This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 3, 2013.

Warm Bodies

By Isaac Marion – Atria Books – April 26, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Warm Bodies is a zombie romance for young adult readers. I'm not generally interested in love stories—I don't necessarily dislike them either, they're just not something I go out of my way to seek out—and I've never been much of a YA reader (Hardy Boys excluded), but my enthusiasm for zombies led me to pick this book up. It has some issues, but overall it was a worthwhile experience.

My biggest issue was how it patterned itself after Romeo & Juliet. The allusions weren't something I was aware of going into the book, but they're so transparent that I couldn't help but pick up on them right away. While the author probably intended to add some heft and “a tale as old as time” dignitas to his story by drawing parallels between it and one of the most recognized pieces of English literature, Warm Bodies is actually diminished by the association. I bought this book because “zombie love story!” seemed fresh and exciting as a concept, but finding out what I was really holding was “Romeo & Juliet, but with zombies!” was a bit of a let down. It was like the author was telling me to moderate my expectations, saying “Let me level with you, buddy. This is a story you've read many times before, just with a bit of a spin on it.” Romeo & Juliet is such a played out and obvious source of inspiration when writing any kind of romance story that includes obstacles, and the book would've been stronger if Marion had skipped the heavy-handed references and done his own thing. Many plots end up resembling bits of Shakespeare unintentionally, anyway; at this point there's really no need for people to go out of their way to crib from the dead bard.

The romance aspect was so-so. This would've been a very different book had it been written by Clive Barker, but this being a YA novel any squickiness or uncomfortable elements (the interesting stuff) pertaining to a love affair between a human girl and an animated corpse are hand-waved away and/or presented in a sanitized manner. Characterization was likewise a little sleight. It was difficult to understand R's infatuation with Julie, apart from what she symbolized (i.e., vibrant life in a dead, gray world). She was spunky and resilient, but her gal-pal Nora seemed like more fun. Perhaps the attraction can be chalked up to some lingering chemical reaction left over from when R eats Julie's ex-boyfriend's brain. Likewise, it was a little hard to see why she was so interested in R (a dead guy who killed and ate a bunch of her friends), apart from him acting protective and paying over the requisite number of niceness tokens.

While a flimsy, not-quite-believable romance would seem pretty harmful in a book billed as a love story, fortunately the novel shines in other areas. Protagonist “R” and his undead associates are remarkably highly functioning zombies, and their culture is fascinating. While I'm usually a Romero purist when it comes to the presentation of zombies, I liked the idea that zombies could communicate with each other and had their own customs, and that the living were just too preoccupied with fear to notice. The human survivors' post-apocalyptic lifestyle is interesting as well, albeit rendered in less detail. The first person narrative was a high point as well. I enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of a zombie.

Postscript: Apparently the author is working on both a prequel and a sequel to this novel. While that seems like a wise commercial choice, I'm not quite sure I'll want to pick up either. The zombie/survivor conflict in Warm Bodies was exciting, but given the book's conclusion it's difficult to see what more could be done with it. We'll see.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #YoungAdult #WarmBodies #IsaacMarion

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 18, 2012.

The Waters of Eternity

By Howard Andrew Jones – Thomas Dunne Books – November 22, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

This ebook collects most of the Dabir and Asim short stories by Howard Andrew Jones. Being a fan of both sword & sorcery (a genre Jones has made a valiant effort through articles at Black Gate, etc., to revive) and the Arabian Nights, I picked up this volume so as to learn about the characters before moving onto his debut novel, The Desert of Souls.

Dabir and Asim make an interesting pair of sword & sorcery heroes, very different from the genre's other notable duos, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Elric and Moonglum. Dabir is a wise scholar, while expert swordsman Asim acts as the brawn. They're a bit like Holmes and Watson in that respect. Trusted by the caliph, they're called upon by a variety of people in need. In the stories collected, the premise most often involves some supernatural mystery or a threat on an important figure's life.

