Over the past couple of weeks I've been reading a fair number of book samples from Amazon. I have another wave of them to go but this is what I've got up to to date.
Suzanne Mcleod: The Sweet Scent of Blood - looks like a good start to a series, if a little close to the 'hot chicks in leather who kick vampire's arses' meme. The writing's strong and the use of the Fae is good, setting up some nice aspects of the character's world and relationships.
Tom Fletcher: The Ravenglass Eye: This looks like a strong start to a horror novel, though the sample doesn't give enough away to give a real handle on what's going on.
Joe Abercrombie: The Blade Itself: Ugh, this is everything I hate about epic fantasy at the moment. I know it's realistic and gritty and probably does contain some 'deep truth' but it's too much and I find it quite unappealing.
Emma Newman: Any Other Name and Between Two Thorns: I love this, there's a whimsy and a reality here that's not leaden but still feels real.
Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London: This is odd, this should hit all my buttons but I actually found the sample a little dull and the character's voice did nothing for me.
Paul Cornell: London Falling: Here too I was expecting to really love this. I like Paul Cornell and think his writing's good (I'm even thinking about picking up his Wolverine series when it starts shipping in GN and to be honest, Wolvie's about my least favourite superhero). But the sample for London's Falling was dull and did nothing to convince me that there was a story that I wanted to read.
Anne Lyle: The Alchemist of Souls: In contrast Alchemist of Souls reminded me of Mary Gentle, back before she stumbled onto the Ash formula she's been using. There's a nice mix of alt. history, fantasy and uncommon characters that are just believable.
Lou Morgan: Blood and Feathers: A nice sample, setting up what looks like a nice story about angels and demons. At the end of the sample I had the strong impression that the heroine's mother has fallen and wants her daughter to come join her.
Mike Carey: The City of Silk and Steel: A nice start to the Arabian Nights style collection of stories about a mythical city of women. There's a nice feeling of the 1001 Arabian Nights
Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora: I've raved about this before... Odd that I think this is great but Abercrombie's sample did nothing for me.
Suzanne Mcleod: The Sweet Scent of Blood - looks like a good start to a series, if a little close to the 'hot chicks in leather who kick vampire's arses' meme. The writing's strong and the use of the Fae is good, setting up some nice aspects of the character's world and relationships.
Tom Fletcher: The Ravenglass Eye: This looks like a strong start to a horror novel, though the sample doesn't give enough away to give a real handle on what's going on.
Joe Abercrombie: The Blade Itself: Ugh, this is everything I hate about epic fantasy at the moment. I know it's realistic and gritty and probably does contain some 'deep truth' but it's too much and I find it quite unappealing.
Emma Newman: Any Other Name and Between Two Thorns: I love this, there's a whimsy and a reality here that's not leaden but still feels real.
Ben Aaronovitch: Rivers of London: This is odd, this should hit all my buttons but I actually found the sample a little dull and the character's voice did nothing for me.
Paul Cornell: London Falling: Here too I was expecting to really love this. I like Paul Cornell and think his writing's good (I'm even thinking about picking up his Wolverine series when it starts shipping in GN and to be honest, Wolvie's about my least favourite superhero). But the sample for London's Falling was dull and did nothing to convince me that there was a story that I wanted to read.
Anne Lyle: The Alchemist of Souls: In contrast Alchemist of Souls reminded me of Mary Gentle, back before she stumbled onto the Ash formula she's been using. There's a nice mix of alt. history, fantasy and uncommon characters that are just believable.
Lou Morgan: Blood and Feathers: A nice sample, setting up what looks like a nice story about angels and demons. At the end of the sample I had the strong impression that the heroine's mother has fallen and wants her daughter to come join her.
Mike Carey: The City of Silk and Steel: A nice start to the Arabian Nights style collection of stories about a mythical city of women. There's a nice feeling of the 1001 Arabian Nights
Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora: I've raved about this before... Odd that I think this is great but Abercrombie's sample did nothing for me.
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