Review: Star Wars: Death Troopers - Joe Schreiber

Title Star Wars: Death Troopers
Author Joe Schreiber
Pages 234
Year 2009
Reading Time 7 (October 2009)
Rating 7 out of 10

This was my first book in the Star Wars Universe, besides the novelizations of the six movies. There were a couple of them I wanted to read like Death Star, Darth Bane Trilogy, or any book where the main characters are Stormtroopers, but when this book was released I bought it after reading good reviews in some blogs. Being fan of horror theme and Star Wars I thought it was a sure win….

Something stroke me as odd… Since when do zombies enter the star wars universe? I don’t know if I have ever read anywhere about it but okay… I hope they do not tread there. Star Wars Universe does not need these but okay… Well… Was the book scary? A little bit(e). Suspense? Eck… More or less. But was the book alright? Yes it was but the appearance of Han Solo and Chewbackka didn’t felt right… They did not belong there.

The characters were not that good unfortunately and I didn’t care about any of them. And when at the middle of the book Han Solo and Chewbacca appear… They did not belong there. From this point I only want to get over with the book… When you read a horror book the best part is wondering who lives or who dies… When you have to main characters of the films you know they won’t be dead…
The Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book didn’t reveal them... Why? It was for the surprise maybe? And the preview of a book released several months before at the end? Well interesting…

The only good part was the Star Destroyer scenery. The author portrayed them big and scary… (but without avail). They are big indeed with 1.6klm. Even the dead didn't felt like zombies...

The ending was predictable as I said...

I really hope that they don't use Zombies again because they don't belong in Star Wars...

Review: Masters of Magic - Chris Wraight

Title Masters of Magic
Author Chris Wraight
Pages 300
Year 2008
Reading Time 8 (April 2010)
Rating 8.5 out of 10

This is the year of Black Library for me. I really want to read more than I was reading... In 2007 I read 23 BL books, in 2008 10 books and in 2009 only 8. Since it is my favourite universe I do enjoy reading books in it I want to make ammends and read more of them... After all I have all their books so why shouldn't I read more books? Since I read several books at the same time my goal is to have on BL book at any given time... This year so far I have read 6 books and I am currenly reading the anthology Lords of Valour...

This was the second book I read with magicians... It was also the first book of Chris Wraight and so far he's got my approval. It was better without doubting than Magestorm. The plot, the characters and the use of magic was pretty good. The only problem with this book is the end for I hope that a sequel will be written...

There are some interesting characters starting with Lothar our main character who is a grey wizard. This characters needs a sequel so we can find what happens to him. Even Katerina Lautermann (Amethysts Wizard) needs a book of her own. I know that a Ludwig Schwarzhelm will have his own book in a couple of months. I am looking forward to it.

The book starts with an attack against the fortress of Helmgart (Gemmel's Legend anyone?) by a huge horde of orcs with a powerful sharman. Here we meet Lothat and Helmut who fight for the empire. Then Helmut is killed and the survivors of the attack flee to the Empire. With Lothar is Karsten the castellan (another interesting character). From there we go to Altdorf and the intrigue between the factions within the colleges. Then we are again back to Lothar were we meet yet another wizard called Joachim an amber Wizard and one of the most powerful wizards travelling the lands of the Empire. There is also intrigue between two imperial generals for the fighting the orcs.

There are simple too many points of views that we get to know the head of several characters... That's why I said that some of them needed their own book. In the climax there are four wizards fighining besides the army (each one with their own ideal/purpose)... Grey wizard Lothar Auerbach is there from the beginning. Katerina the Amethyst wizard. Ambrosius, Gold Wizard and the infamous Marius an Amber Wizard.. All of them are rivals (with the exception for Lothat who only wants revenge) and an fight between them can start anytime...

In the end as I said before there are several plot lines that get no answer and another book is needed. But I enjoyed it. Believe me... I think Chris Wraight really knows how the Empire works and all the intrigues that befalls it. The fighting in the end was long but a good one and I didn't thought that the end was rushed as some of the BL tend to be.

The Grey Wizards draw from shadows and mostly deal with illusions.

