Books Read in 2009

[Jeff V]

The Fury of the Northmen by John Marsden

I must admit this book wasn't what I hoped it would be -- a comprehensive account of the Norse and Danish "viking" invasions of the British Isles from 793 to William the Conqueror in 1066. Instead, it's mostly an account of coastal monasteries, with particular attention to that of St. Cuthbert at Lindisfarne, the invasion that started it all and led to nearly 3 centuries of wandering by monks toting his unwithered carcass around northern England. While the heathen invaders play a role in the book, the after-effects of their raids seem more important to the author than other specifics regarding the raiding, particularly political, social and economic forces behind their movement.

While the path taken by Marsden was not much to my liking, I probably could have successfully adjusted my expectations had he been more secular in his presentation. Marsden derived too many conclusions from suspect sources...sagas, poems, and chronicles where he would seemingly pick and choose what he considered unequivocal fact and what was obvious fiction -- even when appearing in the same paragraph! He was also overly fond of pointing out passages that seemed to foretell future events, I'm pretty sure Marsden actually believed that divine intervention altered to course of history many times during this period. This quickly becomes tedious to the non-believer, and throws all conclusions into doubt.

Read this book if you have a special interest in English and Irish monasteries during the Dark Ages. Skip it if you want to learn more about vikings or the heroes that opposed them (such as Alfred the Great).

[Isgrimnur]

First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong

The book does a very good job of covering Armstrong's childhood, Navy flier experience during Korea, and his NACA experience flying the X-15. Obviously, a significant portion is devoted to his Apollo 11 training and experiences. At one point, there's a weird left turn to explore contemporary coverage from an author that never had a one-on-one interview with him, but overall the book does a great job exploring Armstrong's life and just how different and private he was from the rest of the people around him. It doesn't spend a whole lot of time exploring the last 40 years of his life (so far), but then, I guess there's not much call to explore his corporate sponsorships and board of directors work in much more detail than is presented here. I learned things about the programs he was involved with that I didn't know as well, which is always a bonus for me.

[JonathanStrange]

The Fury of the Northmen by John Marsden

I must admit this book wasn't what I hoped it would be -- a comprehensive account of the Norse and Danish "viking" invasions of the British Isles from 793 to William the Conqueror in 1066. Instead, it's mostly an account of coastal monasteries, with particular attention to that of St. Cuthbert at Lindisfarne, the invasion that started it all and led to nearly 3 centuries of wandering by monks toting his unwithered carcass around northern England. While the heathen invaders play a role in the book, the after-effects of their raids seem more important to the author than other specifics regarding the raiding, particularly political, social and economic forces behind their movement.

While the path taken by Marsden was not much to my liking, I probably could have successfully adjusted my expectations had he been more secular in his presentation. Marsden derived too many conclusions from suspect sources...sagas, poems, and chronicles where he would seemingly pick and choose what he considered unequivocal fact and what was obvious fiction -- even when appearing in the same paragraph! He was also overly fond of pointing out passages that seemed to foretell future events, I'm pretty sure Marsden actually believed that divine intervention altered to course of history many times during this period. This quickly becomes tedious to the non-believer, and throws all conclusions into doubt.

Read this book if you have a special interest in English and Irish monasteries during the Dark Ages. Skip it if you want to learn more about vikings or the heroes that opposed them (such as Alfred the Great).

Well...I will still read it (as I have it somewhere). You probably are familiar with B Cornwell's Saxon series which covers this time period with his usual vivid style. A rather unpleasant and exciting age!

[Jeff V]

I read it because I read the Cornwell Saxon chronicles. Still, it was tedious and I suspect I learned more about the vikings reading Cornwell's novels. Some of the battles included in the series are mentioned in this book...but little more. Alfie gets little more than an honorable mention.

I would have given this less than 2 binkys had I not read the Cornwell novels first.

[Jeff V]

The Greatest Show on Earth -- The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins

In this Year of Darwin, it's not surprising to see a new book from one of the leading proponents of Evolution. Dawkins has covered the topic from many angles in the past, this time, however, he's poking his fingers in the eyes of Creationists/"Intelligent Designers" (or, as he prefers to call them, "History deniers"). Dawkins begins by stating the dictionary definitions of the word "theory", a common entry point on Creationist dogma. The first definition of the term is, to paraphrase, "an explanation that describes a set of facts." This, he maintains, is what the Theory of Evolution is; a model which describes a set of facts. The "History deniers," however, insist on pointing to another definition of the term -- again to paraphrase, "a conjecture that describes a set of observations that have not been tested." By the end of the book, there is no doubt whatsoever that the first definition is the correct one when describing evolution.

