en-US Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:30:51 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Friend1418730807 Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:30:51 -0700 Review7345865196 Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:33:41 -0800 /review/show/7345865196 T.C. gave 5 stars to When These Mountains Burn (Hardcover) by David Joy
WHEN THESE MOUNTAINS BURN by David Joy is his fourth novel, but my first exposure to his work. Despite the dreary nature of the North Carolina Appalachian world he describes—counties with crumbling communities overrun by drugs during a summer of intense wildfires, I enjoyed it. However, an obvious warning: it is not a feel-good book.

I found the prose well-written. His style is dense, making each sentence important. I’ve read some reviews stating that the characters are unlikable. Most of them are, but I developed empathy for the father, Raymond, and Denny, one of the junkie characters, and even two non-human entities: the communities themselves and the wildfires. The story is somewhat sparse and some of the characters could have used more development, but overall the work is very solid.

I live in North Carolina but not in the mountains and am not native to the state, yet I recognized many of the local references. This made the book feel authentic, from descriptions of diners to trailers to trucks to casinos.

Perhaps the novel’s best trait is its accurate characterization of the discomfort of our times, from the unraveling of social safety nets to climate change, No matter who you are or what your political or social stripe is, you will recognize that discomfort.
]]> Review7266165757 Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:57:22 -0800 /review/show/7266165757 T.C. gave 5 stars to The Murderbot Diaries #1-4: : All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy (Hardcover) by Martha Wells
I really enjoyed Martha Wells� four-volume hardback Murderbot Diaries. The series was recommended by a friend who thought I’d enjoy Ms. Wells� dry humor. Well, I sure did. I also enjoyed the future-verse of space travel, AI, and government by soulless corporations which she created. Ms. Wells describes her universe through the experiences of a rogue security “bot� who still chooses to protect people who annoy it and are too stupid to defend themselves while watching soap operas and fully exploring self-protective paranoia.

The only constructive criticism I have is that the short novellas are “bare-bones� in terms of description. The job of imagining what the spaceships, the planet explorations, and the space stations look and sound like is almost entirely put on the reader. This is normally part of the reader’s job, but it is a big lift for this series. There could have been more meat on the bone. The novellas would have better served the reader as short novels or one combined longer work.
]]> AuthorFollowing106556814 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 09:23:42 -0800 UserFollowing317396363 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 06:45:24 -0800 Review7130825724 Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:06:21 -0800 /review/show/7130825724 T.C. gave 5 stars to Lord and King (The Drowned Kingdom, #3) by P.L. Stuart
Lord and King is the third installment of the Drowned Kingdom saga. It continues detailing the trials and tribulations of Othrun, now officially crowned king of Eastrealm. He and his followers are busy building the bucolic realm into an actual kingdom with a central capital, trade routes, and treaties with adjacent realms. Othrun is still set on dominating the whole continent of Acremia, but is gaining territory without force, through wise alliances and acts of bravery. And gold. The Atlantean refugees have brought gold with them—a lot of it, sourced through past colonization.

Book three focuses on the first years of Othrun’s rule. The challenges of empire-building take on the young king. With one glaring exception, however, Othrun listens to the wisdom of his counselors and his kingdom begins to prosper. But there are growing pains. There is tragedy. Issues of theology put children at risk. Ultimately, Othrun’s being drawn closer and closer to the heretic power of the mages tests his fidelity to the Single God. There is a terrible personal tragedy. There is deceit, including attempts on his life; there is also therousing camaraderie of brothers in arms, and the birth of a son.

This book is episodic but with one central theme: the deviltry of kingdom building. Being king sounds great . . . but it’s still a job. Personal losses mount, and the good king begins to drink heavily. All this happens before the titular head of Anibia, a large continent to the south of Acremia, comes to pay her respects to the new king. Queen Undala is formidably wise, a powerful warrior, is shrewd, and is of course, beautiful, and of course, Othrun is smitten with her.

I enjoyed reading this installment of Stuart’s saga focusing on “kingdom building.� Stuart describes the grist of politics and the practicalities of equitably applying law and religion. I pitied poor Othrun, who has more problems than solutions, though he cleverly solves some dilemmas. Othrun grows as a character in this volume. His flaws are still his, but the extent of his new responsibilities allows for personal growth. And yes, there is sword-on-shield action in the book.
The only constructive criticism I have is that the book assembles a large cast of characters, many of them new, onto a stage that is beginning to get crowded. Also, the book was not as carefully edited as his previous two works. These faults did not keep me from enjoying the book, however. If you are into a well-written sword and sorcery fantasy that sounds real, start with P.L.’s first book, A Drowned Kingdom, and keep reading through Lord and King!
]]> Comment283540579 Mon, 25 Nov 2024 08:05:30 -0800 /topic/show/22966768-best-thrillers-of-2024-are-added T.C. made a comment in the BestThrillers.com Book Awards group:

Congratulations to all the 2024 BestThrillers.com award winners and finalists. I am honored that THE EVIL MEN'S BOOK CLUB was selected for the horror award. Everyone, please keep writing! ]]> GroupUser14493658 Sun, 24 Nov 2024 14:38:15 -0800 Review6706794132 Sat, 27 Jul 2024 12:51:34 -0700 /review/show/6706794132 T.C. gave 4 stars to Pulse: Book Two (Kindle Edition) by B.A. Bellec
Pulse Book Two is BA Bellec’s sequel to Pulse, wrapping up a two-volume dystopian horror story. The first book concentrated on a classic sci-fi “monster� creation story involving cannibalistic disease transmission and the immediate before-and-after of an accidental (?) contagion release during a rock concert.

Book Two picks up where Book One left off with several enjoyable elements. First, the backstories of many existing characters are explored, along with the introduction of new ones; I felt I got to know both old and new better; I liked spending more time with them, watching them interact as couples and small cadres. (Even though some met untimely deaths, the pace of death has slowed compared to the frenetic action of Book One, and therefore the deaths are that much harder to read about). The background of the disease and its other-worldly origins are fully explored in Book 2. I liked Book 2’s post-apocalyptic vibe, a “we have to find a cure� race involving blizzard conditions in Antarctica as well as the exploration of Mars. Book 2 completes an agreeable reluctant superhero sage as well as an unexpected redemptive villain plotline, those stories and others introduced in the first book are neatly woven together in the second volume.

If you enjoyed the first volume, the second book is highly recommended. If you haven’t read the first, start there!
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