The Horns of Ruin

Unfortunately it is impossible for me to read every new scifi/fantasy book that the library acquires. The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers was recommended to me a few months ago though I haven’t had the time to read it. That being said, today I’m sharing some links to reviews of The Horns of Ruin. If any of you have read this book, your comments would be appreciated.

BellaOnline.com: “The plot is a familiar one, but the world the author creates brings the story to life”

Examiner.com:  “a unique fantasy adventure in a world all its own”

Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News&Review: a “not so typical Steampunk adventure that includes swordplay, jetpacks, mystical powers… and undead enemies.”

The Mad Hatter’s review gave it 7.5 out of 10 stars: “The Horns of Ruin  is an energetic rollercoaster ride in a well accentuated world.”

Stop by the Library and checkout The Horns of Ruin. Thanks for reading. Questions and comments are encouraged below.

Cryoburn

The Labyrinth Librarians are back from a rather long holiday break. We have a whole bunch of great SciFi and fantasy books to look forward to this year. Feel free to send us your sugestions for books we should purchase.

I had never read anything by Lois McMaster Bujold before picking up Cryoburn. I now feel compelled to read the previous novels in this series. While I’m sure it would have helped me better understand the plot of Cryoburn if I had read the previous books, I had no difficulty following the plot. That being said, Cryoburn turned out to be a well-paced space opera with plenty of corporate and political intrigue. I should also mention that I listened to this book during my commute rather than physically read it in my spare time. Thankfully the narrator’s voice was pleasant.

Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan, the central character of the series, is dispatched to investigate the cryo-corporations on Kibou-Daini. These Cryo-corporations enable the citizens of Kibou to avoid death by freezing them in cryogenic stasis until a cure is found for whatever ails them. These frozen citizens maintain the right to vote which is signed over to the cryo-corporations who vote by proxy and therefore control the government of Kibou. Miles finds himself thrust into the middle of the political, economic, and social turmoil created by Kibou’s unique political system.

Much of the mystery in Cryoburn revolves around the political activist Lisa Sato. She was cryogenically frozen by the authorities under dubious circumstances following a political rally that turned violent. Mile’s attempt at recovering and reviving Madame Sato’s cryo-corpse turns out to be more difficult than anticipated. Added into the mix are corrupt cryo-corp executives who attempt to bribe Miles and cover up their actions, a secret cryo-facility being run by social outcasts, a violent political activist group without any real agenda, the questionable loyalty of the embassy staff, and a boy with a large collection of animals.

Cryoburn begins with a bizarre scene in which I began to doubt whether this was the right book for me. However I was hooked by the end of the first five minutes, even though I didn’t have any idea what was going on. It turns out that Miles had escaped from some disorganized political rebels who had drugged him in order to subdue him. All of the surreal details in the opening scene are Miles’ hallucinations. This wasn’t immediately clear to me and I felt like I was reading a Philip K. Dick novel.  I couldn’t easily go back and re-read the parts because I listened to the entire novel in my car. If I had a print copy of the book I could simply go back and re-read the section for more clarity.

Nevertheless Cryoburn is highly recommended to fans of the space opera genre. It’s a compelling investigative tail with enough twists to keep a reader interested. Check it out in both print and audio format.

As always questions and comments are encouraged below. Thanks for reading.

-Adam Delaura

Hungry?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I don’t want to live in District 12. I never want to be chosen to participate in the Hunger Games. I do, however, want to hang out with Katniss Everdeen, one of the most valiant and determined female protagonists to hit the printed page in quite some time.

The girl’s got moxie.  Programmed for survival from a young age, and motivated to protect her sister Prim from the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Her unlikely partner in these games is Peeta Mellark, who once saved her life.  The feelings of obligation and the instinct to survive create a dichotomy that Katniss tries to reconcile throughout the book.  Along the way, the pace of this gladiatorial-esque-SURVIVOR-style game is unrelenting.  I.COULD.NOT.STOP.READING!