Dawkins also purports to give readers ammunition they can use when going up against Creationist/Intelligent Designer pinheads. His examples superbly describe the evidence for evolution beyond any shadow of a doubt -- however, the examples are not of the sort that simpletons will readily understand or concede. He does debase another tiresome argument that the "fossil record is incomplete" and "riddled with missing links;" Dawkins goes on to explain how we can prove evolution without using a single fossil, and besides, we have plenty of "missing links," the deniers just keep saying that as if constant repetition will make the evidence go away. Some of the hard, indisputable evidence comes from experiments in microbiology -- which is where the ammunition gets a little sophisticated for use in your average bar fight.

The conclusion of the book in inescapable -- the Theory of Evolution is not dogma, to be taught alongside alternate opinions -- it is fact and needs to be taught as such. One of the staggering statistics he repeated often is that 44% of Americans actually believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old and that humans coexisted with dinosaurs. While there is some good stuff here to throw at them, most will just yell "la la la" when you try to make them less ignorant.

[Jeff V]

The Winds of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Brian Herbert's latest tale in the Dune saga takes place immediately after Dune Messiah. The emperor Paul Muad'dib has wandered off into the desert, presumably eaten by worms. His sister Alia is regent until Paul's new-born twins come of age.

Like Paul of Dune, this book bounces back and forth to events in Paul's life that happened pre-Dune. The purpose this time is a little more focused -- the events then have direct consequence in this story. The story predominately follows Lady Jessica, Paul's mother. The empire is not in a good place, and has not been so since Paul was still in charge. One begins to understand why his sister, Alia, goes nutty in Children of Dune. In this book, her reaction to any provocation is extreme to say the least.

This book fills more gaps and details. For those who can't get enough of the Dune universe, it's more brain candy. There is no joy in this book -- some characters deserve a measure of empathy,others make you wonder what happened to humanity. Even so, it is what it is...which is part of the Dune mythos. Prerequisites are Dune, Paul of Dune, and Dune Messiah.

[Jeff V]

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I've been meaning to read this book for years, I'm glad I finally got around to it! This year we are celebrating architect Daniel Burnham's plan for Chicago, which ensured the lakefront remained the gem it is today. Before that, however, he made his name by designing and building the Columbian Exposition -- a world's fair that was, at the time, the greatest ever. The impetus behind the fair was a strong national desire to eclipse the Paris Exposition, where the Eiffel Tower was the marvel of the show. By the time politicians all agreed and funding and location was secured, Burnham had only about two years to construct his vision, which featured among other things, the first Ferris Wheel.

Meanwhile, nearby a young, charismatic man changes his name to H.H. Holmes, begins down the path of a swindler only to wind up a notorious serial killer, more insidious than his English contemporary Jack the Ripper, as these weren't random acts of violence, but calculated plots involving people he knew that had trusted him.

The Devil in the White City narrates the two stories (and a third involving an attorney who went off his nut and assassinated the mayor) to highlight the dichotomy of the era. On one hand, there was the monumental accomplishment of the fair, bringing world renown to the city and country. On the other, there was the shadowy "black city" of what was and what was yet to come -- corruption, violence, soul-sucking industry, and poverty. It reads like a fascinating novel -- yet it all really happened. I'm interested in reading more about Burnham -- Holmes? Not so much. There aren't many characters in history more fundamentally evil.

[JonathanStrange]

I enjoyed The Devil in the White City too; it was indeed a fascinating read. Larson has a new book Thunderstruck that also has dual stories and looks interesting also.

I just downloaded Thunderstruck from my Public Library and haven't listened to it yet - but it's on my list now.

[YellowKing]

Devil in the White City was awesome. Thunderstruck was also very good, though not quite as good as 'Devil' due to a slightly less fiendish villain - though I did find the story behind the invention of the telegraph completely fascinating.

[Jeff V]

Thanks, I'll pick it up as soon as I get a slot in my schedule.

It won't be another 5 years though.

[Bad Demographic]

Read:
My Own Kind of Freedom by Steven Brust
Let's see if I can correctly remember the story behind the story. Was Steve asked to write this? I think so, not sure. It was turned down so he put it on the internet for free. Free! And given the story and the Firefly theme, how appropriate.
I thought Steve was spot on with characterization and with how Firefly storylines go.

