Review: Pantomime

Pantomime by Laura Lam
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This quarter at CSUEB, I'm taking two classes with one of the school's most beloved English Department professors, who mentioned this book recently and got me to want to read it.

I was not disappointed.

What I've just read is something of a missing link between The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, with its fantastical circus setting, and A Darker Shade of Magic, with its alternate-world thing going on - not to mention its high concentration of LGBT+ characters. (It makes me wonder whether or not Victoria Schwab read this book at any point, whether before or after writing ADSOM or A Gathering of Shadows or A Conjuring of Light.) This, I think, is the first book I've read with a non-binary protagonist (and the back-cover blurb does a shockingly good job of hiding that particular plot point by making it appear as if Gene and Micah are two different people) in first-person POV (ADSOM has the former only, I believe), which I think is always very useful for getting into characters' heads. And boy, does Lam get us into Micah's head. (I'm still not quite sure which pronouns I should use to refer to Micah, although I'll be going with male ones to match his circus identity.)

Before joining the circus, Micah lived as a girl named Gene (short for Iphigenia, exactly the sort of highfalutin name that annoyed me in my other recent read, Etiquette and Espionage). However, Gene is intersex, and her mother was concerned that this was the source of her frequent "boyish" behavior - so, eventually, she resolved to subject Gene to surgery after years of doctor visits and "treatments" to try and get to the bottom of this. She rightly has enough of this, eventually running away and joining the circus under a boy's name and identity.

There, Micah finds a certain kinship in the cast of outcast characters he now works with. But he remains very guarded about his secrets - not only his ambiguous gender and sexuality (both of which he continuously questions, and I don't blame him, having had a lot of similar questions about myself at that age) but also about the upper-crust family he ran away from. And then there's his burgeoning magic (it's pretty strongly implied that being intersex is the source of his abilities), which helps set the stage for an electrifying climax that feels straight out of The Young Elites, if not X-Men.

I've not read too many books that deal in non-binary gender identity as a primary theme, and this one, being set in an alternate past, proves how timeless this particular facet of the human condition truly is. And when this theme is paired with a protagonist whose head you don't want to leave once you're inside it, that's just a bonus.

Five stars to this book for sheer uniqueness.

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Review: War Hawk

War Hawk by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Because the library where I live is completely crazy, they've not ordered War Hawk yet, and so it's impossible to even put it on order. However, they have an ample supply on the "Lucky Day" shelf of new releases, and so I snatched the opportunity to pick up this book, our first adventure with Tucker Wayne and his war dog Kane in...two years now?

Taking inspiration from the life and times of Alan Turing (whom I can only picture as Benedict Cumberbatch now), as well as Tomorrow Never Dies (my second-favorite of the Brosnan Bond movies after GoldenEye), this latest Rollins adventure raises the stakes to levels that reminded me very oddly of another recent read of mine - Jonathan Maberry's Predator One. Reading that book helped prepare me for Rollins' assault by drone and other elements of tomorrow's warfare. Although I typically prefer the more sci-fi-heavy Sigma books and especially the Biblical-Gothic Sanguines Trilogy for its highly unique twist on the Judeo-Christian tradition, War Hawk's more streamlined action delivered extremely well, making this shoot high up into my list of favorite Rollins books. (Only Map of Bones, Bloodline, and The Blood Gospel beat this out.)

I just hope we won't have to wait another two years for Tucker Wayne and Kane to return. Awesomeness Withdrawal for any Rollins series is powerful stuff.

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Review: Zom-B Goddess

Zom-B Goddess by Darren Shan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off - who else has looked at the cover and been reminded of Imperator Furiosa?

Second off - At last this book reveals the true motivations behind the Dowlings, who are now playing quite the Gambit Roulette with each other's viruses, and of course B winds up caught in the middle.

Third off - wow. I did NOT see that ending coming. Even down to the wire, Shan's got tons of surprises up his sleeve, and he deploys them by the megaton.

Last off - I'm really bummed we're done with this 'verse, but knowing Shan, he's got something equally killer lined up to astound and amaze his well-deserved legions of fans.

To the Zom-B series, I now say ave atque vale.

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Review: Predator One

Predator One by Jonathan Maberry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Perhaps the most terrifying book Maberry has ever written, or will ever write. I'm saying this almost entirely based on the scenes with Davidovitch, in which we get to see how horribly he's been tortured - not only through pain, not only through knowing his family's lives are being altered, moment by moment, by agents of the Seven Kings - but also because of how he comes to take sadistic pleasure in what's happening to his wife in particular.

Sometimes, Brad Thor goes all-out on the Homeland-esque paranoia in his writing, but Maberry does it better simply because his subject matter is A) more timely, and B) livened up by tons more action than any other writer is capable of doing, I think. (Well, maybe James Rollins...)

It's just a shame that, even a year later, my library still hasn't ordered this one. They've really fallen behind on collecting the Ledger series, and I hope they rectify that error sooner rather than later.

