the james review

Review: Warbreaker

james m. toburen — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:40:48 +0000

Brandon Sanderson’s first novel, Elantris, was published only five years ago, in 2005. Since then, this prolific writer’s impressive catalog of published novels has established him as a fantasy author to be reckoned with. His Mistborn trilogy is especially loved among fantasy readers for its knuckle-whitening action, meticulous world-building, and intricate system of [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of Warbreaker

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

As this is an entry on my early impressions on Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker, I must admit that my first thoughts were not promising. Even before I had the chance to read a single word, the cover disappointed me. Dan Dos Santos crafted a decent, if not exceptional, painting, but the layout felt awkward. The [...]

Review: Boneshaker

james m. toburen — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:15:39 +0000

Cherie Priest has been writing for most of the last decade, her first published work being the Eden Moore series, a trilogy in the Southern Gothic genre which has received favorable reviews, including a Blooker Prize for the opening entry, Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Cherie Priest’s latest work, Boneshaker, garnered further critical buzz... [...]

Friday Links VIII

james m. toburen — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:15:08 +0000

The Internet expands, as relentless as that unfortunate case of foot rot I picked up in the jungle. You’ve got no prayer of reading ALL of it, so if you look at only half-a-dozen pages today, might I recommend these?

Big science fiction news: much rejoicing after the announcement of this year’s Nebula Award [...]

Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

james m. toburen — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:09:19 +0000

It seems every year a debut fantasy novels electrifies the speculative fiction community. Scott Lynch opened a planned seven volume series (The Gentleman Bastard Sequence) with The Lies of Locke Lamora, which arrived in a perfect storm of buzz, excitement, and positive reviews. So did Scott Lynch’s debut live up to the hype, and with the benefit of hindsight, does it compare favorably to other impressive fantasy debuts? I would say yes and no; unlike many reviewers, my reaction to The Lies of Locke Lamora was decidedly mixed. .. [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of Boneshaker

james m. toburen — Wed, 17 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. [...]

Friday Links VII

james m. toburen — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:00:21 +0000

After getting a week off for good behavior (and managing to complete skip the entire Amazon-Macmillan showdown), I return with a few links to educate and entertain. Or waste time. Mostly waste time. You know what? Maybe you should just go outside and get some fresh air. Shoo.

We’ll start with this interview from [...]

Review: Anathem

james m. toburen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:00:35 +0000

Neal Stephenson established himself in the early 90's as a science fiction author to pay attention to: the cyberpunk classic/parody Snow Crash was included on Time's magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923, and The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer won the Hugo and the Locus award in 1996. [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of 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. [...]

Review: Leviathan

james m. toburen — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:30:40 +0000

Scott Westerfeld cut his teeth on the popular science fiction series, The Uglies, describing a not-quite-perfect future in which adolescents are surgically modified to be beautiful, but stupid. Demonstrating that he is definitely not afraid to switch gears, Westerfeld has leapt from the future to the past for his next creation, commencing with Leviathan, which the author describes as “Edwardian biotechnology versus Teutonic machinery. With airships.” [...]