The Water Room by Christopher Fowler
Having never read anything before by this author, I wasn't sure if the solution (it's a mystery) would be supernatural.
The premise is there are these very old English detectives (DIs) who look into possibly related matters. First there's a woman found dead in her basement, sitting in a chair and fully dressed, but drowned. And Thames water is in her throat. The room is dry though.
The second mystery revolves around an academic who is working with a kind of mysterious guy, looking for old waterways that are now covered over with paving, etc. Sort of like buried rivers.
Are they related incidents? They look like it.
And to top it off, the unit (the Peculiar Crimes Unit) only has a couple days to find out what's going on or they'll be disbanded.
This was pretty good and I will be reading more by this author.

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
This is the book "Field of Dreams" was based on. If you have not read this but you enjoyed the movie, I think you'll really like it.
For me it was like an avalanche. It started a little slow, but then picked up speed and I rushed along with it. Very hard to put down once it got going.

[Jeff V]

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston

A story involving a hot babe, a psychotic killer who hatches a 15-year plot to spring mass death and mayhem, and an ancient Egyptian tomb originally excavated by Napoleon's expedition and reconstructed in a sub-basement in New York's Natural History Museum seems like it should have all of the elements of a great story. This is the second Preston book I've listened to this year; the other was less disjointed. My favorite thing about this book was the reader: Rene Auberjonois of Benson and Deep Space Nine did a great, over-the-top dramatic reading that seemed more interesting than the words themselves.

The strange ending makes more sense now that I know it's part of a series. There is no mention of that on the CD box.

[lildrgn]

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston

A story involving a hot babe, a psychotic killer who hatches a 15-year plot to spring mass death and mayhem, and an ancient Egyptian tomb originally excavated by Napoleon's expedition and reconstructed in a sub-basement in New York's Natural History Museum seems like it should have all of the elements of a great story. This is the second Preston book I've listened to this year; the other was less disjointed. My favorite thing about this book was the reader: Rene Auberjonois of Benson and Deep Space Nine did a great, over-the-top dramatic reading that seemed more interesting than the words themselves.

The strange ending makes more sense now that I know it's part of a series. There is no mention of that on the CD box.

Preston/Douglas have a ton of Pendergast novels. They can be interesting, but a little tiresome at times. I found their stand alone works (Ice Limit, Thunderhead, etc) to be much more engaging. They feature some of the characters you know from the Pendergast series, but aren't really part of the series.

[Jeff V]

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston

A story involving a hot babe, a psychotic killer who hatches a 15-year plot to spring mass death and mayhem, and an ancient Egyptian tomb originally excavated by Napoleon's expedition and reconstructed in a sub-basement in New York's Natural History Museum seems like it should have all of the elements of a great story. This is the second Preston book I've listened to this year; the other was less disjointed. My favorite thing about this book was the reader: Rene Auberjonois of Benson and Deep Space Nine did a great, over-the-top dramatic reading that seemed more interesting than the words themselves.

The strange ending makes more sense now that I know it's part of a series. There is no mention of that on the CD box.

Preston/Douglas have a ton of Pendergast novels. They can be interesting, but a little tiresome at times. I found their stand alone works (Ice Limit, Thunderhead, etc) to be much more engaging. They feature some of the characters you know from the Pendergast series, but aren't really part of the series.

Thanks, maybe I'll go back to the beginning some day. This is the second such novel in the last month that I read with a substantial history that I wasn't previously aware of. It would be nice if publishers would disclose this on their product description. I'm currently reading (in order) Brian Freeman's Jonathan Stride series; and with John Burdett's new Bangkok-series novel coming out soon, I don't really need more detective novels queued up at this time.

[YellowKing]

Yeah, I'm a big fan of Preston/Child's work, and Pendergast is a fantastic character. It's fluff, but it's usually fun. I was a bit disappointed in their latest, Cemetery Dance, however. They've been running out of steam the last few books.

I'm currently reading Joe Abercrombie - Best Served Cold, James Rollins - The Judas Strain, and have the new Stephen King (Under the Dome) and new Jordan/Sanderson (The Gathering Storm) on tap.

