Mar 30 2024

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes showed the end of the adventuring career of Viv, an orc barbarian who decided she had had enough of treasure hunts and dungeon crawls. Bookshops & Bonedust shows how her first adventure very nearly became her last, and how the times in between quests can be every bit as important as the fights that make up most epic tales.

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Viv is new with the mercenary troops called Rackam’s Ravens, and she is feeling her strength in battle against the undead raised by Varine the Pale. “Old warhorses, the lot of them. Old and slow. They’d tried to keep the new blood in the back, but that wasn’t what she was built for.” (pp. 1–2) Her kill count was nearing twenty, and she was far out in front of the main Raven line. “And then her leg lit up with a cold fire that turned hot in half a second. She staggered and pivoted on the other foot just as a pike’s rusty head withdrew from a long wound in her thigh. … Then the blood came. A lot of it.” (p. 2) Fortunately, some of her fellow Ravens caught up with her before the wights make Bookshops & Bonedust an extremely short book.

Doubly fortunately for Viv, Rackam has an enlightened view about the fighting talent that he hires. Though the unit will continue north to pursue Varine the necromancer, they will pay for Viv’s needs while she recovers in a nearby seaside town, and if she’s healed up enough when they pass that way again, they will take her back on. Viv starts to object, and Rackam cuts her off.

“It’s done, kid. You survived a stupid mistake today. If you want to make another so soon after, well…” His gaze was hard. “Want me to tell you the odds I give on that?”
But Viv wasn’t a stupid orc, so she shut the hells up.

And so she washes up in Murk, jewel of the western coast, as an innkeeper tells her when she regains consciousness and mobility a couple of days later. But is she washed up after just one outing? Baldree does a terrific job of showing a younger Viv, someone who knows her strength and thinks that limitations happen to other people. The near-fatal wound in the prologue is just the beginning of Viv learning, really learning, that she can’t do it all, and that other people can be more than they seem. And learning to extend her view of what qualifies as people, too.

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Mar 29 2024

The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith

Good characters keep revealing more of themselves over time. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has been around the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency for quite a long while, first as the owner of the garage next to the agency, and then as husband to Precious Ramotswe, father to their adopted children. He is a steady, low-key man, slightly old-fashioned in his preferences, especially when it comes to automobiles, but willing to follow good sense and adapt. He is a whiz with mechanical items, and better than one might think with people, especially in his management of the two long-time apprentices in the garage. A few volumes back, he had a bout of depression, and since then Mma Ramotswe has kept an eye out for its potential return. A few days after he went to a course organized by the local Chamber of Commerce — titled Where Is Your Business Going? — she is worried that he might be having another episode. He does not seem himself. She brings up Mr J.L.B. Matekoni’s changes in a conversation with Mma Potokwani, the formidable matron of a local farm for orphans.

The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith

“Well, he seemed to be in a very quiet mood last night. And again this morning, when I made him his breakfast, he ate it without saying anything very much. He usually talks to me in the kitchen while I am making breakfast for everybody. He talks to the children. He talks back at the radio. But no, he said nothing, and just looked out of the window, as if he was thinking about something,” [said Mma Ramotswe].
“Sometimes they do that,” said Mma Potokwani. “Sometimes men think.”
“I know that,” agreed Mma Ramotswe. “There are many men who think, Mma.”
Mma Potokwani looked thoughtful — as if she were weighing the truth or falsity of what had just been said. (p. 44)

They consider the matter a while longer, and eventually Mma Potokwani tactfully broaches the question of whether Mr J.L.B. might have met someone while on the course. It seems unlikely, but Mma Ramotswe has been a private detective long enough to at least contemplate the idea. They dismiss the possibility, but Mma Potokwani suggests that something else may have happened. “He might have been somehow persuaded that he is a failure. Or he might have met all sorts of big, successful people there and drawn the conclusion that his own business was never going anywhere. He might well have been upset by that.” (p. 45)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/29/the-joy-and-light-bus-company-by-alexander-mccall-smith/

Mar 28 2024

One Giant Leap by Thao Lam

Is Thao Lam the most artistic children’s book creator working today? With One Giant Leap, she certainly positions herself strongly for the title!

