Review: Kushiel's Legacy, by J. Carey

     Kushiel's Legacy, by Jacqueline Carey, is made up of Kushiel's Dart (2001), Kushiel's Chosen (2002), and Kushiel's Avatar (2003). The trilogy follows Phèdre nó Delaunay, a brilliant and stunningly beautiful anguisette, as she saves the kingdom of Terre d'Ange from enemies both foreign and domestic.

The Setup

     Kushiel's Legacy is a rich and deeply intricate work of historical fantasy set in a land similar to that of France, with complex mythologies and religions not far removed from our own. Phèdre begins the series as an indentured courtesan at the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers, where her beauty is marred by a red mote in her left eye. Anafiel Delaunay, a spy extraordinaire, knows that the mote marks Phèdre as one touched by the gods. But being marked by Kushiel, god of suffering and justice, is no easy burden to bare.
     Delaunay buys Phèdre, along with another beautiful courtesan, and begins to train them in the ways of spies and scholars. From court intrigue to foreign invasion, Phèdre uses her cunning and god given gifts to pull Terre d'Ange back from the brink of disaster.

My Take in Brief

     This was a wonderfully rich series that remains truly unpredictable throughout. Phèdre, with her peculiar predilections, makes this a hugely interesting read that is sure to keep your attention. Given, there is more erotica in here than I am accustomed to, but to really understand the protagonists and the world of Terre D'Ange, it would be impossible to gloss over that aspect of the novels. Ultimately, the erotic is only an expression of the greater theme of love, which saturates the novel.
     Then again, the scenes in which Phèdre is taking pleasure from being tortured, often in a sexual way, might scare off some of you (speaking of which, make sure to check out my article on the use of torture in science fiction and fantasy). If you can brave those rough parts though, you will gain a world that is mired in history, and in which the characters are as original as they are endearing. Rarely have I read anyone who builds worlds this eloquently without drowning the reader in tedious detail. A great, rich read that won't let you down.

Highlights

• A rich and compelling work of historical fantasy.
• An naturally flowing yet unpredictable plot.
• Conspiracies and desperation abound.
• Vivid and realistic cultures as archetypes form our own history.
• The emotional detail and originality of the characters.

Lowlights

• A possible overemphasis on the erotic.
• A somewhat relaxed tempo.
• An arch-nemesis that you want to succeed. 

Your Take

     As mentioned, some of you might be slightly put off by some of the, shall we say, more detailed encounters in Carey's work. That said, there is a dedicated fan base, who I agree with, that sees the erotic elements as secondary and necessary to the construction of Terre d'Ange. What's your take on the erotic elements of Kushiel's Legacy?

Ratings and Links

Amazon: 4/5
B&N: 4.2/5.5
SFReviews: 4/5
My Rating: 4/5 (I can't always be different!)

A great and in-depth review of Kushiel's Legacy, by The Alien Next Door.
A fascinating interview with Jacqueline Carey, courtesy of All Things Girl.

Piqued Your Interest?

     This series is worth your time, but I have found that it can be hit or miss with some. If you have your doubts, just go for the first book, Kushiel's Dart, before buying the others. The good news is that if you love the first trilogy, the second trilogy just came out in its entirety, so you will have plenty to read!

Review: Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

     Storm Front (2000), by Jim Butcher is the first book of the Dresden Files series, and is published by ROC. With the blockbuster sales of Jim Butcher's recent printing of Turn Coat (2009), I decided to start the series and see what all the fuss was about.

The Setup

     Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard and paranormal consultant extraordinaire. Surrounded by colorful characters Dresden is drawn into a murder investigation that will either see him dead, or see a dark wizard brought to justice. 

     Filled with demons and faeries, the urban fantasy world that Butcher creates is remarkably straightforward and convincing. The strong hand of fate pushes Dresden into the heart of a complex murder investigation involving vampires, mob bosses, call-girls, and even a talking skull. With a strong helping of both magic and desperation, Harry Dresden makes for a colorful character in a series that promises to be as entertaining as it is humorous.

