The Slow Regard of Silent Things

I am aware that this review has been a long time in coming. I've been receiving a lot of emails and messages asking me when I'd review Patrick Rothfuss' The Slow Regard of Silent Things since a few weeks before the novella was published. Trouble is, at first I had no intention of even reading the book. Don't get me wrong, like countless SFF readers I love Rothfuss. And I'm eagerly awaiting any news pertaining to the release of volume 3, The Doors of Stone.

The first red flag appeared when the author himself posted his "You might not want to buy this book" foreword online. Rothfuss warned readers that this was a bit of a strange story. Moreover, we were warned that it was different, that it didn't do a lot of the things a classic story is supposed to do. Hence, I was a bit apprehensive at the thought of reading this new novella. Then I finally received my copy and the author's endnote did nothing to reassure me. If anything, it well nigh convinced me that The Slow Regard of Silent Things wasn't for me. You know me. I'm a plot kind of guy. Always have been, always will be. And this novella didn't really have a plot to speak of. The closest thing to an action scene it features is a description of Auri making soap. All in all, it didn't seem to bode well for me. So I elected that for the good of everyone involved, I should refrain from reading and reviewing this one.

Not unexpectedly, readers' reviews have been rather mixed. Some have loved everything about it, while others have accused Rothfuss of milking his popularity for all it's worth by releasing a weird work that should have remained buried somewhere deep in his computer files. Knowing how hard to please I can be and reading those mixed reviews made me realize that this was the right course of action for me. Yet for some reason, even though everything hinted at the fact that I would in all likelihood absolutely hate everything about The Slow Regard of Silent Things, I kept thinking about the book and whether or not I should give it a go. The Holiday season was just around the corner and I wanted a quick read, so I finally caved in and decided to read the novella. And I'm glad I did!

Here's the blurb:

Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri’s life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri’s eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows….

In this book, Patrick Rothfuss brings us into the world of one of The Kingkiller Chronicle’s most enigmatic characters. Full of secrets and mysteries, The Slow Regard of Silent Things is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world.

The tale focuses on Auri, the mysterious girl that Kvothe befriends at the university, and her life in the Underthing. Forewarned by Rothfuss, one quickly realizes that there is indeed no structured plot moving the story forward. The third person narrative follows the point of view of Auri and we immediately discover -- not that we needed any confirmation -- that there is something special about this strange girl. In the main book sequence, Auri comes across as an incredibly shy, innocent, and enigmatic girl. But there is something hauntingly whimsical about her and the way she perceives the world around her. Every object and place has a special name and is even attributed feelings. Her life seems to revolve around finding a proper place for every object she comes across.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things features a story that drifts somewhat aimlessly as it follows Auri's life in the Underthing. She somehow knows that Kvothe will be visiting her in seven days and she must find a suitable gift for him. The better part of the book pretty much has to with her quest to find the appropriate place for all the inanimate object she finds, a place that suits them and won't hurt their feelings. Hence, the narrative meanders and often doesn't seem to go anywhere. Things don't necessarily make any sense, but in a way that's the beauty of the novella.

As I mentioned, there is something hauntingly whimsical about Auri's POV. At times, she's sweet and fragile. At others, she's driven and stronger. There is an innocence about her that I found absolutely charming. Her sweetness reminded me of my goddaughter Angélique. I remember watching her interact with the world around her while she was growing up, and then participating in her often odd adventures as she grew older, trying to understand what the heck was going on inside her head. Auri is a bit like that. Her sweetness and vulnerability draw you inside her world. And although there is indeed no plot to speak of, I found myself letting go of what a story is supposed to be about and all of a sudden I was just along for the ride. A weird and fanciful ride, no doubt about it!

Few speculative fiction authors could have managed to make a story with no plot, a story that often basically goes nowhere, something so interesting to read. But Patrick Rothfuss' prose makes this a joy to read. His evocative depiction of the Underthing as a dark and atmospheric place sets the mood perfectly.

The novella also features a number of black-and-white illustrations from artist Nate Taylor. Each help depict Auri and the various rooms of the Underthing and its many corridors, capturing the often claustrophobic feel of those places. In a strange way, the Underthing almost becomes a character in its own right throughout this book.

So no, if you are looking for more about Kvothe and the Kingkiller Chronicle, this novella is not for you. Nothing much happens and chances are that you won't enjoy it. But if you want to read something different, something special, about a broken girl making her way through a broken world, then The Slow Regard of Silent Things might be for you.

