Title: The Fireman
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: Horror
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 752

 

The Fireman was more of a 3.5 star book but managed to hold my attention through its lengthy page count. Enough that the half star deserves to be rounded up instead of down. That being said, the book is a bit of a mixed bag. Some things are good, others are bad. On the whole, the good does outweigh the bad. The extent to which that is the case (if it is) will vary from reader to reader.

This is a sort of post-apocalypse story. A fair amount of time passes over the course of The Fireman, carrying the story from the start of the disaster to its aftermath. It is not so extreme that humanity is facing its end, but modern society certainly changes forever. That being said, the book only highlights the big picture of how things are changing from time to time. The main characters are fairly isolated for most of the story, giving things sort of a Walking Dead vibe. But the level of devastation is more on the level of the Black Plague than a true apocalypse. Compared to life before everything is terrible now, but the human race is not completely doomed.

As far as real-world comparatives go, The Fireman is probably more similar to The Stand than any other book. Both books involve a new super-disease that runs rampant and devastates society. In the aftermath, the survivors largely find themselves in one of two camps that are ultimately set against each other. The body count from the disease is not quite as high in The Fireman, but its effects are still similar. Another common factor is the fact that both books are fairly slow.

If The Fireman had one weakness, it is that is was a slow burn. This is not a story that skips around between major events. Those moments of danger are certainly more intense, but just as much page space is given to the characters living their new lives as well. There are some time skips here and there, but the story features as many slice-of-life sections as anything else. It would be a little extreme to call this a bad choice. But parts of the book just crawl. To the point where readers feel a little thankful when something bigger starts happening again. For people who love horror/thriller, The Fireman is a recommended read. For people who do not care for longer stories, not so much.

Title: Airframe
Author: Michael Crichton
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Ballantine Books (originally Alfred A. Knopf)
Release Date: September 28, 1997 (originally November 27, 1996)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 431

 

Airframe is one of Crichton’s better books, but for different reasons than most of this other work. Without spoiling it, the book does not follow the same format as many of his other books. On one hand, that wound up being a little off-putting. On the other hand, it made the read a bit more exciting. It was like watching an M. Night Shyamalan film and there is no twist, which for people familiar with the style is more of a twist than any twist that could have been written into the story.

That is not to say Airframe does not have any parallels with other Crichton novels. Like in his other works, Crichton takes a scientific topic and builds a story around it. In this case, commercial airplanes are the subject. Going in knowing a bit about aircraft helps but as per usual Crichton works explanations into the story. Also, like his other works, something goes wrong with the science and people get hurt. Some characters are trying to fix the disaster while others try to twist it for their own purposes. The sense of mystery behind these events leads to a story best described as a thriller.

On the whole, Airframe is one of Crichton’s best novels. The thing that sets it apart is a greater sense of realism. For the most part, his books take a scientific topic and stretch it just enough so that it is still believable. In Airframe, the events still have a scientific basis, but this is something that could really happen. That added sense of realism makes the danger hit closer to home, as well as the consequences following the accident. Just that sense of “this could really happen, this could happen to me” makes the story particularly terrifying.

Characterization is not exactly Crichton’s strong suit. The central character here is well developed while the rest are as 2D as B-movie characters. There is also a sense that Crichton may have had some biases that bled through to Airframe. Largely the sense that he dislikes lawyers and hates TV people. Now maybe that was just for the sake of this particular story, but it came off more intense than that. In a thrilling mystery like Airframe, it is hard to review it too deeply without spoiling anything. On the whole, it would probably rank as my favorite Crichton book (thus far) if I did not have such a positive bias towards Jurassic Park. If you care for Crichton or thrillers in general, Airframe is definitely worth the read.

Title: Old Man's War
Series: Old Man's War
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: December 27, 2005
Format: Paperback
Pages: 313

 

Old Man’s War does quite a bit for a single, short book. Not a lot of material here is necessarily new and that is fine. Sci-fi is a tried and tested genre and most readers should not expect anything too radical. We all go into books like Old Man’s War expecting to see spaceships with some kind of faster-than-light travel, laser/energy guns, etc. As far as military sci-fi goes there are two main types; stories about either the Space Army or Space Navy. Old Man’s War falls into the former, focusing on boots-on-the-ground soldiers.

It is hard not to compare a story like this to similar books, and Old Man’s War is more reminiscent of Starship Troopers than anything else. The military aspect is largely the same. New troops spend a lot of time training, feeling like badasses, to go fight aliens. But once the fighting starts, they are fully exposed to the horrors of war with staggering casualty rates. Unlike Starship Troopers, mankind does not mainly fight a single species of alien. The galaxy is basically a free-for-all with hundreds of different aliens involved. Everyone fights everyone; no species are truly allies. At best, there are some temporary “not enemies”.

