Wind and Truth

 Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, 1330 pages.

This book marks the end of the first arc of the Stormlight Archive, and ties the many interwoven threads to their conclusion. It is difficult both to summarize the fifth book in a series, and also one that is well over 1000 pages, so I'm going to be very brief. This book takes place in the 10 days between the agreement between Dalinar and the god Odium at the end of the last book, and the contest that they agreed upon. Both sides are desperately trying to gain or keep ground before borders solidify at the time of the contest. Meanwhile, others seek answers from the ancient past and the Heralds to find any long-term advantage against Odium. 

For the first section of this book I finally experienced some of the issues that people who don't like these books have complained about. There was a perspective character whose story I didn't care much about, and I was impatient to get back to story lines I cared more about, while also feeling like the perspectives shifted a little to fast to really settle into any story. That being said, once it hit its stride I found myself completely hooked as usual. There were a whole lot of really standout scenes in this book, in addition to the answers to many deep lore questions. I love that characters in this series, which despite being classic high fantasy is ultimately about mental health, are able to not only make meaningful progress, but to maintain that growth from book to book. The end of this book managed to really surprise me, and I am ready to settle into the expected tragically long wait until book six. 

The Books of Earthsea

The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (2018) 1008 pages

This edition contains illustrations by Charles Vess. There is also an Introduction, multiple Afterwards, a "historical" Description of Earthsea, and a lecture edited into Earthsea Revisioned that allow us to understand Le Guin's creative process. 

I dove deep into this series these first four months of 2024 by reading the double trilogy and all the additional short stories. I loved the philosophical nature of the stories. The legends and culture Le Guin has created for the different people living on the islands of Earthsea brings it all to such vivid life. 

Books One (published 1968) and Three (1972) deal primarily with Ged. In A Wizard of Earthsea we have a hero's journey with Ged, also known as Sparrowhawk, becoming a wizard. I liked the twist concerning how he has to face the shadow monster. In The Farthest Shore a couple decades have passed and Ged is accompanied by a young Prince to stop a dark force working in the world. They spend a lot of time on a boat travelling from island to island in their investigation.

Books Two (1971) and Four (1990) deal primarily with Tenar. In The Tombs of Atuan we spend time on a Kargish island, which has a very different culture than the islands of central and west Earthsea. Tenar is selected very early in her life to be the reincarnated high priestess of the Tombs. She grows up practically a prisoner until Ged shows up and they help each other escape. In Tehanu, following the events of The Farthest Shore, Ged is no longer the Archmage. Tenar becomes the carer and protector of the title character, who is a young girl who has been badly burned. Focusing on the female characters Le Guin gives us something different than the traditional hero's journey. Tehanu is a character with a mysterious power and so much potential.

Book Five (2001) is Tales from Earthsea, a collection of five short stories. This also happens to be the name of the Studio Ghibli film released in 2006, which I thought was ok, but not great. The movie is not an adaptation of these short stories, but borrows and changes things from the first four books. The short stories had some great moments, even though I liked them less than the full-length novels. And yet, they do add more depth to the world of Earthsea. The fifth story "Dragonfly" falls directly between 
Books Four and Six and is particularly great.

Book Six (2001) wraps up the story threads of the double trilogy. The Other Wind is marvelous. It is about diplomacy between the Hardic people and the Kargish people, as well as between humans and dragons. Again I loved the philosophical discussions the characters have. It shares themes with The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, the third book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, regarding the border between the living and the dead.

Then there are four additional short stories included, which, again, deepen the world of magic in Earthsea. The final one, "Firelight," is a sweet and profound sendoff of Ged as he remembers his life and drifts off to the seas of the other wind.

 

The Sunlit Man

 The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson, 447 pages.

Nomad has been running from planet to planet for decades, fleeing the extremely persistent forces that want to use him to find the universe-altering power he gave away. He arrives on the latest planet, almost completely drained of the energy that powers his magic, and it is more terrible than average. Every day the sun melts anything in it's path, including the landscape. So the people here live in hovering island cities cobbled together out of ships, desperately fleeing both the sun and the planet's burgeoning tyrant. Nomad has made it his policy not to care, for his own safety and theirs, but the longer he spends here the more he remembers the oaths he once swore, and the less he can stand non-involvement. 

