ThatBookIsOnFiyah

  4/5 stars. Another highly enjoyable book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. This story covers the highly anticipated 9 th level Faction Wars where Carl and Donut have entered their own team in this ancient battle of opposing forces from across the universe. Another interesting feature of this Crawl’s Faction Wars is the surprising addition of an NPC team into the fray. The addition of former crawlers coming back to help the Princess Posse in Faction Wars added an extra dimension to the story that was unexpected, particularly with those individuals who had been authors of the Cookbook in earlier crawls. Personally, I found the previous two entries much more emotionally moving and intriguing in their plotting and story development, but this story was entertaining with ‘aha’ moments, intriguing backstory reveals, and times of sadness or poignancy. In particular, the moments that Carl had with the former Cookbook authors and the emotional connections he made with each of them felt ...

4.5/5 stars. I have seen a great deal of divisiveness about this second entry in the Hierarchy series, and I do not really understand the negative sentiments. It has been a year or so since I read The Will of the Many, which I thought was one of the best books I read last year. It was certainly the biggest surprise for me because it was the first book I had read by Islington. For this new installment, I enjoyed all three of the POVs, although there were times in each of them when I experienced lulls and was looking forward to getting back to the other storyline; however, as a whole, I thought the author did a wonderful job with each point of view and revealed a little more information about the history of the world that was unique to that person’s events so that as the reader, we get a fuller picture of the past and the present than either of the three main characters of the story. I will be intrigued to see where Islington takes the story in each of the three realms, and with each of...

4.75/5 stars. This sci-fi thriller novel from a TV writer/showrunner (Rake) and a prolific sci-fi novel writer (Hart) creates a straightforward story of a two-year mission to Saturn’s moon Titan for the purpose of dropping a satellite into the atmosphere of the moon. The extended plan - to eventually create a human settlement on Titan. This plan is the brainchild of one of our civilian-astronaut main characters, Padma Singh, a brilliant young physicist. The mission is funded by wealthy entrepreneur, and Presidential candidate, John Ward. The story is told from multiple perspectives, including the three professional astronauts (Mike, Della, Alonso), three civilian astronauts (Padma, Ryan, Stitch), John Ward, and his personal assistant Camila. Everything seems to go fine with the preparation and the mission itself until the spacecraft reaches Titan. At that point, the mission seems in jeopardy, but everyone survives only with limited communications for the trip back to Earth. Events fr...

Book Review: The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace 4/5 stars. At times, early in this story, I wondered at the ideas and whether the historical fiction was written solely to be commentary on the evils of mid-20th Century psychiatric practices. As the story developed, I began to wonder if the events we were witnessing were actually happening or if they were only constructed in the main character's head. The author does an excellent job of keeping the reader wondering and on the edge of their seat as the action unfolds. This story was wonderfully paced and well-written with fascinating questions the author raises throughout the book. First about the unfortunate mental health practices we have overcome in humanity's past; then later, whether the direction we now seem to be going in other aspects of government and technology are similar in nature to those formerly poor choices.  As I mention, the author synthesizes the seemingly different ideas into a common thread by considering ...

Book Review: The Feeding by Anthony Ryan 4.5/5 stars. Anthony Ryan is one of my favorite fantasy authors. This novel is his second foray into the thriller genre after last year’s Red River Seven, which was a very good story. This futuristic post-apocalypse SciFi/horror thriller might be even better. Ryan is an excellent writer. He has a penchant for very fine prose that keeps the reader engaged and actively reading for what will happen next.  The protagonist of this story, Layla, is a young woman caught in a day-to-day survival with her found family. The city surrounded by a protective wall depends on the Crossers, the elite group of selected individuals who are chosen to leave the city to travel the dangerous land, that is occupied by creatures who hunt humans, in order to trade with other settlements where humans are still able to survive. In desperation to save her ‘father’ from an infection, Layla sets out to become a Crosser to find the antibiotics he needs to survive. This is...

Book Review: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca  4/5 stars overall. This novel consists of three stories that deal with individuals’ need for companionship and community while also addressing aspects of faith and religion.  4/5 🌟. The first story, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, deals with the need of a woman to feel wanted, having been abandoned by her family when she came out to them about her sexuality. Her loss of that community leads her into a dangerous online romance with a sadistic woman who becomes her savior figure. The relationship does not end well. Written in a series of emails and Instant Messenger conversations between the two characters, LaRocca keeps you wondering what will happen next.  5/5 🌟. The second story of this triptych, The Enchantment, tells the story of an estranged couple who reunite when their teenage son commits suicide in a very gruesome manner. The parents stay together for their lost son and encou...

