the james review » First Impressions

…Reamde

james m. toburen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:00:54 +0000

With the arrival of e-books and online retailers, I fret that local book shops might be doomed to extinction, along with the dodo, glaciers, and letting children trick-or-treat on Halloween without supervision. I love wandering amidst the towering bookshelves of a book store or library, but I admit that I often turn to the Internet...

…Ship Breaker

james m. toburen — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:30:50 +0000

After having read (and been quite impressed by) Paolo Bacigalupi’s Nebula Award- and Hugo Award-winning debut novel The Windup Girl, I was curious to see how he hoped to expand the world of young adult dystopian fiction. The genre has grown in popularity in recent years, with the City of Ember series from Jeanne Duprau [...]

…Clementine

james m. toburen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:00:48 +0000

100 pages into Clementine, and I couldn’t help but notice that the protagonist, Maria Isabella Boyd, possesses a little more spine than your average wilting flower. Cherie Priest‘s Clementine, the second work in her Clockwork Century timeline, follows characters new and old after the events of Boneshaker. Marie, formerly an infamous Confederate spy, now widowed [...]

…The Heroes

james m. toburen — Wed, 25 May 2011 21:00:57 +0000

Joe Abercrombie has earned a reputation for writing gritty, intense fantasy that’s unafraid to deconstruct and reexamine the old fantasy tropes. I’m glad to say, “Joe’s back,” this time with The Heroes, another standalone novel set in the world of The First Law trilogy.

…Ilium

james m. toburen — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:35:54 +0000

To say there is a whole lot going on in Ilium would be a huge understatement. The novel begins with three separate settings and sets of characters, each of them completely compartmentalized from the others... Although the date is never specifically referenced, Dan Simmon's characters give the impression that Ilium's events are occurring in a faraway future, perhaps thousands of years from our present day lives.

…Warbreaker

james m. toburen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:59:37 +0000

My first impression of Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker? I must admit that my initial thoughts were not promising. Even before I had the chance to read a single word, the cover had disappointed me. Dan Dos Santos crafted a decent, if not exceptional, painting, but the layout felt awkward. The title and author’s name square in [...]

…Boneshaker

james m. toburen — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:00:45 +0000

I cheat, as I’ve only read 88 pages of Boneshaker. Even so, I give my impressions now, when I’ve got a few moments to write them down. Today, I’m going to talk about presentation. Some readers may think this sounds a bit silly, but the outward appearance of a book influences my reading experience. The [...]

…The Lies of Locke Lamora

james m. toburen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:03 +0000

Really, I should say this is my first impressions after 350 pages of The Lies of Locke Lamora, as I stayed up until 4:15 AM this morning, glued to its pages. Clearly, that provides some sort of hint as to my opinion of the novel.

…Leviathan

james m. toburen — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:00:16 +0000

I picked up Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan last night and trail-blazed the first 100 pages before I fell asleep. If I maintain my current pace, I should complete the novel before the end of the week (only 434 pages, with plenty of illustrations and large print, to boot)...

…The Windup Girl

james m. toburen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:45:44 +0000

After 100 pages of The Windup Girl, exactly 8 chapters, I’m astounded. The buzz around the blogosphere has been very positive for this novel (expect awards now that we’ve reached the end of the year), and I can see why. Paolo Bacigalupi wields his brush brilliantly, painting a grim vision of a dystopian future, an [...]