The Gold Wizards draw from minerals, such as within the earth, and may change the forms.

The Amethyst Wizards are weakest, until death begins. They draw from chaos and deal with mainly shadows, deception, and death.

The Amber Wizards draw from nature, its various beasts and forests.

How to train your Dragon - Cressida Cowell

Title How to Train your Dragon
Author Cressida Cowell
Pages 223
Year 2003
Reading Time 5 (Abril 2010)
Rating 6 out of 10

After seeing in the movies the book with this title and enjoyed it greatly I wanted to read the book... Well it was not that good. It's one of those rare occasions where the movies are better than the books... Besides the stories are totally different. There is almost nothing equal.. Oh well...

It starts with their training where young to-be-warriors go get a dragon a train them to fight and fish for them. The ones who cannot do it are banished. The story then jumps to the part where they train their dragons... With the sole exception of our main character, Hiccup, everyone trains their dragons the same way... YELLING. But Hiccup can talk to them... Then it comes the fishing contete where all of the recruits go to fight and are banished but not before a Huge Dragon arrives at the shore and only Hiccup can talk to him since Yelling does not work...

In the end there are some memorable funny sequences and descriptions but I didn't felt satisfied with the book. Besides it's a child novel... For them it may be good but for me... Oh well...

Review: Raiser of Gales - Hideyuki Kikuchi

Title Vampire Hunter D - Raiser of Gales (II)
Author Hideyuki Kikuchi
Pages 215
Year 1985
Reading Time 16 (March 2010)
Rating 7.5 out of 10

Title Vampire Hunter D - Raiser of Gales (II) (Manga)
Author Hideyuki Kikuchi
Pages 200
Year 2007
Reading Time 16 (March 2010)
Rating 6.5 out of 10

This is the second of the world aclaimed Vampire Hunter D's series. I had already read the first in the beginning of January and I enjoyed it So two months later I started the second which I didn't find that good compared to the first. In the plus side is the main character caracterization which improved with this book. We get to know a couple of things we didn't knew before but even with this couple of good things there are a lot to discovered (or unveil). The world and the scenery is one of the best I have ever read. We also learn a bit more about the world and it's history. I really hope that the next books will give us some more info.

Now the plot; D is called to a town where the villagers think that the vampires are capable of walkin in the daylight and now they want them dead. We get to learn a bit more of that village and we learn that 4 people were abducted and returned with no memories. We get a girl (as the previous book) called Lina and she is very intelligent for her age and she has always was interested to learn about the history of Nobility. Lina follows D as they try to find out what happenend and what will happen.

The end was somewhat good even if it was preticted.

I think this book was a little different of the first both on D character (a lot more romantic) and of the female character (also more romantic and girlish). The conversations between D and D's hand is quite good and comic. (I really hope he explores them in later books)

The Translation: Well... English and Japanese are very different languages. Even if you translate english to portuguese doesn't feel right I can't imagine japanese to english. I think there are a couple of flaws but in the end it is a good translation.

The illustrations are very good and I find that Amano is excelent painter and I think he really understands D with his paintings. This book paintings and Cover were of a darker D.

The Manga book... I don't have anything to say about the book besides being a little weaker than the first. I don't think that they make justice of the novels. The only thing good on them are the nude girls because everything else is not that good.

Book Review: Stargate Atlantis: Entaglement - Martha Wells

Title Stargate Atlantis: Entaglement
Author Martha Wells
Pages 208
Year 2007
Reading Time 3 (March 2010)
Rating 7 out of 10

This was the second novel of stargate I read and the second of Martha Wells. On this one she continues her well-crafted characters and it was undoubtaly the best part of the novel. The plot itself is not complictated... Our special team founds a mirror that it's more than it seems. This "mirror" as they found out is a portal of some sorts to another universe, a paralel universe. When they are researching more of this mirror they find a strangler that believes that she is from the other side. But this person is more than it seems... Then the wraith appears and all hell is loose.

What I thought it was a good plot but the nature of this stranger is too big for not being presented in the series... I think the discover of another universe where the ancient and the wraits co-existed and this half being is as I said to big not to be mention in a serie. Well apart from this the novel was a good one and I read it quite fast.

