Drumindor By Michael J. Sullivan

 

     So nice to be reunited with one of the best Literary Duo in the Fantasy Genre. I think my brain is wired to enjoy the pairing of characters, from my earliest days of reading with the Hardy Boy Mysteries to Pizza Nights at the local Shakey's which ran Laurel and Hardy film shorts, reading a good character pairing hits the pleasure zones of my brain. 

     This book almost seemed like MJS was attempting to get some of that Fantasy Rom, or is it Rom Fantasy, quick cash. I will never fault a writer for trying to make more money. It starts off with two romantic sub-plots, Royce and Gwen. both who had inner thoughts of not being good enough for a long-term relationship, and Hadrian's attraction to a club singer. But I came for the Royce & Hadrian Adventure and the last 30 percent of the book save it for me. I did not mind the romance aspect of the tale, how Royce and Gwen finally got together. It was a sweet tale. Hadrian too got bit by the Love Bug which blinded him to the obvious. Been there, done that. 

     However, it was when the fate of the city rested on the actions of Hadrian and Royce that the book took the turn I wanted.  From the very first book, Theft of Swords, I was a fan of Royce and Hadrian and MJS. It has been a great reading journey for me, all of MJS books are in my pantheon of Great Fantasy Reads. 

The Land of the Living and The Dead by Shauna Lawless

      An excellent use of History and Mythology to produce a fabulously rich read. I love both the genres of Historical Fiction and Fantasy, and this series hits my wheelhouse. 

      Shauna Lawless has taken Ancient Irish History, late 10th century and early 11th century, added the Irish Mythologies of the Tuatha De Danann and the Fomorian to the battles of the Irish King Brian Boru. King Brian attempt to unified Ireland and defeat the Danes aka the Vikings, at the same time. There were battles that historian have had a hard time figuring out who won. A really messy period of Ancient Ireland. 

    Shauna Lawless has reimagined the enigmatic historical figure Gormflaith, making her one of the main POVs in the story. Gormflaith was the wife of King Brian Boru, though Brian was her third husband. Lawless portrays Gormflaith as a Fomorian at war with the Tuatha De Danann, as seen through the POV of Fodla. The Tuatha De Danann face a division: some wish to retreat from the world, while others desire to aid humanity despite its imperfections. This group consists of Druids, warriors, healers, and seers. 

      Shauna Lawless use of the literary creation of Gormflaith as a member of the Fomorian gives another reason for Gormflaith actions as guided by an attempt to defeat the Tuatha De Danann and create a ruling class of the magical inclined Fomorians over the humans. 

      It is a fascinating trilogy that has moved into one of my all-time great reads.  This book's ending had all the feels, plus gives hope that there might be more stories to tell. I certainly hope so.

If you like Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you need to discover Dennis E Taylor

  

     One of my favorite Science Fictionle tome is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy. It is one of those must reads in the SF genre. In fact, if you claim to be an aficionado of the genre and have not read this masterpiece, I suggest you turn in your Fan Club card.  Written in 1979, is there an author today that can touch Douglas Adams' writing talent?  I believe there is, and his name is Dennis E Taylor. Taylor has that same sense of humor, referencing pop culture callbacks and thought-provoking dilemmas. 

     His main series is the Bobiverse.  Yes, I know, the series name does not embolden confidence that this series will be really, really good. But it is. Bob sells his company and now had more money than he knows what to do with. So, he has his brain scanned, because that is what rich people do. And then, crossing a street in Las Vegas, Bob gets hit by a bus, He wakes up as the AI of a space probe, The series takes off from there. It is a blast to follow as Bob clones himself multiple times into other ships.

    If you want to do a test run of Mr. Taylor, I suggest the standalone novel Roadkill. In this tale First Contact put the emphasis on contact. Or try his two book series Quantum Earth,  The super volcano in Yellowstone begins erupting at the same time some University students accidently create a portal to a different dimension and an alternative earth timeline. 

     Another reason you should read Dennis E Taylor is that he is a self-published author whose book are very much on the inexpensive side of the ledger. Now the self-publishing sector has in the past 15 years have undergone a huge improvement in all aspects of the process. It is now possible to get professional editing, cover art and marketing strategies that rival anything a big publishing house can offer. Many authors now choose to go the Self-Publishing. I have been closely watching the Fantasy side of self-publishing thanks to the SPFBO contest ( Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog Off) which is in its 10th year. Each year each contest get stronger in regard to the quality of the books entered. 

     So if you are looking for a series which will remind you of Douglas Adams, take the dive into Dennis E Taylors books.  

Finished my 3rd year in Thailand and still in Love.

 

Steven in Thai on my Starbuck's Carmel Frappuccino.  

