What I’ve Been Reading

First up, Vessel of Kali, the debut novel from Richard Milner! A story I’d describe as dark and ponderous, full of intrigue and strange cultish philosophies that might seem a little bit familiar to us Earthians (which is a good thing!)

Who would I recommend it to? Well, fans of competent, highly literary fantasy. If you like China Miéville, I suspect you’ll fall in love with Milner’s writing. Like Miéville, Milner has a fantastic ear for description (there’s nary a chapter without a few evocative lines that make me incredibly jealous). But unlike a few of Miéville’s more plodding moments, Milner’s descriptions never get in the way of the story. The words are there to reveal the story, not obscure it.

Next, I have to highlight the latest in Barbara Ann Wright’s Starbride and Katya series. What began in The Pyramid Waltz and continued in For Want of a Fiend reaches epic new heights in A Kingdom Lost. I had the privilege of reading this before release, and have no qualms about saying it’s the best yet in the series. Starbride and Katya are separated, the wicked Roland’s suddenly got all kinds of power, and for once our heroines are forced to navigate the world as underdogs. Highly enjoyable, and I recommend it highly to fans of the series, or romantic and adventure fantasy in general.

And what else? Well, I’ve got a huge backlog to catch up on because of the last Humble eBook Bundle. I started with John Scalzi’s novella “The God Engines,” and it didn’t quite grab me, so I’m putting it aside. I’ve also read the first few chapters of Yahtzee Croshaw (of Zero Punctuation fame). I’m not a fan of his highly cynical video game “reviews,” so I was totally prepared to hate this in the ultimate show of justice/irony/obstinacy. To my surprise, I’ve actually been enjoying it. It’s Discworld Meets HHG2G Meets Warcraft, and while so far it’s not gut-bustingly hilarious or brain-meltingly challenging, it’s enjoyable enough for me to keep reading.

I’m also reading some more Star Wars pulp fiction. Now that Disney has officially announced that the old EU (now called Legends) is finished, and it’s very unlikely we’ll see any more stories in that universe, I’m actually optimistic that I can catch up. So, silver linings?

Have a good week!