The Story Eaters of Yamm by Kevin Hincker REVIEW

Summary:

An irreverent, suspenseful, profoundly original novel about a group of science fiction writers hired to gameplan an alien invasion, led by Larry Palczewski - a struggling writer who can't perceive time.

What starts for Larry as desperately needed source of free lunches turns sinister and inconvenient when the alien snails the group is fictionalizing actually do begin invading - by taking over humanity's novels. After that, it is up to Larry, unlikeliest of protagonists, to author a new ending before humankind is eaten by the ultimate bad story - his own.

My Thoughts:

This was a very odd and original story. Larry is unable to tell time and is on his 27th rewrite of his novel when he goes to a job interview. The job? Creating a story with other writers and putting it together with the help of an AI. He is deeply suspicious of these people and the AI, trying to quit at every inconvenience but ends up staying. Then the aliens start invading - and Larry finds out that the story they are writing is actually the truth, and humanity needs his help to be protected from the invasion.

Larry is a very insufferable character. He is rude to everyone, is always late, and doesn't seem to care about anyone other than himself. I deeply sympathize with Tanya, the woman who hired him and the other writers, for having to deal with him on a daily basis. That being said, he is occasionally funny, and he does grow to care about his fellow writers. The book was written in a confusing way, with the chapter numbers out of order and sometimes repeated, as well as sentences not always being finished at the end of the chapters. It did take me quite a bit before I started liking the story and the characters. Most of the characters were underdeveloped, and the invasion portion seemed rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the novel.

My Rating: 2 stars

Cash and Gravity by Perrin Pring REVIEW

Summary:

Chevy Cole left her conservative family behind to work for Launch Tech, one of the six mega corporations that has supplanted the American government and constantly competes for resources, market position, and the ultimate long-game prize of colonizing the stars. Chevy is proud of her role as first-into-the-fire grunt marine, even if she is well below the revered female super soldiers known as Aces.

After the catastrophic failed siege of a Nevada mine leaves most of her comrades dead, Chevy encounters an injured Ace in possession of a mysterious package, a long-sought-after fusion device that would change the world. A surprise, this Ace is a man. Joined by an off-the-grid "phantom" sent by Launch Tech to transport the device to a safehouse, the three must form an uneasy alliance as they try to outrun a rival corporation's ruthless agents. Whoever controls the device, controls the future, and when greed is the only rule of law, who can be trusted?

My Thoughts:

This was such a fun read! Chevy is a space marine who gets sent on a mission to siege a Nevada mine, and there are whispers that they are going in order to take control of a fusion device. When a crash leaves Chevy injured and her comrades mostly dead, she stumbles upon a male Ace holding onto the device. With the help of Dolon, the three race to get to the safehouse and dodge other agents who want to get their hands on the device.

The story was written in a way for those of us who aren't well-versed in science to understand, which is great. I loved Chevy - she's a fearless marine who came from an unlikely upbringing with a passion for her work. Dolon is also a great character - a widower who stays off the grid and is tasked by Launch Tech to make sure the device gets to the safehouse. The Ace, however, was not very well developed to make me care about him, and I wish we got to learn more about the Aces and what makes them so special. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope for a sequel.

My Rating: 4 stars

I Am Cleopatra by Natasha Solomons REVIEW

Summary:

The favored daughter of the Pharaoh, Egyptian Princess Cleopatra spent her childhood hiding amid the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria, dreaming of one day writing her own story.

When her father dies, naming both Cleopatra and her selfish brother Ptolemy as his successors to the throne, danger arises. While the young queen sails the Nile to greet her people, her brother plots to eliminate her and rule the empire alone.

But while Ptolemy has the power of the kingdom behind him, Cleopatra has her cunning wits. When the great Caesar arrives from Rome, she realizes he could be the key to her salvation - though courting this powerful man could cost her everything.

Can Cleopatra save her life, her throne, and her beloved Egypt and finally write her own history?

