Locke:
Finally getting around to writing about some of the books I’m reading right now, finishing up the Powder Mage series and starting the Shattered Sea series on the fantasy side, with Asimov’s Robot Series bringing up the sci-fi side, and a brief detour into things that actually happened with a book on Genghis Khan.
The Autumn Republic – Brian McClellan
The conclusion to McClellan’s Powder Mage trilogy. Overall I enjoyed the series, it’s an interesting setting (think early 1800s introduction of rifles/artillery plus magic) that unfortunately isn’t fully explored. The most interesting/unique part of the series is the introduction of powder mages, who manipulate the energy released from gunpowder (among other shooty talents).
Overall the series is fast paced and compelling, I found myself wanting a lot more in the way of details about the world; for instance, there are at least three types of magic displayed, but not fully developed/explained. A brief (non-spoilery) summary:
Tamas, a charismatic general from Adro, who also happens to be a powder mage, assassinates his king, despite a prophecy/warning that should the king be murdered the old gods would return to restore royal rule. War breaks out with Kez, a neighboring state, and Tamas, along with his powder mage cabal, face three distinct conflicts: war against Kez, preventing the resurrection of a hostile god, and establishing a republic to replace their dead monarch.
So if you’re a fan of competing systems of magic, military campaigns, hand to hand combat, a little bit of blood magic, and the whole “old gods” trope, it’s definitely a series to check out. While my complaints with the book are all about how the world isn’t fully established, I will point out that McClellan finished his trilogy in three years, which is an impressive feat compared to many other fantasy writers, so I suppose I can trade a bit of detail for actually getting three books in less than a decade. His books are definitely on the high end between the simple (but sometimes good) serial fanstasy writers and the epic tomes of Sanderson or Martin (who, at least in Martin’s case, could really benefit from an aggressive editor).
Half a King & Half the World – Joe Abercrombie
Another entry in the well and quickly written fantasy category, this is the second series by Abercrombie that I’ve read. His first, The First Law was another trilogy with quite a few similarities. I’ve liked Abercrombie for the most part, his First Law trilogy was a dark and gritty medieval politics novel set in a fantasy world, by that I mean there was magic but certainly not at the forefront.
Another great feature of Abercrombie’s writing is not fulfilling all the fantasy tropes; I think Abercrombie succeeds where Martin doesn’t in this respect. If you’ve read A Song of Ice and Fire (which, come on, who hasn’t or at least seen the show at this point) you know Martin likes to invert/thwart a lot of typical fantasy genre tropes. The difference is that Martin does this by being a dick, and killing everyone you love (seriously, no one is safe). Abercrombie takes flawed characters (physically and mentally) and rehabilitates some but not others. The result is that you’re genuinely in suspense about the outcome for each character. Some develop, some don’t; some die, some don’t; some get revenge, some don’t. Compare and contrast with my roadmap for Martin’s characters, which is basically: do you like this character Y/N? If Y -> Red Wedding. If N -> rehab character and/or promote them.
My only complaint for Abercrombie so far is that I’ve got a sneaking suspicion he’s a one trick pony. He’s the only author I’ve read so far that convincingly brings a discussion of quasi central banking into a fantasy setting to show the power that’s almost treated like a new magic. The flip side of that is that banking/money has played a central role in both of his trilogies. It was neat the first time, it’s still neat this time around, but I think I’ll be a bit tired of it on the third round.
If you like the intrigue side of fantasy novels and appreciate a non-dickish (looking at you, Martin) level of realism in your fantasy series, Abercrombie’s been pretty good thus far. The conclusion to his Shattered Sea series, Half a War, comes out July 28, 2015.
Honorable Mentions
I’m finally getting around to reading Asimov’s Robot Series, which is entertaining; his old sci-fi books are a fun blast from the past, a much more optimistic outlook for the future mixed with casual sexism and his weird-ass views on human sexuality.
I’m very light on non-fiction, but I’ve read a few lately that held my interest, the most interesting being Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. Fascinating book on the impact of the Mongols on modern society, but Weatherford’s a bit of an apologist for the 50-70 million people that the Mongols slaughtered during their campaigns. My favorite anecdote on the wealth of the later Khans is the account of Khubilai Khan’s hunting party, where he hunted from a pavilion built and carried on the backs of four elephants. Just think about that for a second. If that doesn’t interest you in the book, nothing will.