Reading in Fantasy / Horror, April 2024

[Hobbit]

Welcome to April 2024!!

(Last month's discussion of Fantasy/Horror books is HERE. )

It is the usual message here - this thread is where you tell us about what you've been reading in Fantasy/Horror this month.

Remember, good or bad, we still want to know what you think.

Hobbit/Mark

 

[Randy M.]

Over the weekend finished Lonely Vigils by Manly Wade Wellman, a story collection featuring three occult detective. Four stories feature Judge Hilary Pursuivant (solid stories with one, "The Black Drama," standing out), one story features Professor Enderby (negligible tale, somewhat misogynistic) and fifteen stories feature John Thunstone. While you can see Wellman's professionalism and invention with the others, he hits his stride with Thunstone. Thunstone combines the knowledge of a John Silence (Algernon Blackwood's occult sleuth) with the physicality of a Black Mask private eye; that sounds like there's a lot of action, and there is some, and well-described, but Wellman frequently refers to scholarship as backing Thunstone's actions, much of it from real books.

I'd planned on reading a few of these stories and setting the book aside so I didn't grow tired of it. I ended up reading to the end because Wellman was adept at ringing changes on his themes, making these stories -- especially the Thunstone stories -- very entertaining.

 

[Westy]

I finished reading The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett - an Imperial officer is found dead with a tree sprouting from this body - making for an unusual case for investigator Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol in this fantasy murder mystery.

Some big positives for me in this novel - the worldbuilding for one. The Empire is set near the coast with a succession of three massive walls receding from the coastline, to protect from the leviathans that periodically try to break through them from the sea in the wet season. I found this a really interesting setting; with the bones of dead ones become some parts of buildings and structures, and the body fluids of dead beasts having strange effects on the flora around them.

I also thought the characters were great - Ana the eccentric one, leading to some laugh out loud comments at times, and she contrasts with Din the more serious assistant who also experiences some self discovery as the novel progresses. There's also a magical system where certain people get infused with specific abilities; Din for instance is an engraver who can commit everything to memory, others have great strength and grow to three times a normal human.

And of course there's the murder mystery itself - well plotted, with twists and turns throughout. Parts of it reminded me of Finch by Jeff Vandermeer - a murder mystery in a place where the flora has a life of it's own. The only downside I could think of is it loses some readability now that the mystery is known, and it would also be good to read more about the monsters of the sea, but this is minor.

One of the best novels I read this year and looking forward to the next in the series (where hopefully we'll read more about the leviathans). It also has an excellent cover made more special on the Broken Binding special edition.

 

[Hobbit]

One of the best novels I read this year and looking forward to the next in the series (where hopefully we'll read more about the leviathans). It also has an excellent cover made more special on the Broken Binding special edition.

Rob really liked it, though he's been a fan of RJB for a long time, admittedly. I also have the Broken Binding edition, which I agree is lovely - haven't got to reading it yet, though.

 

[LayZ25]

Rob really liked it, though he's been a fan of RJB for a long time, admittedly. I also have the Broken Binding edition, which I agree is lovely - haven't got to reading it yet, though.

I am going through the audiobook. I think I am roughly halfway and can't say I am as enthusiastic about it as some others. The mystery itself is interesting enough but the magic and leviathans in some ways seem almost tacked on. As Westy mentioned, Din is an Engraver who remembers everything but he doesn't feel any different than characters from other books I have read where they are say, a librarian or something who memorizes everything they have read naturally. I guess what I mean is the magic doesn't feel all that magical and a bit undercooked. At least to the point I have gotten.

Characters I am having a helluva time judging because the narrators voices are so horrible they all become grating but that is on him and not how they are actually written. I for sure like Din but that is also what I assume is the narrators more neutral/natural voice. Generally speaking I think I do like the characters though.

I am hoping the mystery really hits some nice twists to spice things up. Right now I would say it is very well entrenched in about the 3/5 range for me.

 

[Westy]

Characters I am having a helluva time judging because the narrators voices are so horrible they all become grating but that is on him and not how they are actually written. I for sure like Din but that is also what I assume is the narrators more neutral/natural voice.

Shame that narrators can spoil the book (and not really fair on the book) – one of the reasons why I just can’t get into audiobooks. Bummer it didn’t work for you though.

 

[chitman13]

started Sebastien De Castell's Soulbinder, the fourth in his Spellslinger series. Hopefully it'll be another enjoyable one.

 

[LayZ25]

Shame that narrators can spoil the book (and not really fair on the book) – one of the reasons why I just can’t get into audiobooks. Bummer it didn’t work for you though.