[Jeff V]

Super Freakonomics by Steven Leavitt and Stephen Dubner

Once again, Levitt and Dubner apply economist techniques to a variety of interesting topics, including prostitution, global warming, terrorism, altruism, and fundamental healthcare. Like the last book, some of the revelations are startling -- for instance, you are 8 times more likely to die in a drunk-walking incident than you are in drunk driving incident. A more central theme to the book though isn't the manipulation of data to reach surprising conclusions, but that data alone isn't going to change human behavior. Much is written about the literally hot topic of global warming -- Al Gore is probably right in stating that if we are going to change our behavior to alleviate the problem we are dangerously behind the eight ball. A better solution posed by some brilliant minds, however, suggests we will never get to that point -- the imperative isn't aligned with our motivation. The solution is counter-intuitive, and given the lack of environmental understanding that led to this mess, a suspiciously risky one, then again, we do know more now than we knew in the past, and perhaps the risk isn't so great after all.

Like the first book, this one is shorter than I wanted it to be. The epilogue in particular I found fascinating, although I suppose elaborating on it goes rather beyond the scope of the book. It involves monkeys learning to use money...and what they ultimately learned they could buy with it.

[Jeff V]

The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer

Perhaps when you are Norman Mailer, publishers consider every word sacred and skip part of the editing process? I have not read a more uneven story that challenged my patience in a long time.

The premise seemed interesting. The narrator introduces himself as a former SS officer, once given a task by Himmler to compile a history on the early years of Hitler's life. Alluding to unique sources that would be hard for Himmler to verify, it seems "Heine" never got the whole story. Now, in his late years and living in America, he figured the story was finally worth telling.

The unique source -- and most interesting premise in the book, is a devil. This devil is occupying the body of the former SS officer, but this was not always the case. Shortly after his birth, this devil was assigned by "The Maestro" to watch over the development of "Young Addy." He was the project manager, with several minions working beneath him to handle more mundane chores. He reported back to The Maestro, as far he knew, the chief adversary of the "DK" (the Dumbkopf, aka God). Similarly, the devil narrating the story had to operate around "Cudgels", or angels, working on behalf of the DK.

The book was at its best describing this metaphysical contest. First, however, was a genealogy of Hitler's ancestry, going back to speculations on his grandfather, as well as incestuous liaisons. Might be interesting to those into chasing family trees, but I'm not one of them. Perhaps the most indulgent part of the book was the incredible percentage devoted to bees. Yes, bees. Adolfs father retired to a barren farm after his life of service as a custom's agent. The land was best used to raise bees. Mailer found it necessary to educate readers on the state of turn-of-the-century apiculture. This could have been trimmed 90% and still have gotten the point across.

In another part, the narrator departs from the Hitler household to attend the coronation of Nicholas II. The scene illustrates the chess game between the Maestro and the Dumbkopf, but has little overall relevance to the story.

The story ends following the death of Hitler's father and his graduation from school. There were but the tiniest hints of what influenced Hitler to develop into the most infamous monster in history. We are left to ponder just how these seedlings would germinate and grow. Hints indicate perhaps the story wwill continue. That could, I think, be more interesting.

[Isgrimnur]

The Tawny Man Trilogy -

• Fool's Errand
• Golden Fool
• Fool's Fate

A very nice ending to the story of Fitzchivalry Farseer. Obviously, given the character, there is plenty of introspection, woe-is-me, and some would say whining to go with the grand adventures and political manuevering, but I enjoyed it. I'm definitely glad that I didn't skip the Liveship Traders series, as there are several elements from that trilogy that have effects on this one.

Oh, and apparently Robin Hobb isn't done with this world yet. 1/26/10 brings The Dragon Keeper in hardcover to the U.S., with Dragon Haven due for completion next year. These will be set after the previous nine books and head back to the Rain Wilds.

[Jeff V]

More Information than You Require by John Hodgman

I love John Hodgman on The Daily Show. I even like his horribly misleading Mac commercials. I even like books from the rest of the Daily Show family. Why don't I find his funny?

I did the audiobook version of More Information than You Require. This is another book of "fake facts" which, as Hodgman points out, are facts nevertheless. He tries to be clever and funny, but the material just isn't there. There are a few moments, like his beg-a-thon pitch for NPR while appearing as a guest on Ira Glass' radio show which ended with Glass "firing" him. But too often Hodgman tests our patience like an over-long Family Guy bit. Last book, it was reading a endless list of hobo names. This time, it was 700 molemen names and their occupations. That bit alone lasted more than an hour and a half -- I guess people paid $10 to sit in the audience during the reading. Several CDs are also devoted to a "daily calendar" in audio form.

