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Chris Young

chris@wyrms.de

Joined 3 years, 2 months ago

Bookwyrm account I love fantasy fiction. Mastodon: @confusedbunny@oldbytes.space Avatar is from Little Monster's Word Book (Mercer Mayer)

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Erus Ludus: Aenigma

Review of 'Aenigma' on 'Goodreads'

I enjoyed the start of this book, a bit of Greek mythology and Roman historic fiction is my thing really, and this blends those plus the Amazons.

Some way through I got rather lost, all the names started blurring into one and I wasn't quite sure who was who any more. This was most likely mainly my fault for reading at work where I'm liable to being distracted and interrupted, but also because the story struggled to retain my interest after the "quest" had begun.

The ending is definitely unique but perhaps not worth the effort.

I received a copy of this book for free through GoodReads Giveaways.

Joanna Cannon: The Trouble with Goats and Sheep

Review of 'The Trouble with Goats and Sheep' on 'Goodreads'

This book has you poking around in other people's houses through the eyes of Grace Bennett (10), who together with her friend Tilly, is trying to find out what happened to Mrs Creasy. Nothing much really happens, significant events are talked about and appear as flashbacks, and nobody is really as they initially seem.

The perfect piece of Arthouse cinema for a Sunday afternoon (but in book form).

Terry Pratchett: The Shepherd's Crown (2015)

The Shepherd's Crown is a comic fantasy novel, the last book written by Terry Pratchett …

Review of "The Shepherd's Crown" on 'Goodreads'

A fitting final Discworld novel from Sir Terry, whom Death sadly led away from this world last year.

Esme Weatherwax is also dead. Who will fill her boots? Who will fill the boots of Terry Pratchett? At least the first of these questions is answered in The Shepherd's Crown. The second.... well, maybe we will find out in the future. Like Granny Weatherwax, Terry will be a difficult act to follow. But, maybe we don't need another Terry, but somebody who does things their own way. Not another Granny, but somebody more.. Tiffany.


Bruce Lewis: Draw Manga

Review of 'Draw Manga' on 'Goodreads'

I picked this up when I happened to see it in a clearance bin. I wasn't looking for any art help, but was attracted by the cheap price and the number of pages about how to draw people (in a cartoon/manga style). I'm not an artist by any means, but I enjoy doodling on occasion and have never really worked out how to draw realistic-looking people. There are some good tips in here and my skills have greatly improved already.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section is the history of Manga. It's interesting, but probably not why you're here.
The second section is "how to draw". This is the bit I was interested in. I skipped the life-drawing classes as I'm not actually trying to become a decent artist. How to pose people, get the proportions right, and some pages about drapery, hands and hair I …

Daniel Handler: We Are Pirates

Review of 'We Are Pirates' on 'Goodreads'

I quite enjoyed this. OK, so nothing much happens, but that's kind of the point. The timeline jumps around confusingly for a bit - some of the early parts occur before Gwen gets in the taxi, but that's not obvious until later (and really, to figure out the timeline properly I'd need to read it again).

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads giveaways

reviewed The Girl of Two Worlds by Nelly Harper (The Albion Chronicles, #1)

Nelly Harper: The Girl of Two Worlds

Review of 'The Girl of Two Worlds' on 'Goodreads'

This is the story of Kariss, a girl who has been living in 21st Century Britain but is really a prophesied leader from an alternate version of Britain's history. Time travelling between the time she came from and when she currently lives, she goes on a journey to reclaim the throne. It is an easy read and the story kept my interest throughout.

reviewed That Risen Snow by Rob E. Boley (Scary Tales, #1)

Rob E. Boley: That Risen Snow

Review of 'That Risen Snow: Snow White & Zombies' on 'Goodreads'

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. It contains scenes of dwarf tossing. It conjures up a mental image of Snow White having a piss in the woods, which will stay with me forever.

Other than that, it's standard running away from zombies fare - bar the flashbacks, which I enjoyed more - and it doesn't start to get interesting until the final chapter (so the next book should be better).

I should say that I'm not a massive zombie fan. I know some people can't get enough of them and they will probably love this book. I think I preferred the concept more than the actual story.

I received this for free through a GoodReads giveaway.

Juliet Y. Mark: The Queendom of Evlantis

Review of 'The Queendom of Evlantis' on 'Goodreads'

This is a book about a civilisation, where the women hold all the power and the men are enslaved. Consider an extreme mediæval society where the roles are reversed and heterosexual relationships are illegal, and you're getting close.

Things don't really start to get going until the election of High Queen, at which point all the scheming and backstabbing kicks off, and this reaches boiling point when the outsider is discovered.

Without making this a spoiler review that's about all I can say!

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.

Fredrik T. Olsson: Chain of Events

Review of 'Chain of Events' on 'Goodreads'

I'm not sure how to review this without giving anything away! It's an interesting story which kept my interest, although a bit anticlimactic. I can't say much more without ruining it... maybe I'll try to add more to this review later.

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
I originally posted this review under the wrong edition, which I'm fixing because it just confused me :)

Frank P. Ryan: The Sword of Feimhin

Review of 'The Sword of Feimhin' on 'Goodreads'

This is the third book in the series. It's somewhat different from the previous two, in that most of the action takes place on Earth, in a dystopian London. Anything describing itself as "urban fantasy" is something I'd usually avoid. Thankfully this doesn't describe itself as such, but that's largely what it is - London has been taken over by undesirables, law enforcement has gone out of the window, and only our heroes can fix it (or can they? you'll have to read to find out).

The rest of the book mostly focuses on Kate's ill-advised attempt to save the Momu. In many ways it is the opposite of what is happening in London - few characters, desolate wasteland, a lot of it not real. There was less action here but it seemed to be a more interesting, if simpler, story and not overly critical to the main plot.

Overall …