It's all good. To be clear it hasn't not worked, I am still going. It just isn't on the same level for me (so far) that you and Rob have placed it. I was reading some reviews yesterday and considering my thoughts and a lot of it ultimately does come down to what you look for in a book which also makes reviewing objectively, hard.

For example, the magic system. I am curious if you feel the same way but how it is written makes it seem more like plastic surgery than magic. That doesn't make the magic system bad but it holds no interest to me because of that. Of course given that I am reading for entertainment I often equate lack of interest with bad. With that and some of the other elements this ultimately just doesn't feel like a fantasy book to me. Again, doesn't make it bad and I enjoy murder mystery but I almost feel tricked by the fantasy label. Given that, I am hoping the mystery part really sticks the landing as I move forward.

 

[Westy]

For example, the magic system. I am curious if you feel the same way but how it is written makes it seem more like plastic surgery than magic.

I guess so to a degree, I think the main reason for it is a tool to show Din's abilities as an engraver and how he uses that to find clues/facts. For me the book is mainly a murder mystery in an interesting fantastic setting, the augmented abilities some people have just adds that bit extra, but is a secondary element.

But I get that might be something you as a reader want more of. I wanted to read more about the monsters of the deep; more detail, where they come from, are they intelligent, etc etc. But still thought it was great otherwise (and hoping there'll be more detail on this in future books).

 

[Raf]

Finished up "The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher. Golgotha, Nevada, 1869. Focal point for all things mystical, magical & evil in the American West. Holding all that at bay is Jon Highfeather the Undying Sheriff. His Deputies Mutt (a Paiute Indian shapechanger) & Jim Negrey, a 16 yr old holder of an arcane eye that may be one of the true magical totems left in the world.

Assisting them are Maude Stapleton and her daughter Constance. Maude's Grandmother was the Pirate Anne Bonney. A Daughter of Lilith. Whose schooling & blood gave her amazing martial arts abilities in which she trains her daughter in. Add in a "good" Fallen Angel, a Mormon Knight wielding artifacts bequeatherd to him by the religion's founder Joseph Smith and a host of other suppoting cast.

On the "Evil" side there is another Fallen Angel and his host of recruited western gunslingers, sorcerors, nephilim and cannibals. All sides gathering in Golgotha to take or keep possession of a God's mystical Skull. Supposedly a chalice full of all things bad in the universe.

There is a lot going on here. A plethora of characters each of them working on their part of the tale. I saw a bit of this in the previous book. But it was a tighter tale. This one is all over the place. And there are a couple of storylines that I thought were not necessary. Like the auhtor was going for shock value or something, That said, it was a still a okay read. Especially, if you are looking for something a bit different than more run of the mill fantasy.

 

[cgw]

Is there expected to be a sequel to The Tainted Cup?

I liked it. One of the better books I have read this year.

 

[Westy]

Is there expected to be a sequel to The Tainted Cup?

Yes it's the first book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series - looks like there'll be three books going by Goodreads (and previous series he's written).

 

[LayZ25]

Ok I finally finished The Tainted Cup by RJB. I have already shared some thoughts on it but given that I was only halfway through figured I would update.

Magic System/Fantasy Elements - For me probably still my biggest complaint with the book. I really think if you took out all of the plant and enhancement stuff this story wouldn't really change at all. Just make the murder weapon a knife and you have the exact same book more or less. The same can be said for the stuff with the leviathans. They are somehow a very key part of the world and at the same time written almost as an afterthought given the attention they were paid. None of this in and of itself is a major sin, but don't lure me in with a fantasy label when it is really just a murder mystery.

Murder Mystery - Solid, not great. There were no major ah hah moments and if I am being honest I was more interested in Dinios and Anas hinted at secrets than I was by the murder mystery in the end. I think it was more interesting early on but then as you realize just how good Ana is and how she seemed to know everything most of the time it all felt sort of cheapened to me as if there was never really that much at stake. As Ron Swanson said in Parks and Recreation "never half ass two things, whole ass one thing". The "fantasy" side of things was weak all around and I think that ultimately hurt what could have maybe been a much better murder mystery if that was the sole focus.

Characters - Probably the biggest positive for me. I liked Dinios and Ana and how they worked as a pair. Again, their hinted at secrets were something I was curious about throughout and we did actually get our answers on them by the end.

3/5 with no interest in continuing on to the sequel.

Looking at some of my recent reading history it got me thinking to when I really started diving into fantasy. We were still waiting on the final books for Wheel of Time, Martins 5th book, Rothfuss stuff was coming out, and I loved books like The Warded Man, The Lies of Locke Lamora, etc. On occasion now I find some I really like but it seemed like shooting fish in a barrel when I was first jumping in. Were we at a peak of fantasy at that time and now there is sort of a lull or was I just new enough where everything felt fresh and is colored by the perspective?