As much as I disliked his two books, I'll probably buy the inevitable third when it comes out. Meanwhile, I really hope Lewis Black does another -- he's just as funny in audio form as he is on TV.

An Artist in Treason - The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson by Andro Linklater

I've read a lot of biographies of on notable figures involved in the early days of the nation, but this was the first time General James Wilkinson really came to the forefront. And no wonder -- his story is always on the verge of being fascinating, and I suppose if any of his schemes truly worked, his name would be far more infamous.

James Wilkinson volunteered for the army in the early days of the Revolutionary War. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Saratoga, and rose quickly through the ranks -- becoming a brevet Brigadier General at age 20. Among his patrons were Henry Knox, Horatio Gates, Benedict Arnold, and even George Washington. In due course, Wilkinson betrayed both Arnold and Gates, and after failing as Quartermaster General, he left the army to pursue business interests.

Wilkinson married well, and found himself on the frontier, which, at the time, was Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky was a powder keg at the time< ostensibly part of Virginia, it held considerable secessionist sentiment. On top of that, it's major outlet for commerce, the Mississippi River, was closed by Spanish forces (Spain controlled the area that would become the Louisiana Purchase). With his business deals always coming up short, Wilkinson was approached by Spanish leaders to become their agent, exercising his connections and influence on their behalf. Wilkinson would be well compensated for the efforts.

Wilkinson found himself recruited back into the army, this time confirmed as a Brigadier General serving under Major General "Mad Anthony" Wayne. After a series of adventures, including the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Wilkinson succeeded in becoming Wayne's nemesis as he played for political position and power. Upon Wayne's death, Wilkinson would be given command of the entire western army, although promotion to Major General would elude him for another 20 years.

In the years that followed, Wilkinson would hold positions as a military governor and Commander-in-Chief, despite never having notable success on the battlefield, leaving wakes of enemies behind, and appearing at court martials three times. He was embroiled in the Burr Conspiracy which would have led to war with Mexico, but at the last moment, Wilkinson betrayed Burr. The closest to an enduring patron was Thomas Jefferson, and Jefferson never completely endorsed the General's actions or methods. Convenient deaths protected Wilkinson from having his life as "Agent 13" revealed, although he did have to dispute charges that he was in the pay of the Spanish crown.

Wilkinson's career ended ignobly on the Canadian frontier during the War of 1812. Surviving yet another court martial, Wilkinson no longer had a military career, and was too bent on vengeance against the Madison administration to accept perfectly well+paying civilian posts that were offered He spent his final years in Mexico City, helping others make the fortunes that had always eluded him.

General James Wilkinson was a man on the verge of greatness, but was such a flawed personality that we should probably be fortunate more things didn't go his way. His obscurity is due to being overshadowed by greater personalities at the time, even if he was their peers (or even superior). Still, it's an interesting book that show just how fragile ground our country was founded upon in the early days.

[Jeff V]

The Hadrian Memorandum by Allan Folsom

Check your brain at the door, and you're in for a fast, fun adrenaline rush of a story. A landscape architect from Manchester is shown some photos while touring an an island on Equatorial Guinea, and then suddenly the priest is dead, the landscape architect is in flight, and a civil war is breaking out with atrocities galore. While the priest had the wherewithal to burn the photos, the originals and the digital camera card must exist somewhere. And some very powerful, resourceful people have it in their best interests to retrieve it.

The Hadrian Memorandum takes us on a long chase scene involving international intrigue at the highest level. Folsom does a superb job keeping those pages turning; the main characters don't slow down for a second, and neither does the reader. Unlike an action movie, however, the characters are fully developed -- the reader understands the motives of each, even if the levels of violence are implausible. The ending was not entirely expected -- the chase ended with a whimper, not a bang, but the final resolution I though was entirely reasonable. And I was okay with this resolution -- the Ultimate Bad Guy was highly skilled, highly trained, highly effective at what he does. We never really know our hero's full story; he his highly resourceful, but, one suspects, not at the same caliber as the UBG. The chase ends in an unexpected manner, but also does not subvert the nature of the protagonists.

My only real complaint in this techno-thriller concerns the use (or lack thereof) of technology itself. The crux of the plot involves digital media. much time, effort, and lives could have been saved if our heroes would have put their efforts in finding a way to digitally transmit the data. Technology that could have just as easily have ended the chase is instead employed only to make it more intense. It's still a highly entertaining story, and I look forward to Folsom's next novel. If you like action movies, this book is for you.