This is the last of Sanderson's year of secret projects, and he describes this book as being dedicated to the dedicated fans of his Cosmere universe, and it definitely reads as a love letter to those fans. The book is technically a stand alone, but get deeper and more nuanced the more of his other books you have read. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book for everyone, but for Cosmere fans it's a must read. I would especially recommend it for fans of the Stormlight Archives, because it feels very thematically linked. This is a dark and action-packed book that is also absolutely full of lore for how the universe works. Overall, a very neat book. 

The Return of the King

 The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (1955) 595 Pages

The quest continues. Frodo and Sam struggle deep within Mordor. Gollum has led them through the most challenging parts, but eventually attempts to betray them with Shelob, the giant spider like creature who kills orcs and whatever else she can find within her cave. Sam and Frodo eventually do make it to Mount Doom. Aragorn elsewhere leads the battle against Sauron's evil forces in the city of Minas Tirith. 

In the end, the one ring is destroyed when Gollum bites the ring off Frodo's finger, and falls into the Cracks of Doom. Sam and Frodo are saved by the great eagles. In that instant, Sauron's power fails and Aragorn is able to crush the remaining evil at the Black Gates. Later, he is crowned King of Gondor, his rightful title and marries Arwen, daughter or Elrond. 

The hobbits return to the Shire, which has been overrun with men who set up an oppressive police state. They overthrow this institution and find out Saruman is behind it. Frodo spares him, but dies anyways due to betrayal by Wormtongue. The Shire is rebuilt, Frodo decides to leave and sails away to the peaceful paradise in the West with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the other ring bearers. 

10/10 this is my favorite ending to a fantasy series. I love re-reading, it never gets old!

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

 Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson, 474 pages. 

Yumi was chosen by the spirits to act as a liaison between them and the people of her burning world full of floating plants. Nikaro lives in a world of shadows, lit by neon, and works painting walking nightmares to render them harmless. The two lead their own lonely lives until a supernatural force links them together, unarguably and inconveniently. The two start waking up on each other's worlds, while the other has to linger like a ghost nearby. So they have to figure out why they were bound in the first place so they can figure out what they have to do to make it stop (assuming they still want to by the time this is all over) (assuming they have a choice). 

The visuals in this book are so extremely cool. Both Yumi and Painter's worlds are cool and magical in totally different ways, and it was a real pleasure inhabiting both. I also quite liked all of the characters, who were flawed, and ridiculous, and deeply sympathetic. I will say it took a little bit of work keeping up with the plot in the second act, but I definitely didn't mind. That being said, I suspect the fact that I've read all of the other Cosmere novels probably helped me make sense of what was going on, even if this one in particular is a stand-alone. This book has a lot more Japanese influence than most of his other novels, which made for something a little bit different. Overall the story is a lot of fun with some heavy emotional gut punches mixed in (standard Sanderson) and I would definitely recommend it.

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

 The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson, 372 pages.

A man wakes up in what looks an awful lot like Medieval England with no memory of himself whatsoever. His name would be good to know, but it seems a little less important than the pressing questions of "what am I doing here?" or "how did I even get here?". These questions become more relevant as it becomes obvious that there are some other people from the future running around, and the memories he's getting back seem to be hinting at a dangerous life he left. 

This was the second of Sanderson's four secret novels, and I really loved it. I really like the concept of time tourism, and I liked even more that (minor spoilers) Sanderson chose to use alternate dimensions instead of literal time travel. The worldbuilding is interesting, and the book is pretty darn funny throughout. However, despite the humor, he manages to set up genuine emotional stakes with a really solid payoff. Some fans are apparently less thrilled by this one, I suspect because it's tone is pretty different from his normal fare, but it reminds me quite a lot of his Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians series (an extremely funny series of middle grade novels) and I would definitely recommend it, especially for fans of a fun sci-fi romp.