I have two or three more novels and I Shall read them in the near future.

Book Review: Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary - Martha Wells

Title Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary
Author Martha Wells
Pages 220
Year 2006
Reading Time 5 (November 2009)
Rating 7 out of 10

I started reading this book sometime after the last episode of Stargate Atlantis. I always loved Stargate Atlantis, even more than the original or this new series Stargate Universe. One of my favourite characters was Rodney McKay... He remmid me of a good Dr House. Well when I saw this book I had to get it. I think Wells is a good fan of Stargate and she has done her homework because the characters are well written and their mannerisms are just as they are portrayed on Television. This story is a good one and it's kind of a suspense novel because we get the feeling of the adventure beneath the atlatean outpost and when they met the survivor, well the plot thickens and things start to get worse... (as it happens on my stargate episodes). I think it was a good tie-in and it made me bought a couple others...

Review: Magestorm - Jonathan Green

Title Magestorm
Author Jonathan Green
Pages 250
Year 2004
Reading Time 3 (April 2010)
Rating 7 out of 10

I always been a avid reader of Black Library titles. I have this book for some years but as others in my collection they are here for me to read but I have so many books that is hard to me to decide...

I had read two books by Jonathan Green. First was Necromancer and then I read Crusade for Armageddon. Both were good but somewhat dissapointing... Then he left and went to work with Abaddon. But I think he is back with a short-story in Legends of Space Marines. Maybe he is returning... I read in some forums and some reviews that people didn't like his work. Well... It wasn't all that bad. Necromancer was not a action oriented book. It was a good book set in a city and we deal with the way of the necromancers. It was had a good atmosphere. One of the best I have ever read.

This book is set in the year of 2521 with the siege of Wolfenburg by Surtha Lenk. Our hero is a pyromancer (a Fire Wizard) and he has a quest... To twarth the plans of Chaos. The beginning he is dueling another wizard that had fallen to Chaos influence. We met some witch hunters that due to their fanatic attitude see things the wrong way and capture him. Another important character is a Battle Priest that as he travels to the lands he smite the evil doers and at the same time get an "entourage". Both parties converge on Wolfenburg as the Chaos Hordes start to siege...

It was a good novel with several points of views but the most important was the main character. I think he was not that well portrayed and the mystery of being the way he is revealed in the last couple of pages but that didn't helped. I really didn't care about any of them... There are even some plots who have no purpose (the witch hunters vs magician). The battle scenes were the best part including the siege. As I had read about the Storm of Chaos I knew how it would end.

There are better novels out there. I am currently reading another book with Mages. Christ Wraight's Masters of Magic. So far so good. Better than this one but I am only at page 100 so anything can happen...

Review: Outliers - Malcom Maxwell

This book was an interesting reading and not my usual one. I read because someone told me it was good and it was. In the book we get to know some things we never figure it out like why the canadian ice hockey team players are almost all of them born from january to april? Why the chinese, japanese and other rice cultures have lesser problems in education than ours? Why the children of chinese learn about numbers and letters sooner than ours? Why the japanese are more pacient than western civilizations? Why the planes in South Korea had so many crashes (the biggest in all world) and after adopting the english language they have been free of crashes for more than 6 years? Why the chinese have so much people against our own?

This is some questions that Maxwell dwelt upon and some are quite interesting... I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn why the differencs between civizilations and why some people have so many success (in here he gave the example of Bill Gates) and others do not?

I rate it 7 out of 10.

Review: Cadian Blood - Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Title Cadian Blood
Author Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Pages 347
Year 2009
Reading Time 12 (December 2009)
Rating 8.5 out of 10

If this is not the first time you come to my blog you know I own every single book Black Library has published. Since the first book First and Only to even the older ones published by Baxtree. I am an avid reader of warhammer fantasy but 40k has always been a thorn on my foot. I read some books but most of them I just have them here on my shelf. I don't know why...

One of the series I always read it as soon as I received was the Imperial Guard novels. And this one was no exception. Having loved all of them (I have reviews of most of them here, others are just in waiting) I grabbed and read it. I read it in 12 calenders days but I read another book inbetween...

