No. 1 (for 2011), No. 31 (for 2010) - A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

Started: December 7, 2010
Finished: January 10, 2011

Notes: Yes, I've said before and I'll say again that I hate Charles Dickens. I think his plots are strong and his characters iconic, but I cannot stand his prose. However, my other half wanted us to read this book together and I agreed to do it. Why not? I've not read any Dickens in a long, long while, so I'll give him another chance. And it's an excuse to read another novel on my new Kindle. Maybe I'll actually even enjoy myself. Whipped!

Mini review: For the most part, my opinion of Dickens' writing still remains. He has good characters and strong plots, but I cannot stand his prose. That being said, the ending to this novel was fantastic, truly historic in its own way.

No. 30 - Reaper's Gale

by Steven Erikson

Started: December 4
Finished: December 27

Notes: I couldn't help myself. I read so much of the Malazan series this past year, I just had to read the next installment. One big reason for this is because I've caught up to everything I head read before, so this book is all new material for me. I'm really looking forward to it. This is definitely my favorite modern epic fantasy series, at least until I find another, which I find doubtful.

Mini review: I honestly didn't expect to finish this one this year, but I managed. Anyway, this series has been accused of having too many characters and too many plots and sub-plots and of the author using deus ex machina too often, and I never really felt that until this book. At more than 1,200 pages, for the first time in this series, I truly felt it could have lost a bunch of pages, at least 300. And I finally got what some complainants meant by the deus ex machina because there were a few situations in the end where the "saving grace" was a little out of the blue, at least for the overall series if not for this one particular novel (ie. characters who had never been around before suddenly showing up in this particular novel to save the day in the end ... then only to disappear in one fashion or another). But, that being said, the payoff in the end makes up for a lot. This is still the best fantasy series I've read in a long time, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

No. 29 - The Weight of Blood

by David Dalglish

Started: December 1
Finished: December 4

Notes: I've actually had this e-book for some little while now, but I've been holding off reading it because I expected to get a Kindle comes this Christmas. Well, Christmas came a little early this year, so I decided it was time to get reading. So, yeah, this is my first e-book read on my new Kindle. I've heard great things about this author and his Half-Orc series, of which this e-book is the first book, and I even interviewed him a while back. I love trying out new writers, and giving indie authors a shot. Here goes.

Mini review: A nice read. Well written with very, very few copy editing errors, which is uncommon for many indie books. The characters I loved, and found them quite interesting. If I have any complaints about this novel, there are two.

First, this has been called a dark fantasy by various reviewers, even the author. I have to disagree, but that's just my opinion. There are many awful things that happen in this novel, a good number of them committed by the protagonists, but they were not dwelt upon for any length. To me, "dark" literature is fiction that explores the emotional, even possibly spiritual depths, of human depravity, possibly even evil. I didn't feel that here. Others might. Again, just my opinion.

My second possible complaint about this novel would be the characters' motivations; frankly, I didn't feel they were explored nearly enough. As an example, if a character is willing to slaughter innocents, unless that character happens to be a true unfeeling psychopath, there needs to be very strong reasons why such a character would be willing to do such. I didn't think that was here. In other words, I would have liked to have seen much more of the two main characters' past. As is, to me it sort of felt like, "boo hoo, we were picked on as little kids, so now we're going to kill everyone ... but we still love each other." That rang false to me.

All that being said, I definitely enjoyed this fantasy novel and will be reading more from this author. And despite my faults with what I felt was lack of motivation for the characters, I still liked the characters quite a bit and would enjoy reading more about them.

No. 28 - Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men

by Harold Lamb

Started: November 25
Finished: December 1

Notes: Some while back I exchanged books with Jason M. Waltz, editor of Rogue Blades Entertainment, and I ended up with this Harold Lamb novel in the deal. If my memory serves correctly, Waltz also received a Lamb book from me, so it was an even exchange, in my opinion. I've had this older paperback for a while, so it's about time I got around to reading it. I've read some Lamb before, and found it quite interesting. I'm sure this historical novel will be the same.