    

     I have to admit, this last year blew by and finishing a 3rd year in Thailand really snuck up on me. I am still enchanted by Thailand and its people. My original plan was to leave Thailand this year and return to America, but those plans went astray. I am 25 LBS overweight for my original plan of flying straight to Georgia and begin hiking the Appalachian Trail. And a sizable portion of the USA have lost the ability to do any Critical Thinking. The fact that after Jan 6th and the failure to do a Peaceful Transfer of Power for the first time EVER because of one DJT and he is still the GOPs candidate for President and may actually win boggles my mind,  I hope this is momentary bit of madness that will go away when DJT loses, but I have a feeling this flirtation with the Totalitarian Cult of Personality may be a lasting effect for decades to come. 

     But enough of what I am not going to do, what am I going to do now?  For one, stay in Thailand until I am 70 and still healthy. Right now, I am taking Thai language class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and a half just like my CSULB days. At first when I first got the textbook, I was intimidated to no end. But the Teacher is fabulous, and she makes the class and learning fun. The Thai language is super hard for me, mostly for the 5 tone marks that I can't hear. So " Mai" can have 5 different meanings because of five different tones. Reading it I can figure it out, but I miss it listening to it, I am far and away the dumbest student in the class, But I still have the ability to crack the class up, so I don't feel too bad. Life has not beaten the funny out of me yet. 

    I also took the class to chart where my brain is in regard to my hereditary decline in mental fitness. Dementia runs in the family. I can hope it skips a generation, but with my luck it is better to prepare for the demise, rather than to deny it will come.  But so far, everything seems fine. I can remember, for the most part, a book I read a year ago when the 2nd book in the series is released. 

     What do I most days?  During Baseball season it is always watching baseball in the mornings. I watch just about every Dodger game and another if the pitching matchup is intriguing, Then I either work out at the Condo Gym or swim in the Condo pool.  After that an hour of studying Thai Language puts the day, about 3 pm.  I go out for late lunch or early dinner. I hop on the BTS Skytrain, the transportation system that runs thru the heart of Bangkok, I have a Rabbit Card, which is like most tap systems in the USA. I pretty much have an idea of the area of Bangkok I want to explore, or sometimes I will just wing it. Look out the window until a street strikes my fancy. I will walk around for an hour or two just looking around and exploring. There is always something that will surprise me. 

     Nighttime is watching TV or reading a book. Right now, the only TV series I am watching is Rings of Power on Prime TV which I like better than most critics. I have HBO, Netflix, Disney and Prime. For about a 3rd of the price I use to pay in the USA. I also forgot to cancel my NFL package from DNZN which is $36 a month. I normally skip the regular season and just get the playoffs and Superbowl, but I messed up. 

    Two Thursdays a month I go out and hit the Bangkok's famous or infamous nightlife. I like Thursdays cause most of the clubs are not as crowded as on the weekends. Mostly I hit the clubs with the live music. It has gotten to the point all the bands know me by sight now, as I always tip the band. I get hammered on SangSom and Soda. which is Thai rum and soda water.  Again, most of the help at the bars know me and my drink. And my tip. The minimum wage here in Thailand is about $7 a day, So I like to tip knowing that I can cover 1 meal tomorrow for the worker, I do it all for the Thai economy, at least that is what I use to rationalize my behavior.  

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

  

   Despite the words in the author's forward that this is not a work of Fantasy, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Now I know some authors do not like to be pigeonholed into the genre of Fantasy.  Imagine the horror of having to promote your book at those terrible Fantasy Cons, where there might be the chance to run into people dressed up as your characters. The horror!!!!   

      The book has a multi-POV narration, and the always dependable trope of the gang of misfits coming together to do a job that is high risk.  Low magic, but it is magic. There is also, a large predator bird that has feathers are impervious to arrows and swords with the ability to hunt down your extended family if you piss it off. These are all elements that can be found in Fantasy tales.

       Loved the pace of the story, and the characters. It always a good thing to have the author hook you into the story right from the get-go.  Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Mercy of Gods By James S.A. Corey

I have been looking forward to this book ever since the final volume of the Expanse Seies was published, The Expanse series, for me, was the best Science Fiction series of this century and since it has concluded I been wondering, What's next?



I saw interviews with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck hinting at the writing styles and the outline of the plot, and I really got me on board. A combination of Herbert, Le Guin and The Book of Daniel, now that is an intriguing combination, and I waited patiently for the release date.

Took me all of two days to devour this book. Went to bed reading this fabulous tale and woke up in the morning diving right back in, Ty & Daniel were not kidding when they said the book would be written in the style of Ursula K. Le Guin and Frank Herbert. Gone are the multi-POVs chapters of the Expanse books, replaced with a writing style that has been employed since the days of Charles Dickens.

Yet the book felt fresh, not at all dated. A limited 3rd person POV narration allowed Daniel & Ty to jump from one character to another in the same action sequence, Allowing the reader to get into the mind of the character standing outside the closed door, and in the next sentence move to the characters on the other side of the door.

