering. Having finished it, I can say that this grimdark gem was definitely worth the time put into reading it.

The story starts with two children who chase their dog who runs off into the Woods of Gathran, the old home of the vanished elves. Proceeding deeper into the forest, they come across an ancient site of magic, where something that has been long held is now stirring. Unfortunately for them, their being children isn't protection against the evil happening their, and this being grimdark, you can guess what happens.

We then come across Drangar Rallgon in a small village, where he lives as a shepard. After a run in with a spoiled noble which leaves the noble dead, he heads off to parts unknown to escape the unfair fate that would await him if he stayed. Unfortunately, he is ambushed and captured on the road, where his captors intend to use him in a demonic sacrifice. He is mortally wounded in the sacrifice, which is interrupted by Kildanor, a Chosen of Lesanagh, the banned god of the sun and war He has abilities well above those of mortal men, and manages to stop the demonologists before they complete their ritual.
  This is where the story really takes off, as they return to the city of Dunthiochagh, which is ruled by Baron Duasonh, a just ruler, often at odds with the weak, corrupt king in the capital city of Harrail. Drangar is placed in a room as they await his death from his wounds. Meanwhile, something that hasn't been seen in over a hundred years has occurred. A young Phoenix wizard named Ealisaid wakens from a magically induced sleep that was supposed to last two weeks. Instead, it has lasted over a hundred years, and her order has been destroyed. Confused and thinking what she is seeing is an illusion tricking her by one of her colleagues, she lashes out with her magic, destroying two building and killing a dozen people. Kildanor, the last person to face a Phoenix wizard, stops her before she can bring down more destruction, and she ends up in the dungeon. While in the dungeon, she manages to help bring Drangar back to life with Kildanor's help.

All this happens as the Baron's cousin betrays them all, raising a coup, and they find out he has set up the kingdom to fall to their northern neighbors. The coup is put down at heavy cost, but the capital is invaded and the king captured. This all leads to a wild series of events, as Drangar is brought back to life, and they discover their is a conspiracy much deeper than suspected. As the invading army approaches the Baron's city, a lone elf has returned from their exile to try and fix what his people caused by leaving the forbidden demon summoning texts in their forest home when they left. They seem to have some tie in to what is going on, and Drangar finds out he is part of a conspiracy he could never have imagined, as his past comes back to haunt him. We are left at the end with the Dunthiochagh surrounded by an invading army, ready to strike, but with the defenders having some aces up their sleeves, including the freed wizard Ealisaid, who has found a reason to live in this strange new world.

While the book has some excellent world building and plotting that really doesn't lag, the characters are where this book shines! Drangar was my particular favorite, haunted by memories of atrocities and failures to go along with his successes. He is haunted by a force within him, struggling to be released. The rest of the cast also has attention lavished on them, so even minor characters resonate in the reader's mind. The plotting is solid, with the second two thirds really taking off and running full tilt. There are lots of dark moments throughout, with humor leavened in to keep it from becoming a grim slog, which is an excellent approach to grimdark writing.  The magic is limited to a few people, since the order of wizards was put down, leaving priests and chosen as the only magic users in everyday life. The backstory is deep too, which is a good, often overlooked touch that I appreciated.

Is the book perfect? No. The author does give into the temptation to use odd, hard to pronounce names, which is off putting to some readers. Of course, my favorite book series, Mark Barnes Echoes of Empire trilogy, is the king of weird names series, so it didn't put me off. I hope to have an audio version one day to see if the voices in my head pronounce the names the same as the author.  Overall, I can't recommend this book highly enough, and its mix politics, danger, adventure and grimdark evil should resonate with a lot of readers.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Jurassic Jackaroo: Jaspers Junction by Roma Gray

Author: Roma Gray

Length: 251 Pages/ 4 hours, 43 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: J. Ellington Ashton Press

Release Date:  July 27, 2017/ January 15, 2018

Narrator: Terry F. Self

I discovered this one on a Facebook audiobook promotions group offering Audible codes for honest reviews. I had a bunch of other books to finish, but the author was local, and the premise interested me, since I have always been fascinated by Native American superstition. I'm glad I took a chance on it, since I discovered a talented author and a fantastic narrator.