There are a few other staples of sci-fi in Old Man’s War as well. Most species are roughly on the same technological level. The sole exception being the “one-above-all” species who could wipe out everyone else if they really felt like it. Like in most Army-type military sci-fi stories, the spaceships do not really do much. On the rare occasions they engage in combat, ships seem to turn into burning wrecks after taking a few hits. It is mentioned that ships have shields, but they do not seem to offer much in terms of combat protection.

For all the tropes, there are a few different things the book does extremely well. Case in point, habitable planets are rare. To the point where hundreds of alien races are in a constant state of war over them.  Unlike most other series where every second or third star system can support life. Granted, Old Man’s War gives the sense that on a galactic scale, ships cannot travel that far. So, the limited distance does somewhat explain the scarce real estate. And, of course, the base premise of 75-year old people becoming soldiers. That was definitely a new one with the way it put older, more experienced people in boots normally reserved for young soldiers made for very interesting characterization.

Title: The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book
Author: Carolyn Wyman
Genre: Cookbook
Publisher: Countryman Press
Release Date: October 7, 2013
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208

 

Stumbling onto The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book at a used book sale was a happy little accident. My personal option of this book may be a little biased because I LOVE chocolate chip cookies. They are a simple yet legendary dessert (when prepared properly, as this book covers). And like most recipes, even small changes can drastically change the outcome of the food. On top of that, there is a surprising amount of history behind the chocolate chip cookie stretching back decades.

Being a pseudo-cookbook, The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book contains many different chocolate chip cookie recipes. Some of these are traditional recipes, like the Toll House cookie recipe that can be found on the back of any Toll House cookie package. Others are a bit more obscure, such as recipes that have won big chocolate chip cookie competitions across America over the last several decades. All-in-all the book features dozens of recipes for anyone with any level of interest in chocolate chip cookies to try.

While reading this book, I was surprised at the level of history behind the chocolate chip cookie. Ruth Graves Wakefield invented the cookie at the Toll House back in 1938. As the cookies became more popular, Nestlé began marketing them as the cookies used their chocolate. Originally, bits off chocolate were chipped off whole chocolate bars (“chocolate chips”) to make the cookies. Their popularity particularly soared during World War II when chocolate chip cookies were commonly sent overseas to US soldiers in care packages.

After soldiers returned home with a craving for chocolate chip cookies, more brands started to develop. Which makes sense, when you think about it. Picture the cookie section on the shelves at a grocery store. Ignore other types of cookies like Oreos and imagine all the different brands of chocolate chip cookies. Chips Ahoy, Keebler, Famous Amos, Mrs. Fields…the list goes on and on. Even within the same brand, original crunchy cookies and soft chewy cookies are usually both available. With so much history (and delicious recipes, so far I’ve tried 5), this book is a great read for any cookie connoisseur.

Title: The Plague of Swords
Series: The Traitor Son Cycle
Author: Miles Cameron
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit (originally Gollancz)
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Format: Paperback
Pages: 512

 

The Plague of Swords was a bit slower than the other Traitor Son Cycle books but still entertaining. The story follows up the big battle from the end of The Dread Wyrm almost immediately. The war is fully underway, but Plague of Swords feels more like the middle ground of the story. With the precedence for big battles set by the first three books, Plague of Swords felt slow. For the chain of events necessary to tell this story, seeing what are essentially board meetings makes sense. War requires a massive amount of planning and maneuvering. But comparatively, it made Plague of Swords feel slow.

As the previous books have already demonstrated, Miles Cameron is a master at applying his historical knowledge to his writing. If you take out the fantasy elements, the story plays out like a real medieval war. Whereas many other writers have the two sides just show up and fight, Cameron displays the planning and strategies implemented long before the battles begin, as well as the logistics required to pull them off. Cameron’s mastery of history also shines through once the battles commence. The details of how the characters use their weapons are second to none. Each soldier fights using different weapons for different scenarios; people are not just flailing swords or fighting in ways that look cool to the audience.

Most of the characters are already established at this point in the story. Character development is something else that Cameron is no slouch at and that continues in Plague of Swords. A few new characters do crop up as well, as more major powers enter the war. Some of these feel a bit underdeveloped since they do not have the previous three books backing them up. However, everything ultimately fits as each new variable is worked into the Red Knight’s plans and gambles.