The story begins with an Imperial Shrine World is blighted by Chaos an falls to the Curse of Unbelief. (It turns into somekind of zombies). Since this is a Shrine World ranks of Imperial Guard (several units from several worlds) go to reclaim and scourge Chaos from Kathur. 40K is all about Space Marines but I always appreciated more the Imperial Guard.

The book sucks you into some disturbing graphic descriptions of a plagued world and we almost feel what the Imperial Guard feels when they are travelling throughout the streets of the capital. It's very vivid. Dembski-Bowden is quite good. Maybe that is why he has published already not only this book but also Soul Hunters (Night Lords novel) also Throne of Lies an audiobook, Hellreach (Templars vs Orks) Orks and one will come soon called First Heretic set in Horus Heresy. So each book each faction... What's next? An Eldar book? Maybe Necrons or what? IF all books are from this standard then he's got my support.

Well I was going off topic, sorry about that.

The fighting doesn't stick to the streets of the capital but also on space as a Fleet of Chaos Space Marines tries to get to the ground. Then the Space Marines appears and in some way they try to help the Imperial Guard, specially the pyschic. Some books fail in the end with the ending but not this one. I Thought it was a remarkable ending with sacrifices and I get the feeling it was not an easy task. The 88th Cadian Shock Troopers were truly interesting soldiers who fought hard even when the difficulties come from all sides. Not only the zombies, chaos marines but also from within their higher ranks.

I would recommend this book to anyone who like 40k or military-sci-fi. Keep them coming Herr Dembski-Bowden

Review: Child of an Ancient City - Tad Williams

Title Child of an Ancient City
Author Tad Williams & Nina Hoffman
Pages 80
Year 1992
Reading Time 3 (October 2008)
Rating 9 out of 10

This tale was a good one and an interesting to read. My fear of reading mighty tomes made me read this book. I had heard of Tad Williams and I bought, some time ago, after reading good reviews the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn teratology (is this how it is written?). With four books with 3500 pages I got scared so I searched a smaller book. Et voila mon amis... What an excellent read it was... It was a big hardcover book with only 100 pages and beautiful drawings (one of the reasons I read it straight away).

The story is set in a Arab-alike world in the vein of The Arabian Nights. The tale begins with a raid on a merchants caravan where a few lucky (you would think) men are thrown together. Companions by necessity more than choice. Then as they make their way back to civilization they are stalk by a mysterious presence. One by one they are lost (die) until they finally realize that what they face if a similar like Vampire. Nocturnal, Blood Thirsting, Immortal and Invincible. The only way to survive is to sit around camp fires by night, each taking turns to tell tales to keep this creature entertained until the daylight hours. The end is the most important and one of the better endings I can remember. How the main character and the creature talk about sad stories... It's quite good and recommend.

I read somewhere that this book was later converted into a full novel. I would love to read how it went but now I have other priorities. Let us see what the future brings me.

Go go Tad Williams... Keep the stories coming and books out. I will read them eventually... I now have 9 of your books... Well ten with this one.

Review: Blue World - Robert McCammon

Title - Blue World
Author Robert R McCammon
Pages 264
Year 1981
Reading Time 4 days (August 2008)
Rating 5 out of 10

I read this book soon after I read Baal. Second Chance and I was dissapointed because not all stories were that good and for me most of them were not that satisfactory… (unfortunally). I still believe he is a good writer because he has some good stories here…

"Yellowjacket Summer" – This story is boy with a power to talk to Yellowjackets (bees? Hornets?). If in the beginning was a little slow the ending was an good one.

"Makeup" – a Thief steals a make up from an old horror movies actor and gets a lot more than he bargained. Not the best story around.

"Doom City" – an post apocalyptic tale and a spooking one… One of the best of the anthology (I hope this tale is in the same vein of Swan Song.

"Nightcrawlers" – This is a story about a life of Vietnam Vet’s as his nightmares comes out to hunt them (This story was then put into that mythical series of Twilight Zone).

"Pin" – Not the best story but good portrayal of an insane person. I hope I don’t met anyone like this…

"Yellachile's Cage" – A prisoner and a canary. That’s it. Not many more to say about it. I didn’t enjoy it.