In the turn of the turn of the 19th century western US, a retired gunfighter who has more money than he can spend meets a Native man with an interesting story to tell. A story about his tribe, and a curse that brings death from an ancient monster to all that speak of it out loud. An ancient monster his tribe brought about with their shamans' magic and hubris. Right then, part of the roof collapses and the Native runs out of the room, leaving the gunslinger to wonder if what he said was true. Following the native out of the saloon, he finds him, just as he is being slaughtered by a creature of nightmare. Speaking to it, he finds he's not a target, since he hasn't spoken of the monster. This gives him an idea for some excitement in his life, something sorely lacking since he retired.

A bit in the past, we see a young native boy talking to his mother, confused why she is so sad. Turns out, she was supposed to pass her magic on to her children, and since she didn't, well, the tribe wants the magic back from her. They get it back too, in a horrific scene the young boy is forced to watch. Ten years later, a girl he had a crush on when he was younger is about to meet the same fate. Instead, he convinces her to run away with him to the white mans world, where hopefully, the tribe and it's evil wont be able to find them.

A year later, we find them working a ranch with an immigrant Australian couple who moved to the states to start a ranch. They are happy and accepted by all the local townsfolk and church members, and have begun to reconstruct their lives. Then, out of nowhere, the girl is captured by their tribes shamans, who have managed to track them down and need to get her back to complete the sacrifice. The boy and the rancher determine to take off after them and get her back. This leads to a series of misadventures as they try and get her back before they reach the tribe, but things don't quite go as planned.

Meanwhile, in Jasper's Junction, a ghost town the gunslinger had made as a prop, the Gunslinger has invited a bunch of gun fighters, warriors, thieves and assassin's to compete in a hunt in the town for items that, when found, will show their skill and get them into the game of riches the gunslinger has proposed.  All they have to do is find one of several Fabergé Eggs recently stolen from the Tsar of Russia's collection, and get them to the saloon. Of course, they have to make it through lethal traps, hired gunmen out to kill them as well as each other, since millions of dollars are on the line and they will all kill anyone in their way. This interesting group of characters is whittled away until only 5 are left, and the gunslinger gives his proposal: Be part of his safari to hunt a mythical monster which he wont give details about to avoid invoking the curse.

Meanwhile, in the mountains, the young native man and woman face their tribe as they are about to do the unspeakable to them. Suddenly, a commotion arises, and the ceremony is disrupted and chaos ensues. In this confusion, the young native man is given an offer of a chance to come out on top if he's willing to make a rather unpalatable deal. Seeing no other choice, he accepts, spinning the future onto its head, and leaving us to ponder where his story will go next.

For a fairly short book, the world building in this one is well done. You get a good feel for where the story takes place, especially Jasper's Junction, which feels like an old west version of the Marvel Comics villain Arcade's Murderworld, only competent in killing people. The characters are well executed, with their motivations and actions feeling natural and organic to who they are and what they have experienced. The villain, if you can call an ancient spirit monster a villain, is excellent, keeping hidden and only striking when the moment is right, and it's final appearance turns the whole story topsy-turvy. The whole thing feels like a combination of Grimdark weird west mixed with the inventions and adventures of Wild, Wild West. All we needed was Robert Conrad to make a cameo to make the whole thing perfect. 

Narration was handled by Terry F. Self, who did a fantastic job both bringing the characters to life and keeping the narration flowing. He avoided trop accents for the natives and foreign characters, taking a nuance approach. His change of tones, inflections and emphasis definitely differentiated each character, and he is definitely a reason to consider checking this book out.