Book Review: The Widow by John Grisham 4/5 stars. John Grisham writes about intriguing legal situations, populates those stories with a variety of lawyers, and creates an atmosphere that reflects the world around us. With his recent forays into non-fiction stories of wrongly convicted men and women, I am not surprised to see that this story becomes a mystery like one of these true-life events. For the first half of this novel, Grisham is setting up the story to come, but it honestly becomes a bit tedious in the telling. I understand why the story was told this way, but it was not until about the halfway point that the story really found its focus and started moving forward.  The main character of this story, Simon Latch, a bankruptcy attorney living in a small city in Northern Virginia, barely making enough money to support his family and his gambling habits, is not a likeable person. In fact, there were times during this story when I was ready to DNF this book just because of his ...

 5/5 stars. This is the first book outside of the First Law world that I have read by Joe Abercrombie. The nine First Law books are some of my favorite books of all time, so I was highly anticipating this new novel from one of my ‘immediate buy’ authors. Abercrombie does not disappoint. I have seen much criticism of this book, but I have no dislike of this story in the least and enjoyed my reading experience thoroughly. The alternate European setting is a nice change for Abercrombie away from his wholly imagined world in the First Law, and I believe that his alternate religious history is extremely inventive and a nice addition to the story. I truly enjoy the inclusion of religion in SFF stories, and I have a great appreciation for an author that can make the religion something unique and special in its own right. The alternate European history here is also a nice twist, moving the center of European power away from England and France. I think Abercrombie does a successful job maki...

4/5 stars. This is the first Harry Bosch novel and my first experience reading Michael Connelly. I can understand why he has become such a popular author and wish that I had read his work many years ago. This novel was published in 1991, at a time when I was actively reading mystery/thriller stories almost exclusively – Tony Hillerman, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, Thomas Harris, Patricia Cornwell, Dennis Lehane, David Baldacci, John Grisham. I do not know why I did not pick up Connelly back then and it makes me sad. Connelly writes police work like someone who has lived it. I do not know his background, but he tells this story about a hard-boiled cop as well as any writer that I have read. Bosch is one of those police characters who lives on the edge of propriety, seeking justice on his own terms, not caring if he gets hurt (or fired) along the way. His department works against him at every turn, but that will not stop Harry Bosch from seeing the truth brought into the light. This i...

4.5/5 stars. The final book in the Sun Eater series. Probably my most anticipated new release this year and the ending to a series that has been action-packed, filled with wonder and awe, sad in the losses of its characters, and bordering on horrific at times through the vile alien creatures that were the Cielcin and The Watchers. This series has had its high moments and its low moments, both in the telling of the story and the story itself, but it has become one of my favorite science fiction / space opera series of all time - right up there with Hyperion, Dune, and Star Wars. My experience with modern science fiction is certainly not exhaustive, but I believe I will be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable story than this expansive tale of Hadrian Anaxander Marlowe. Let my review, except for the spoilers below, simply stand as a review of the entire series and a recommendation that everyone should read it. Ruocchio has created a universe that is loosely based on science and that uses...

5/5 stars. Robert Jackson Bennett writes unique stories, set in unusual worlds, and populated with wonderful characters. This is the third novel by Bennett that I have read this year (after The Tainted Cup and Drop of Corruption, his most recent novels) and I have greatly enjoyed all of them. I decided to read some of his backlisted titles and I look forward to continuing to read his catalogue of stories. He is such an outstanding writer! In this first installment of the Divine Cities trilogy, we encounter the mysterious death of one historian that leads to unexpected revelations about this world’s people, places, and gods. Shara works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saypur, the powerful island nation that controls most of the world. She is sent to Bulikov, a city on the Continent, to investigate the death of the scholar, her dear friend and colleague. She is accompanied by Sigrud, her personal secretary (and bodyguard?). Together, they work to discover the reason for the schola...