"I Scream Man" – Another post-apocalyptic tale about what is real and not. Lucidity in a crazy person. A game of scrabble that is not what it seems. Well what it seems is that his best stories are post-apocalyptic. Maybe this is something to make me read Swan Song.

"He'll Come Knocking at Your Door" – You live in a perfect neighbourhood but for that you have to pay… sometimes with the things you love. This story is another story that I think I read it somewhere else This story reminds me of The Association by Bentley Little. (I made a review last year I guess)

"Chico" – I didn’t enjoyed and couldn’t finish… It was about a tale of a abused child by his stepfather.

"Night Calls the Green Falcon" – Not that good tale. I didn’t finish. IF you want you can try.. It’s online in Robert McCammon’s website.

"The Red House" –Another story I didn’t finish. A self discover tale… I really didn’t understand… or tried to understand

"Something Passed By" – This tale was one that if it wasn’t made into The Twilight Zone it should have. I think he had the possibility to be a good story. It’s simple story where you think what is normal or not. It really depends of who are you and where do you belong.

"Blue World" (Novella) – This was the biggest tale. It wasn’t in my opinion that good. It depicts the story of a priest that sniffs cocaine and a porn star (and her stalker) I didn’t enjoyed and I didn’t finish.

As you can see you’ve got all kinds of stories. Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Self-Discovery, Psychological thriller and everything you want… In the end some stories were good others were not. IF I would advice you to read it? Well go check his webpage because there are a couple of short stories available.. http://www.robertmccammon.com/

Review: Baal - Robert McCammon

Title Baal
Author Robert R McCammon
Pages 251
Year 1979
Reading Time 4 days (August 2008)
Rating 6 out of 10

One of my first books on my huge collection of almost 2000 books was Swan Song by McCammon. I heard it was like Stephen King’s The Stand so I bought it. But as the The Stand it was a massive book of more than 800 pages. So I put the book on the shelf next to Stephen King’s and others large books of 800 pages and they have been there for years. Why didn’t I read it since both those two books have top ratings? Because they are massive and I get scared about their length. But one day I will read it…

So I bought in second hand some other books by McCammons; Baal, Blue World, They Thirst, Usher’s Passing and Bethany's Sin. So I grabbed Baal and Blue World and I read it.

This is McCammon’s first book so I guess it’s not his best. The story begins with the birthing of Baal (which is also the name of a daemon), from a raped woman, and as the story progress we get to know how he lived and how he gather together believers. At the same time we get to know the “good” guys. One is a theology professor, other is an half Eskimo hunter/shaman and a mysterious personage called Michael (name of an angel). Their plain is simple: thwart Baal’s plans.

The pace is not that good and in my opinion quite slow and only in the latter half we are presented one of the major characters. I think the first one hundred pages almost made me wanna quit but I tried and in the end I was pleased by the book. The rating is fair because of the beginning. The images are pretty good and the characters are well portrayed.

You ask me if I would recommend it to you? If you can read past the first one hundred pages, and enjoy horor books, most improtant if you liked those movies/books from the 70’s about an antichrist then I think you will be for a treat.

Even after reading Baal and Blue World (who weren’t the best books I’ve read) I will continue to read McCammon books. Because I believe he can do a lot better. Do not forget that this was his first book so you can’t expect him to be perfect.

I guess Swan Song will be there on my shelf a couple of years more… Maybe I will read it on a long holiday…

Review: Across the Nightingale Floor - Lian Hearn

Title - Across the Nightingale Floor I The Sword of the Warrior
Author Lian Hearn
Pages 225
Year 2002
Reading Time 3 days (October 2008)
Rating 7 out of 10



Title - Across the Nightingale Floor: Journey to Inuyama
Author Lian Hearn
Pages 225
Year 2002
Reading Time 2 days (October 2008)
Rating 7 out of 10

I review together because this two books are the first part of a trilogy even if they were published in two separated books. I bought the six books that comprised this series. They seemed a good story, with good reviews and fairly low price (each book cost me around three pounds). After reading this two books I put the rest away but I will be reading them on the following months. That’s why I am making this review. To remember about the plot (with a little help from wikipedia or other reviews).

