This is a shameless post to gush about some of my latest reads – the ones I really, utterly enjoyed.
Gemma Files is my latest book crush. I have listened to the first two books in her Hexslinger series (A Book of Tongues and A Rope of Thorns). this series doesn’t really fit into any one genre. The setting is the 1860s southwestern US. A troupe of soldiers have turned outlaw, and are lead by The Reverend, a hexslinger. Think of hexslinging as equal to casting spells. And he is in love with quick draw Chess Pargeter, a fierce, brutal man. Pretty soon, we have ancient Aztec deities stepping into the tale, and that’s when the true horror begins. Gordon MacKenzie was the narrator for these two books and he did an incredible job – accents, females, range of emotions, etc. Truly, Iambik Audio put together some top quality books in this series. I am eagerly awaiting Book 3.
Recently I finished the Blue Ant (or Bigend) series by William Gibson. This series is a modern-day fiction/mystery with a focus on fashion trends. At first, this didn’t seem to be my thing, but I found the books incredibly fascinating. In the first book (Pattern Recognition), our main character is a Cool Hunter, seeking out what will be the next big thing in fashion and marketing. she also has a strange talent or curse, depending on how you look at it – she is allergic to certain logos. Does the Michelin Man kind of creep you out too? The next two books follow a different set of characters, with Hubertes Bigend tying all three books together. In Spook Country we follow Hollis Henry, former drummer of the band Curfew, and junkie and Russian translator Milgrim get caught up in a bit of espionage. these two characters end up meeting in the third book, Zero History, which is a very satisfying end to the series. My better half says this series is his favorite by William Gibson, who also wrote Nueromancer.
I know I am late to the party, but Brandon Sanderson‘s Mistborn series kicks ass. If you are craving a seriously good, detailed, action-filled epic fantasy, then this series is for you. Mistborn: The Final Empire kicks it off and the world building is rich and intricate. A rebellion is in the making to overthrow the Final Empire. In order to do that, the Lord Emperor must die, which is highly bloody unlikely. By the second book, The Well of Ascension, we have a whole different set of problems. Sanderson also develops the world further by giving culture and characters to two races mentioned in the first book. I plan to start Book 3 very soon.
Isabelle Allende gave me such a beautiful, full, and entertaining origin story for the mythical hero Zorro. This is my first Allende novel, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her work. Diego de la Vega didn’t simply spring forth in the heat of California in the early 1800s one day. No, his parents had to meet and conceive him first. I love how Zorro takes us all the way back to Diego’s parents, who were strong, interesting characters in their own right. This novel takes the reader forward through his young years, to his education in Spain, and his first exploits back in California. His brother in spirit, Bernado, is there right by his side the whole way.
