Uprooted - Naomi Novik

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Uprooted is a standalone Fantasy with Polish fairytale elements. I loved how whimsical Nieshka's magic was, and how she learned to use it. I loved the dark, twisted magic of the Wood. I hated the 'Dragon' wizard at the beginning (what a jerk!), but he grew on me quickly, and I loved him too. I found almost the whole thing compulsively readable and let myself fall under its spell.

I didn't love the part when Nieshka left the valley, and I was surprised at how many people were killed (I wasn't expecting it to be quite that dark). I also felt that the romance could have used a bit more focus, especially at the end. Also, there were not any real dragons in this, so don't expect them.

It might not have been perfect, but I had a really hard time putting the book down and couldn't get it out of my head when I wasn't reading it. The Polish flavor was different and refreshing, and I loved how the magic and the Wood all tied together. Nieshka was a strong and resourceful heroine. What a great story. It was so much fun to read.

Stories of the Raksura: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below - Martha Wells

Stories of the Raksura: Volume Two: The Dead City & The Dark Earth Below by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For those of you who haven't discovered the world of the Raksura:

Seriously, if you have more than a passing interest in fantasy and enjoy being immersed in a lush world with interesting cultures and a huge variety of sentient species - not to mention a full cast of endearing characters - you need to read the Books of the Raksura. Start with The Cloud Roads. You will appreciate the novellas much more if you're already invested in the world.

It's not your typical western-medieval-style epic fantasy with huge, world-devastating conflicts of one or two peoples who wield swords and maybe bows and spears (not that those aren't fun). This is an entire world full of wonder with a huge variety of life and endless possibilities for danger and adventure. Plus, winged shape-shifters with retractable claws for weapons make for some different types of fight scenes.

We see danger up close as it affects a clan of Raksura and those around them, but this world is too vast and varied for it to be so simple as good vs. evil. It's definitely not like any other world I've read about, and certainly not any version of ours that I can recognize. It's much more complex and imaginative than that, and I love it.

This world is seriously one of my all-time favorites. There's a lot of competition out there for the top spots, and these are solidly on that list. I've never read anything like them, and that's saying a lot.

It's OK if you don't love it as much as I do (that is allowed!), but you could really be missing out on something wonderful if you don't give it a try. Go read it!

Now for existing Raksura fans:

This is another set of fantastic stories about the Raksura. I only wish they were longer, and I want more! I don't usually find shorter fiction very satisfying, especially series tie-ins, but these novellas are so much more than that. They are explorations of a world that are told at just the length that’s needed for the story. They’re not teasers. They are gripping and fully textured, even when there's not a lot of action going on. There are so many details about life in the Court that I wish I lived there, and then when something does happen, the sense of danger is immediate.

I miss it all when I'm done - just the feel of the world and my friends there. That's rare, I think, and is what makes all of the Raksura books an easy 5 stars for me, even the novellas.

The Dead City

This is the first novella in the collection. It takes us back to Moon before he found his people when he was routinely ostracized, and so it was hard to read at times. It's amazing that with all the abuse he receives from Groundlings, he still wants to help them when their village is threatened by a hostile species. There is plenty of shifting and claw action in this one, but I did miss the other Raksura. Even though the story is very good, it's sad because Moon is so alone. Raksura should not be alone! I had to remind myself that he does find his way later on.

Bonus Short Stories

Three short stories are included between the novellas that are not listed in the book description. They are:

★ Mimesis - Jade and her hunting group run into some trouble.
★ Trading Lesson - A very short snapshot of another court coming to trade at Indigo Cloud. (No action here.)
★ The Last Voyage of the Wind-ship Escarpment - A wind-ship's crew is hired to ransom a ship captured by pirates and runs into trouble. I hope to read more about the crew someday. It was short, but I'm attached to them already. This just proves that there's much to explore in this world beyond the Raksura. Endless possibilities, I hope.

I still find short stories just too short to be satisfying, but these were nice as bonuses. I'm really glad that they were in the middle, because it saved the best for last...

The Dark Earth Below

I really loved this story. It's a bit longer than the first novella, and there are actually two story lines, which adds depth. First, waiting for Moon and Jade's first clutch to arrive. This offers a good view of the colony's life at peace after they've settled in to their home. Then of course, that peace is broken and things get exciting. (Yes!) All of my favorite characters receive a moment or two in the spotlight, and we also learn more about the Kek and the ground level of the Reaches. Lots of fun!

This last story was enough to make me homesick at the end of it. You know that gaping hole you feel when you realize you have to leave one of your favorite worlds again? Yep.

At least I know there's a new series of full-length Raksura books starting next year (!!!). I can't wait for The Edge of Worlds: A Novel of the Raksura. Funny how the future looks brighter just knowing that it's coming.

Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer

Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sprig Muslin was just OK most of the way through. I can see why this is one of the more obscure Heyer Regencies. The hero and heroine are apart for most of the time, the hero off chasing after a capricious (and annoying) girl, trying to keep her out of trouble. That got a bit old, even though there were entertaining parts of it. I liked it better once the heroine entered the picture again, with not much left in the book. The relationship didn't get much development time!

Fall of Giants - Ken Follett

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fall of Giants is a door stopper, one of those books that makes me glad I have an e-reader for the sake of my wrists. At close to 1000 pages, it's long, and at times it feels like it. The first time I tried to read it, I didn't have the patience, but this time, I settled in for the long haul, determined to give it some time. That patience made all the difference.

This is an astounding historical epic. It takes the events leading up to World War I and the Russian Revolution and fills them with characters on all sides that you can relate to and feel for. I didn't like all of the characters, but I understood them and their motivations, and they were so real. Follett paints them in neat brushstrokes - just a few lines here and there for each character that bring them to life. And then he proceeds to take you through the war and its aftermath through their eyes, through dashed hopes and picking up the pieces of lives.

It is surprisingly not bleak, and surprisingly spends little time on the actual battles of the war. Those are only the focus when they move something forward, when they are pivotal for a character or for the direction of the war. Even then, the focus is more on strategy or what is happening to the character than on the violence. (Not that you don't get a sense of that, too, but it's not a battle slog.)

I really appreciated that it didn't get bogged down in the trenches, dwelling on the horror and slaughter. Instead, it stepped back and looked at the reasons why people did what they did, and how the world got into such a mess and then couldn't get back out. It's been a while since I learned about the Great War in school, so this was a fantastic way to refresh my memory - and to realize with my more adult understanding that there was good and bad on all sides, humans exploiting others and grasping for power, and other humans just trying to find a way to live in peace.

If anyone was bad in this take on history, it was the upper classes, not restricted to any nation - although Russia got the worst of it. It was the elite who dragged the poor working people into the war, who oppressed them and allowed them to starve while they continued living in style. It was the elite men who didn't want working women to have the right to vote, etc. So this addresses social issues such as class and women's rights, and just briefly, race. And it does it in such a readable way. There were only a couple of times that I felt it was slow, and that was when the focus was on characters that I wasn't so interested in.

I'm amazed at how easy it seems for Follett to bring all of these strings of sweeping historical and social change together in real people that you fear for, and make it understandable as well as engrossing. It is magnificent and deeply personal at the same time. Highly recommended to anyone who reads historical fiction and is in the mood for a rewarding epic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Initial DNF Review, September 19, 2012:

I gave this a decent try, but just couldn't get into it. I really enjoyed the The Pillars of the Earth - it was one of the first historical fiction novels that I discovered and loved - but I felt more connected to the characters and their challenges, not to mention the epic cathedral project, from the beginning. This one is more 'sweeping' as it has been described. For me, that's not necessarily a good thing.

The difference of time period may also be a factor - I enjoy reading about the Medieval Era, but have never really been able to get into books about the 20th Century wars. Pillars was centered around a priory town with lots of political intrigue and the building of a cathedral (cool architectural stuff!) and how ordinary people were affected by these things. Since that initial experience, I've discovered by trial and error that not all historical fiction is for me (it turns out I'm picky), and I think this is simply another mismatch for me.

Whatever the reason, I put it on hold when I was tired of trying so hard to like it, and never felt compelled to come back to it. I suppose that could still change, but for now I'm happy to leave it where it is.

Crocodile on the Sandbank

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very enjoyable. There's no murder in this historical mystery, just a mummy terrorizing an archaeological site, and Amelia terrorizing everyone else with her parasol in a much more violent fashion than genteel or flirtatious. Feisty isn't quite a strong enough word for Amelia. I thought she was a bit too much at first, but decided I liked her once Evelyn began to have an effect on her. And Emerson - he was just right for a hot-headed archaeologist and as an opponent for Amelia, and I liked how their relationship played out.

There was also more to the mystery than I thought at first, which made this more than just a pleasant bit of fun in Egypt with artifacts laying around everywhere. Although, if you're looking for the kind of mystery that actually gets investigated and solved with clues, this is not that kind of mystery. It's more of a (polite, Victorian-style) adventure with some suspense and then all is revealed. The setting is a big part of the fun, and what makes it different from other Victorian cozy mysteries. Very enjoyable.

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think for me, this is a case of loving the TV adaptation too much. I had always wanted to read the books that inspired it, but now I can see why there are so many more books than episodes. There's a lot that was left out of the TV version, and I'm glad. It was a much tighter story.

The rambling of the book was alternately too boring or too painful, except for a couple of scenes with Gilbert and a few others that felt warmly familiar here and there. Other than that, the stories of Anne trying to control school children and adopting a naughty boy were too much for me. The first time I tried to read this, I stopped half way through. I just now decided I needed push through to finish it, even if I had to skim to get past those parts, and I'm glad I did go back and finish. I just feel like I need to go back and watch the show again to remind myself of why I love it.