The Bookwym's Review of Dancing in the Dust by Gwendolyn Pendraig

Author: Gwendolyn Pendraig

Length: 172 Pages/ 6 hours, 28 mins (Audio)

Release Date: March 20, 2017/ May 20, 2018 (Audio)

Narrator: Karin Allers

In a not too distant future that bears a resemblance to The Handmaid's Tale, religious fundamentalists have been voted in to power in the US, and quickly discard many of the freedoms Americans enjoy, especially cracking down on women's freedom.  It basically looks like the worst of Saudi Arabia's suppression of women, where men rule over the women. This would have continued, except the Dust falls, and everything changes.

When the dust clouds come, almost all the humans get sick and die horribly of a plague like sickness. It happens so suddenly that the worlds governments are caught flat footed and have no chance to stop it. Society falls apart, becoming something Mad Max would be familiar with. This is the world Ayla grows up in, fending for herself, from a young teen to her mid 20's, when the story starts. She has trained herself to be able to hunt and defend herself against the lawless bandits that survived the plague like she did. While not huge in number, she is alone, so she is careful to keep hidden and build up supplies and weapons. She has even gained a new companion, a large dog that's much more than it seems. Unfortunately, things are about to change for the worse.

After being discovered by a group of men, Ayla is captured and is tortured sexually and physically. Keeping her cool in her worst case scenario, she manages to escape and What follows in a crazy conclusion that would make any post apocalyptic warrior proud, as she tries to defeat her new enemies while keeping herself alive and somewhat sane. This all leads to a surprising conclusion, as we see that the men were not some isolated scavengers, but a part of something larger and much more sinister. We also see that changes to the people of the world are coming, changing what it means to be human.

I have enjoyed the wide variety of Post Apoc stories that have made a resurgence lately, and Dancing in the Dust is no exception. In fact, it has some very creative settings and characters. Ayla is an excellent character. I've seen reviews saying she's an anti-hero. In a world with no heroes, where its every person for themselves, I'd say she's no hero or anti-hero, just a survivor. She is also not in any way the dreaded Mary Sue. She struggles, she makes mistakes, and while she is strong, its through years of training and surviving in the harshest crucible imaginable, life with no rules at all, to the strongest and quickest and most clever goes the spoils. Is it a perfect book? No. Occasionally Ayla does some things that are head scratchers, but that's probably to be expected in such tense conditions. The secondary characters aren't spectacularly rounded out, but that's more a function of the books length and their parts in it than anything else. Still, it is excellently plotted, paced and executed, and Ayla is in that group of Post Apoc warriors you'd want at your back if society ever fell apart.

The narration was handled by Karin Allers. She did a good job of using tone and inflection to differentiate the characters. Her voice is such that there was not a huge variety of male voices, but there are enough in any scene to be able to tell who is who. Her narration is steady, and she doesn't fall back into a monotone, keeping the action moving along. Overall, a solid effort, and I would definitely recommend this book whole heartedly.

Warning: The rape scenes in this book are fairly graphic, as is the violence. They really pull no punches, so fair warning.

The Bookyrm's Review of The Novices by David Goldfarb

Author: David Goldfarb

Length: 183 pages/ 5 hrs, 55 mins (audio)

Release Date: May 12, 2017/ July 19, 2017 (audio)

Publisher: Spoken Realms (audio)

Narrator: Travis Baldree

This is one of those titles I had in my Audible account for a while and for whatever reason, had just not gotten to. Well, gladly, as is searched through for something to listen to this week, this caught my eye. I had recently finished another book done by this narrator, and thought the story sounded fun. Six hours later, I can happily and whole heartedly recommend this book.

