The Dante Valentine series by Lilith Saintcrow Himani — May 3, 2009 at 5:38 pm   {No Comments} Category: Books Tags: Tags: book review, dark fantasy, lilith saintcrow, reading, science fiction

The Dante Valentine series by Lilith Saintcrow
Dark fantasy/sci-fi/romance

Review: There are five books in this series and I finished them all quite quickly (the only reason it took me this long is because book #4 was pretty difficult to find in stock at Borders or B&N, so I had to order it through Amazon.com). I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Dante Valentine series, probably because it’s very different from anything out there right now. There are no vampires, werewolves, etc. — there’s demons and various magic-users like Necromances, Vaudins, nature mages, etc. The world is believable and well-built. It’s set in in a gritty, noir-esque future which made me think of Blade Runner. My only complaint about the world is that Lilith Saintcrow falls into the trap of “spruce it up, ’cause it’s sci-fi, yo!” For example, soda is referred to as “sodaflo” and in one scene in the first book, Dante ties someone up with something that acts and looks exactly like rope…except it’s not called rope. Now, every time I read something being given a “sci-fi name” just because, I’m going to refer to it as “schrope.” Why these items have special names and how they are different from their present day counterparts is never explained, and it gets annoying at times.

Also, I would have enjoyed some background on the history of the world. We’re told there was a war that, essentially, overthrew the Christian faith and brought back the ancient gods from Egypt, Greece, etc. However, we’re never given any background on how this happens or why. I’d've like to know — nobody believing in a Judo-Christian god is a pretty big thing.

But, these are minor complaints. Lilith Saintcrow’s strengths lie in her ability to pace her action scenes, which were drool-worthy. I wish I could write action scenes with as much heart-pounding language! Also, Japhrimael and Dante’s relationship never veer into the sappy. I never once rolled my eyes. From the reviews on Amazon.com, this seemed like something other people complained about — usually followed by, “Why does Japhrimael even like Dante? She’s a bitch!” — but I understood Dante’s struggle and it’s something that isn’t explored enough in fantasy novels. She’s human (or at least born human) and has lived in a human society while Japhrimael is a demon and has been stuck in Hell, they aren’t going to see eye-to-eye. The romance subplot, as a result, oftentimes involves one of them doing something against the other’s wishes or moral code, and then both of them having to find a common ground again. It was realistic and it wasn’t like what often happens, where heroine/hero throws their personality to the four winds as soon as they fall in love.

That’s it, I’m done! No more “urban fantasy” for me! Himani — March 31, 2009 at 8:45 pm   {No Comments} Category: Books, Journal Tags:

OK, seriously, I like urban fantasy novels. I like contemporary fantasy novels. Really, I like reading. Period. But I am sick of the fact that it seems like going into the sci-fi/fantasy section has become a chore. I had a 40% off coupon from Borders bookstore and I thought I’d splurge a bit on myself, right? I went into the section and it seems like every book I picked up was an urban fantasy — and I even purposefully tried to stay away from the ones that shows a chick’s back. I don’t quite get the whole fascination these book covers have had, recently, of showing some chick standing with her legs slightly apart from the back.

I’m not saying that these books aren’t good just because I don’t get the back-loving trend. I really enjoyed a few of them; Jacqueline Carey is one of my favorite authors (and I didn’t know she was coming out with a new series! I’m excited. ). But, the story that also has switched me off to the current urban fantasy trend is also in the above list.

Because I’m sick of stories that involve werewolves, vampires, and other monsters being an excuse for rape fantasy. I think this genre has such potential — men AND women who can seriously kick-ass! Instead, I found myself reading about a woman who’s basically abused and raped by her pack alpha. I skipped to the end, because I would not allow myself to read 200-some pages of the woman thinking over and over, This is wrong, I should be stronger… and yet still taking it because of her “inner Wolf” just wanting to “be loved by her pack.” In the end she does get away. Sure, a guy has to die protecting her but she swears “never again” so I guess that’s some improvement.

Maybe I’m just a weirdo who likes her heroines strong and take-no-shit — even when they have to take shit, if that makes sense. I mean, Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series is about a woman who has the “gift/curse” that she finds pleasure through pain, but yet not once did I feel that the heroine, Phedre, was weak. She goes through hell and back, yet she manages to save people and countries using her wits. She isn’t a victim, even though she’s into pain. I was impressed.

So, I’m done reading this kind of mediocre genre fluff that’s coming out. I think I’ll finish up the Stephanie Plum series, the Alphabet Murders series, and a few other books I’ve got on the back burner. I’ve also been told by multiple people that I should try out the J.D. Robb books. I also really want to read Tanya Huff’s “Summon the Keeper” series again. That’s old school “urban fantasy” and completely hilarious; different from what’s coming out now and I haven’t indulged in it since high school. I lost my books when I moved to attend University.

Yes, I realize that this post could be seen as one giant rant, but really, it was some time in the making. I just cleaned out my books and got a box ready for Bookman’s and realized that of all the urban fantasies I’ve bought in the last two years, 90% of them were mediocre quality literature. It got to a point where I was re-reading old books I had simply because I couldn’t find anything new or fresh! It’s definitely frustrating to have so many fails in the good literature department, especially since all of them had such potential.