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Review: The Magician King

The Magician King by Lev Grossman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can't help but feel that this second Magicians book suffered from a serious case of More Of The Same Syndrome, leading to a bit of a sophomore slump. Sure, training is officially over for Quentin et al. They're no longer studying magic at Brakebills, they're now officially full-fledged magicians. But they're still learning all sorts of spellcraft - and learning that the slightest mistake could send them pretty much spiraling into Hell.

Still, though, the magic of Book 1 (as well as the recent Syfy TV series) seemed to have been drained from this sequel, somehow. Too many story threads (like the digging into the history of the Fillory books and Plover and the Chatwins) felt recycled from its predecessor. There's also the presence of a particularly pernicious plot device that also formed a huge part of the ending of Book 1, and The Magicians Season 1, and if the series repeats said plot device for Season 2, I'm sure fans and critics alive will be incensed, and that's putting it mildly.

But there's only one book left, and I'm really hopeful that The Magician King is the point where the series hits bottom.

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Lady Smith

For the umpteenth time in my life, I've found myself crushed out on a beautiful and unattainable woman. (Well, maybe not so unattainable, but given my perfect undateability...) And in this case, I've felt the need to express myself about it through poetry. Though this may be an angsty practice, I still hope you Pinecones, at least, approve of my latest piece of work, the title of which is not meant to reflect any real names. I hereby present my latest lovesick geekboy poem: "Lady Smith."



Like Stiles, I've fallen for a lovely strawberry blonde.
Like Lydia, she's a unique character indeed.

She studies the same subjects I do in school,
But not for the same reasons.
She wants to put her English-major skills to work
As a teacher, like many of our fellows.
For now, she works in a metalwork place,
A modern-day blacksmith's shop.
Hence my secret nickname for her...

"Lady Smith."

While she doesn't get to do much metalwork
(Because her boss is fettered by outdated sexism
And treats her like the SSR treats Agent Carter),
She still knows her way around a welding torch.
She wants to teach?
Maybe someday she'll teach me to weld.
I doubt I'd get much use out of that particular skill.
But still, wouldn't it be cool?
Fire and metal, all together.

There's what sets us apart.
She has plans for her future.
Legitimate, practical, focused.
As for me?
When I grow up, I'll be a starving writer
But only if I get to make my own way
And those who say they know better
Stop interfering with every aspect of my life.
After all, it's not work if you enjoy it.
Practicality just isn't my forte, I'm afraid.

Then there's the distance between us
On this earthly plane.
Twice a week, we share two classes in a row.
Four hours in all.
Outside that time, though, we live an hour apart
When the traffic's good.
It's not like either of us will ever have a chance
To drive to the other one's house,
Pick the other one up,
And go to the movies or dinner
Or a concert, likely my first.

Which, frankly, sucks.

After all, part of the reason why I've been single all my life
Is because I've never liked a girl my parents would approve of.
My parents would like Lady Smith.
It's rare that I've felt this way for someone about whom
I wouldn't be afraid to bring home.
A real Gwen to my Peter.
An Allison to my Scott.
A Fionna to my Alex.
An Evan to my Jay.

And she's got great taste in pop culture,
A major plus for me.
Already she's motivated me to try something new
With a lovely, intricate winged logo.
She knows not my fascination with wings and flight.
She knows not the titanic attack she's waged on my heart.

Best of all, we're both tired of where we live.
It's the weather. Her town's too hot.
Mine is what Goldilocks would call "just right,"
But I call "just wrong."
Wherever she goes,
She could bring her future teaching credentials.

She wants to move north.
Anywhere north.
So do I, because far in the northern wastelands
Lies a storied place where I can potentially meet my goals.
I could write the magical stories of archers and speedsters
And zombies and fallen angels
And survivors of the apocalypse.

Together, we could achieve so much.
Now, there's just one problem...
As much as I've learned about her already,
I don't know if she's free
To test the waters with me.
Or if she even wants to try
With one as inexperienced as I.

Dare I ask her out?

Review: Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Steampunk and killer ladies? I've been meaning to check this series out for a while, but only now was I able to find and pick up the first book at the library. Etiquette and Espionage didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it did find some good ways to subvert them. I didn't really think the school would be a big, cumbersome airship like it was in this book, but it sure keeps things interesting, knowing just how far the technology in this book has progressed. The sooties who help keep the whole thing running also help - they're among the most interesting characters in the whole book. Also an excellent addition - paranormal creatures, namely vampires and werewolves, putting the book a little in line with Cassie Clare's Infernal Devices.

I did, however, have issues with a lot of characters' names, which seemed so ridiculous and trying too hard to be highfalutin. I mean, calling the main character "Sophronia" when "Sophie" would have done just as well...it just distracted me too much. And I feel like there wasn't much of an ending, either. Of course, that's what sequels are for.

Next time I go to the library, I'll be sure to seek out Book 2 and hope for a real four- or even five-star experience.

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