Category Archives: Book Review Blog

My book reviews and fun bookish news as a book blogger. All about other people’s books, and not my own. :-)

Review | The Hollow City, Dan Wells

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Michael Shipman is crazy. A diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, Michael sees Faceless Men and gets splitting migraines whenever a cellphone rings. So when we see the world through Michael’s eyes in Dan Wells’ The Hollow City, we know not to take it at face value.

It takes great talent for an author to get into the mind of someone who’s had a psychotic break from reality. Wells takes this to a whole different level by having readers mistrust his narrator from the beginning, yet slowly begin to question this mistrust. Some authors are able to make psychologically disturbed characters sympathetic and their views understandable, usually through eloquence (Lolita, A Clockwork Orange) or through comparison with a villainous “sane” world (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). Wells however  offers actual clues and details that make us wonder if Michael is, in reality, seeing Faceless Men, and if there is some rational, physiological reason for his adverse reaction to electronic devices.

Hollow City begins as a tragic depiction of an unbalanced mind. Michael’s hallucinations are as real to him as reality is to us, and the intensity of his fear at things we view as ordinary (cellphones, TVs, hot water faucets) inspires sympathy. His condition, particularly his obsession with Faceless Men, makes him a prime suspect in the investigation of serial murderer The Red Line Killer, whose trademark is slicing his victims’ faces off. Worse, Michael has lost two weeks’ worth of memory and is himself unsure if he is the Red Line Killer. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must be not to be able to trust yourself, and when Michael begins to doubt the reality of people around him, some of whom he loves and depends on, he becomes even more isolated.

Then the story takes a completely different turn when Michael’s hallucinations start making more sense. We’re never quite sure if Michael’s perceptions are turning out to be real or if we too have been sucked into his mind. But this does open up a science fiction/horror story angle to the plot. It’s a thrilling ride to the end, and I was as desperate as Michael to find out what, exactly, is going on. Wells never gets as complex as China Mieville or as seductive as Vladimir Nabokov, which he could have done given his premise, and this is perhaps the reason Hollow City didn’t blow me away. The murder mystery that drove the plot started out compelling, but wasn’t really developed, and the big reveal regarding the murderer was fairly obvious and anti-climactic. That being said, I was definitely taken by surprise by the other big reveal, the reason behind Michael’s hallucinations. I love that Wells took a big, unexpected leap with that, and while the ending seemed a bit rushed, given the build up, it made sense. After all the uncertainty, and all the wondering about where Wells could possibly be taking this story, the ending satisfies. A good, solid, fast-paced read.

Review | Line of Fire, Stephen White

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About a year ago, Stephen White announced that he would be ending the Alan Gregory series. He told fans that Line of Fire would be the penultimate book in the series, and that the series would end with book 20. He explains his decision on his website, under the book description for Line of Fire. My first thought? That sucks. I’ve been a long-time fan of the series, mysteries featuring clinical psychologist Alan Gregory. I enjoy reading psychological mysteries in general, and this series, more Jonathan Kellerman than Val McDermid, had a nice guy protagonist who made you feel comfortable even as you were reading about disturbed individuals. I also like White’s cast of characters — like Alan’s DA wife Lauren who has MS, and detective Sam Purdy — all with their quirks yet all so well-rounded and fleshed out over the past eighteen books. So it kinda sucks that the series was coming to an end.

That being said, if the series does have to end, what a way to end it! Line of Fire is such a fitting book to begin the end — White ratchets up the tension, brings together a lot of series characters, and fearlessly takes his beloved characters to dark, unpredictable places. If this book is any indication, the Alan Gregory series will end with a flourish. Well done, Mr. White.

Line of Fire begins with an idyllic scene — Alan Gregory at a Sunday night family dinner — yet, even there, White gives us an undercurrent of tension with a conversation about Boulder’s Red Flag Warning, which basically cautions residents about the possibility of a major fire. Alan’s life then proceeds to become even more complicated. His close friend Diane fears her marriage is falling apart and seems on the verge of emotional collapse. He has a couple of new patients who seem linked in some way to his life beyond work. Finally, a secret he and Sam have kept is in danger of being exposed, which could mean the end of their respective careers and both their families being taken away from them.

