Four Puppet Kings and A Fool (Seth Hobbs)

 

To be honest, I am not really sure how to review this book, as this is part of a series. It is laying down the foundation for more stories to come, introducing a lot of characters,  promising conflicts, and interaction as their paths start to cross.

Although there are a plethora of characters, in the beginning, the book spends more time on General Voxinus, an honorable veteran warrior whose main goal is to serve the realm with tons of family devotion. It helps to set the base and gives readers some familiarity. As the story progresses, what seems to be straightforward tale branches into various plots. Readers are introduced to many more characters, places, and cultures, with one main recurring antagonist that makes me do a double take on the genre.

Warning: Some readers could find offensive materials. It is alright with me, although, at times, it feels excessive. Thankfully, they don't linger.

To me, there are many significant distractions, as one of the characters in the book put it—informational lecture— that is heavy, especially because the book keeps on introducing new characters and their lengthy backstories. To make it more difficult to keep track, the new characters and settings also come with tons of nicknames. Throwing in unusual fantasy names, and some of them similar enough to the others, it's not really an easy task for readers to follow.

But that is one of the challenges of the first book. Although there are many things to remember, this one has at least enough amount of connections with the base characters. For me, the reading experience is rough, as explained above, and there are times when it feels heavy on certain agendas. I do not doubt that there are a lot of creativities in the story, and the world is rich with a good combination of imagination and reality. With significant polishing, this has the potential to become a grand tale.

Duplicity of Power (S. Lynn Helton)

 

Personally, there are two things that I am wary of in fantasy books: One, stories that are difficult to follow, and second, over-the-top language, especially early in the book when readers haven't had good impressions or attachments to the plot or characters.

That is why I like this book. The story follows a female protagonist who is thrown into a quest. The plot weaves easily when it introduces the characters. The world setting unveils layer by layer, and with everything new, explanations are given without them feeling like exposition.

The book starts strong with solid middle; however, to me, it goes down slightly on the climax because, for some reason, there are some scenes that I find pretty repetitive and requires my suspension of disbelief regarding the villain's action and character's luck in order to get the plot going.

Having said that, overall, it's a solid and enjoyable story. There are many distinguishable and root-able characters, and the world is full of imagination and creativity. Revelations of the character backgrounds are done well without them being stretched out for too long or dumped.

4 stars out of 5

The Darkness That Slept (Tristen Kozinsky & Keegan Konzinsky)

I needed a very long time to get on this book, and I devoured all the available series of The Song of Ice and Fire in a small fragment of that time.

Too many things and different parts are happening from the beginning that I have difficulty following what is happening. This wouldn't be much of a problem if I was reading something I am familiar with. But in fantasy settings, they are wholly different animals with their own rules and words. What are the tasks, what is going on, why is the background of this event, what worlds and eras are we focusing on this page now, etc.

The elaborate writing style adds up to the pages, some readers enjoy the world buildings, and they are done well, but it's a bit too much for me. It takes me out of focus and diminishes my curiosity to find the connection between stories and their purposes. It may not be accurate to compare it with the chicken and egg situation about which part is more important at the beginning of a book. In books, I prefer to feel connections with the characters as a priority so that their quests are easier to root for because when the book prioritizes the intricate world-building at the beginning when readers barely understand anything and anyone, there is an avalanche of words before I care about the characters and how they will cross paths. At some point, it would be too late for me to get the connections. It's easier to be visual in a movie, but that is me. I am sorry I didn't enjoy the book for those reasons.

Having said that, I believe fans of Fantasy books would like this. The writing is rich, entertaining, and imaginative. The writers set little boundaries to uncomfortable plots but do so in a style that I can appreciate. Set aside a good chunk of time and an adventurous fantasy mood and enjoy the ride.

3 out of 5 stars

Rise of the AI

With the rise of AI in the creative world (no Skynet yet, sorry to disappoint you), there are discussions about how AI will affect artists, writers, and other creative fields in the near future. The majority is worried that AI will replace them because it is fast, has unlimited sources, and is most likely more manageable and cheaper. No author block and no books in series that take longer than a decade (I am looking at you, George!)

Personally, am I worried? Strangely, no. Not always for good reasons, though.

I am very aware of the struggles in the writing world. Even without the threat of AI, it's extremely difficult to make it; that is what I have learned so far. Everybody can write, but not everyone can market or has a plethora of connections to throw their works out there. I am already at the extreme end. I don't write in my first language, but in the language I'm more comfortable expressing myself with, which obviously comes with very significant challenges. I'm not too fond of social media, barely have friends, and can't market to save my life. So, another threat? It's not to say that I don't see it as a threat, but when you have to fight against a vast amount of odds, another one doesn't feel as bad. I think.