My Take in Brief

     Storm Front boasts a colorful cast of magic, monsters, villains and detectives. What originality it lacks by borrowing from generally accepted stereotypes of vampires and other assorted urban fantasy characters, it more than makes up for in tempo and plot. This a hugely entertaining read, easily polished off in a day or a few evenings; it won't last longer than that because it really draws you in.
     If I were to try and find something to criticize about Butcher's work, and try hard I would have to, it would have to be the few deus ex elements that tend to drive the plot. I can accept my fair share of luck and chance encounters, but Dresden seems to have won the lottery in that respect.
     This is a light and breezy read that is sure to entertain, but lacks the depth and complexity of a finer bodied fantasy. Those experienced science fiction and fantasy readers among you who choose to read this will come out feeling like you do after reading a Harry Potter novel; you will be happy and entertained but know deep down that you have somehow betrayed the true masters you are accustomed to reading. This feeling will not however, prevent you from reading the rest of the series.

Highlights

• Dresden is hilarious and yet profound.
• A host of endearing characters.
• A great plot and a wonderful tempo.
• Simple, concise, and eloquent prose. 
• All the Urban Fantasy creatures you can imagine.
• Acts of desperation and convincing action sequences.

Lowlights

• Somewhat stereotypical characters.
• Dresden has a little too much luck.
• A certain lack of situational detail, or maybe Chicago really is just bleak.
• A general young adult feeling that might put some of you off.  

Your Take

     Like most popular series, Storm Front has its detractors and supporters. The sales numbers speak for themselves though, as the book that started the Dresden Files is wildly popular and will invariably suck you into reading the ten other installments. Did you get the same used feeling that I did after reading this? Not that its a bad thing, sometimes its good to be used...

Ratings and Links

Amazon: 4/5

B&N: 4.3/5

My Rating: 3.25/5

A more comprehensive review of Storm Front at Wertzone.

The semi-official Jim Butcher website. 

Piqued Your Interest?

     If you are looking for a fun and quick read from a trusted author in an ongoing series, then Storm Front is the place to start. If you know that you'll like it, then consider saving some money by buying the omnibus of the first three books, Wizard for Hire. 

Movie: District 9, by Neill Blomkamp

     Many of you have, I am sure, already stumbled upon District 9 through your online forays, or maybe even walked by a viral add somewhere. I don't generally intend to post about movies, but with Neill Blomkamp directing and Peter Jackson producing, this flick promises to be special.
     Aside from its viral add campaign and a nifty interactive website, little is known about District 9 other than what has been gleamed from the trailer. Cockroach like humanoids land in South Africa and are quarantined in a slum, known as district nine. From the snippets already posted on the Web, we can assume that the film will be centered around a human who has somehow come in contact with and been altered by the alien tech. Scheduled for release in August, I'll undoutebly be one of the many waiting in line for the midnight showing.
     Many Halo fans see this as a test run for the Halo movie franchise (check out the three Halo teasers - the last is by far the best). While I was never a huge fan of the video games and assorted spin-offs, I can easily see them morphing into some of the best science fiction movies out there.
     Make sure to check out the trailer for District 9 from the official site, and if you have the time, go ahead and browse the interactive section. Also recently an extended scene from the movie was shown to a couple critics, enjoy!

For Book Bloggers: A Call to Action!

     Now that I have your attention with that admittedly catchy title, here we go.

On the use of Twitter

     I know that a lot of you use Twitter out there to post many interesting articles and comments. That's awesome, I'm there too, and I think twitter is great (@bloggeratf). What I wanted to address is the use of # in our general posts. I have seen #SciFi, #SyFy, #SF/F, #SFF, and any number of other variations. I would love it if we could standardize our # use. Not only would this make it much easier for me to see all of your posts when I get back from work, but help your readers do the same.
      I propose #SFF (science fiction and fantasy), but thats only me, and I believe Mulluane (edit: who apparently got it from @resaliens) . Post up if you don't like this for some reason and post your other suggestions so we can pick based on that. I can think of several additional useful ones that I would search for, such as #ARCreview, ect.

Technorati, Alexa, and Pinging

     These are the two largest blog trackers that rank your blog based on the number of links from other blogs registered there. Registering takes all of five seconds, costs nothing, and at worst will generate some extra traffic for your blog. Note: If you have a million links form blog X, blog X still only counts as one link in their rankings. Technorati and Alexa.
     Lastly, whenever you make a new post on you blog, go here so that you can ping all blog trackers. If you post more than several times a week you only need to do this every couple days. It simply lets all those tracking services know that your blog has new content for them to trawl.
     I hope this was helpful to some of you, and I know for a fact that the # thing will be helpful to all of us. Go bloggers!