The book also delves into the mind of the "Collaborator." Which is not often the subject of books. Most books will give you the mind of the valiant "Resistance" figure. Yet what would you do when faced with an overwhelming power and, as the saying goes, "Resistance is Futile.?"

This book is filled with thought provoking ideas, hard choices and the mantra of " Live to fight another Day."

As with the Expanse, Ty & Daniel will release novellas every now and then to add to the story. October 1, 2024, a Novella titled "Livesuit" will be released, I wish more authors would do this. And at a nice $2.99 price, the correct price point for a novella that is 90 pages.

Baseball Season Has Started and I am one Happy Guy.

 

   When I thought about what retirement would be like, I had a few sure things.  Reading books was number 1, Number 2 was going to bed when I want to, taking a nap when I want to, and try to limit things I had to do. (there is a joy in waking up with the ability to do whatever you want) Number 3 is Baseball. 

     My original image of me as an old man always envisioned me sitting in a chair listening to the baseball broadcast while fishing on some lake, river or ocean. That is not happening in the reality.  But the reality is not bad, all things considered.  I got to admit that Streaming has changed so much that moving overseas to Thailand, I can still get most of my entertainment that I like, and baseball is one that was very easy, a bit expensive, but well worth the price. 

     Yeah, I am a Dodger fan. Been one since Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Maury Wills Days.  So I have really enjoyed this last decade of dodger Baseball. Baseball writers seem to forget that the current occupants of the higher offices in the organization all came from the Tampa Bay Rays system. All the Dodgers are doing is adding money to system.  Tampa Bay has to trade all their stars because of financial restraints.  Dodgers are an example of a what a good system can do if you also add money. 

      Watching Baseball in Thailand means most night games are in the morning next day for me, 6 am for East Coast teams, 9 am for West Coast teams, but day games on the weekend means all nighters for me.  Thanks goodness the 7/11 attached to my condo here is 24 hours. 

     Finally, the Dodgers sat out the last two years of Free Agency, waiting for Ohtani to be available. 2024 started out with the Dodger having a roster full of expiring contracts. But I view the signing of Ohtani more of a marketing decision than a baseball one, expanding the brand overseas.  Here in Bangkok the Yankees are the #1 seller of caps with LA a distant second.  Be interesting if by 2025 that changes, 

     Lastly to make everyone not a Dodger fan happy, 2035 will be the final year of the Mets paying Bobby Bonilla 1 million dollars and it will be the first year of the Dodgers paying Ohtani 30 something million dollars until 2055. Hope I am around to have you all tell me "what a terrible deal, I told you So."   

        

    

     

Legends & Lattes And Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

    Remember last year when Cozy Fantasy was the rage?  Now it seems that Romantasy has taken the "Latest Fad" crown. Which is fine, but I have to admit I DNF the #1 example of Romantasy The Fourth Wing. However, the #1 example of Cozy Fantasy, Legends and Lattes, I absolutely loved and the recently released Bookshop and Bonedust continues that love affair, The main protagonist and the first-person narration is Viv, a war weary orc in Legends & Lattes and a young warrior looking for fame and fortune in Bookshop & Bonedust. 

    First let me give a shout out for the fabulous cover art by Carson Lowmiller for both books. I do love a cover that gives you an image of the characters. These are characters are familiar to any serious fantasy reader. Still, it nice to see an artist rendering to help with your imagination. 

        What both books have in common is excellent pacing and plot development.  And a love for Baked Goods. And the importance of Friends.  

       

Decided to try to Learn the Thai Language, wish me luck!!!!

 

     As if learning a new language is not hard enough, trying to learn Thai is a real challenge as it will require rote memory in a brain where that is not its strong suit at this stage in by life.  The main killer is the 72 characters in the Thai alphabet. The second killer is there are no spaces in written Thai. So, a sentence is written out as one continuous Thai characters stream. What you see in the picture is a phonetic version of the Thai sentence, as I learned in my first two Thai language class, which I signed up for in attempt to give my life a little bit more structure. 

     Yes, I began to feel like my life had become a bit unmoored.  I fell into the "Staying up Late and Sleeping most of the Day" like I was back in my 20s, not like my true old man age of near 67. (Oh, it hurts type that!)  

    So, when I found a Thai language course that I could easily afford that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 90 minutes, I thought to myself there is my anchor. It helps that the teacher, Ms.Jom, is entertaining and informative, and not afraid to correct you when your pronunciation is off.  

  My fellow classmates are all young, in the range of 20 to 30.  One of the easiest visas to get for person under 50 is an Education Visa for 15 months. The two main options are a Language or a Muay Thai Boxing school. Either one will kick your ass. I am the only old guy in the class, but everyone is super nice. 