Mainly as I said there is a trilogy called Tales of the Otori devided in six parts with two plus books that make a prequel and a sequel. This series are set in a fictional world based on Feudal Japan. From their names and costumes we recognized the similarities between those two worlds. The main character and their city resemble the struggle that the Japanese converted to Christianism had to pass. The books follow the life of a young warrior called Otori Takeo (Tomasu) as he struggles to avenge his adoptive father and at the same time escape the legacy of his progenitors and at pursuing the love of his live (kaede). In the midst of all this there is a struggle between all the clan lords and warriors.

These two books cover a year and in that time a lot is happening at the same time. I think it’s not an hard book to follow (the plot) but a lot of things happens at the same time.

Tomasu is a member of The Hidden and as he returns home from exploring the mountains he finds the members of his family killed. As he tries to escape Sadamu (leader of Tohan, who have slaughteres his family) e meets a men called Lord Shigeru (Clan Otori) who protects him later adopt him. However due to his name (typical Hidden) he renames him Takeo. At this time he loses his voice and as a superhearing voice.

On the journey home at Shigeru they met Maruyama Naomi (a ruler of Sheishuu) who he befriends and tell her about the slaughter. At night with his ability to hear everything he discovers that Lord Shigeru and Lady Maruyama are in love. As they arrive at the home of Shigeru in Hagi meets Chiyo (old maid) and Ichiro (ex-instructor of Shigeru). As Shigeru wants Takeo to be his adopted son he must married Kaede. However, Takeo was under the threat of Shigeru’s uncle’s sons who tried to murder him at a practice.

Later Takeo meets Muto Kenji (The Fox, Master of Muto Clan) who reveals himself as Takeo’s true father and the most skilled assassin of Kikuta and of the greastest family of the Tribe.

As the season pass Kenji starts teaching his skills to Takeo.. One day a merchant recognizing him (Takeo had saved his live when we was still an Hidden) calls him with his true name. Taeko denies that it his is name and fleds. After some months Shigeru and Takeo and some other people went to Tsuwano where they meet Shigeru’s future wife, Kaede.

There they find that Kaede is a hostage to Noguchi since she was seven living in the maid’s rooms. In the trip to Tswwano a guard tries to rape her and she stabbes him. Kaede is protected by Lady Maruyama (the one Shigeru loves) and they are accompained by Shizuka (niece of Kenji). When they meet Takeo and Kaede find that they have a connection.

As they return home to Hagi they stop at a shrine to visit Shigeru’s brother grave and for Shigeru to discuss war plans with the Abott.. Shigeru then plans for Takeo to murder Iida but the Tribe not wanting to risk Takeo and appreciating the stability that Iida gives abducts him so his training can be finish. The treachery then plays itself out… Shigeru is crucified on the castle wall and Maruyama and her daughter are drown as they try to escape. Takeo makes deal with the Tribe that allows him to bring Shigeru’s body and in return they join them. As he do it a dying Shigeru asks Takeo to bury him in Terayama. During the invasion of the castle at Inuyama Takeo discovers Kaede with the corpse of Iida whom she killed when he tried to rape her. After carrying Shigeru’s wishes Takeo honors his promise to the tribe and departs with them leaving Kaede in the care of Shizuka.

This is the review of the two books… there are terms that are confusing and I will put here what they mean…

Tribe – It’s a secret organization that nurture the powers that the world used to have. Meaning is a combination of Magicians and Assassins / Spies.

Hidden – Is a religion (or group of people that prays a religion) similar to our Christianism.

This two books are good but they have some problems. The cliched story and the proximity of Japanese culture but not calling it Japanese… Not all things are bad and the writing style was simple but at the same time makes you wonder about it… What is a nightingale floor? That sort of imagery enrich the story. At the same time as the book is entitle Nightingale Floor and the training all focus on that but in the end was anti-climax since he crossed it easily. The conversations are not that good and the all love between the two charactersa was very poor.

In the end it was a interesting reading about (quasilike)Japan with well-crafted story but poor executed. I really hope the following books are better…