Mini review: I have to admit to being a little disappointed, but I don't believe it is the author's fault. I believe my expectations were too high. The writing style is fine, so there wasn't a problem there. I'm familiar with some of Lamb's other writings, so it wasn't as it I was going in unprepared, but I felt there was a lot lacking here. The life and times of Genghis Khan felt glossed over to me, but then I might be too much to expect a scholarly treatise from what's basically a short paperback. I wanted more information, much more, but at least this book was a good place to peak my interest. My whining aside, I did learn a fair amount here. For one thing, I'd never realized just how completely brutal the Mongols were, with no respect for human life whatsoever. Also, I had not been aware to the extent the Mongol invasions had had against the incursion of Islam into Europe in the late Middle Ages. So, my eyes were definitely opened to a few things, and at some point I'll likely look more into the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongol hordes of the 13th Century.

No. 27 - Becoming an Indie Author

by Zoe Winters

Started: November 8
Finished: November 12

Notes: If you are trying to make it as an indie author, aka a self-published author, in this modern digital world, you really need to be checking out the blog of paranormal romance indie author Zoe Winters. Though I don't normally read paranormal romance books, for some little time now I've been following Zoe's career and some of her advice. Because she has a lot of good advice to give! Zoe can be quite opinionated at times, but I find her funny instead of aggressive, and in my experience she only gives out grief to people who deserve it. Anyway, Zoe recently released this e-book about her path to successful indie writing/publishing, and I couldn't turn down an opportunity to read it.

Mini review: Indie author beginners, I highly recommend this little e-book. No, it won't hold your hand and tell you every single, little step to take, but it's not too far from that. At the least, this e-book offers plenty of good advice, and it points you in the right direction. Wish I'd written it, honestly.

No. 26 - The Bonehunters

by Steven Erikson

Started: October 16
Finished: November 25

Notes: I actually read this novel a couple of years ago. It was my first of the Malazan novels, though it is the sixth in the series. I loved it so much earlier this year I went back and read the five novels that came before it. Since I had read those novels, I thought I'd read The Bonehunters once more to sort of catch myself up on where the action is headed.

Mini review: Fantastic read. I wouldn't necessarily say it's my favorite of the Malazan books, but it's right up there near the top. I'm glad this novel got me into the series, and I'm glad to have read it again. There are still at least four more books in this series for me to read, and I'll be getting to them.

No. 25 - In the Realm of the Wolf

by David Gemmell

Started: September 30
Finished: October 16

Notes: I just finished reading War and Peace, and was looking for something a little lighter but filled with action and easy to read. I spotted this novel in my to-be-read pile and thought, "Why not? I like Gemmell's writing." Also, for those in the UK, the UK title of this novel is Waylander II.

Mini review: I hate to say it, but this is the first time a Gemmell novel has let me down. I liked the characters a lot, but the plot was disjointed and all over the place. I felt there were a lot of scenes left out that should have been included, with characters jumping around all over the place without any details of how they got there. I'm not suggesting I want hundreds of pages of characters riding through forest or some such, but just having characters appear from one place to another was a bit disturbing. There were even many potential great scenes glossed over, battles and skulkings and the like. So far, this is the only Gemmell novel I've read I didn't much care for.

No. 24 - Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology

edited by Jason M. Waltz

Started: July 28
Finished: August 19

Notes: I received this collection of Sword and Sorcery tales in the mail today, and it couldn't have come at a better time. I've been slogging through War and Peace for months now, with a few forays into other literature from time to time, and it was time for a break. I needed some good, strong action reading, and this collection from Rogue Blades Entertainment is sure to excite. How do I know this? Well, first of all, I'm familiar with this publisher and know what to expect. Second of all, my story "Kron Darkbow" appears in this anthology, so I know it's got to be good. Also, one of the nice pleasures about a book like this is I can read a few stories then go back to War and Peace for a while, then get back to this anthology, then back to War and Peace and so on. It'll be a nice breath of fresh air from time to time when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the literary masterpiece (and it is) of War and Peace.

Mini review: Some fine reading here. I was glad for the break from War and Peace, but now I'll get back to it. Find a longer review on Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology right here.

