Well I read Reaper's Gale and Toll the Hounds from Erikson this week. I liked them both, but for different reasons.
Reaper's Gale was very well told. It included some of my favorite characters. One thing that Erikson does very well, which I think is rare in fantasy, is capture the movements of armies over an entire campaign. He does this without bogging down, or being boring. I loved the story of the Marines in Reaper's Gale. There was a lot of nail biting moments. I liked that Erikson went out of his way to demonstrate that in many ways, the Malazans were much further advanced. Their magic was different, their weapons and armor superior, and their technology was superior. Still, there were a few times that he sliced through Gordion knots that didn't have to be cut in such an abrupt manner. Mainly, I'm looking at Karsa's duel with the Emperor. I thought it was more than a little anticlimatic.
Toll the Hounds was hard to get through. It's strange, because I saved several quotations throughout this novel on my kindle. I did so, because Erikson had some very profound thoughts on grief, faith, and several other things. The further destruction of the Bridgeburners was heartbreaking. Cutter's personal growth was nice to see. The ending was very well done. Very poignant. Unfortunately, I found several portions in the middle that ran on and on, seemingly going nowhere. Also, the beginning was hard to sink my teeth into because it felt like we jumped from one POV/plot line to another to another to another. After a few hundred pages and you've only come back to a few plot lines twice, it gets old. So this novel, while hard to get through, was well paid off in the end.
Finally, I read Dan Wells's latest in the series. "I Don't Want to Kill You." I found his first novel intriguing. Almost like a teenage Dexter. (Yes I know, the comparison's been made many times before). I knew going in about the supernatural aspect (and yes, as Dan's addressed before, it's not set up well and kind of pulls the reader out of the book when it first occurs). Still, I wanted to read the second one. Mr. Monster was disturbing. I've experienced a lot in my life. Overseas, my experiences have been well outside the realm of the average person. Even so, this novel was upsetting. You see, Dan does a good job of making us think that there's more to John Cleaver. Perhaps, he isn't a sociopath. Perhaps there's hope. Mr. Monster dashes those hopes away. Even while we see John start dating and began to become more normal. We know it can't last...and it doesn't.
Which brings me to his latest novel. It's a fast read. I found myself wondering where John was going to go in this novel. Dan starts us off similarly to the first two. There is a murder. There's sufficient evidence to indicate it's a serial killer. What I loved about this novel, is that it threw out the rule book. John seemed more in control of his tendencies, but we got to see that he was indeed falliable. What made this novel for me though, was the interaction between John and those around him. I'm not quite convinced that a girl like Marci would exist in the real world. It would take a hell of a personality for a girl to be the hottest girl in school and still have the confidence to go for an unpopular guy. Not only to go for that unpopular guy, but to appreciate him for who and what he is. And ultimately, that level of maturity is increasingly rare in our society. I'm not convinced that Marci exists, but I hope she does. And Dan clearly hopes so as well. For once, John isn't alone. Dan did a very good job here. He made me forget that thus far, this series has not been a happy one. The happiest ending was the first book and it's only grown darker since. I won't give anything away, but I was reading the book at work (I'm blessed with free time occassionally) and had I known what was coming, I would've put the book down and waited until I got home. It packs a punch. One that leaves the reader gasping.
I've never been a huge fan of YA. Too many times it's like high school all over again. The only people that look back with fondness on high school are either old enough to forget what it was like or else were part of the reason why high school was not the best years of our lives. I'm suspicious of those that espouse it to be the best years. Dan Wells does a good job of weaving roses in amongst the thorns and reminding the reader that there were rays of sunshine. And enjoy those rays, because he doesn't let them last long. Thanks for the read, Dan!
@Bookstore Guy, I'll probably give those two books a read this weekend if I have time. I need to take a breath before the plunge of the final two :-)