The famed mercenary company, the Iron Line, is about to retire and disband after many years of top flight adventuring, and they are going out on a lucrative high note, having slain the last dragon in a quest set out by a rural duke. Unfortunately, they missed the fine print in the contract where they were responsible for cleanup and destruction of the dragons body, or no pay, and possible damages if the carcass drew other predators to the area. Needing to get the dragons head back to town, the band finds that they can hire locals to go do the cleanup, and they find a group of 3 new adventurers to accomplish the task. How hard can the cleanup be, if they provide Eelfire oil to destroy it? It turns out, much more complicated than anyone could expect!

It turns out Gwill, the Second in command of the Line, who wields the death dagger Tomb, has been keeping some secrets from her band, like how she came to get the dagger, and who she made the deal with to get it. To pa back for the dagger, she has to ensure to be paid in 24 hours for the dragon kill. Unfortunately, the group they hired to get rid of the body are, ah, clueless. A warrior, bard and priest with one spell, healing, are probably not best suited for the task. In addition, well, it turns out the last dragon was the next to last dragon. The last dragon is this dragon's ancient, super powerful mother, asleep under a mountain these last 300 years, and does she wake up pissed when her baby dies. Pissing off a dragon that can breath both ice and fire is never a good idea. Lets just say that what follows is both a comedy of errors and dragon wreckage on an epic scale, all leading to a climactic battle where the stakes are huge, and not everyone will make it to the other side.

The narration is handled by Travis Baldree. I have been a huge fan of his since I read his work on Charles Grant's horror book, Jackals. He is definitely in my list of top 10 narrators working today. He has an excellent narrative pace, and has an excellent command of accent, pitch and tone to convey the differences in various characters. He never drops into a monotone, and seems to be really interested in the story as he reads it, adding to the quality. Definitely something to check out.

All told, this is definitely a worthy book in a crowded field. Is it perfect? No. The world it takes place in seems a bit underdeveloped, but then again, the characters really didn't go anywhere, so that will probably be rectified in the next book. The characters are fun, and worth reading about. Gwill especially is an interesting character, and her motivations are actually very realistic and thoughtful. All in all, though, I hope more people discover this book, because it would be a shame if more in the series weren't written. Any fans of comedic fantasy should definitely give this one a shot. It's worth the read/listen.

The Bookwyrm's review of the Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Author: R. F. Kuang

Length: 544 Pages/ 18 Hrs, 57 Mins (Audio)

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishing

Release Date: May 1, 2018

Genre: Grimdark Fantasy

Narrator: Emily Woo Zellar

While I normally review a lot of small press and indy authored books, I do still review traditionally published books that catch my eye. The Poppy War happened to be one of these, especially considering the praise I had seen heaped on it from people who's opinions I trust. So, I listened to the audiobook and came to my own conclusions, and this review reflects those thoughts.

The story takes place in a country called Nikan, which is an analogy for China. Their neighbor across the narrow sea is Mugan, an analogy for Japan, and the country that is a constant menace to Nikan. This is the setting the book starts in.

Rin, a 14 year old war orphan from the 2nd Poppy War, was adopted by a family of shopkeepers, who happen to be their villages drug dealers. They arrange an advantages marriage for Rin with the local customs inspector, who is three times her age. Rin refuses, saying she will take the national Keju placement test and score to be allowed to go to the prestigious military academy in the city. Against the odds, she succeeds, although she literally tortures herself studying to get ready for the test.

After arriving at the school, she has the typical run ins with the upper class students, since she is considered a dark skinned rural bumkin with manure on her heels. What follows is a fairly typical school sequence, where she makes a friend that is non judgmental, but gets on the bad side of the big man in her class, the heir of one of the empire's 12 province governors. She is exceptionally determined to prove herself, and has a take no prisoners attitude when it comes to her studies. She even manages to work around getting expelled from the martial arts class, finding a mentor in the Lore professor, who comes across as crazy, but is a lot more than he seems. Her first year ends in triumph.

Year three of school is when things change radically, as Nikan is invaded by the expansionist Mugan, who see the people of Nikan as less than human. As the Mugan tear their way across the country, defeating one army after another, the students of the military academy, which is in the capital, are pressed into service. When the more advanced Mugan breech the walls, and overrun the Nikan, it is then that Rin accepts the magic she has hidden from, helping turn the tide.