No. 23 - The Velveteen Rabbit

by Margery Williams

Started: June 19
Finished: June 19

Notes: By some misfortune, I had never read this children's book. The wife told me today it was time I read this book. So I did. I am a fan of rabbits, after all, having had them as house pets for at least a dozen years now and "Watership Down" being one of my favorite novels of all time.

Mini review: Just a lovely, lovely story. It seems as if there's going to be a sad ending, but all turns out as well as it possibly could in the end. A nice, little fantasy/fairy tale for children. Thanks to the wife for having me finally read it.

No. 22 - House of Chains

by Steven Erikson

Started: May 7

Finished: May 24

Notes: I couldn't help myself. I wanted to read the next book in the series. So I am.

Mini review: This books started off with some of my favorite writing in the whole series, mainly because the first 150 or so pages focus on my favorite character in this series, Karsa Orlong. However, from there the book wound down and was rather anti-climactic, thus making it my least favorite novel so far in the Malazan series. That being said, it was still a decent book and I know the rest of the series is truly awesome.

No. 21 - Reading Jesus

by Mary Gordon

Started: April 30

Finished: May 5

Notes: I've been reading War and Peace for a couple of weeks now, though I haven't gotten very far because of my recent surgery and just the denseness and sometimes heaviness of the novel. I've got a feeling War and Peace is going to be one of those rare books that I'm going to have to read in spurts over the next year instead of in one big gulp, which is usually how I read. To that end, I wanted something a little easier to read for a while, but something that felt like it had some substance to it. Walking through the library this morning, I stumbled upon "Reading Jesus." Mary Gordon, the author, is a novelist and was raised Catholic. She got to wondering a while back why so many people seemed to have different ideas about Jesus, and then it dawned on her she had never read the Gospels. She proceeded to do so. This book is her reflections on the Gospels, to some extent, but is really a semi-secular literary study of Jesus as a literary character (though not, to not be misunderstood, as a fictional character). This idea sounded interesting to me, a novelist studying Christ as a literary figure. I flipped through the book, it's short, seems easy to read. I decided it was just the thing.

Mini review: Reflecting upon the Gospels from an author's point of view is an interesting one, but Gordon cannot do so without her own Catholic/Christian background getting in the way to some extent. But she freely admits this. While looking at Jesus as a character, she finds much to like about him but also some things not to like. For example, in the book of John, anti-Semitism is quite strong, at one poing Jesus declaring Jews have become the children of the devil. However, Gordon does come around to believing there is a moment of transition and possibly transformation in the final words of Christ. Seemingly, not only does he redeem all of mankind with his death, but in Gordon's eyes he also redeems himself to a large extent, mainly because Gordon finds strength in her own beliefs in Jesus' final words. I'm oversimplifying here for brevity, but that's the basics to a certain extent. It was quite interesting to read this book so soon after finishing John Gardner's On Moral Fiction because Gordon seems to come to some of the same conclusions as Gardner, chiefly that, for a writer, there might not be true answers to be found but it is the asking of questions that is key.

No. 20 - War and Peace

by Leo Tolstoy
translated by Constance Garnett


Started: April 13
Finished: September 30

Notes: Okay, it's taken me 40 years to work up the courage to read this monster, classic novel. It's considered one of the longest novels ever written, and it concerns the French invasion of Russia during the early 19th Century. I'm reading this now for a couple of reasons. One, it's the centennial of Tolstoy's death, and this serves as a reminder to me I need to get around to reading this novel. Two, I'm going into the hospital next week, so my reading and blog posting will likely be stunted for at least a few days, maybe as long as a week. This long work leaves me without having to blog much in the upcoming weeks, at least not about what I'm reading, and it will give me something to focus on, something in which I can take my time without having a need to get finished. In other words, I can take my time with this one. And at more than a thousand pages, I probably will take my time. There are multiples editions of War and Peace around, some quite different from others, and this one is the 1906 English translation.