The Way of Kings

 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, 1005 pages.

This book is truly epic fantasy (if the thousand pages wasn't enough of a hint). The first book follows (mostly) three story lines. It is difficult to describe the story lines because they are all tightly tied to the very elaborate world Sanderson creates, but most of them involve strange powers that haven't been seen in millennia, since the Knights Radiant betrayed humanity. 

This is actually a reread for me, but it had been more than five years since I read the book, and I caught so many more things the second time (I was highlighting up a storm on my ebook). I love these books because in a way they feel like a sort of ideal of high fantasy (multiple plot lines, alien landscapes, magic baked into everyday life) but it also feels very fresh and new. Part of that freshness is from how character driven it is. All of the characters are very three dimensional, and most are struggling under heavy loads. I wouldn't necessarily have expected one of the best depictions of depression I've ever read to come from a high fantasy novel. I hadn't been planning on rereading the whole series all in a row, but after finishing this one I couldn't help myself from starting in on book two. There are currently four books in the series, and the fifth book (which is supposed to be the end of this arc) is anticipated next year (hence the rereading for things I've forgotten). I strongly recommend this book for anyone who likes fantasy and has a bit of time on their hands!

Legends and Lattes

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, 294 pages

After two decades fighting monsters, chasing bounties, and sleeping rough, orc Viv is ready to retire. So that's exactly what she does: she takes a stone that has mythical powers, finds a space that's ripe for renovation, and starts building a coffee shop with the help of a couple of new friends she makes along the way. And that's pretty much the book. Sure, there are a few stumbling blocks (convincing everyone to try the hot bean-water, sorting out the local mob element without resorting to violence, getting the word out, etc), but yeah, that's basically the book. A blurb on the back refers to this as "high fantasy with low stakes," and I really can't think of a better description. It's cozy, it's fun, and it's even better when enjoyed with a toasty mug of coffee.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

 The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, 752 pages.

Locke Lamora is the leader of the criminal gang The Gentleman Bastards. Unlike most of the other gangs in the city of Camorr (a fantasy city-state reminiscent of Venice) they use con-artistry to steal from the cities nobles, which is astoundingly dangerous since it violates the secret agreement between the leader of Camorr's criminal underground and the Duke's forces. Luckily they are very good at what they do, so most of the drama of this book comes from people using knowledge of their wrong doing to throw the gang in way over their heads, pitching them headfirst into magic and politics.

This was a pretty good book! It's been a while since I read epic scale fantasy, and it was nice to get back to it. I think it would be a great book if some of the ways it was cut together weren't so weird and jarring. That being said, that the flow of chapters was the one big hang-up for me, I have a lot of hope that I'll like the next book even more! Camorr is a really cool location, and it was really fun to see the way that Locke's scheme came together. This is a very clever book, which made it fun for me, and it had a laser focus on a small group of characters and a relatively small area that's not common for fantasy of this scale. I'd definitely recommend it, and I'm planning on reading the sequel.

Elder Race

 Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 201 pages.

Lynette Fourth Daughter is a princess who isn't respected by her family, or pretty much anyone. But when a demon starts terrorizing neighboring kingdoms and she's the only one who believes the refugees she decides she has to take matters into her own hands and invoke the pact her family made generations ago with a wizard, the last of the elder race. Nyr is an anthropologist second class, and he is NOT supposed to interact with the local population. But he's been abandoned for centuries, and does it really count as interference if the problem didn't arise from within the population he's studying?

This book is so cool. It is told in alternating chapters, one half being firmly in traditional swords and sorcery fantasy and the other being the type of sci-fi that involves colony ships and computers that interface psychically. It manages to pull this off while both characters are on the exact same trip. I'm astounded at how well done this is, and the little novella honestly reads like a much longer book. I think I'm going to have to look into other works by the author, because I'm thoroughly impressed, and very curious what he can do with a full length book.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, 830 pages

For one reason or another, the fire-breathing dragons have left the world alone for almost 1,000 years. But now, the wyrms and their brethren are awakening to wreak havoc across the land, and Queen Sabran of Inys must figure out a way to stop it, either by giving birth to a daughter (which is what the Inysh religion believes to be the only thing holding back the wyrms) or by ignoring her beliefs and seeking out the ancient tools that will allow her to banish the Nameless One (leader of the dragons) for good.

