ThatBookIsOnFiyah

5/5 stars. Imagine starting a science fiction story about ‘first contact with aliens’ (the Irunmole) with a pay-for-hire assassin, Tope, in the middle of stalking a cult leader. Add in religious and spiritual disillusionment of an astrophysicist named Itumeleng, who discovers the approaching space anomaly. Then, include a revenge tale of a third character, Ahanna, who is hunting the murderers of his family. Now you have an inkling of the breadth of human experience, set in a futuristic Africa, that this novel from Wole Talabi encompasses. The prose of this story is magnificent, and Talabi does an impressive job of bringing these seemingly disparate threads together to build an interesting and fascinating story of past, present, future, religious experience, aliens, death, life, and community. I recommend this novel without reservations. Everyone who reads can find something to appreciate, enjoy, and learn from in this novel. It is a powerful story filled with tragedy, friendship, lov...

4/5 stars. Once again, I have read a good detective novel but have disliked the detective through most of the story. I know Bosch is the epitome of the ‘hard-boiled detective,’ but he is not a character that I like more than about 15% of the time. He’s rude, he causes himself most of the problems that he has, he ignores rules and procedures, but he solves crimes - even when they aren’t his cases to solve. Connelly is an exceptionally good writer and creates some unique crime mysteries with intriguing twists, but at what point will Bosch become someone I enjoy reading about?!? So far, Jack McEvoy (from The Poet) is a much better character! He solves crimes without making everyone around him mad at him. Maybe Harry Bosch will always be like this and will never grow up, but I really hope he does. This story involves The Mob, Las Vegas, the FBI, and a past love interest of Harry’s. Plus, Harry has a new boss and a third partner to work with him and Jerry Edgar. Certainly, the story made...

4.5/5 stars. Ahmer has written an excellent introduction to the world of Astea, with wonderful characters, magic connected to the natural world, and a conflict that extends into two generations of humans living in this world. The current timeline with King Kaido, Vicereine Raia, and Queen Jaswyn, continues the challenges and the conflict that were initially faced by their parents’ generation, as we get the backstory from King Isaiah, Viceroy Galtus, and General Otto, who were the leaders of the rebellion against the Dryads - a forest-dwelling magic race. The Dryads controlled the world until Isaiah learned the method to defeat them in battle. The new generation is now faced with finding ways to survive on their own, while their own subjects rebel for lack of food and resources. Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention the antagonist of this generation. Maisades is quite a cunning and evil person, and I sincerely hope he gets his comeuppance soon! Zammar Ahmer is an excellent wri...

4/5 stars. This is a novel about a father and son who had a contentious relationship. We only get the son’s perspective, but the relationship was not good, and the father was cruel to him. The thing that bothered me the most about this story, and many stories like it, is that this story could have been just as good and just as effective if the father and son had a good relationship with a tight-knit bond. In fact, a strong bond between them might have made the story better. Whalefall is not a bad story by any means, and reminds me of other stories like The Martian, Project Hail Mary, or even Cast Away, but with an edge of horror added to it. Whalefall is a wonderful ‘what if’ story that speculates about what might happen if a whale swallowed a young diver. I chose this novel for spooky season since a movie version is releasing this month. This story is perfect for the big screen, and I look forward to seeing the director’s visual interpretation of some of the events. The book is a qu...

5/5 stars. This is one of the best crime novels that I have ever read. It is easily on the same level as Silence of the Lambs or Mystic River. This is now the fifth Michael Connelly book that I have read, and it has been a pleasure so far to watch the growth of his writing and to see his stories expand in scope. This novel takes what appears to be the straightforward story of a killer and the reporter pursuing him, then twists it into a dark exploration of disturbed child pornographers, pedophiles, and serial murderers. If you have never read a Connelly novel, this is the one you should read. It demonstrates his prose, his thoughtful character study, his knowledge of police and FBI procedures, and his skill in developing a deep and meaningful plot. I am enjoying my exploration of Connelly’s works and look forward to continuing. He has surprised me in each novel with some new aspect of his writing that encourages me to continue. This novel is highly, HIGHLY recommended!!

4.5/5 stars. We get the story of the early life of Redlin of the Wolves. Redlin quickly becomes a classic Grimdark character for whom the reader feels sympathy - until he does something so unexpected and vile, one must wonder if he is worthy of that sympathy, or if he is even a good person. Redlin’s story is one of abandonment and the desire to become famous to prove to his family that he was worthy of their love, but maybe he is nothing more than a psychopath in the vein of Jorg Ancrath. Steele is an excellent writer whose imagination is only exceeded by his ambition in telling this dark framed narrative. Redlin is one of the most intriguing characters I have read since reading The First Law, The Broken Empire, and The Sun Eater series. I admire the way Steele references earlier works by other authors that were influential on his writing by using names and places that tie aspects of those to his story, but this is also distracting at times and a bit overdone, in my opinion. Somewhat...

4/5 stars. Sometimes, I do not like Harry Bosch, but other times I feel sympathy for him. He is certainly a darkly emotional character and has some difficult life events to overcome; however, some of his choices seem disjointed and out-of-place for a (mostly) successful LAPD detective. The word unhinged definitely applies to him at times. This novel begins with Harry on Involuntary Stress Leave, being required to attend counseling sessions with the department psychologist. He’s not happy about it at all and he has too much time on his hands. He starts investigating a cold case that has personal meaning to him. The case leads him in unexpected directions and causes his continued employment with the LAPD to be further in question. Thankfully, his old nemesis, Capt. Irving, is on his side and wants him back on the job. These books offer some wonderful backstory, and the writing is superb. Connelly has created an interesting and multi-faceted character in Harry Bosch. I am especially gl...