The final verdict: 7.75/10

For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe

Quote of the Day

Sometimes great rights must be stitched from little wrongs.

- JOE ABERCROMBIE, Half the World (Canada, USA, Europe)

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Dan Simmons' Hugo award-winning classic, Hyperion, for only 4.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

On the world called Hyperion, beyond the law of the Hegemony of Man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope--and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.

You can also get your hands on another science fiction classic, William Gibson's Neuromancer, for only 4.59$ here.

Here's the blurb:

The Matrix is a world within the world, a global consensus-hallucination, the representation of every byte of data in cyberspace . . .

Case had been the sharpest data-thief in the business, until vengeful former employees crippled his nervous system. But now a new and very mysterious employer recruits him for a last-chance run. The target: an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence orbiting Earth in service of the sinister Tessier-Ashpool business clan. With a dead man riding shotgun and Molly, mirror-eyed street-samurai, to watch his back, Case embarks on an adventure that ups the ante on an entire genre of fiction.

Hotwired to the leading edges of art and technology, Neuromancer ranks with 1984 and Brave New World as one of the century’s most potent visions of the future.

Gemini Cell

Right off the bat, let's get one thing straight: Myke Cole is the shit! All three installments of the Shadow Ops series were fresh and unlike anything else I had ever read. Control Point, Fortress Frontier, and Breach Zone were fun, intelligent, action-packed, and entertaining reads, each with a generous dose of ass-kicking! Too bad the author signed a mass market paperback book deal and doesn't get a whole lot of marketing to help promote his books, for his first trilogy is as accessible as it is compelling. It's been years since I last encountered a fantasy series with so much mass appeal and there's nothing I would like more than to see these books get more widely read and enjoyed.

Having said that, Cole closed the show on the Shadow Ops series last year, capping everything off with style and aplomb. So that story arc is over and this new trilogy will focus on the early days of the Great Awakening, when magic first returned to the world and changed everything. Hence, Cole couldn't build on existing storylines and was forced to start from scratch, with brand new characters, new realities as the world order begins to unravel, and totally different plotlines. Could he do it again? Could this new series live up to the lofty expectations created by the way the author set the bar so high with the Shadow Ops series? Well, I'm please to report that once more, the answer is a resounding yes! At least as far as this first volume is concerned, in any case.

Here's the blurb:

Myke Cole continues to blow the military fantasy genre wide open with GEMINI CELL, an all-new epic adventure in the highly acclaimed Shadow Ops universe.

US Navy SEAL Jim Schweitzer is a consummate professional, a fierce warrior, and a hard man to kill. But when he sees something he was never meant to see on a covert mission gone bad, he finds himself – and his family – in the crosshairs. Nothing means more to Jim than protecting his loved ones, but when the enemy brings the battle to his front door, he is overwhelmed and taken down.

It should be the end of the story. But Jim is raised from the dead by a sorcerer and recruited by a top secret unit dabbling in the occult, known only as the Gemini Cell. With powers he doesn’t understand, Jim is called back to duty – as the ultimate warrior. As he wrestles with a literal inner demon, Jim realises his new superiors are determined to use him for their own ends and keep him in the dark – especially about the fates of his wife and son…

As was the case in his last offering, Myke Cole seems more mature as a writer and in better control of his craft. And as always, having served in the military allows the author to imbue his books with a credibility regarding the realism of the use of magic in military operations and its ramifications up and down the chain of command. I feel that it gives any Myke Cole work its unique "flavor" and remains what sets them apart from everything else on the market. With magic returning to the world, it was interesting to see how the US military tried to take advantage of these new powers in the early days of what would come to be known as the Great Awakening. I'm particularly looking forward to finding out how the top secret unit known as the Gemini Cell will grow to become the SOC.

All three Shadow Ops volumes were character-driven affairs and the same can be said of Gemini Cell. This may be military fantasy, yet Myke Cole has a knack for creating genuine three-dimensional protagonists with absorbing back stories. I feel that Cole never did receive the credit he deserves for having a deft human touch which allows him to come up with unexpected emotional scenes packing a powerful punch. Jim Schweitzer is an easy character to root for and I enjoyed how the author brought him back to life and how he portrayed his struggles to maintain his identity. I felt that there was a good balance between his POV and that of his wife Sarah, who's been told that her husband has passed away. The hopeless love affair with Steve made me groan in frustration, but I should have known that Cole wouldn't go for the path of least resistance. Scenes with Eldredge, Jawid, and Ninip gave us a fascinating glimpse of the repercussions engendered by the return of magic and I'm really looking forward to more of that in the upcoming installments.

