James Latimer > Recent Status Updates

Enjoying it, but the fact that it's a "voicey" book means there's a bit of flab on the narration which I feel could have been slimmed down a bit.

Some of the technology analogues are a bit on the nose...

Very Jim Butcher so far, but in a high fantasy city (with muskets!?) like Garrett, PI, plus touches of Pratchett in the humour. Fun.

This is a book from 20 years ago that speaks to today's anti-feminist backlash with frightful prescience. But of course, it was always there - nevertheless, she persisted...

There's a bit of the Pratchett in the frenetic storytelling and the wild world building (the humour's different, of course, nor is this intently comic, though it is fairly light hearted)

A bit obsessed with telling us everyone's ages and facial expressions...but wildly inventive.

More complex than I expected in terms of moving parts but building nicely.

Started reading this because the first chapter was at the back of A Master of Djinn - so score one for marketing - but also because the noir voice grabbed me and hasn't let go. A lot of background slows down the forward momentum, which seems a bit haphazard at times, but it's still fun and an interesting world.

This is *really* good.

Liked that last one a lot, even with the abrupt end. Got the tone right and was comfortably small scale while still relating to the wider world.

Is the weather mage a got pun?

That was a bit more like it: subtler intrigue along with some wider post-war recovery geopolitics, hitting a good tone and characterisation without perhaps being as spectacular as the previous one...though I prefer that.

Second story didn't quite have the deftness of the first, especially in terms of the two main characters, but was still a cracking adventure with monsters galore (ironically insects).

The first story is just about perfect. Takes a sideline loose end from the first book and addresses it spectacularly. The fact that I'd figured it out quite early on was just icing on the cake to be honest.

Oh my that's a helluva secret to keep to the end!

Well that's just shifted gears! :o

I'm not sold on the central relationship or fully understanding the fantastic shenanigans, but the crusade stuff is good.

Good blend of fantasy and history here, but covers a lot of ground a bit frantically without much sinking in...though chapter 36 is pretty harrowing. Nice touches make the time come alive, feels very true to the setting.

The man is a bloody genius.

It has begun - bit rough finding my sea legs again, but soon gripped good and proper.

Heh, Frankie said "Relax". On purpose, I wonder?

Nice.

I must admit, slept on this a bit because it's outside my normal genres despite being by one of my favourite authors. Turns out, it's still just as compelling me evocative (if not as epic).

This book suffered from a bit of a lack of focus, and is at its best focusing on the Cards. As important as certain events and other characters are, there are simply too many at times, and seeing things from another new POV doesn't always add much to the story. Some truly incredible worldbuilding as always though.

This book is at once the same as the first (which is great, because I loved that book) but also different (which is great, because I've already read it). It's history repeating, but in a city and to people changed by the first book. Innocence is lost, but that doesn't mean they aren't still fighting for it.

That sense of innocence the characters had in the first has been well and truly shattered and has not recovered here...which is a bit of a shame, but makes for a gripping, perilous tale.