After the battle, she is transferred to the Sike, which are the Empress's special assassin squad, made up of shamans like herself. They are sent to the coast to defend the usual invasion point for the Mugan. Months they spend there, defending the city at heavy cost, with many setbacks and loss of lives. Rin is so fearful of her power, which is channeling the Phoenix God's power, that she is unable to use it at all. After they capture a prisoner, they learn the city isn't the real invasion target. The true target is the city the government fled to before the capital fell. Rushing their, they find the city is a charnel house, basically being a reimagining of the Rape of Nanking, except this time they killed, tortured and mutilated every last single inhabitant. The described atrocities would make a Nazi prison camp guard retch, it's that dark. 

Swearing to do what's necessary to stop the Muganese, Rin's commander decides to take drastic measures to try and stop the enemy . After a stunning betrayal, Rin and Alton, her commander, are captured by the Muganese. When a mistake is made by the guards, Rin finally manages to seize her power, and her destiny, as they attempt to escape. Rin then makes a cataclysmic decision that will have wide ranging effects for a large swath of the world, and Rin is determined to bring the battle to her empire's true enemy, while dealing with the horrible aftereffects of her decisions.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It has an original plot, which is well told, but it is inconsistent in the way the characters act in so many ways. Rin especially is a frustrating character that just makes no sense in the way she's written. At the start of the book she is written as a young woman who is mentally strong and determined enough to change her fate at any cost. This includes literally hurting herself so she can prepare for the Keju placement test. It should have been impossible for her to pass with only two years prep, but she did it, in the most brutal way possible. While at school, she literally destroys her ability to have children, because it will get in the way of her succeeding at school. She is that determined and mentally strong, and possibly a touch unhinged. She trains like a fiend physically to be able to pass the combat tests, torturing her young body along the way. She initiates the action, she is not reactive. 

Then the battle at the coast comes. She becomes doubtful of her abilities and stops taking any initiative. The strong, tough orphan girl becomes a whining ditherer, and it makes no sense why she swerved in that way. She all of a sudden becomes scared to take action, and becomes completely reactive, which is the way she literally spends the rest of the book, with the final decision about the Mugan being the only exception. So very frustrating.

The morality of Rin's fellow soldiers also made no sense. In a few cases, the idea of total war against an enemy that wants to kill every man, woman and child in Nikan is taken in stride, but for the most part, people act way too appalled that Rin and Alton would use any means necessary to stop an enemy that butchered an entire city, used nerve gas weapons to kill large numbers of their troops,  and was planning on releasing a plague to kill off the rest of the population! When your enemy comes into your house to kill you and your family, do you stop to debate the ethics of defending yourself with any means necessary? This just seemed to be a very confused ethos in my opinion. While it does deal with issues of race and class, eternal struggles in a large, diverse country, it treads no new ground, since the minority that shows they are as good or better than any of the majority class is nothing new. It's not badly done by any stretch, but its not going to be something people are unfamiliar with.

In the case of the narration, I actually almost didn't listen to this one, because Emily Woo Zellar is probably my least favorite big name narrator. While she can do a wide array of voices, and her narration is decent in pace and structure, when she does a character's inner dialogue, she uses a tremulous 12 year old girls voice that just grates on the ears, because it comes across as whiny and pathetic. not the inner voice I expected for a girl as mentally strong as Rin. This is, of course, a subjective opinion, but there are just better ways to do that, especially with her voice range.

All in all, this is a book that is definitely grimdark by any definition. It is, however, frustrating in ways that will limit rereads, I believe. It's worth a read through, but just be aware Rin may end up frustrating you more than endearing herself to you, and the schizophrenic morality will definitely leave you scratching your head. If I did star ratings, this one would be 3 out of 5 stars.