Borders of Infinity Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Baen Books
Genre: Space Opera, Science Fiction
Series: Vorkosigan Saga Book Six (Publishing Order)
Pages: 311

(Spoilers for Vorkosigan Saga novels 1-5 in publication order)

Borders of Infinity is a collection of three novellas written about Miles Vorkosigan that are wrapped around a shortly framed story of Miles awakening in a hospital after surgery who tells them to Simon Illyan. Each novella is a given its own score and the final aggregate score at the top is an average of all three.

Overall Score: 8.8

Ethan of Althos Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Baen Books
Genre: Space Opera, Science Fiction
Series: Vorkosigan Saga Book Three (Publishing Order)
Pages: 224

(Contains spoilers for Shards of Honor and The Warrior's Apprentice).

Dr. Ethan Urquhart is the chief biologist on the all male planet of Althos. When the next shipment of human fetuses doesn't arrive, he is charged with the task of recovering them by his home planet. 

The Warrior's Apprentice Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Baen Books
Genre: Space Opera, Science Fiction
Series: Vorkosigan Saga Book Two (Publishing Order)
Pages: 315

After his physical limitations prevent him from graduating the Barrayaran military academy, Miles Vorkosigan must find a new way to prove his worth to both himself and his family. Traveling with his bodyguard Bothari and his daughter Elena, Miles heads to Beta Colony to visit his grandmother in order to help Elena discover the true identity of her mother.

The Infernal Battalion Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Django Wexler
Publisher: Roc
Genre: Flintlock Fantasy
Series: Shadow Campaigns Book Five
Pages: 512

(Spoilers for Shadow Campaigns Books 1-4 are below).

The Beast is unleashed. 

Absorbing mind after mind, it's building an army. And leading that army is Janus bet Vhalnich the undefeated and greatest general in Vordan's history. Only Winter Ihernglass is aware of the Beast's escape and it's abilities to control people's minds. Deep in Murnskai she must make her way back to Vordan to warn the others and confront the Beast itself as she hosts the only demon that might be able to defeat it.

In Vordan, Raesinia Orboan works with Marcus D'Ivoire to heal their country after years of warfare, but when Janus declares himself emperor all hope of peace is shattered. Raesinia is forced to begin political negotiations Vordan's oldest enemy to save her country, and Marcus once again heads into battle to face the commander that's taught him everything.

Warbreaker Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Cosmere
Pages: 669

In T'Telir the capital of the Hallandren The God King and the Returned rule over the people. All powerful and containing the magic of Breath, a magic that can sustain agelessness, and gives it's users the ability to create awakenings, he prepares to fight the Idrian's, the original family that ruled over Hallandren three centuries past. But looking to prevent war, The God King drafted an agreement to marry the Idrian king's daughter after she passed the age of twenty, and now that time has come.

The Idrian King doesn't want to send his oldest daughter Vivenna, who's been trained for this role since birth. So instead he sends his youngest, Siri, in her place. Vivenna, who now feels displaced in the world decides to travel to T'Telir to rescue her, while Siri must try to survive in a culture she was never prepared to survive in.

Once Upon A Time In The North Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Steampunk
Series: His Dark Materials Novella
Pages: 144

(Spoilers for His Dark Materials are below).

Twenty-Four year old Lee Scoresby has recently won a hot-air balloon in a game of chance. Since then he's been sailing around the world working freelance. During this particular adventure, he ends up in Novy Odense, a town in the North that has an important election coming up. This election could determine how that town's politics will benefit the wealthy oil contractors that have been slowly discovering more oil and with it more power, and it could have detrimental effects with the local polar bear populations .

Sharp Ends Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Joe Abercrombie

Publisher: Orbit Books
Genre: Grimdark
Series: First Law
Pages: 290

(Spoilers for The First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country are below).

Sharp Ends is a collection of short stories by Joe Abercrombie that are set in the First Law world. A lot of these events are concurrent with the events happening in the other First Law books, and it's highly recommended that all six First Law books be read before tackling this collection of short stories.

In our review each short story is given a brief synopsis, analysis, and score.  The final score you see at the top of the review is an aggregate of all 13 short stories.

Score: 8.6

Red Country Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Joe Abercrombie
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Grimdark Fantasy
Series: First Law Standalone
Pages: 480

(Spoilers for the First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes are below).

Shy South has escaped her past, and settled as a merchant. But when war with the Union comes to her land, and her younger brother and sister are taken, she must set out after them. Accompanying her is her coward of a stepfather Lamb, a nine fingered Northman with a secret past of his own. For Temple, a lawyer now serving under infamous soldier of fortune Nicomo Cosca, he desires to live an honest life, but that's not to be found as a mercenary. 

Red Sister Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Mark Lawrence
Publisher: Ace
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Book of the Ancestor Book One
Pages: 480

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Saved moments from being dropped from the gallows, Nona Grey a child of nine, is recruited into the Convent of Sweet Mercy by Sister Glass. At the Convent she is trained in the arts of killing, and will one day be required to serve the church. But her crimes have attracted powerful enemies and even the safety of the Convent may not be enough to protect her.

Blood of Dragons Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Rain Wild Chronicles Book Four
Pages: 545

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(Spoilers for Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, and City of Dragons are below).

Dragons and keepers have successfully settled in Kelsingra. But the memory stones may start to cause some people to lose their minds. And all the dragons seem to remember that there was a certain reason Kelsingra was built, and discovering that reason will be key to the future survival of dragons and Elderlings. While the city searches for its means of survival, many people are now heading to seek their fortunes in Kelsingra, and to change the lives of all who live there, but will the dragons and keepers allow it to happen.