That's a really simple way to sum up this meticulously detailed and wonderfully realized tale of strong women fighting against evil in many forms. Nor is Queen Sabran the center of the story — that place is shared by Sabran's handmaiden (and disguised protector) Ead and the orphaned dragonrider of the East Tane, two complex and amazing women, full of potential, grit, and grace. Simply put, this book is amazing and it deserves to be a classic of the genre.

Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, 544 pages

Lazlo Strange never fit in. His obsession with the mythical city Weep and dreamy demeanor leads to ridicule from children and adult alike. He  grew up an orphan in a brutal and abusive monastery and found sanctuary in the library. Through a twist of fate, he is able to become a librarian and expects a quiet life of books and research on the city he is convinced is real. His world is flipped on its head when warriors claiming to be from Weep arrive and say they are recruiting people to join them on a quest to save their city.

This book hits so many of my buttons - a person who overcomes a difficult childhood, a reverence for books, and a high fantasy quest. It also won the 2018 Michael L. Printz Award so my expectations were rather high. I perhaps should have read the reviews bit closer because around page 400, it promptly shifts from a high fantasy epic quest to a Romeo and Juliet story. The repetitive descriptions of clumsy, teenage romance and physical intimacy was... awkward to say the least. While a lot of people love the awkwardness of first love, it is not for me. While longer than it needs to be, it is a pretty good example of YA romance high fantasy.

A Feast for Crows/ George R.R. Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin high fantasy, adventure, war, political intrigue, violence, betrayal, awesome books 784 pages

Before blogging about this book, I would like to ask one very important question:

"What do you call the guy who graduated with the lowest grades in med school?"

"...Doctor."

Why does this relate to my post about the 4th installment of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" high fantasy epic? Unfortunately, the reason is that "A Feast for Crows" was my least favorite of all the Martin books thus far. While to some, this may seem discouraging, the fact is that Martin's worst is still better than most people's best. When I told people how I was liking it, I would always say that I didn't like it "as much," not that I didn't like it at all...just not as much as the other books that have all made my top 10 books I've read this year.

The story still follows many of the trends that Martin has followed in the past few books. Although the previous war that has kept the realm in turmoil for the past three books is all but over, the land enjoys a "peace" for less than a few seconds before a new conflict arises. Once again alliances are formed and broken as a reader is transported to the wondrous continent of Westeros.

The problem with this book is the way Martin wrote it. When writing his 4th book, he realized that it would be huge, and although the logical point would have been to break it up into two books at some inadequate-but-better-than-most-places stopping point. Martin made the decision to tell all of the story for half of the characters instead of half of the story for all of the characters. Because of this decision, the storylines deal almost exclusively with what is going on in three locations: King's Landing (the capital of Westeros), Dorne (their tenuous ally), and the Iron Islands (home of the rebellious pirates the Ironmen). The unfortunate thing about this is that the characters in these locations mostly suck. The Lannisters, a family who has obviously been painted the villains up to this point, become the main characters of the story, and unfortunately this just ends up making you hate them even more, which would be alright if not for the fact that Martin is clearly trying to make you feel a little sympathetic for them. I'm all for a little bit of ambiguity, but COME ON, these guys have been dicks for three whole books and suddenly you want to give us a few reasons why their actions are justified (and weak reasons at that)?