True to the genre, the stories are fast-paced, with swashbuckling action and strange creatures. The mystery elements are interesting, but Dabir often reaches conclusions with very little evidence, or at least none that's shared with the reader. As a result, these “brilliant deductions” can seem a little contrived. They'd ring a bit more true if Jones took more time placing hints beforehand.

The Arabian Nights atmosphere is a bit low-key, but there's enough flavor to distinguish these stories from standard Western fantasy. It's interesting to note that both Dabir and Asim are good Muslims, so while they encounter a variety of sword & sorcery temptresses, dancing girls, and femme fatales, there's no Conan-style wrenching to be found.

The book concludes with a sizable excerpt from the first Dabir and Asim novel, The Desert of Souls. This seemed superfluous to me, however, as most people likely to pick this book up have either read the novel and want to read Dabir and Asim's previously-published adventures, or those like me, who want to read these stories before moving onto the novel. I'll be buying The Desert of Souls, so I skipped this excerpt entirely.

I look forward to reading more about Dabir and Asim's exploits. While sword & sorcery lends itself well to shorter formats, novel-length might be a better match for Howard's style. Perhaps the extra room will give Howard more time to develop his mystery plots, as well as treat the reader to a bit more Arabian atmosphere.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #HowardAndrewJones #TheWatersOfEternity #TheChroniclesOfSwordAndSand #DabirAndAsim

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 5, 2014.

The Hammer and the Blade

By Paul S. Kemp – Angry Robot – January 1, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

I've been slightly dissatisfied with many of the books I've read this year, but The Hammer and the Blade turned out to be a welcome end to this unfortunate streak. It's a fun sword & sorcery novel from beginning to end.

The prologue introduces us to hammer-wielding priest Egil and his crafty rogue companion Nix, right in the middle of a raid on a pseudo-Egyptian tomb. The story very quickly establishes that they're in it for thrills, cash, and personal glory, rather than any more elevated goals. What do they do with their ill-gotten gains? On a whim they purchase their favorite scummy tavern/brothel. These are my kind of heroes: sword & sorcery scoundrels, not farm boys destined for greatness.

The story that follows is fast-paced and fun, as the heroes are coerced into doing the dirty work of an unpleasant sorcerer hoping to use his own sisters as breeding stock in a pact with demons.

As is often the case in swords & sorcery fiction, female characters were mostly relegated to the sidelines as potential romance interests and victims, but there's a moment late in the book where the heroes get a very visceral taste of the abuse the sisters have suffered at the hands of their brother, causing our leering, wenching heroes to reconsider the way they treat the women in their lives. The inclusion of this sudden change in perspective was a pleasant surprise.

My only complaint was that the pacing lulled in a couple sections. It took a little long for Egil and Nix to become involved in the main plot, and the finale likewise seemed a little drawn-out and lacking in tension compared to their final tomb raiding expedition. Everything else, however, was golden. Egil and Nix are great characters in the tradition of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and I look forward to reading their future adventures.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #PaulSKemp #TheHammerAndTheBlade #EgilAndNix

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 7, 2014.

Eight Million Gods

By Wen Spencer – Baen Books – May 15, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

There's a saying among expats in Japan: “If you stay here for a week, you write a book. If you stay here for a month, you write an article. If you stay here for a year, you don't write anything.” I suspect Wen Spencer has spent a week in Japan.

I really wanted to like this book. Japan appeals to me enough for me to have made it my home for more than a decade, and I've always been fascinated by Japanese folklore and mythology. The idea of a book dealing with folklore in modern Japan appealed, but unfortunately this book falls down on several fronts.