On another better reason, somehow, I believe there are still genuine readers out there who seek out original works. Hopefully, they will never go extinct. To me, writing is very personal and very intimate. Most writers pour their hearts and souls into their characters and plots. For some, writing helps with personal journeys and struggles. Writing actually helps make me feel better when real life is getting shitty. It's probably some kind of powerful therapy. Mostly, it's a labor of love. Can AI ever replace something that personal? It's possible. At that time, competing with AI to write books should be the last thing one would worry about, I guess, in between fighting the liquid terminator that tries to fool me by morphing into—gaps—my dog! Maybe I wouldn't be this relaxed then. Die, AI, die!

P.S. After hearing all the fuss, I tried ChatGPT, not for writing, because I will never contaminate my imperfect writing away, but I tried to converse with it about anything. Nerdy things that my friends are running away from. But that is the story for another day because I have rambled enough today.

As always, thanks for being here. And as readers, it's your choice, don't feel pressured by anything. If you enjoy works done by AI, there is nothing wrong with it. Reading is subjective and should be fun.

Another Zombie Apocalypse: Volume 1 (Joshua Grant)

 

What can I say about this Zombie Apocalypse comic?

I am pleasantly surprised about how much I like it. I have watched my fair share of zombie and apocalyptic shows, but this is my first time reading a zombie comic book.

There are five chapters in the comic. The book is very well-illustrated; for some reason, it gives me the classic feeling of comic books I loved as a child. I can't remember which comic, something that came in two colors only, orange and white. I am not even sure if it exists somewhere else. The illustration style reminds me of those; they are simple but high quality and expressive.

When I watch a zombie movie, I don't really care about how many times those infected appear, the jump scares, or how gross they look (but it's a bonus point). They are there, which they should be if it's a zombie movie or show, but I don't need them excessively. I am more interested in the stories; how did it start, what the impacts are, what does it bring to humanity, how people react to them, and what the apocalyptic world is like. In short, I'm more interested in the biggest mystery of all: the human elements.

And this is a comic with depth; there are more thought-provoking stories here than many books out there. There are depth and humanity, the good and the bad. There are sad stories, desperations, twists, rootable characters, and awesome zombies. Warning, it's gory, but if you are wary about gore in zombie stories, there is something weird in your art choice.

5 gross zombies out of 5 apocalypse

Jigsaw Beginnings (David Alyn Gordon)

 

I have to admit this book is not what I thought it was from the title, but for good reason.

The first part of the book captivated me. It drew my interest straightaway to keep me reading. For around one-third, the plot hops back and forth between the modern era and the war period, where the characters are transported into. I am a fan of jumping narratives for storytelling. Although it doesn't work for every book, it works here. I also appreciate relevant historical facts and how they are worked into the story, which goes for a refreshing take on their objective for history changing.

There are two twists that I didn't see coming in the story; I appreciate the first one but still struggle with the reasoning and the necessity of the second. I am not into the modern era of the story because the young adult's interactions feel jaggy and unnatural. It's hard for me to get into and root for the characters because some of the connections and relationships felt forced or rushed into. There are good moments, but there could be more.

Sometimes, it feels like the book is trying to tackle too many things with too few words that both significant parts of the story, plot and characters, don't have time to shine and are just moving along. Overall, I think the story idea is solid, and the author creates an intriguing theory about time travel to the past.

3.5 rounded up

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The Great Contagion (Jeff Chapman)

Fantasy is not my forte, but I find this book enjoyable. It follows a story through a cat, well, not exactly a cat. It carries us through her daily life, going around the town when a great sickness kills like a wind sweeping through a sand castle.

The vibrant and imaginative language is the strongest element of this book; readers can visualize the scene vividly, just like a snake releases itself from the tree coil by coil. On the other paw, some scenes also felt longer than they should have, based on the following reasons.

The title misleads me for a bit; I was not prepared to read a book heavy on fantasy and magic when I saw The Great Contagion as the title. I relate it to more modern and more scientific settings. Imho, some more archaic term would be more fitting to the story. I also expected the story to lean more about the disease or, at the very least, have more proportion and direct connections to the overall plot. Instead, I frequently needed to remember about it during the story while it wanders among other things. 

The other things are great. I just wish that the relevance would be more prominent, or they should be the primary focus instead because if the story omits them, there wasn’t much left about the great contagion. I was left with questions about how fast it came and went, wondering about the beginning of it all (which should be one of the most intriguing elements in a story about contagion), and how the folks got their conclusion for the finale scene. 

There could be more than what I caught on; maybe I missed them. 

Having said that, the book is very well written, and I feel like a cat. I can imagine every scene and every move. The characters are great, and I like all the fantasy elements. I should be very suspicious from now on. I think my neighbor’s cat is always looking at me funny.

4 Sly Grins out of 5 Pookas

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