City of Dragons Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Rain Wild Chronicles Book Three
Pages: 433

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(Spoilers for Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven are below).

Kelsingra has been rediscovered, but it's on the other side of a treacherous river, and due to dwindling supplies, the expedition's only boat must soon return to Casserick. The dragons must learn to fly if they are to ever make it to their new home. The rediscovery of such a massive Elderling city is sure to attract it's fair share of troubles. These are not limited to some of the corrupt traders in Casserick, Chalcedeans searching for dragon parts to cure their ailing Duke, and of course Alice Kincarron Finbok's husband and Seldric Meldar's former lover, Hest.

Dragon Haven Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Rain Wild Chronicles Book Two
Pages: 526

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(Spoilers for Dragon Keeper are below).

Sedric can't explain the mysterious changes happening to his body after he drank the blood of a dragon. Alise is fighting more than ever with Sedric and finding herself increasingly attracted to life away from Hest, and to Captain Leftrin, the Tarman's Captain. Unbeknownst to Alise, Captain Leftrin is being blackmailed by a Chalcedean who knows the secret of Tarman's unique guile and ability. Thymara is increasingly finding herself more and more isolated by the other keepers, and her relationship with her dragon Sintara continues to be a source of conflict. Amongst great personal angst, the Kelsingra expedition continues on in the vain hopes that the city will save them all.

Dragon Keeper Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Rain Wild Chronicle Book One
Pages: 500


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After a costly war with Chalced, Bingtown and Treehaug must fulfill their part of the bargain they made with the dragon Tintaglia for keeping their lands safe. Tasked with protecting her newly hatched dragons, things go quickly awry when nearly all the newly hatched dragons turn out to be physically and mentally disabled. Making things worse, Tintaglia herself disappears, leaving the burden of raising these dragons to the people of Casserick. 

After years of living off the labor of humans the dragons and humans both decide that the dragons need to relocate, and it is decided they will try to find the ancient Elderling city of Kelsingra. Accompanying the dragons are their personal keepers, or people that are most heavily touched by the Rain Wilds, the oldest liveship ever made the Tarman, her Captain Leftrin, and her crew, and a Bingtown lady and dragon expert and her secretary.

A Taste of Honey Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Kai Ashante Wilson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Series: Standalone Novella
Pages: 160

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(An advanced copy was provided by the publisher).

In Olorum, Aqib is a distant cousin to the emperor and the Master of Beasts. Same-sex relationships between men are shunned and severely punished by law, and are particularly disliked by Aqib's brother and father. When Aqib meets Lucrio, a visiting Dalucan soldier, a romance ensues, but will it survive everything that's thrown at it?

A Green And Ancient Light Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Frederic S. Durbin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Literary Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Pages: 304

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A nine year old boy visits his grandmother for the summer to be kept safe during wartime. The small village is home to a grove of statues that keeps a mysterious secret, and the same is true for the grove's most frequent visitor Mr. Girandole. Peace in the town is soon threatened when an enemy aircraft is shot down nearby and it's pilot goes missing.

Necessity Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Jo Walton
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Literary Science Fiction
Series: Thessaly Book Three
Pages: 336

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(Spoilers for The Just City and The Philosopher Kings are below).

The Just City and all it's sister cities have been moved by Zeus to the planet now called Plato. It's now the 26th century, the philosophers are interacting with new alien species', but only decades have passed since the relocation. Pytheas, Apollo in mortal form, has just died. On the same day, Plato receives its first visit from Earth borne humans. Apollo intends to return to Plato, but first must seek out Athene, who has now gone missing.

Nevernight Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Nevernight Chronicle Book One
Pages: 448

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The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow

(An advanced copy was provided by the publisher).

Mia Corvere is the daughter of the formerly wealthy but now disgraced Corvere family. Hunted by her father's enemies she slowly learns to fend for herself, and begins to execute her revenge. Her plan is to go to the Red Church, trainers of the deadliest assassins in the Itreyan Empire, and hone the skills she'll need to get the job done ... but that will all depend on whether she can survive.

The Wind Rises Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto
Series: Studio Ghibli
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 126 Minutes

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In Search Of Cursed Dreams

Jiro Horikoshi has been fascinated with airplanes since his youth. His dreams of flying are crushed by his poor eyesight, and instead he decides to become the next best thing: an airplane designer.

The Children of Earth and Sky Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
Publisher: New American Library
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Pages: 567

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You Had To Grow Into Your Own Significance - Or Come To Terms With The Lack Of It

Guy Gavriel Kay has been been writing great books that are based off historical time periods in our own world's history for over two decades. The Children of Earth and Sky continues with this trend and focuses on the historical time period just after the Ottoman Empire conquered the Byzantine Empire. With a significant number of narrators it gets difficult to really describe the main plot. Essentially characters from various regions of the Jad Empire (Holy Roman Empire) journey together to Osmanlis controlled Sauradia (The Ottoman Empire) to achieve their own personal goals.

Neverwhere Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Pages: 370

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If This All There Is, Then I Don't Want To Be Sane

Richard Mayhew has decided to move from Scotland to London where he hopes to begin a new life. Unfortunately Richard's new life consists of him working a meaningless desk job, and finding himself engaged to a controlling woman who wishes to be accepted amongst the elite upper-class. 

While heading to an important dinner (or important in the eyes of his fiance) Richard finds a woman bleeding in the middle of the street, and from there his world changes as he discovers a new secret world below the city of London.