Wordlessly witty, this picture book tells the tale of a young astronaut venturing out into space and the adventures encountered thereof. There’s a strange landscape to be explore, strange tracks to be followed and strange animals to befriend. Ultimately, there are strange aliens to run away from. Or are they? Our intrepid explorer’s imagination runs riot, as we see in the denouement of this charming tale.

A large part of that charm comes from the astonishing attention to detail and texture present in the gorgeous collage art. I sat and stared at the opening pages for a good long while, admiring the almost tactile effect even on the flatness of my PC screen. I also loved the subtle incorporation of brocade, as a callback to our young protagonist’s Asian heritage. It was a lovely cultural touch that felt very meaningful to me as someone who also has Southeast Asian roots.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/28/one-giant-leap-by-thao-lam/

Mar 27 2024

Reports From The Deep End edited by Maxim Jakubowski & Rick McGrath

subtitled Stories Inspired by J. G. Ballard.

And what stories! In fairness, it’s hard to write anything nowadays about climate change, dystopias or class-stratified urbanization (and certainly not technological erotica, vehicular or otherwise) without being able to trace influences back to that same scrappy, complicated kid who was the focus of Stephen Spielberg’s WWII movie Empire Of The Sun.

But subject alone is not enough to make a story feel Ballardian. Tho I’m hardly an expert on his oeuvre, when I think of what makes Ballard stand out from his peers, I think of a sort of tension between the protagonists and the often inhuman, uncaring forces outside of their control, followed not altogether gracefully by a surrender to inevitability. It’s important, I feel, that the protagonists struggle till the very end, and only capitulate when there is no other choice. Change is rarely welcomed, only accepted.

In this, all of the stories in this brilliant anthology succeed. Some of the stories, like the excellent opener Chronocrash by Jeff Noon, and Adrian Cole’s The Next Time It Rains wouldn’t be out of place in any collection of sci-fi shorts. The indelible weirdness of tales like James Lovegrove’s Paradise Marina and Chris Beckett’s Art App are hard to forget. And, of course, there are some entries that are disturbingly sexy, including Preston Glassman’s The Astronaut’s Garden and David Gordon’s Selflessness. That last gives us these excellent lines:

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Mar 26 2024

Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando & Katia Vecchio

Middle-grade/Young Adult treasure hunting by the sea, with a diverse cast of leads? Sign me up!

Josh Friedman is a young teen (late middle schooler? early high school?) who’s a wee bit obsessed with finding lost treasure. When he hears that the remains of a shipwreck have been found near where his maternal grandfather lives down in Florida, he immediately tries to convince his mom to let him spend the summer there. Grandpa Matt and his husband Grandpa Ivan have long extended an invitation for Josh to come visit, and to bring friends, too, if he likes — no kid wants to be stuck with only his granddads for company, after all. Josh knows that his best friends Hope and Hunter would 100% love spending some time on the beach, and will hopefully be just as enthusiastic when he brings up the prospect of finding where the shipwrecked treasure really is.

For Josh thinks he has a significant lead on the location of the wrecks of ships once so laden with treasure that they earned the nickname Silver Vessels. A news report mentioned the discovery of worthless trinkets in the shipwreck, but Josh is convinced that these trinkets are actually clues to where the vessels still lie in hiding. Once he and his friends get down to Key West, they can start exploring in earnest.

And sure, maybe he has a little bit of an ulterior motive in getting the gang all together. But he’s not the only one with secrets, as he’ll swiftly discover. Worse, The Apex, a society of cutthroat treasure hunters, has figured out Josh’s interest in the Silver Vessels, and isn’t above using the teens to further their own ends. Will Josh, Hope and Hunter be able to figure out not only where the treasure is and what to do about it, but also how to outwit The Apex while sorting through their feelings for one another?