[tgb]

The Dead That Walk - a collection of zombie-themed short stories. I haven't read many yet, but my favorite so far is one featuring a reunion of two high school sweethearts who are working as zombie extras during the filming of the original Dawn of the Dead. Written by Steven King's son, oddly enough.

[silverjon]

That's a good story. It's also anthologized in The Living Dead. Editor John Joseph Adams knows how to put together a great collection (though I enjoyed his Wastelands even more).

[Jeff V]

Stalked by Brian Freeman

Book 3 in the Jonathon Stride series, our detective hero finds himself back in his home town of Duluth when his former partner, Maggie, is framed for the murder of her husband. As in the other books, the plot twists and turns, and the obvious suspect doesn't neatly wrap all lose ends. Freeman keeps the action going, the book is an easy-to-read page turner, with a satisfying ending. Bring on the next one!

[Zarathud]

I haven't read anything else worth recommending until The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Modern day fantasy for grownups. Or at least college students admitted to an exclusive school for magicians and deal with their own magical potential, relationships and careers. The characters are wonderfully flawed and multi-faceted, and share a love to varying degrees for their childhood books about the enchanted land of Fillory. It's a place that just might exist in a world where magic is possible, but never what you'd expect. The book has satisfying references to the worlds of C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien, while remaining its own due to the characters. A quite enjoyable read.

[Zarathud]

I'm not done, but I'm going to recommend this anthology based on the topic selection, the Paul Krugman selection from Rolling Stone (on the Bailout), the Christopher Hitchens selection from Vanity Fair (on waterboarding) and how much I've enjoyed the others in this annual series:

Best American Political Writing 2009 by Royce Flippin.

This anthology draws from a variety of publicans and political viewpoints, with sharp accounts of the campaigns, the economic forecasts, Obama and foreign policy. Selections are based on their topics and informed viewpoints, with intelligent arguments that capture the year's issues. I'm regularly impressed by selections I've missed over the year that have held up over the year. The selections are effective, intelligent, centrist journalism even if this year does focus on Obama. I'm looking forward to reading a selection on Nate Silver and his statistical analysis at FiveThirtyEight.

[Jeff V]

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

I suppose there's a good reason this book was discovered in the late author's files and not submitted to a publisher prior to his death: it's not really up to Crichton's typical standards. Pirate Latitudes doesn't come off as a very original story; more like an amalgam of Jacks Sparrow and Aubrey. In typical Crichton fashion, the story moves quickly; the UBG is not entirely unexpected, but the early candidate was dispatched rather quickly.

Pirate Latitudes would go well after watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or perhaps some old Errol Flynn, or as some relative brain candy following O'Brien's lengthy Aubrey-Maturin series. While I found it a quick read, the motivation wasn't to see what happens next, it was to get to the end of the book and move on to something more interesting. Too bad, because I do like pirate stories.

[silverjon]

Last night, I rapidly chewed through Therefore Repent! by Jim Munroe and Salgood Sam, a compelling not-quite post-apocalyptic graphic novel, examining what might happen to the rest of us if The Rapture actually occurred. A religious book it is not. Though I found some of the plotting flawed, the characters were engaging enough, and it's possible that some of the confusion to the storyline will be cleared up in the sequel (which I should perhaps pre-order).

The entirety of the book is now available to download from the author's website.
http://nomediakings.org/press/sword_of_ ... on.html#TR" target="_blank

Sadly, the dedicated site for the short prequel has disappeared from the interwebs.

Munroe has also created an interactive fiction game called Everybody Dies.
http://nomediakings.org/games/everybody ... fcomp.html" target="_blank

[Isgrimnur]

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Given that he's going to finish off the Wheel of Time series, I figured that I would give something of his a read before I ran into his segue into Jordan's books.

While it took me a small amount of time to get used to the setting and the method in which the magic of the world worked, once I made it past my internal issues, the book just took off. It is as much crime thriller as it is fantasy novel. Imagine Ocean's 11 trying to take down the Emperor from Star Wars. The main characters are all thieves and criminals (although the more upstanding versions, certainly) trying to take take down a guy who became the Big Bad 1,000 years ago.

Once it gets going, it really is a good ride. I definitely recommend the book and am currently halfway through the second book in the series, The Well of Ascension.