Good morning and welcome to another reading roundup. This week I finished Naomi Novik’s League of Dragons, the last in the Temeraire series. As I mentioned in my last reading roundup, I skipped the intermediate seven books of the series and relied on Tor.com’s reread. That wasn’t such a great idea in hindsight. While there was a lot to love about the book – especially the narration (Simon Vance, people!) – I expect some of the emotional punches passed me by. I did very much enjoy the whole theme of draconic rights and Temeraire’s commitment to improving his kind’s lot in life. What did irk me though was the sudden switch in goals. It seemed that every time our protagonists came near to achieving their goals, the posts were moved and they were sent off on another errand. It did all come together in the end, but it did bother me at the time. I gave League of Dragons three and a half stars out of five. My library hold of Zen Cho’s Sorcerer to the Crown came through earlier and I’m enjoying it very much indeed – much more than I had anticipated. I would place it in the…
The Trials of Apollo Book One The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan is the start of a new Greek mythology series from middle grade staple Rick Riordan. This new series centres around the god Apollo, who has been stripped of his godly powers by his father, Zeus. Naturally, adventures and shenanigans ensue. For me this read a little younger than the Heroes of Olympus series, more in line with Percy Jackson. Apollo’s human persona is aged 16, but he spends a lot of time hanging around with 13 year old Meg which naturally makes the feel of the book somewhat younger. Also, there is no emphasis at all on romantic relationships. What I liked Riordan’s writing style. After many series including Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Riordan’s light, witty style should be familiar to most readers. If you enjoyed the earlier books, you will certainly enjoy this one. They are very funny. I breezed through The Hidden Oracle in an afternoon. While it is not necessary to have read the earlier series, I would strongly recommend doing so before picking up this latest one. There are many references to characters…
Like September, October is another big month for book releases. Here are a few of the ones about which I am most excited. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard – The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. This, along with Robin Hobb’s Fool’s Quest and Marissa Meyer’s Winter are among my most anticipated books of the later half of 2015. For those of you who don’t know, Sword of Summer is the start of a new series by the author of the Percy Jackson series which, this time, focusses on Norse mythology. Riordan’s books are always funny, engaging and exciting and I have no reason to suspect this one will be any different. Knowing what I know of the Norse pantheon, the opportunities for high jinx seem limitless. Sword of Summer will be released on October 6th and I have it preordered in both Kindle and Audible versions. Also on October 6th Brandon Sanderson is releasing another book. Dang, that guy is prolific. Does he actually sleep? This month it’s the turn of Shadows of Self, the sequel to his Alloy of Law, a steampunkesque novel set in his Mistborn world. I love the world Sanderson created in…
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan is the fifth and final book in the Heroes of Olympus saga. In this book the seven demigods of the prophesy finally have their confrontation with Gaea. I listened to it in audiobook format – perfect for a sick day from work where you don’t feel like doing much. If you enjoyed the previous books, it’s very likely you will like this one, too. It’s more of the same, with resolution of lots of plotlines. It seems this is the final book in Percy’s world, at least for some time – Riordan is moving onto a series on Norse mythology (sign me up for that asap) – so it is nice to get some closure on these characters with whom we have spent five and in many cases 10 books. What I liked The writing style. A Rick Riordan novel can be characterised as a mixture of humour and adventure, and Blood of Olympus is no different. I often found myself chuckling out loud at a particularly amusing turn of phrase. Riordan’s books are definitely a quick, fun read. The resolution. Riordan resolved the main conflicts efficiently and pretty much as predicted, throwing in…
House of Hades is the fourth, and presumably, the penultimate in Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series. It continues the story of the seven demigods who are prophesied to work together to prevent the earth goddess Gaea from rising and populating the earth with her giants, presumably a VERY BAD THING. The overall impression I had was that House of Hades was Mark of Athena part II. It follows on directly from and continues the plot points from the previous book. In it the demigods continue to work on the task assigned to them in MoA – to close the Doors of Death. Books one and two form a pair – Jason and Percy’s swap – and so books three and four as well. Riordan has cleared the decks so to speak for the final push in book five, Blood of Olympus. I also had the strong feeling that this is Riordan preparing to say goodbye to the world of Percy Jackson. As far as I understand, his next project is a new series based on Norse mythology (Yeah! Loki! Odin! Thor! Sign me up for that!). Annabeth and Percy’s trip through Tartarus is pretty much a Percy and Annabeth’s Greatest…