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Mar 25 2024

The Little Regent by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade & Ken Daley

Abioye is only eight years old when her father, the king, suddenly dies. As per Yoruba tradition, if the king dies without a son to take his place, his daughter will rule as regent for three months, until the village chiefs can select three men to nominate for kinghood. The villagers will vote on these nominees and select a new leader from among them.

Even with the power of kingmaking in their hands, the chiefs aren’t thrilled at being led, even if only for a short while, by such a young girl. In all honesty, Abioye isn’t herself sure about what she’s supposed to do now. Serious and responsible, she wants to be a good leader, but isn’t sure how. Her mother reminds her of her father’s philosophy: Those who will rule must first learn to serve.

And so Abioye applies herself to watching and listening, so that she can learn how best to serve her people. She quickly discovers that merely sitting in on palace meetings with the chiefs feels less useful than bureaucratic, as they talk about taxes, treaties and other subjects that go over her head. So she begins spending time with her subjects, listening to their concerns and learning what it is they need in order to make their daily lives better. Gradually, she implements improvements that make her subjects happier and more prosperous.

Unsurprisingly, this does not make her any friends among the village chiefs, especially when she overrides their opinions to get the villagers what they need. When the chiefs decide to force her out of her position, will she be able to continue to serve her people?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/25/the-little-regent-by-yewande-daniel-ayoade-ken-daley/

Mar 23 2024

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

“Does what it says on the tin” is a lovely Britishism for a lovely British book because The Sinister Booksellers of Bath keeps the promises that it makes. It’s a direct sequel to The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, picking up a few months after the end of that story. Merlin and Susan are still together, though they are going through some typical young-people uncertainties. Merlin remains his enthusiastic, beautiful, fashionable self and can’t quite fathom why Susan only wants to see him once a week or so, but he’s smart enough to keep a good thing going and is giving her space. In Susan’s case the misgivings are deeper, though not about Merlin per se, because her first adventure with him revealed that she has strong ties to the Old World of magic and myth that permeates Britain just below the surface of modernity. She would prefer to just get on with her hard-won place as an art student, thank you very much, and leave magic to get along without her as it has clearly done for hundreds of years.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

Unfortunately, the Old World has other ideas, and that means that the booksellers who keep the Old and the New separate have other ideas too. Worse for all concerned, Bath appears to be home to an Old World entity that had been previously unknown to the booksellers. They don’t know what it is, where it is, or what it wants, but the available evidence suggests that it’s into periodic murder, and that it’s due to try again soon, probably at the winter solstice when the ranks of the booksellers are stretched thin anyway. Susan starts to look like the ideal victim, though of course she is not without defenses of her own. But then Merlin gets trapped in a pocket universe, and then stone statues of lions come to life and attack the booksellers’ main shop in Bath. Things are looking bad with nearly two weeks still to go before the solstice.

Nix promises action at a breakneck pace, and he delivers at speed. So many frying pans turning into so many fires. There is humor to leaven the tension, but Sinister Booksellers is all about people facing an unknown menace with not nearly enough time or resources to solve the problems that keep multiplying. They have ingenuity, they have each other, they have a bit of magic, and they have the occasional application of high explosives; it will have to be enough. I read Sinister Booksellers at the wet and chilly tail end of winter when I was feeling a bit poorly, and it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/23/the-sinister-booksellers-of-bath-by-garth-nix/

Mar 22 2024

Bizard And The Big Bunny Bizness by Chrissie Krebs

Now that Bizard the Bear Wizard (as Bear’s friends have dubbed him in the aftermath of getting a wizard’s wish-granting wand stuck on his head, unicorn-style) has saved the forest, he’s very much looking forward to enjoying his impending hibernation. But what will the other forest denizens do about getting their wishes granted while he’s fast asleep?