Mini review: It took me so long to read this one, I was beginning to doubt I'd finish it this year, but I did. War and Peace is not the easiest of reads, especially for the modern reader, mainly because there's not a lot of action and even when there is action it's written almost more as a school history book than a novel. Also, there are so many characters and they have Russian or French names (most of which were unfamiliar to my American ear), it probably took me the first 400 pages before I could really begin to tell the characters apart from one another. But, all that being said, I loved this novel. I will probably never read it again due to it's length and the amount of time it took me to read it, but I still love it. War and Peace is a sweeping tale of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in the early 19th century and his eventual withdrawal. There are multiple stories in this gigantic novel, several of them at first not tied directly to the central action of the novel, the French invasion of Russia. The stories and and characters don't really all come together in one great big climax, but rather the effect of the French invasion is shown upon each of the characters, how there lives change due to the war. And for the most part, this isn't really a war novel. Yes, the war in the central point and a few of the characters are officers, but much of the story is of civilians fleeing from the French and how their lives are after the worst of the war. This is also a philosophical and spiritual tale, but not one that hits you over the head, at least not until the last 30 or so pages when Tolstoy writes a non-fiction article concerning free will. I'm glad I read this novel, though I likely won't ever again, but it definitely deserves its place among the world's greatest literatures.

No. 19 - On Moral Fiction

by John Gardner

Started: April 9
Finished: April 13

Notes: I don't currently feel a need to read any of those how-to-be-a-writer books, but this isn't exactly that. It seems to be more of the author's opinions on criticism and the state of literature during the late 1970s. Yes, this book is slightly more than 30 years old, thus it won't be very up-to-date concerning literature, but it still sounded interesting enough to get into. Also, the late John Gardner is one of the better-known novelists from the mid-20th century and he delved mainly into literary fiction, so I want to see what he had to say. I've not read much by him, but what I did read was spectacular, especially the novel "Grendel," the Beowulf saga tol from the monster Grendel's viewpoint.

Mini review: Though strong on opinion, this was an excellent book for those interested in persuing a literary career. Genre writers might find all this a bit over their heads, or sometimes even rude, but in places Gardner actually has quite positive things to say about the potential of fantasy, science fiction, etc. He especially seemed to appreciate Asimov and Peter Beagle. Admittedly, some of this was over my head, but much of it was not and I found I appreciated it.

No. 18 - The Life of Billy the Kid

by Pat F. Garrett

Started: April 8
Finished: April 9

Notes: Originally titled "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, the Noted Desperado of the Southwest" when it was published in 1882, just a year after the Kid's slaying by the gun of the author (at least according to general history ... there've been rumors the Kid escaped or that Garrett let him go), I didn't want to let this one pass me by when I ran across it in a used book store recently. I've read plenty of history about the Kid, Garrett and the Lincoln County War, but I think it'll be interesting to read this non-fiction book by the man who supposedly killed Billy the Kid.

Mini review: A short little read. Also easy to read and, despite some of the Old West slang, sounded pretty modern. It was interesting to read the story of Billy the Kid from someone who knew him personally, and who happened to be his killer. I won't hazard a guess as to whether all the facts are true as portrayed, but the gist of the tale seemed to match up with other histories of the time. Worth reading, especially if you're an Old West junkie.

No. 17 - The Bleeder Collection

by Jesse Dedman

Started: March 25
Finished: March 28

Notes: The author is the editor of the online zine Deadman's Tome, and he's published several of my horror stories over the last couple of years. A while back Jesse asked to read, and then review, one of my novels. Which he did. He reviewed my fantasy novel "City of Rogues," and I thank him for that. During our back-and-forth e-mails, he mentioned to me he had put together a collection of stories, each based upon one of his short stories, "The Bleeder." That's this collection I'm reading now. And I thank Jesse for letting me read it. When I'm finished, I'll let you know what I think below.

Mini review: This struck me very much as a graphic novel, though it is told in prose form. The imagery and the style of writing lend themselves very much to a hardboiled horror tale with touches of vigilante justice, reminding me somewhat of James O'Barr's "The Crow" series back in the 1980s. Dark, bloody and sometimes disturbing, the stories here have their own inner structure, combining and blending words in ways that are archaic and brutal and even sometimes almost nonsensical, but it works. You can feel yourself inside the Bleeder's head, and the pain and torture and numbness that rushes through him. I look forward to more, if it is to come.

No. 16 - Memories of Ice

by Steven Erikson

Started: March 24
Finished: April 7

Notes: Yep, I'm still continuing my Malazan reading. This is the third book in this series, but now the fourth in the series (and the fifth Malazan novel overall) that I've read. Good stuff.