The author includes strong commentary on society, on economic privilege, and government oppression within the dramatic tension, mixed alliances, and brutal combat of this story, leaving you to wonder: what happens after the games? What will Gale think of all of this? And how will life improve—or decline for the residents of District 12? 

Books two and three in this series should yield some answers…(Catching Fire, and Mockingjay)

Meanwhile, check out this fan-created audition/trailer that Amber Lansing, our Children’s Librarian, found for the movie. It features  Katniss and Rue….and is guaranteed to make you cry!

Post your comments below and join us for next week's book talk...

-Tina Panik

Who Fears Death

Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death is a dark fantasy set in post-apocalyptic Africa, many years after the collapse of our current civilization. Members of the dark-skinned, agrarian Okeke tribe are dominated and enslaved by the lighter-skinned, urban Nuru tribe. In fact the Nuru consider themselves to be culturally, intellectually, and morally superior to the Okeke; justification for this relationship comes directly from the Great Book, a holy text filled with fables and myths.

The plot of Who Fears Death is fairly straight forward. Daib, an evil Nuru sorcerer, is planning a military campaign to exterminate the Okeke. Nuru soldiers raid Okeke villages raping and murdering along the way. A byproduct of this is Ewu children, mixed race children who are shunned by both tribes.

The protagonist, Onyesonwu (which means “Who Fears Death”) is an Ewu child. According to a prophecy, Onyesonwu is to become a powerful sorcerer and save the Okeke people by rewriting the Great Book. Naturally, her father is Daib, the evil Nuru sorcerer.

Most of the novel details Onyesonwu’s coming of age. Her female circumcision ceremony is described in detail, as is her discovery and exploration of her magical powers. She is an outcast in her society; she is refused formal magical training because she is a woman, the citizens of her Okeke village fear her because of her heritage, and her father regularly attempts to kill her in her sleep.

In the last part of the novel Onyesonwu leads a small group of friends on a journey into Nuru territory to stop Daib’s genocidal plan. Here is where the novel loses some of its appeal; once Onyesonwu’s teenage companions began having relationship troubles I wanted to stop reading. The book reads more like a young adult novel in this section. Unfortunately this is right when the climactic tension starts building.

Despite the odd teenage love triangle, this is a solid work of fantasy. Without sounding preachy or cliché the novel tackles some tough subjects: wartime rape, violence, gender roles, racism and more. It was refreshing to read such a compelling and creative work. I look forward to Nnedi Okorafor's future releases.

Stop by the library to place Who Fears Death on hold today.

-Adam

Calculating God

Paleontologist meets giant, six legged, spider-like alien.  A marriage made in heaven?  Well Toronto; if you believe internationally acclaimed author Robert J. Sawyer.  And, that’s just the start of the lives-up-to-it’s-title Hugo Award finalist novel, Calculating God.

Having been a sci-fi fan for over forty years, it’s been a while since I’ve come across a novel that can stand toe-to-toe with Arthur C. Clark classics such as the imposing Childhood’s End, and with a sense of humor to boot.  Calculating God is no light weight, as is recognized by the sci-fi community.  Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine put it best, “Robert J. Sawyer seems to be content on revisiting all the classic themes of science fiction,  often with new twists that arise from a genuine rethinking of their premises…A writer whose willingness to give us new takes on the central questions of SF makes him a valuable barometer of the genre’s health.” 

It’s not just the ‘hard core’ sci-fi cognoscenti that appreciate Sawyer.  The short lived, unfortunately,  ABC television series FlashForward is based on Sawyer’s same titled novel.  Oh, and if you happen to enjoy international magazines;  the latest issue of the British based Philosophy Now magazine has an engrossing interview with Sawyer.    

Lastly, next time you’re surfing the net, you might want to check Sawyer’s complimentary (includes reading group guides for his novels) website: sfwriter.com

Read On!

Tom C Smith

P. S. The Avon Free Public Library does not own this title but we will get it for you if you request it. Call us or stop by.