   So, what are my goals? To be able to do easy tasks without the use of Google Translate and have short breezing conversations with the local community.  Don't think I will be reading any books in Thai, but I hope signs should be an easy goal to attain. As it is I figured out the " buy one get one" thanks to a local clerk at the Big C, my local market. Hope by the end of the year I will be able to read instead of guess sale signage. 

 

Penric & Desdemona- One of my Favorite Novellas Series

 I will start off by helping those not into the literary world as much as I or many other readers with the official description of the Novella.  I myself spent many decades not knowing, throwing everything into the Novel/Short Story duology. A novella ranges between 10K to 50K words, or roughly 100 to 199 pages, just long enough to sink your teeth into and finish in a weekend. 

     Which brings me to the Penric and Desdemona Series.  The world this novella is set in is the same as Lois McMaster Bujold's World of the Five Gods Trilogy, which starts with The Curse of Chalion. The good news is you can read the Penic stories without reading the novel series. In the now 12 novellas stories, the world is explained as needed to flesh out the story.  

    From the get-go I fell in love with main character, who in Penric's Demon ,  the reader will met a young man not too happy with his life prospects.  Then a happenstance changes everything for Penric. There is a bit of the very reliable "Fish out of Water" trope in the first novella but is the succeeding novellas each one employs a different plot device to add to the reading enjoyment. 

Here is the Penric and Desdemona in order, 12 so far: 

“Penric’s Demon”
“Penric and the Shaman”
“Penric’s Fox”
“Masquerade in Lodi”
“Penric’s Mission”
“Mira’s Last Dance”
“The Prisoner of Limnos”
“The Orphans of Raspay”
“The Physicians of Vilnoc”
The Assassins of Thasalon
“Knot of Shadows”

 “Demon Daughter” 

    All are priced at the $3.99 price point, which for a novella is the sweet spot of price point.  Nothing gets my blood boiling then the $11.99 price point for a novella. 

     The latest story in the series, Demon Daughter is as delicious story as they come. One that tugs on the heartstrings and makes the reader feeling better for the rest of the week, if not the month, after reading it.  

My Favorite 5 star Books Released in 2023

      I had a really good year reading wise. I had only 1 DNF and it was Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.  I got to the point where the main POV was walking in front of the dragons, and one of her teammates was fried and the whole scene was written in such a bland way I could not go forward. Now I don't know if my tolerance was so low because the book I read before I tried it was my favorite book of the year?

    The Book that Wouldn't Burn is my Favorite book of the Year by a small margin, but still an easy choice. Loved the characters and plot twist and turns, Mark Lawrence is one of my many pre-orders every new release author.

I had two continuing novella series that released 5 stars stories. 

Across The Sorrow Sea by Anthony Ryan BK 5 of the Seven Swords series. Amazon thinks that is the end of the story but the ending of this novella indicates there is more to come. 

System Collapse by Martha Wells.  Bk 7 in this fabulous series that just gets better with every new instalment. Looking forward to the TV series. Was kind of hoping for it to be animated like some of the realistic looking Love, Death & Robots Episodes. Still have high hopes. 

I had a few 2nd book in the series that lived up to the promise of Book One. 

Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless. Ancient Ireland History and Mythologies mixed in with Vikings, Plus, 2 main female POVs.  Have a soft spot in your heart for Cersei Lannister? You will love Gornflaith. 

Bitter Crown by Justin Lee Anderson.  Book One had a delicious plot twist that was my favorite Finalist for SPFBO 6 and, not only did it win, but was also picked up by Orbit Books. Book two had a great concept of having the main character suffering from the PTSD from the action in the book 1. 

Legacy of Brick and Bone by Krystal Matar.  I had Book One tied on top with another in SPFBO 7.  Love the worldbuilding and the character development in this series. Book 3 can't come fast enough.

House of Odysseus by Claire North. Been a fan of Ms North for a long time and this retelling of Penelope is fabulous.  North has Penelope doing more than making a weaving. If you are a fan of the book Circe you will love this series. 

Books that landed the landing in finishing up a series. 

The Traitor by Anthony Ryan.  Yes, I am a Fanboy of Anthony Ryan and He can do no wrong. In my humble opinion. 

Esrahaddon by Michael J Sullivan. Yes, I am a Fanboy of Michael J Sullivan and He can do no wrong, In my humble opinion. 

Fantastic starts to a New Series. 

Hexologist by Josiah Bancroft.  Been waiting for this and it delivered a fantastic read, The rare happily marriage couple are the main characters and I love them. Easily my second favorite book of the year. 

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey. Was a bit worried, but one of my favorite SF writers took on the Quantum Universe and produced a great start to a new series. 

Will of the Many by James Islington.  I thought I was done with the "Kids in School" trope, but I guess not because this book took off after the main protagonist goes to school. 

   Well, that is it. Had a lot of 4 stars too. Like I said before I had a really good 2023 reading Year.