The stakes are high, and the twists keep coming. At times I thought Alan Gregory’s investigating was just making things worse — I wanted to tell him to listen to Sam and leave it alone — but that often happens in books like this to keep the protagonist involved and the story going. Alan had to deal with a whole lot of knotty problems, and I like how a lot of seemingly disparate plot points came together.

The ending, I admit, shocked me, as did the actions of a series character. White has never been one to hold back on how he treats his major characters (I still remember how I felt about what he did to Adrienne), but what he did here was just balls to the wall, nothing left to lose, let’s end this. I thought the twist was a bit contrived — too convenient, too orchestrated — but it still did have its desired effect. I have no desire to see the Alan Gregory series end, but after this book, I definitely want to see what White has planned for book 20.

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Thank you to the author’s website manager for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review | The Serpent’s Shadow (Kane Chronicles 3), Rick Riordan

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Rick Riordan’s The Serpent’s Shadow is the best of the Kane Chronicles trilogy. Anophis, the snake god of Chaos, is on the loose and will destroy the world in three days, and siblings Carter and Sadie Kane must stop him and restore Ma’at (order) to the world. Carter and Sadie have grown quite a bit since their first appearance in The Red Pyramid — Serpent’s Shadow begins with the pair understandably apprehensive, but definitely in charge of the fight against Anophis. They manage a school for magicians, training even kindergarteners to help in the upcoming battle, while still making sure the magician students attend regular school classes.

The Kane Chronicles have never captivated me as much as his Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books have. I’m not sure if it’s just because I find the Greek/Roman gods, or because the format of the stories make the Kane Chronicles a bit more slanted towards children, stylistically. For example, because Kane Chronicles heroes Carter and Sadie narrate the story by dictating it into a tape, we have regular interjections, e.g. of one complaining that the other was pinching him/her. Regular sibling horseplay, and sure to elicit a laugh from eight-year-olds when read out loud, but a bit too much played for laughs.

There’s quite a lot packed into this book, and with so many god and mortal characters and such a big task (how to stop an unstoppable snake god), Serpent’s Shadow gets right into the action and assumes you remember the previous two books. It does get a bit confusing at times, and a bit difficult to care, really, about events you know are momentous because the narrators say so. Still, once Sadie and Carter figure out a plan and set off after Anophis, the story becomes more exciting.

The stakes are really high in Serpent’s Shadow — Carter and Sadie admit they’re not sure their plan will work, and worse, their plan will most likely require both of them to sacrifice their lives. Even their love interests have major sacrifices to make, and the gods can only help so much. The only thing perhaps that bothered me is that the consequences of Anophis taking over the world weren’t really explained, beyond a generic idea of the world ending. So we know how much Carter, Sadie and their team are willing to sacrifice to stop Anophis, and we know it’s important, but mostly just because they tell us so, which lessens the significance of their mission somewhat. There is a great moment where Carter realizes Anophis’ motivation and, for a few seconds at least, understands Anophis completely. That gave dimension to the villain, and added depth to the story.

I like how Riordan handles his female characters. Carter may be the designated leader, but both Sadie and Zia are really strong leaders as well, and they play even bigger roles in the battle. The romantic subplots were also interesting, at certain points more interesting than the main story. Carter’s feelings for Zia cause him to make an absolutely idiotic decision at one point, which I thought unnecessary and too convenient a plot device (he’s really not that stupid), but overall, I like the romance in the book. I liked the somewhat creepy twist in the Carter/Zia love story, but I personally found the resolution of the Sadie/Walt/Anubis love triangle rather disturbing.

Overall, a solid book. The best of the Kane Chronicles, and certainly an epic way to end the series.

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Thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada for a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.