Debut Novel

Smoke Eaters Book Review

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Author: Sean Grigsby
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date:  March 6, 2018
Format: Kindle e-reader

Those of you who follow my blog know I’ve been busy for the past couple of months and am behind on my reviews. I’m FINALLY getting this one out even though I finished it over a month ago. For this post I’m also trying out a slightly different format to see if I like it. I’m working off of just a few notes and memory but here it goes…

I want to thank Netgalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.

“Firefighter Cole Brannigan is on the verge of retirement after 30 years on the job, and a decade fighting dragons. But during his final fire call, he discovers he’s immune to dragon smoke. It’s such a rare power that he’s immediately conscripted into the elite dragon-fighting force known as the Smoke Eaters. Retirement cancelled, Brannigan is re-assigned as a lowly rookie, chafing under his superiors. So when he discovers a plot to take over the city’s government, he takes matters into his own hands. With hundreds of innocent civilians in the crosshairs, it’s up to Brannigan and his fellow Smoke Eaters to repel the dragon menace.”

Smoke Eaters is a thrilling science fiction/fantasy mash-up sure to whet your appetite for that page turning spring or summertime read. Full of action that blends near future scientific advancement with the legendary reptilian monsters of fantasy lore, Grigsby’s debut offers something for fans of both genres. I liken it to a fun summer action flick of a movie…er book. Continue reading →

My TBR Short Stack: 2/17/18

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We’re in Pigeon Forge for the weekend celebrating my father-in-law’s birthday. We’ve got an awesome cabin but unfortunately no WiFi which means I’m writing this on my phone (yay data plan) and not typing it on my laptop so please bear with any formatting issues.

OK things are slightly out of hand. My TBR pile has grown so large it can’t really fit in the cabinet by my reading chair. I may have to buy a bookshelf for it. I blame no one but the authors who keep writing books for me to read. I mean I appreciate what you do for me authors, but I can only read so fast.

Anyway I thought I’d post a quick update on the books on my current short stack. These are the books I expect to read over the next month or so (I average about one a week). As always this list is subject to change and usually does. Continue reading →

Senlin Ascends Review

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Author: Josiah Bancroft
Publisher: Orbit Books
Published: January 2018
Format: Paperback
Pages: 389

Senlin Ascends is simply wonderful; a fantastic, page turning debut masterpiece!

It’s the story of Thomas Senlin, “a reserved and naturally timid man who took confidence in schedules and regimens and written accounts” who takes his new bride Marya on a honeymoon to the Tower of Babel. The Tower, a mysterious edifice rising out of the Land of Ur with its top lost in the clouds draws people to it from every direction:

“The Tower of Babel is sometimes called the Sink of Humanity. Its immensity, the variety of its ringdoms, its mysterious and luxurious heights are irresistible to all comers. We are drawn to it like water to a drain.”

– Introduction to Everyman’s Guide to the Tower of Babel (Fourteenth Edition)

But once they arrive outside the tower Marya promptly disappears while going off in search of some underclothes. Senlin, the mild mannered school master waits for his bride into the next day then remembers his wife’s declaration that if they were separated they’d meet at the top of the Tower. Senlin sets off on a new journey into the Tower to find Marya, and in the process discovers more about himself than he ever anticipated. Continue reading →