A Short Break

Hello and happy holidays to all. This is a quick post to let you know that I probably won't have any reviews coming out for the next two weeks or so. I'm in the middle of moving to a new place, so things are really hectic. I still try to read before going to sleep every night, but I don't have time to really get through books for reviews like I had. Once the move's done I'll be back on track.


Here's hoping you get to spend some time with family and loved ones during the holidays. See you all next year!


-The Novel Hunter

Review -- A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files

"Rough." That's the word I'd use to describe Gemma Files' Weird West novel A Book of Tongues. I don't mean it in an "unpolished" sense of the word (at least not entirely), but more along the lines of the "rough and tumble" definition. From the mythology, the world, the characters, and even the love, nothing in this novel is easy. Read on to find out where this novel shines and where it stumbles.

Review -- Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn

Discord's Apple is a novel by Carrie Vaughn that mixes fantasy, Greek mythology, magic, and a tiny bit of end of the world flair all together. However with all these different aspects does the novel lose focus and spread itself too thin? Or does it pull everything off? Read on to find out.

Review -- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

I don't care that this book is over three years old, and I don't care this is a review I wrote a couple of years ago. The Lies of Locke Lamora is just that good. Now onto the review!


I read the back cover of Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora in the bookstore. One line in particular jumped out at me. It said, "One part 'Robin Hood,' one part Ocean's Eleven, and entirely enthralling..." Even though I don't really like descriptions that say "it's x meets y," Ocean's Eleven mixed with "Robin Hood" is almost exactly how I would describe this novel. I would also add "meets Renaissance-era Italy" to the end of the description. I think that sentence more accurately sums up The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Coming Up Next

Hey, I just wanted to give everyone a little preview of the books I'm going to read and review next. I tried to look for books that have been on my wishlist for a while. I also wanted to make sure I included some smaller publishers. They deserve some love too. So here are my upcoming books! These are in no particular order.

Pirate Sun by Karl Schroeder -- I've been waiting to read this book for a long time. I have the first two books in his Virga series in paperback, and I feel like it took forever for Pirate Sun to come out in paperback too. In fact, I think The Sunless Countries, the fourth book, came out before this one was available in paperback.


A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files -- I've heard some good things about this one. I like its Weird West vibe and the fact that it has openly gay characters. It's something a little different, and I'm excited for it. It happens to be the first book in The Hexslinger Series, so if things go well, I might have to get the sequel too.


World's End (Age of Misrule Vol. 1) by Mark Chadbourn -- One of the reviews on Amazon says that it's a "terrific urban fantasy thriller that brings Celtic mythology into modern day London." That doesn't sound like my usual fare. I think the last urban fantasy I read was part of the Dresden Files, and I think I'm two or three behind now. I'm excited because of the (supposed) inclusion of Celtic mythology, which is not something I'm super familiar with.

Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations Vol. 2) by Michael J. Sullivan -- I already reviewed the first volume in Sullivan's series, The Crown Conspiracy. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I'm glad that I'm getting the opportunity to read the sequels.


Past Continuous by Tony Bayliss -- I was recommended this book after talking back and forth with the publisher, Sparkling Books. All I know about it is what I've read on Amazon and on the publisher's website. Still it sounds like something I'd be interested in. I can't wait to dive in.

Review -- The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick

The giant, glowing review by Terry Brooks was the first thing I noticed when I visited the product page for Robert V.S. Redick's The Red Wolf Conspiracy. I haven't read any of Brooks' work, but I recognized the name--a fantasy heavyweight. It made me take Redick's novel a little more seriously. I added it to my wishlist, and finally bought it a couple of weeks ago. Did the novel live up to the hype? No. There are some really great ideas in The Red Wolf Conspiracy but some very, very strange issues with their execution.

Review -- Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" by Tim Hamilton

A couple of months ago, I acquired a copy of the graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It felt almost surreal holding the graphic novel in my hands. I first read the novel in high school as part of the curriculum. While many people think it is a novel about government censorship, they're wrong. Mr. Bradbury himself says that the book is about television dumbing things down by reducing information into "factoids." When I first heard this, I was shocked, because like most people, I was taught in English class that it was an anti-government censorship novel, almost akin to Orwell's 1984. But where does that leave us with this graphic novel adaptation? Is it a successful adaptation, or is some of the power behind Bradbury's words lost in the translation?