A Gathering of Shadows: A Novel by V. E. Schwab

This is actually the second book in the Shades of Magic series.  I will be bringing up plot points and other things that reveal the ending of the first book (otherwise know as spoilers) in the course of this review.  So, if you're thinking about reading, but have yet to read A Darker Shade of Magic, check out my review and then check out the book.

In the previous book, we met Kell, his foster brother Rhy and Delilah (Lila) Bard.  These three work together (sort of) to keep the blackest of magics from over-taking Red London.  To do so, they had to take down Astrid and Athos Dane, the twins that ruled White London.  Kell also had to deal with fellow Antari, Holland, by forcing him near dead into Black London.  Something Kell knew to be certain death for Holland.  In the middle of all the fighting, Rhy, Prince and only heir to the crown, is mortally wounded.  Only through magic that binds Kell's life to Rhy's saves him but, at a cost.  Both must live for either to survive.

The story picks up a few months after all the events of the first book with Lila doing what she does best: pushing the boundaries of this exotic new world in order to get what she wants.  Scheming and conniving towards her ultimate goal of owning her own ship even though she know practically nothing about sailing.  Lila's story is what we can expect from this book.  It's chief focus seems to be the growth of the main characters and the introduction of a few more.  It's all very well done and really brings us deeper into the lives of these characters.

That said, there is also a great deal of action in this book as well.  This is story is very well balanced between action and exposition.  The best part to me was it didn't treat the first book like a formula to be repeated.  This is a continuation of a story rather than a new version of the old story.

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab is an entertaining follow-on to the first book.  There are some mature situations and quite a bit of violence but none that are overly graphic.  That all earns it a PG13 rating from me.

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by Tynga at Wednesday, March 30, 2016

 Fantasy, Fiction, Macmillan, Magic, parallel universes, Purchased, Review, Shades of Magic, V.E. Schwab  Leave your mark

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The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

This book is definitely original. I guess when you combine a master of Fantasy with a master of Sci-fi you're bound to get something amazing. True enough, I've never read anything by Baxter so this was a good way to introduce me to his work. I've read one book by Pratchett, which happens to be another collaboration with one of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman. In my opinion, Baxter plus Pratchett equals creative genius. That being said, I don't know how to categorize this book because it combines the two genres so effortlessly, that it can be placed in either one.

I really didn't know what I was getting into when I first started reading The Long Earth. Put simply, the book is primarily about a young man called Joshua who is travelling thousands and millions of parallel earths along with an artificial intelligence human called Lobsang. The ability to travel between the different Earths more or less became a worldwide phenomenon on Step Day, the day kids built steppers (the apparatus that allows most people to travel between Earths) and disappeared. For most, stepping between worlds is a nauseating ordeal but for Joshua, it's done effortlessly and even without a stepper. I guess you could say no to world is alike, some very similar, others completely different. New species of animals are being discovered, along with "new" hominid species that also have the ability to step. Some worlds are dangerous, while other are boring.

The main storyline is definitely Joshua's but you also get to read the point of view of many other characters. Personally, I'm never a fan of multiple point of views and this book is no exception. The various point of views makes it difficult to really get hooked by the book, but in this case, definitely important to understand how stepping has affected various people. However, once Joshua's story is established, the book is really hard to put down. I mean, who could put it down when you have two explorers travelling in an airship across the earth and through parallel universes at the same time?

I'm afraid true fantasy and sci-fi fans won't be able to fully appreciate this book. Personally, I really enjoyed it and I think it's the beginning of a great series. I think The Long Earth is simply an introduction, and things haven't really started yet. All series must start somewhere and this book is definitely a great introduction.

Personally, I think this collaboration is mind-blowing. The idea of parallel universes is obviously something that has been done before, but besides that, the rest of the book is by far one of the most original books I've read in a long time. The creativity behind every little detail is astounding and I'll be reading the next books as soon as possible.

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by Tynga at Monday, October 12, 2015

 evolution, Fantasy, Library, parallel universes, parallels, Random House, Review, sci-fi, Science Fiction, Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett, The Long Earth, Transworld  Leave your mark

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