My Thoughts:

This book is told in dual narratives of Cleopatra and Servilla, Caesar's mistress in Rome. We follow her childhood, as her father appeals to Rome to help Egypt before he dies, making Cleopatra Queen. But her brother is twisted by the words of his advisors, and plans to kill her so that he alone rules. When word of Caesar arriving in Egypt comes, Cleopatra decides to infiltrate her own palace to meet him - and hopefully get him on her side to save her life. The book follows her affair with Caesar up to and briefly after his assassination.

While I do like that this book shone a light on her relationship with Caesar, I can't help but wonder why most books about Cleopatra only focus on her affairs and never just herself. It gets old real fast. However, the dual narrative serves a bit of a purpose of letting the reader know the events going on in Rome at the time, as well as to see Caesar in a different perspective than just how Cleopatra sees him. I do like the inclusion of this, as it does help set the scene for the issues within Rome's politics, relationships in Rome, and who Caesar is outside of being a powerful man. One issue I do have with the novel is that it uses some modern language/slang even though the real historical figures would not say things like that, which took me out of enjoying it as much.

My Rating: 4 stars

Brotherhood by Mike Chen REVIEW

Summary:

The Clone Wars have begun. Battle lines are being drawn throughout the galaxy. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.

After an explosion devastates Cato Nemoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order's most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Nemoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy - and he senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.

Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone - and his former Master's insistence that he listen this time - Anakin's headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.

Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal - but uncertain - footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together - and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Nemoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond Master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers. 

My Thoughts:

I loved this. Some time after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin gets to become a Jedi Knight and Obi-Wan accepts a seat on the Council. Since they are no longer Master and apprentice, the men struggle to become confident in their new roles apart from each other while still occasionally working together. When Obi-Wan is sent on a diplomatic mission, he is to go alone. He finds help in Ruug Quarnom, a young guard who is wary of the Jedi but wants to find the culprit, even if it turns out to be the work of a Separatist and not the Republic. He stumbles upon damning evidence against the Republic, and Ruug finds damning evidence against the Separatists. But when Obi-Wan is caught with a communication device, he is imprisoned and put on trial. Despite the evidence pointing to both sides, the Nemoidians blame the Republic, thanks to another guard named Ketar. Ketar holds a grudge against the Republic, partially due to his parents' deaths and partially due to the influence of Ventress. Anakin swoops in to help just as chaos erupts, and Ruug helps find the truth behind the attacks - it was all Ketar and Ventress.

Despite this book being fast-paced, it develops the characters and story very well. We get to see the vulnerable side of Anakin when he's alone with his wife and when he tells Mill (a youngling) about his past growing up. We see Obi-Wan struggle to start treating Anakin as an equal instead of an apprentice, and his thoughts regarding Satine, a woman he's had feelings for. Even Ruug and Ketar feel like they could be actual people. I would definitely recommend this book to any Star Wars fan.

My Rating: 5 stars

William by Mason Coile REIVEW

Summary:

Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career - he's created an artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William.

No one knows about William. Henry's agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily.

When Lily's coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house - the smartest of smart homes - Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades intended to keep danger out of the house are even better at locking it in.

My Thoughts:

While not as developed as well as it could have been, this was a really fun read. Henry and Lily are having problems in their marriage, and his agoraphobia isn't helping. He's almost always locked in his lab working on William, a robot with artificial intelligence who is also developing consciousness. When Lily invites her coworkers for dinner in an attempt to have Henry get more socialization, things get weird when they meet William. The robot's curiosity and bloodlust becomes apparent, and not all of them may make it out alive.

I love the concept of a robot developing free will and terrorizing people, and this book was great for that. My only issues were that the characters were not very developed and felt one-dimensional, except for Henry and William. We barely know anything about Lily, Davis, or Paige. While we do get a small glimpse of their stories at the end, it's hard to care about characters that we don't know much about. The story and concept felt very new and fun, but the lack of characterization knocked down my rating of this one.

My Rating: 3 stars