As is usually his wont, Cole keeps the pace nice and crisp, and Gemini Cell is a another page-turner. You may recall that, although I loved Breach Zone, I felt that the 300-page set-up and only 30-something pages to close the show felt a bit incongruous. I am aware that mass market paperback editions habitually preclude the sort of word count that authors publishing hardbacks can work with. But these last two novels demonstrated that Cole likely needs more pages to do justice to the tale he is telling. Here's to hoping that his editors will give him a bit more freedom in the future, as once again I felt that Gemini Cell would have been stronger, especially where the finale is concerned, if Cole had had more pages to work with, thus giving him the opportunity to bring this book to an end without being forced to rush everything.

With Gemini Cell, Myke Cole proves that the Shadow Ops trilogy was no fluke. It's everything the first series was and then some! Don't feel bad if you haven't given Cole a shot yet. Rejoice, for you can now dive into no less than four engaging and entertaining novels, with more on the way!

Myke Cole's Gemini Cell is military fantasy at its best!

The final verdict: 8/10

For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can get all three volumes of Jeff VanderMeer's The Southern Reach trilogy for 2.99$ each.

- Annihilation
- Authority
- Acceptance

Here's the blurb for the first volume:

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide, the third expedition in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.

The group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one anotioner, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers—they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding—but it’s the surprises that came across the border with them and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another that change everything.

Musical Interlude

Happy Saturday! =)

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (January 12th)

In hardcover:

Stephen King's Revival is down two positions, ending the week at number 6.

Haruki Murakami's The Strange Library is down four positions, ending the week at number 14.

Anne Rice's Prince Lestat is down seven positions, ending the week at number 18.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's The Martian is up one spot, finishing the week at number 2.

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is down five positions, ending the week at number 7.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is down one spot, finishing the week at number 11.

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane maintains its position at number 19 (trade paperback).

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download John Gwynne's Malice for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon.

Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms.

Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars. High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.

The Expanse Trailer

I had some doubts at first, but now that I've seen this trailer I'm excited! =) If you haven't read James S. A. Corey's Leviathan Wakes, you should read it now!

Quote of the Day

Modesty is for folk with nothing to boast of.

- JOE ABERCROMBIE, Half the World (Canada, USA, Europe)

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

For a limited time only, you can get your hands on Peter V. Brett's debut, The Warded Man, for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

As darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.

Win a copy of Wild Cards IV: ACES ABROAD

Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Tor Books, I have three copies of Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad, edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass, for you to win! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

The action-packed alternate fantasy returns for a new generation, featuring fiction from #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin, Michael Cassutt, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Lewis Shiner, and more—plus two completely new stories from Kevin Andrew Murphy and bestselling author Carrie Vaughn. Forty years after the Wild Card Virus’s release, the World Health Organization decides it’s time to take a delegation of Aces, Jokers, politicians, and journalists on a fact-finding mission to learn how other countries are dealing with the virus that reshaped humanity. Leading the team is Gregg Hartmann, a senator with presidential aspirations and a dangerous ace up his sleeve. Joining him is a menagerie of some of the series’ best and most popular Wild Cards, including Dr. Tachyon, aces Peregrine and Golden Boy, and jokers Chrysalis, Troll, and Father Squid. From the jungles of Haiti and Peru to the tumultuous political climate of Egypt, from a monastery in Japan to the streets of the most glamorous cities of Europe, the Wild Cards are in for an eye-opening trip. While some are worshiped as actual gods, those possessing the most extreme mutations are treated with a contempt that's all too familiar to the delegates from Jokertown. New alliances will be formed, new enemies will be made, and some actions will fulfill centuries-old prophecies that make ripples throughout the future of the Wild Cards universe.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "ACES." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Michael Moorcock contest winner!

This lucky winner will get his hands on my ARC of Michael Moorcock's latest, The Whispering Swarm! For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

- Bill Purcell, from Leary, Georgia, USA

Many thanks to all the participants!