Bear himself is torn: he wants to help his fellow woodland creatures but a good winter’s sleep is something every bear should get to luxuriate in. Enter Squirrel, who is more than happy to step in to fill the void. All Bear has to do is wish for a wand for Squirrel to use while Bear hibernates. Surely, nothing could possibly go wrong!

Ofc, Fox and Owl — being much more sensible than the enthusiastic Squirrel — have their concerns. The friends decide on a test run of this backup wand, with one caveat: wishes may only be granted if Squirrel, Fox and Owl all agree on the outcome. A satisfied Bear goes back to bed, and the grand experiment begins.

At first, everything goes well, even if Squirrel does seem to care more about what he can do vs what the wisher actually wants. But Squirrel soon grows restless, and decides to go out into the forest granting wishes instead of waiting for supplicants to come to Bear’s cave. Fox and Owl do their best to tag along and temper Squirrel’s more enthusiastic impulses, but when a different sort of temper gets the best of Squirrel, certain disaster — in the form of a giant baby bunny — soon threatens the peace and happiness of the forest’s animals. Will our trio of friends be able to fix everything while Bear naps, or will they have to call in more than just their usual coterie of allies?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/22/bizard-and-the-big-bunny-bizness-by-chrissie-krebs/

Mar 20 2024

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo (EXCERPT)

Back in December 2021, I had the pleasure of reviewing Steven Max Russo’s second novel, The Dead Don’t Sleep. Now, we’ve been given the opportunity to give you a sneak peek of his latest novel, The Debt Collector, publishing today!

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Abigail Barnes is young, pretty and petite, but her looks and size can be deceiving. A drifter who makes her living collecting outstanding debts for low-end bookies and loan sharks, Abigail arrives in Hackensack, NJ, from Baltimore, MD, and gets a job collecting for a small-time bookie, who winds up dead.

With a large Wall Street firm moving into town bringing jobs, prestige, and money, the press is soon up in arms about the killing. So the cops to put the squeeze on Ronnie “Slacks” Falcone, a mobster who heads organized crime in the Jersey City area, to help find the killer.

Soon Abigail finds herself being sought by a gang of hoodlums, the mob, and the police. She knows she can’t run and she won’t turn herself in because she has a past that could send her to jail. She has little choice but to try and find out who killed the bookie – without getting killed in the process.

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Read on for an excerpt from The Debt Collector’s very first chapter!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/20/the-debt-collector-by-steven-max-russo-excerpt/

Mar 19 2024

The Inventor, Vol. 1: The Dangerous Discovery by Lars Henrik Eriksen

Hahaha, omg, Linnea is a much better person than I am, I would never want to speak to Cobalt again after what happens mid-way in this book!

But before we get there, this graphic novel — with strong overtones of both Hayao Miyazaki and Pokemon properties — tells the tale of Cobalt Cogg, a young man who wants to grow up to be an inventor just like his grandfather. Grandpa is already viewed with some suspicion by the other inhabitants of Mata-Mata. Despite having brought electricity to the island, Grandpa Alfred is considered something of a menace. While his inventions do make life easier for the islanders, many of them are viewed with distrust, especially by Mayor Barlind, the dad of Linnea, Cobalt’s best friend. Mayor Barlind is a traditionalist through and through, and believes that the dangers of Alfred’s gizmos don’t necessarily outweigh the benefits that they bring.

Cobalt and Linnea, ofc, do not share the mayor’s concerns. But a freak accident causes Alfred to be banished from the island, and the friends grow up over the next five years without his presence. When Cobalt finally assembles all the pieces he needs to follow the blueprints Alfred left behind for him, he inadvertently shorts out the power supply that has miraculously run untended for the duration of Alfred’s absence. With Linnea’s help, he finds a solution… but also a greater mystery. Is the map that Cobalt found in Alfred’s abandoned lab showing him where his grandfather is now? There’s only one way for our young inventor to find out!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/19/the-inventor-vol-1-the-dangerous-discovery-by-lars-henrik-eriksen/