Temeraire: Crucible of Gold
Sidebar: I have now updated the “What’s Wrong With This Picture?” entry to contain the answer.
The historical society featured in the latest installment of the brilliant “Temeraire” series is the Inca. Their dragons feature brilliant, feather-like plumage, and a completely new take on human-dragon society. The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
Temeraire: Tongues of Serpents
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi! Oi! . . . . oh.
The book takes place in Australia, but it certainly doesn’t make you want to go back in time and visit. The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
Temeraire: Victory of Eagles
In this book we’re back in Britain – and so is Napoleon. He’s finally made a successful crossing. The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
“Temeraire: Throne of Jade” by Naomi Novik
This is the second book in the “Temeraire” series. This is where we first discover Novik’s penchant for investigating other nations from the same historical period. And, given that the series is about dragons, China makes a whole lot of sense. China has a whole lot of dragons, and Great Britain is just very lucky they’re not interested in the war. Or are they?
The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
“Temeraire” by Naomi Novik
Welcome to a new series (new to my reviews, anyhow): the Napoleonic wars. . . with dragons.
This is a brilliant, well-written series that is often funny. Peter Jackson has optioned the film rights (although he’s a little busy right now). Personally, I read it over and over.
The rest of the review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
“Burton & Swinburne: The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man” by Mark Hodder
It took a little while, but this book sucked me in. It was the foul-mouthed messenger parakeets that did it.
The rest of this review (including a sample) is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
“Grass for his Pillow” by Lian Hearn: book 2 of 4.5
Our hero, Otori Takeo, is torn in three directions. He was brought up by the Hidden, a religious order that forbids violence. He was adopted by Otori Shigeru, a warrior with a long-term plan to reclaim his heritage from his uncles – a plan known and secretly embraced by his people. And Takeo’s genetic heritage binds him strongly to the Tribe, a group of assassins with special abilities, who would kill him rather than let him go.
The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
“Across the Nightingale Floor” Lian Hearn’s Otori trilogy book 2 of 4.5
Tomasu is a boy, an innocent member of a village in which the Hidden live peacefully. The Hidden believe that all men are equal before God – putting themselves on an equal footing with the greatest members of the warrior class. For this dangerous and insulting belief, they are hated.
The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
The Steampunk Scholar
The Steampunk Scholar is a brilliant in-depth resource on all things steampunk fiction. He’s doing a PhD, so the “scholar” part is not just for the alliteration.
This is his post on the best of 2011, and this is the best part (I’ve unlinked things, so you’ll have to click through to the post to know what he’s referring to):
- Steampunk! – Candlewick anthology edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant – check out my review at Tor.comto see why.
- Heartless by Gail Carriger – I’ll be writing a series of posts leading up to the release of Timeless, the final book in the Parasol Protectorate series. In the meantime, I’ll simply say that anyone who has naysayed Carriger’s inclusion in the steampunk fold due to a lack of technofantasy should be reviewing their crow recipes. This is the best book of the series since Soulless, and was a delight to read.
- Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder – read my reviewto find out why Hodder is one of the strongest voices in second wave steampunk fiction.
- Goliath by Scott Westerfeld – check out my retrospective on the Leviathan trilogyfor why this was such a satisfying ending to one of the best steampunk series, and why it shouldn’t be dismissed simply for being YA.
- Empire of Ruins by Arthur Slade – another YA novel you shouldn’t be avoiding, and the reasons why.
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I am a huge fan of Gail Carringer, Scott Westerfeld, and anyone who can see YA as a genre worthy of adult reading. As soon as I’ve posted this, I’ll be ordering every other book on this list from my local library. If they’re there, I’ll read and review them for you.
Heaven’s Net is Wide: Lian Hearn’s Otori series #1 of 4.5
This book is the prequel to Lian Hearn’s brilliant and beautiful Otori trilogy (there is also a fourth book, but although it’s still beautifully written I think it ruins the series). Fantasy has an (undeserved) reputation for being pulpy trash, full of adjectives and clichés. This series is top-notch literary fantasy.
The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
Felicity Banks 