4.25/5 stars. This was my first read by this author. Bazterrica writes wonderfully succinct and fluid prose. A pleasure to read. This novel tells a post-apocalyptic story set in the near future following a virus (the Transition) that has made animal flesh poisonous for humans to consume. Because of this virus, humans have begun to raise human ‘cattle’ as a food source – making the world into cannibals, but with altered perceptions of their reality. Our main character, Marcos, is the manager of the local meat processing plant. We see through his eyes the horrors of this new existence and what it means for him and for the world, in general. In addition, he and his wife are dealing with the loss of their young son (and the incapacitation of his father) and not dealing with it very well.  Overall, the story demonstrates the horrors of the new realities of the world, but more importantly, shows how quickly humanity devolves into a cannibalistic society and the justifications that people...

4.5/5 stars. When I first heard about this series, I thought that a superhero story set in space sounded intriguing. I grew up on comic book heroes with superpowers, many from alien worlds, who repeatedly saved Earth from destruction. Why not set that same story, or a variation of it, in space and surround our hero with a variety of alien species and cultures? I must say, the reality of what JCM Berne has created is so much more than what I expected. This book is filled with great storytelling, wonderful world building, fascinating characters – including A.I. spaceships, and a space station, Wistful, that is older than known civilizations. Our main character, Rohan, serves as tow chief on Wistful, bringing visiting spaceships into dock, but without the need for a tugboat because he can fly through space all on his own and he is superstrong. We get to know many members of the population of Wistful and meet new characters throughout the story who come to dock at the station. Berne does a...

4/5 stars. (Audiobook gets 5/5! Jeff Hays does an outstanding job with his narration.)  In this fourth installment of this unique LitRPG series, Carl and Donut are stuck inside of a giant bubble that contains air, land, sea, and underground quadrants that all must be cleared of their bosses before the stairwells to the next level will open. As usual, there is a good number of explosions, battle/action scenes, plotting and planning behind the scenes, NPCs that need to be helped, and several quests to complete. I enjoyed this story as much as I have the last few, although we did not get to see as much of Odette as in previous books, and the the challenges seem to just keep getting more difficult with the showrunners and A.I. making each level harder to successfully complete. I liked seeing more of the politics of the universe and the factions in this story and getting some hints about what is to come. Of course, since there are already three more books, we know Carl is going to survi...

4/5 stars. I have to be honest. The first third of this book was a real struggle for me because my level of dislike for the main character and knowing he was going to make another bone-headed decision, discouraged me from picking the book up at times. In fact, I had much the same visceral reaction to Lukan Gardova (the MC) in the first book of this series. However, this book was an eARC from NetGalley and I felt that I owed it to the author, NetGalley, and myself to push through. I am so very glad that I did. The last 2/3 of this story was excellent – with some horror elements, some wonderful fantasy tropes that were upended at times, and an overall story that was filled with action, adventure, danger, and intriguing challenges. The other primary characters were all a pleasure to read, and even Lukan grew on me as this story developed. Mr. Logan writes very well, telling an epic fantasy story with some unique, almost steampunk ideas, and some nice twists and turns. Some of the setup se...

 5/5 stars.  This story places the crawlers on the 8th floor of the dungeon where the maddening A.I. has designed the floor to force the crawlers to face off against each other to cull the numbers down for the Faction Wars on Level 9. Our main characters have to find ways to avoid fights among themselves and still get all of them to the next floor. At the beginning of the floor, the crawlers got a choice of where they end up. Donut chooses Cuba for the Royal Court of Princess Donut while no one else travels with them. Of course, there is also interaction among Carl / Donut and the other Faction Wars participants as the Valtay and the A.I. try to establish the governing rules that will be used for Faction Wars.  We also get more backstory about Carl, Mordecai, and even Odette. It is hard to believe that the sixth book into this story could continue to be as entertaining as book 1, from such a simple premise, but the story just gets more intriguing and more emotionally vest...

4.5/5 stars. The penultimate book of the Sun Eater series. The story was well-done overall - there were aspects of it that bothered me somewhat, but nothing that was completely off-putting. It was nice to revisit some characters from previous books and return to Vorgossos. Once again, the basic format of the story was the same: Hadrian is recovering from the last book and is called back into service of the Empire. He has to perform some dangerous task to try to save the universe. This assignment goes bad, and he has to rescue everyone that he can. Some characters die or are badly injured. Hadrian reflects on what he must do to save humanity. And we are set up for the next book. I do not say this to be negative because the overall story of the Sun Eater has been very good, and I have given every book at least 3.5 stars. We have spent a good deal of time, however, inside the head of Hadrian Marlowe. I know that Hadrian’s character has grown quite a bit over these six books, but there are...