Reviews and Comments

I came across Trouble in Nuala while looking for a “straightforward” cosy mystery. That is, one without witches or ghosts or cute pets that help find clues. (Nothing wrong with those, but I fancied something without fantasy elements.) Inspector de Silva’s case fits the bill nicely, set as it is in historic Sri Lanka.

It was an easy read with a gentle pace. There are plentiful descriptions of places and people, as de Silva ambles around (metaphorically) picking up various clues, with ample opportunities for refreshments. I have no idea what police protocols would have been in that time period, and sometimes his methods seemed odd (though I easily accept how a 12th Century Benedictine monk goes about his investigations). For example, I raised my eyebrows at the thought of evidence rattling around loose in the boot of de Silva’s car until he remembered it was there.

Overall, a pleasant and straightforward cosy mystery in an unusual historic setting.

I’ve been dipping into the Tuyo series intermittently and was pleased to come across this one about a character who was rescued/adopted in a previous book. Given the “comforting” feel of the series in general, it was satisfying to follow Tano as he learns about trust, kindness and honour.

The story is told in first person by Tano himself. He’s obviously anxious, still suffering from prior abuse and terrified he’ll put a foot wrong and be rejected. Although we get to see his concerns first-hand as he thinks through what he ought to do now vs his ingrained inclinations for lying and avoidance, his ruminations don’t bog down the pace.

We get to meet various other characters who’ve grown familiar, but the story is definitely Tano’s. I haven’t read the other books recently, and sometimes it took me a while to put faces and roles to names, so to say. This was especially the case as there wasn’t much description of the people: I guess we should be able to remember them from before.

Overall, highly satisfying to see how the MC blossoms when given the opportunity

I’m not especially a reader of poetry, with the exception of Homer’s The Odyssey, which I have in various prose, free verse and rhyming verse translations. The Sign of the Dragon caught my eye because of the epic scope it suggested. I found it an easy read in terms of both comprehending the language and following the storyline.

I liked the presentation as a set of individual poems which went together to make up a full story. Xau is noble, responsible, larger than life and too good to be true, although he has his moments as a vulnerable human. Similarly, the forces acting against him are irredeemably, grossly evil (other than those that are misled or bewitched). I don’t think such characters would have worked at all well presented in prose. In poetry, we can appreciate the vignettes of Xau’s life and his situations more… symbolically? without worrying too much about realism.

So, despite my not being a reader of poetry, I’ll be watching out for more of the author’s works. Highly recommended.

I hadn't come across this author before, and I was (probably) too young for True Names to show up on my radar when it was first published as a novella in 1981. This reissue is accompanied by several essays that were written 10 or more years later, still well before the current date.

The plotline of True Names is straightforward on the surface: a hacker is pressured into attempting to uncover the real-life identity of a more dangerous hacker, which (of course) isn't as straightforward as initially hoped. There are interesting themes of symbolism and trust, and perhaps a sense of assessing people by what they do rather than what they say. I'd say the story has aged rather well.

I dipped into the accompanying essays, and I'm sure I will again. The concepts were a bit "technical" for me to fully appreciate from my non-IT-specialised background, but even so, they were thought-provoking.

Worth a read, and then a re-read.

I thank the publisher for a free copy of this book, which I received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme. This is my honest review.

The story is told in third person, past tense, from the points of view of twin sisters Jacqueline/engineer and Angélique/artist/werewolf. The prose was generally tidy, with only a few typos catching my eye. Unfortunately, I tripped up on the first page when Jacqueline (the non-artist twin) seemed to learn the name of a strange artist without an introduction: making me think the twins were telepathic. That first impression took me a while to shake off.

What particularly drew me towards this book was the steampunk setting and hints of a mysterious international plot. I enjoyed the uncertainty over the (non-point of view) characters’ motivations and just whose side they were really on. The technical/logistical stuff was handwavy and convenient, but I was happy not to think hard about plausibility.

The characters didn’t make me feel especially invested in them. Both sisters felt “young” in their behaviour and decision-making. The amount of internal emotional processing was of a level I tend to associate with writing aimed at a Young Adult readership, especially with (tiny spoiler) the absent parent who shows up at the end. Those of you who’ve read my other reviews know I’m not interested in romance. So it won’t be a surprise that I found the (metaphorical, sometimes!) drooling over their love interests a distraction from everything else.

Overall, a fun steampunk mystery/romance with a good dollop of the mystical.

I’ve not previously read anything by the author, although I’d put a couple of her books on my wishlist. I decided to start with Shades of Milk and Honey since I was in a fantasy of manners mood.

The prose was easy to read, though some repetitions stood out. In places, the language seemed to stray between period(ish) and more modern.

The setup and environment will be familiar to anyone who’s read Austen—though with the addition of magic, and a reduced level of “formality” compared to what we might expect. I liked the idea of glamour as an additional tool in social interactions, and I’d guess in future books we might see more practical (military?) applications.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. They did not feel fleshed out. We spend the entire story in Jane’s point of view, and I found her rather tiresome. She was pretty passive and kept belabouring her problems, with a combination of feeling put-upon, gaslighting herself and feeling somehow smugly martyred. OK, the last might have been my imagination, but her ruminations tended to reinforce that impression.

The pacing was sedate until just before the final confrontation, when the tone flipped into melodrama with a rush towards the end.

I came away feeling that the book hadn’t quite decided what sort of book it wanted to be and so it wavered in its direction. Maybe a bit like Jane.

This is my first foray into the world of Achten Tan. It seems like a fascinating place - though admittedly, one I probably wouldn't enjoy visiting. Buildings in bones and giant ants are only the start of it.

Mila's story is a fairly uncomplicated quest to find her magical power. We get to see Achten Tan's various cultures along the way. It's a pretty light read, in many senses, and a refreshing contrast to the grimdark stories I keep tripping over.

I think the book will mainly appeal to younger readers. Generally, the rest of the world takes a back seat to Mila's (and her allies') immediate concerns. For my tastes, there's a bit much of teenagers mooning over each other and blushing, and Mila getting tangled up in her feelings about relationships. The narrative is entirely in first person, present tense, and so we get a running commentary on her thoughts and reactions.

Overall, a fun, fast-paced read in a rich fantasy setting.