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can download the entire Ender Quintet by Orson Scott Card for only 16.99$ here. That's 5 books for a little over 3$ each!

Here's the blurb:

This set contains Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, and Ender in Exile.

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

And here's the blurb for the first volume, Ender's Game:

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Quote of the Day

The statesman's only moments of rest are in defeat, with all its bitterness and the anxious recapitulation of accomplished fact, often of a threatening future. There is no rest for those in power but in defeat.

- MAURICE DRUON, The Poisoned Crown (Canada, USA, Europe)

Win a copy of Joel Shepherd's ORIGINATOR

I have three copies of Joel Shepherd's Originator up for grabs, compliments of the folks at Pyr. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe.

Here's the blurb:

A quarter of a million people die in the destruction of the moon Cresta. The League civil war is accelerating out of control, but projections indicate that as their technologically induced sociological dysfunction continues, all of humanity may face a similar fate. In the aftermath of Cresta's destruction, Sandy Kresnov discovers the alien Talee operative Cai in Tanusha, there to learn just how far the technologically-induced insanity has gone. The Talee have seen this before, and they are terrified of anything threatening a recurrence.

Meanwhile, Sandy's old nemesis Renaldo Takewashi, the self-proclaimed “father” of synthetic intelligence, comes to the Federation seeking asylum. Takewashi may even have a cure—previously unknown Talee technology implanted into a human child subject—Sandy's little boy, Kiril. But it is exactly this technology that the Talee fear, and they will exterminate anyone caught using it.

Now, Sandy must fight to save her family from a terrible new threat, but doing so may plunge humanity into another destructive war between humans, or worse, against the massively-advanced Talee. And what final secret are the Talee protecting about the origins of synthetic humans like Sandy that could either liberate Sandy’s fellow synthetics from bondage or spell disaster for all humanity?

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "ORIGINATOR." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

Je suis Charlie

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can download J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: One Volume for only 5.60$ here!

Here's the blurb:

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

This new edition includes the fiftieth-anniversary fully corrected text setting and, for the first time, an extensive new index.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (January 5th)

In hardcover:

Stephen King's Revival is down two positions, ending the week at number 4.

Haruki Murakami's The Strange Library maintains its position at number 10.

Anne Rice's Prince Lestat is up two positions, ending the week at number 11.

David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks is up four spots, finishing the week at number 16.

In paperback:

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is up four positions, ending the week at number 2.

George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons is up nine spots, finishing the week at number 10.

George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings returns at number 14.

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones returns at number 17.

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane is up one position, ending the week at number 19 (trade paperback).

George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords returns at number 20.

Calling on all self-published/indie speculative fiction writers: Final Update

As you know, my attempt to read and review a self-published SFF work sort of went down the crapper last year. I felt kind of bad, because I really wanted to do this. Meaning that I wanted to give an indie speculative fiction author's book a fair shot and come what may.

Since the "winner" of the draw saw fit not to get back to me, I was at a loss as to what to do. So I put that little project on hold and kind of forgot all about it. Fast forward to last fall, when Ted Cross, long-time Hotlist follower, communicated with me, touching base to see if perhaps I'd be interested in giving his self-published cyberpunk tale a go since I hadn't followed through with the experience in 2014. I thought about it for a while and then replied that I couldn't offer any promises as to if/when I'd read it. Still, Cross took a chance and sent me a PDF file, crossing his fingers.

My curiosity was piqued a few weeks later when I discovered that he paid 2000$ out of his own pocket to have the cover art done by the talented Stephan Martiniere because he wanted the novel to stand out from other self-published works out there. I spent the Holidays debating whether or not to do this and I finally decided to read and review The Immortality Game. You can find more info about this title here.

Here's the blurb:

Moscow, 2138. With the world only beginning to recover from the complete societal collapse of the late 21st Century, Zoya scrapes by prepping corpses for funerals and dreams of saving enough money to have a child. When her brother forces her to bring him a mysterious package, she witnesses his murder and finds herself on the run from ruthless mobsters. Frantically trying to stay alive and save her loved ones, Zoya opens the package and discovers two unusual data cards, one that allows her to fight back against the mafia and another which may hold the key to everlasting life.

So there you have it. As promised, I will read and review an indie SFF novel. Don't know exactly when, but Ted Cross' The Immortality Game is now in the 2015 book rotation. . .