The one thing that this book does well is give slight hints at the actions that will be occurring in the 5th (and most recent) book "A Dance With Dragons," which I am reading now. The characters you grow to miss in "Feast for Crows" are all back. Also, at the end of this book, Martin breaks the 4th wall and explains his storytelling decision to his readers. This is the point where I marked Martin as a truly great storyteller. This passage, however unnecessary it may have been considering that he could have said the same thing in a press release, makes you feel like you're listening to the story in a tavern around a campfire with a mug in your hand and a smile on your face. Martin shows you that even though he isn't a character in his story, his writing makes him into a wise old narrator that you could just picture telling the story. Don't take my word for it, though...enjoy this one for yourself (even if you enjoy it less than the others like I did).

A Storm of Swords/ George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin best books ever, high fantasy, political unrest, conflict, war, violence, just read it for chrissake 1216 pages

This book is setting a lot of records for me. First of all, at a whopping 1216 pages, it is the largest book I've ever read (the print is small too, it's kind of ridiculous) It has also just topped the list as the best book that I've read this year (Annie...you can take solace in the fact that "The Passage" is now sitting pretty at #2) and maybe the best book I've ever read. The third part of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series will not disappoint fans and although this epic tale may be dealing with a realm in turmoil, OUR whole world can unite beneath the banner of the one true king, George R.R. Martin, the greatest writer ever...Martin even surpasses another fantasy icon with an R.R. in the middle of his name.

While much of the story continues the gripping tale of faction v. faction violence in a world where no one can truly be trusted and everyone has their price, we are also granted a look into some of the more outlandish corners of Martin's world. Up to this point, the story has taken place on the Euro-inspired continent of Westeros (with the exception of the storyline of fan-favorite Danaerys Targaryan the dragon-blooded exiled princess). Martin begins to show us lands like Dorne, the closest neighbor to Westeros and the only land to hold a truly peaceful relationship with the Seven Kingdoms. We also get to see the exotic and dangerous Slaver's Bay, a series of coastal towns where the major incomes are rooted in the slave trades and betting pits. It is through these lands that we see just how vast Martin's world is, and at this point there is nothing I'd like more than to know everything about it.

We learn even more about the characters that we have come to love, and every character has at least one moment where their fans will cry out (whether in joy or agony depends on the choice of character, but believe me, this book will evoke some emotion). I found myself shouting out loud in my car cheering for a personal favorite of mine during a particularly tense battle scene.

This book also features more than one gamechanger. A gamechanger in any book can throw the reader for a curve, but a George R.R. Martin gamechanger will keep you awake for a week. Those of you who have read the first book know that Martin is not afraid to rack up a body count of major characters and that holds equally (if not more) true in this installment. Some of these turns will shock you to your very core. I happened to be in the grocery store holding a carton of eggs when one of the most shocking moments played over my mp3 player (yes...I had to get a second carton of eggs).

While I've already said that George R.R. Martin's books make up the best series I've ever read, this is the best book in the best series I've ever read. Read it now. Do it. Seriously. Not kidding.

A Clash of Kings/George R.R. Martin

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin high fantasy, conflict, war, faction violence, adult content, greatest books ever 784 pages

This is going to be an extremely hard book to blog about only because I don't want to reveal any plot details to those of you unenlightened enough to not take my advice and start reading the greatest series ever written-- "A Song of Ice & Fire" by George R.R. Martin. A Clash of Kings, the second installment after the absolute thrillride that was Martin's premiere novel "A Game of Thrones" continued Martin's stellar literary trend and even improved upon it. As one can tell from the title, the basic premise deals with the political unrest that occurs when a unified ruler dies unexpectedly and multiple potential heirs to the throne with varying levels of support all vie for power.

Any of Martin's characters who were lucky enough to survive the first book are back for the second and we even get to meet a few new ones such as the iron-willed and adamantly religious Stannis Baratheon or the smuggler-turned-privateer Davos Seaworth. Martin's characters have the ability to make you love them and loathe them at different points in the story, but they will doubtlessly elicit some form of emotion from you. Another thing that makes this book so great is that the faction ambiguity is even more present. While there are some 100% evil characters, it is impossible to hate all of the characters within one faction because you'll find yourself with favorites in each.

I won't say much more about this book other than read it yourself because you will not be disappointed