This is the only book (thus far) in the Traitor Son cycle that I merit 4 stars instead of a full 5. Mainly, that was due to the pacing. Despite the awesome page count of each book and all that affords the story, Plague of Swords was the first time in the series I found myself thinking, “Ok, let’s pick up the pace here.” Despite that, it is still several steps ahead of many other fantasy books and a little slowness can be expected since this is the prelude to the finale. The fifth and final book in the Traitor Son Cycle will be shocking if it is not 5/5.

Title: Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 480

 

Going into Spinning Silver, all I knew was that it was a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. It would be more accurate to say that the story incorporates elements of Rumpelstiltskin. While Spinning Silver is certainly a fairy tale with similar elements, it is very much Naomi Novik’s own story. Key elements are reused, such as turning objects into gold and names having power, but the plot and characters are substantially different. These elements both old and new are woven together for a fantastical, second-to-none modern fairy tale. The characters provide an extremely diverse cast, with a plethora of different actions leading them to each other as the story unfolds.

Our lead character is Miryem, daughter of an unsuccessful Jewish moneylender who takes her family’s fate into her own hands. But in the process of doing so, she unwittingly sets herself on a much different path in a world of magic. Then there is Wanda, daughter of an abusive drunk who struggles to help herself and her brother survive winter. Finally, there is Irina, daughter of a duke who sees her as a means to an end rather than a person. Some portions of Spinning Silver are from the POV of other characters, but these three women are the catalysts whose stories will change the fates of two kingdoms.

The world in Spinning Silver has a bit of real-world basis, such as Miryem’s family being Jewish. The age seems equivalent to medieval Europe, but with the people knowing full well that magic exists. Most hope magic does not impact their everyday life, for it is a thing of mystery and fear. This holds true for the powerful noblemen in their walled cities as much as the peasants in their small villages. As the Staryk arrive with the winter, the people cower for their gold and their lives.

So much can be said about Spinning Silver, and this short review certainly will not do it justice. This is not a simple black and white tale of good versus evil. The characters all exist in shades of gray, albeit some are darker grays than others. Each character changes over the course of the story, as will the opinions readers hold for them. But these changes are never stale, never boring, as Spinning Silver remains enchanting throughout. If you pick up any fantasy book this year, if you have any interest whatsoever in fairy tales, or if you want a book captivating enough that you will binge it in a day, then there is no better pick than Spinning Silver.

Title: Thrawn: Alliances
Series: Star Wars
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368

 

Thrawn: Alliances further fleshes out Thrawn’s backstory in addition to further implementing him into the main Star Wars story. The previous book dealt with Thrawn’s introduction into the Empire and rise through its ranks. Alliances touches on that by showcasing his encounter with Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, mentioned in the first novel. This book flips back and forth between those flashbacks and a team-up between Thrawn and Vader occurring shortly after Star Wars: Rebels Season 3 finale. Both stories involve the same planet and hold memories for both Thrawn and Vader.

The two stories flip back and forth fairly frequently throughout the novel. In the Clone Wars era story, Padme goes missing and Anakin sets out with R2D2 to find her. Along the way, he encounters Thrawn, on a mission for his own people and willing to work with Anakin to achieve both their goals. This was one of the darker, Rogue One-esque, stories that Disney has written into their continuity. The implications of the plot Padme stumbles upon are obvious to anyone who knows how the Clone Wars end. But the real horror comes from seeing how often and how tragically civilians were caught in the crossfire.

The more modern story involves Thrawn and Vader investigating a disturbance in the Force felt by Emperor Palpatine. The most interesting parts of these bits were the parts from Darth Vader’s point-of-view. With the past-present story swapping, it was very interesting to see Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader in the same story. The flashback story takes place near the end of the war, so readers see Anakin’s anger the ultimately creates Vader. Vader in a book is very different from Vader in the films since his emotions are easy to see. Sections of the book from his point of view display him as clearly angry even though other characters can only see his faceless mask.

On the whole, Thrawn: Alliances does more for Vader as a character than Thrawn. Throughout the book, Thrawn continues to be a patient, almost impassive, but extremely efficient military officer. He is more integrated into Imperial society, no longer the newcomer he was in the first book, and better at playing politics. Even with someone as unforgiving and dangerous as Darth Vader for an opponent. Despite both being high-ranking Imperial characters, Vader and Thrawn’s personalities and command styles clash immensely. Seeing them put as a pair was interesting and some of the world building here opens the Star Wars universe up to many more future adventures involving the Chiss.