Mini review: I loved the first half of this novel, then got bored with it for a couple of hundred pages, but then it turned around and had one of the best endings I've read so far in any of the Malazan novels. I was looking forward to taking a break from Erikson's writing as I didn't want to become burnt out on the series, but now I'm left wanting more! Maybe a short break won't hurt, but I've got to get back to the next book.

No. 15 - Night of Knives

by Ian C. Esslemont

Started: March 20
Finished: March 24

Notes: Though Steven Erikson is the author generally noted for his lengthy fantasy series on the Malazan, his is a shared world with author Ian C. Esslemont. I've now read four of Erikson's novels and probably will read more of them (if not all) before the year is out, but I wanted to check out Esslemont's Malazan books, too, mainly to see how another writer handles this dark fantasy world. This particularly novel takes places sort of between the prologue and chapter one of Erikson's first Malazan novel, Gardens of the Moon, if I understand correctly.

Mini review: I can readily recommend this novel to any fans of Erikson's Malazan series. The writing here is very similar, so much so I almost have to wonder if Erikson didn't help out a bit along with an editor. Where Erikson's lengthy Malazon novels usually focus on a hundred different people, this one focuses on ... oh, only fifty or so. But the storytelling techniques are the same, and it's worth it. I'm sure to look for more of Esslemont's Malazan novels.

No. 14 - Life in Rewind

by Terry Weible Murphy with Edward E. Zine and Michael A. Jenike, M.D.

Started: March 17
Finished: March 20

Notes: A family member suffers from a mild form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and he has quite often mentioned this book when discussing his situation with me. It sounds interesting enough, a man who suffers an extreme form of OCD and the help he recieves from a doctor, so I thought I'd check it out. I expect to learn much.

Mini review: An interesting look at one of the worst cases of OCD I've ever heard of, possibly ever recorded. And also interesting in that I could see some minor similarities between Ed Zine, the OCD victim in this book, and my family member who has OCD. Glad I read this book. Not only did I learn some things, but it opened my eyes and made me take notice of things I hadn't before.

No. 13 - Deadhouse Gates

by Steven Erikson

Started: March 1

Finished: March 17

Notes: The second book in this series, though the fourth I've read. I'm enjoying this series quite a bit, and now I'm trying to read in order the books I haven't read.

Mini review: This is my second favorite of the novels I've read in this series, with The Bonehunters being my first (and which I'll probably re-read later this year since I'm more or less reading this series in order now). The characterization was very strong here. The plotting too was strong, but I felt some of the endings (they're several endings here for multiple situations and characters) were a bit on the weak side. However, the outcomes for a couple of characters were quite strong (Coltaine and Duiker, for those familiar with the series) and very well written. I can't wait to read more in this series, and some of the other books set in the Malazan universe (not all the books are directly part of this overall series).

No. 12 - The Call of the Wild and White Fang

by Jack London

Started: February 24
Finished: March 1

Notes: This is actually two short novels combined into one book. I've been meaning to read "The Call of the Wild" for years, as its one of those classics that has slipped past my readings all these years. Considering "The Call of the Wild" is supposed to be an allegory, at least according to many literary scholars, for London's strange mixture of beliefs about society, socialism and individualism, I believe I'll find this quite interesting.

Mini review: Of the two tales here, "The Call of the Wild" is the one better written and most emotional for the reader. That being said, "White Fang" is the more complex of the two, and it has the happy Hollywood ending that is denied in "The Call of the Wild." Overall I preferred "The Call of the Wild," probably because the darkness within the tale borders on the Stygian depths of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," the sharpest moments of madness of Ahab in "Moby Dick" and other such dark stories. The main difference here is "The Call of the Wild" is the story of a dog, not a man, though the allegory is somewhat obvious (even moreso in "White Fang," actually). "White Fang" is practically an opposite tale of "The Call of the Wild," and is more complex mainly because of that opposite. In other words, it's much easier to turn a decent dog into a brute than it is to completely rehabilitate a brute into a decent dog (or man). I should have read both these stories years ago and am sorry I didn't.