 

[Westy]

or was I just new enough where everything felt fresh and is colored by the perspective?

I think there's definitely an element of this (well I find it anyway) - when you read a lot of books it gets rarer to find those wow books like you did when first reading. I think it just comes with the experience of reading a lot of books; it's naturally harder to find something with new/fresh/exciting elements. I still do, just a fewer quantity than the early days.

but don't lure me in with a fantasy label when it is really just a murder mystery.

Yeah I disagree with this - it's labelled detective/mystery and fantasy, as it has a fantastical setting. If there wasn't mention of fantasy then there would be non-genre readers upset it has fantasy elements!

 

[LayZ25]

I think there's definitely an element of this (well I find it anyway) - when you read a lot of books it gets rarer to find those wow books like you did when first reading. I think it just comes with the experience of reading a lot of books; it's naturally harder to find something with new/fresh/exciting elements. I still do, just a fewer quantity than the early days.

Yeah I disagree with this - it's labelled detective/mystery and fantasy, as it has a fantastical setting. If there wasn't mention of fantasy then there would be non-genre readers upset it has fantasy elements!

Yeah I was thinking that was mostly the case that I have just read too much. But I do think there is a decent chunk of it that is guys like Lawrence and Bennet simply aren't Martin and Lynch or at that level as well. So probably some of both but more genre fatigue than the latter.

I actually saw some reviews where people complained there was too much fantasy which I thought was hilarious. So I know it can work both ways but the complaint still stands for me. I didn't quite mean it literally anyway. I understand why the label needs to be there. It was more tongue in cheek, like don't give me lazy fantastical elements tacked onto the story and tell me it is fantasy so to speak.

 

[chitman13]

Finished Sebastien de Castell's Soulbinder, and enjoyed. Looking forward to seeing how the final two books play out.

 

[Prairie_Dog]

I just finished reading Swordheart which is yet another great fantasy novel by T. Kingfisher, which is the pseudonym Ursula Vernon uses for her works for adults. It is the first novel in a planned trilogy which takes place in a medieval alternate world that features magic, knights, and various gods. Chief among those in the books is the White Rat, whose Temple is important in this novel. This is the same fantasy world in which the Clocktaur Duology and the Saint of Steel Series take place.

Swordheart is primarily the story of Sarkis, who is dead but immortal. He was bound into a sword, and he appears to do battle when the wielder of the sword draws the blade. He goes back into the blade when it is sheathed. He has suffered this odd sort of un-life for hundreds of years. However, it is also to tale of Hala, a respectable widow. She comes to inherit the sword from an elderly relative, who she cared for as he was dying. She is a simple and practical woman, who asks lots of questions. She is being forced by her relatives to marry her cousin by marriage so they can claim her inheritance. Till she draws the blade…

Once again, Ms. Veron has written a fantasy that has many elements. It can be considered both a romance and a work of high fantasy. It’s an uplifting novel, which has warm characters, dry humor, and a positive outcome. In her afterward, she indicates that there will be two more related novels, as there are two more magic swords of this type…

 

[mac biggs]

I started reading The Wheel of Time back in 2005, but while I was waiting on someone to buy me the fourth book, I picked up A Game of Thrones and never got around to continuing with WOT. Well, this month, I restarted the series and I just finished The Dragon Reborn.

I remember being less than impressed by The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn the first time through. This time through, I've enjoyed them a ton! I'd forgotten so much about the depth of the world, rediscovering it all has been a real joy. I'm excited to get through the series as the year goes on.

 

[Raule]

I’m reading The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan, which is described as a Spanish Inquisition-era fantasy inspired by Jewish folklore. I’m about 30 percent through and really like it so far.

 

[farseer2]

I'm also reading Wheel of Time. I finished book 2, The Great Hunt.

A series to read when you are not in a hurry, because Jordan is extensive in the way he tells the story, which can help with immersion, but you have to be in the mood to spend a lot of time in this world and with these characters.

I'm enjoying it, although at times I wish the characters enjoyed themselves more. In the beginning Matt was my favorite character, because he was cheerful and a jokester, but then he got that curse thing and has been miserable since then. Rand is always moaning about how actual adventures are much more miserable than they seem in the books. Perrin hates his wolf-thing...

I mean, I get it, being in danger and having sinister people trying to kill you is not fun in real life, and I'm not asking for these guys to be partying all day, but I'm going to be accompanying these characters for a long time, and I think it would be fun for me as a reader if they had fun from time to time.

Another nitpick: I hate dream sequences, and there are quite a lot of those.