Book List: July Himani — August 5, 2008 at 11:32 pm   {No Comments} Category: Books Tags:

Tomorrow marks the end of my summer break. I’ll be attending teacher planning days, finally meeting other teachers and student teachers. Ah well, it was a nice vacation while it lasted (and I wish it didn’t have to end!).

Where the heck did July go? And where did my list of books I’ve read go?

No matter, I can totally do this by the seat of my pants. Let’s see…

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Book List: June Himani — July 1, 2008 at 10:27 am   {No Comments} Category: Books Tags:

Wow, where did the month go? It seems like just yesterday I was tipping back coffees like tequila shots in order to keep awake for finals and now I’m really close to the half-mark of my summer break. This month was actually really good for me, for a multitude of reasons, and I got a lot accomplished (more on that at another time). But, for the reading front, I didn’t get much done. A lot of the books I read this month were quick-and-easy ones that I read in a day. I blame the first book I tried to tackle, but more on that below the cut.

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Book List: April & May Himani — June 3, 2008 at 12:09 am   {No Comments} Category: Books, Reviews Tags:

I really should do this when the month ends, it’s so much easier to keep track that way. I didn’t read much during these two months, unfortunately, mostly because of finals but also because I just wasn’t finding anything very good and so I have a lot of half-read things I gave up on. There seems to be a particularly huge influx of very bad speculative fiction and I picked up a good fair share of it. Luckily most of it was from the library so I don’t feel like I wasted my book budget too badly. If you’ve read something you’d recommend, tell me! I’ll add it to my list!

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I’ve been trying to read more even while school is in session and I’ve also been curious just how fast I go through books (John claims I’m a slow reader, mostly because he has no patience as I browse and flip through books happily in Barnes & Nobles, Bookman’s, and Border’s). I love to read and here’s just what I’ve been reading in the last few months. After this I’ll try to do a monthly summary. My goal is 48 books this year (four books a month — do-able).

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I finished Obsidian Butterfly — not sure what number that is in the Anita Blake series, they all seem to blend together. I have been borrowing the book from a friend since before the move, but I finally had time to read it. I still can’t decide if I like the Anita series or not (I do know I like the secondary characters much more than the main one). This time, religion seemed to be a big aspect of Anita’s rant in this book — well, religion and her self-chosen celibacy. Anyway, the bad guy may be an Aztec god, so of course every time someone said “bad guy” and “Aztec god” in the same sentence, Anita had to say something along the lines of how she’s monotheistic, and it could be a god with a small G, but not god with the big G. I’m surprised at how gung-ho she is about it all, I’d expect someone whose seen and done everything she’s seen and done to be more open-minded.

When discussing this with the person who let me borrow the book, he pointed out that religion is a conflict. I said, “Sure, but does it always have to be religion? I’ve been reading about people conflicting with their religion in one way or another since middle school. Isn’t there other major conflicts?” His answer was basically “No, not in today’s society.” Maybe I’m just weird because I don’t have religious conflicts about whether my beliefs are the right ones or not. They either are or their not. I think religion is much more a personal choice, but that’s neither here nor there.

I began thinking about my own stories. What are the conflicts my stories contain? I, of course, thought of “Morgan” since I’m working on that one right now. I listed a few: morality, love, and responsibility. You know, the big ones. But religion wasn’t there. While I had debated another story, if I decide to make “Morgan” into a series, that may touch on the subject, it wasn’t something I generally wrote about. My characters have had existential crisis, but that’s about the closest I’ve come.

So, now I’m wondering, am I missing something? Are my books lacking if religion is so important? Is religion that important to build a complex character?

I loved this book. It’s one of the first books in a long time that I actually read in about a day because I couldn’t put it down (I also got very little sleep because I was up reading). This book is based on a Norwegian myth, however, it bears a striking resemblance to the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche, and similarities with Beauty and the Beast. Only, there’s less Aphrodite and more trolls.

Since Eros and Psyche was my favorite Greek myth, and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales, is it surprising that I loved this book? The heroine is extremely strong, determined, and tenacious. She travels hundreds of miles, meeting all kinds of people, and learning different cultures and customs; she’s kind enough to go with the white bear for the benefit of her family; and chooses adventure over the mundane. She’s a girl after my own heart.

The POV is first person, and the writing is clear and concise. The odd thing is that each chapter is named after who is speaking. We learn the story of the girl and her white bear not only through the girl’s, but through the white bear’s, the troll queen’s, and the girl’s brother. While I’m not adversed to POV changes, I’m not a big fan of continuous POV changes. However, Pattou managed to pull it off professionally and in a way so that it didn’t get annoying. I didn’t find myself saying, “Ohmigod, not again! When can I get back to the main character? It’s her story I want to read!” Instead, she used all the POVs to make the story stronger. It was like being around a campfire and listening to a lot of people recount an experience they mutually shared.

My only complaint is that compared to such strong female characters, and even the brother had a strong voice, the white bear’s voice was relatively weak. Even up to the end, I found myself dissatisfied with his account of things, and at the end, I didn’t feel like I knew where he stood. Interestingly, I knew more of the white bear before the entrance of the trolls. After the troll queen captures the white bear, I felt that the story diverges away from him and he becomes a mysterious figure. I unfortunately can’t go more in depth, without giving away major plot points, so I’ll just say that considering I was reading portions from his POV, I would have liked more.