The Japan presented in this book is a mixed bag. Some aspects (perhaps not coincidentally those that a Western tourist would encounter over the course of a short stay, such as subway station coin lockers, or a description of the Gion festival) are represented authentically, with almost fetishistic detail. Other bits are embarrassingly off. The use of the Japanese language is frequently suspect; Osaka locale “Dōtonbori” is misspelled consistently throughout the book, as is the “jorogumo” monster name. Prices for things tend to off by a factor of ten, and the protagonist shops with bills that don't exist (¥100,000?). It's also a bit strange as someone who has lived in rural Japan to see tanuki (“raccoon dogs,” which basically combine the least threatening aspects of both animals) presented as a dangerous menace. Most of the Japanese mythology was represented accurately, but fairly shallowly. It was blatantly obvious that this was Japan viewed through an anime/manga lens; there's actually a pretty cringe-worthy section where characters remark “This is just like that bit in Inuyasha! Or Naruto!” I guess this is a book you can judge by its katana-wielding schoolgirl cover.

None of the characters really appealed to me. Heroine Nikki has hypographia, a mental disorder characterized by a severe compulsion to write, but this felt like a trivial depiction, as is common for obsessive compulsive disorder. Her hypographia turns out to be more of a supernatural gift than a mental disorder, which could excuse some of this, but it still reminded me of flaky girls using “I'm SO OCD!” as an excuse for minor personality quirks, when the real thing isn't so cute and harmless.

It also bothered me that the only prominent Japanese characters were basically spirits on the periphery. The main character, her friends, the shadowy organization operating in Japan, are all foreign. Leo is half-Japanese, at least, but he was raised in Hawaii by a Brit and serves little purpose in the plot but to beat people up, get beat up, and be sexy for the heroine. The actual Japanese characters are basically all deities, including dead historical—although this strangely isn't played up in the text—figure Taira no Atsumori. It's fun reading about foreigners active in Japan (hell, I AM one), but reducing Japanese people to props, obstacles, and Yoda-like mentors does them a great disservice, especially after borrowing so many of the cool trappings of their culture.

The plot feels fast-paced, but there were so many dead ends and tangents that even with its exuberant tone, this book was a struggle to get through. There's a late plot twist involving protagonist Nikki's mother that feels extremely contrived, and the book's final confrontation is breathtakingly anticlimactic.

If you like Young Adult books, anime, and dream about maybe visiting Japan someday, this may be a good book for you. If you're expecting a more adult book (it wasn't marketed as YA, although it should have been), or if you're more acquainted with Japan and/or less than enthused about the manga Inuyasha, this is probably one to skip.

★★☆☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #Japan #EightMillionGods #WenSpencer

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 2, 2015.

A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley

By Neal Thompson – Crown Archetype – May 7, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

While a somewhat obscure figure these days, this biography shows how Robert Ripley went from humble beginnings to world-famous cartoonist and one of the richest men in America.

Ripley lived the life of a pulp hero, and the book often has the same sort of breathless voice found in the old adventure magazines. I found it interesting that the narrative focuses more on his life in New York (and later Florida) than the details of his overseas excursions. Despite the adventurer mystique, it turns out that he tended to spend his many trips in relative comfort and surrounded by other Westerners, rather than do much in the way of trailblazing. It turns out that his life in America—as a somewhat awkward figure thrust into the celebrity spotlight—is every bit as interesting as his travels, however.

Ripley is represented as an interesting and conflicted human being, and the book doesn't shy away from presenting some of the more negative aspects of his personality (alcohol abuse, womanizing, and a propensity towards fits of rage as his health declined later in life).

The book makes an effort to parallel his unlikely life with the subject matter of his “Believe It or Not” newspaper cartoons, with occasional sidebars mentioning unusual coincidences or people mentioned in passing who later went on to do notable things. While these sidebars are interesting, they didn't feel frequent enough to fully carry off the conceit.

“A Curious Man” is a brisk read. Just like the man whose life it chronicles, the narrative is always on the move. Recommended for those with an interest in early 20th century Americana and world travel.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Nonfiction #Biography #ACuriousMan #RipleysBelieveItOrNot #NealThompson

This review originally appeared at This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 5, 2018.

Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse

Edited by George R. R. Martin – Titan Books – February 24, 2015

Review by Robin Marx

Much of the book didn't feel as strong as the first Wastelands anthology. That was perhaps inevitable, given the fact that the first book had decades of post-apocalyptic stories to draw from, while the second volume was mostly dependent on those published since the release of the first volume. However, many of the strongest stories are in the second half of the book, with the end result that it matches (or perhaps even exceeds) its predecessor in overall quality.

Scattered thoughts about some of the more memorable stories in the book:

“Animal Husbandry” by Seanan McGuire This starts off as fairly standard post-apoc fare, but has a grim little twist that I appreciated.

“Jimmy’s Roadside Cafe” by Ramsey Shehadeh One of the quieter stories, this one deals with the emotional side of the apocalypse.

“The Postman” by David Brin I had low expectations of this story, given the bland movie adaptation with Kevin Costner, but it ended up being quite the page-turner. One of the more optimistic stories in this volume.

“Patient Zero” by Tananarive Due Very similar to The Girl With All the Gifts, but with a male protagonist and lacking zombies. Well-rendered.

“Tight Little Stiches in a Dead Man’s Back” by Joe R. Lansdale Gory and bizarre, like the best Lansdale. An interesting read, although it felt a bit overstuffed, like there were enough ideas for two different stories here. The reference to tattoos having “stitches” seemed a little odd to me, though.

“The Traditional” by Maria Dahvana Headley Written in the second person, this story is bloody and kind of splatterpunk, like old Poppy Z. Brite. A too-cool-for-school couple shelter together, giving each other outré anniversary gifts as the outside world falls to carnivorous worlds. I wasn't sure where this story was going, but the ending is surprisingly triumphant.

“Monstro” by Junot Diaz This story is about an Americanized Caribbean Islander visiting the Dominican Republic as an odd epidemic breaks out. The narrator's voice and frequent Spanglish was compelling, and the characters were all layered and interesting. The ending is a bit abrupt, but it definitely left me wanting more.

Overall, many the stories collected here had a very experimental feel. A number are written in the second person, one is written in a Wikipedia entry format, and another is written as a multiple choice test. Some of these experiments are more successful than others, but the diverse storytelling kept me interested and engaged throughout.

If you liked the first Wastelands book, this second volume is an easy recommendation. Even if you haven't read the first, this book is worth a look to fans of the post-apocalyptic subgenre.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #PostApocalyptic #ScienceFiction #Wastelands #Wastelands2MoreStoriesOfTheApocalypse #GeorgeRRMartin

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 3, 2014.

Bait

Edited by J. Kent Messum – Plume – August 27, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

Short and nasty, this little book was sort of a combination between The Most Dangerous Game and Saw. The premise was simple but effective: shadowy figures maroon six junkies on a remote archipelago in the Florida Keys, then place a package of heroin and supplies on a neighboring island. The addicts are forced to deal with aggressive sharks and their murderous audience, who watch from an offshore yacht. The heroin acts as bait for the addicts, and the addicts are bait for the sharks. Exciting stuff!

While the author kept things moving fast, the first half of the book was still hindered by the presence of six unnecessary and redundant flashbacks. The characters' backgrounds were all pretty similar (“I used to be X, then got hooked on heroin. Yesterday I was stalked and rendered unconscious by beefy guys.”), and they end up verbally explaining their circumstances to the other characters anyway. The flashbacks are mercifully brief, but they distract from the characters' more exciting present and end up feeling like filler. The book could have shed this bit of fat and become an even better, punchier novella.

While the characters were a little thin—the non-shark antagonists seemed a bit like comic book baddies—the story's pace was brisk and action-packed. While the term “pulp” is often used by snobs to dismiss stories that emphasize action and excitement over characterization and deep reflection, Bait is a good, modern embodiment of the best qualities of the pulp adventure tale. If the premise intrigues you, by all means give this book a read.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Adventure #Horror #Bait #JKentMessum

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on March 31, 2017.

Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword

Edited by James R. Tuck – Seventh Star Press, LLC – August 20, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

This is the first in a pair of anthologies collecting recent sword & sorcery stories. It contains a dozen stories, all of them with an emphasis on battle and combat.

“The Horde” by G. Jerome Henson The anthology begins with a story about a tribe rising up against the empire that colonized them. The story suffers a bit from being mostly told in flashback form, which is something I tend to think works better in novels than short stories. Not bad, but a bit disjointed.

“Paper Demons” by Jay Requard This story reminded me pleasantly of The Black Company series by Glenn Cook. A squad of colorful mercenaries from various different lands (including an interesting protagonist from fantasy India) find themselves in a China-inspired setting with orders to capture a deceptively cooperative sorceress. The resolution of the story involves both brains and brawn, and the setting and characters appealed.

“The Wolf and the Crow” by D.T. Neal This was another winner, perhaps the best story in the entire book. A wandering swordsman arrives in town just as a witch is to be put to death. Seemingly on a lark, he declares himself the witch's champion, even though it means facing off against a savage, bestial warrior. Nearly the entire story is a blow-by-blow description of their duel, and there's a lot of subtle and effective world-building revealed a bit at a time. This story in particular left me wanting to find out what happened next.

“Forest of Shadows” by John F. Allen An amorous barbarian warrior fights a number of supernatural opponents and encounters some pliant women. Apart from the final one, the action scenes seemed a bit perfunctory and the sex scenes juvenile. As a whole it wasn't bad, per se, but a lesser work of swords & sorcery that doesn't do much to expand upon the usual tropes.

“Emissary” by Marcella Burnard Set in a fantasy Egypt, this story is about a bad-ass warrior priestess and her two lioness companions returning to the city of her birth to avenge the destruction of the temple of her patron goddess, Sekhmet. While I found the minimal amount of resistance she faced on the way to her target—a sorcerer king—a little odd, her climactic battle with a reluctant opponent was well rendered and tinged with a surprising and welcome little bit of romance. “Emissary” was yet another story with a protagonist I would like to see reappear in another story.

“The Dogs of War” by David J. West Set during the Fourth Crusade, this tale is about a Viking and a Belgian mercenary who encounter some surprising supernatural resistance during the invasion of Constantinople. The story felt a little brief, with the threat dispatched a little too handily, but I've really enjoyed how many of these stories are set in the real world. “Historical sword & sorcery” is a subgenre that I would love to see expanded further. This story pleasantly reminded me of Gentlemen of the Road, by Michael Chabon. (It's a minor gripe, but while the editing for this anthology has been largely high quality this story in particular suffered from a number of misplaced apostrophes.)

“The Red Hand” by Alexis A. Hunter In this story centaurs and the undead, led by a powerful necromancer, have been at war for decades. The protagonist is a centaur warrior raised by the dead in the hope of finally putting an end to the conflict. I enjoyed the premise and grim atmosphere, but given the ending I was left feeling strongly that this story should not have been written in the first person past tense. It just doesn't work.

“Where the Red Blossoms Weep” by James R. Tuck Taking place on an Assyrian battlefield, this history-flavored tale involves a struggle between the last two survivors of the conflict and some particularly unsavory scavengers. The story was brief and fairly straightforward, but muscularly written.

“Thief of Souls” by Loriane Parker This story focuses on a specter (in this case, an armored skeleton) who, with the help of a human accomplice, seeks revenge on the treacherous former friend who slew both him and his wife. While I'm not clear on the reason why it took twenty years for the specter to put his plan into motion (if it was covered in the text, my eyes skipped past it), the premise was interesting and the execution effective. A solid entry.

“The Gnawed Bone” by W.E. Wertenberger A group of mercenaries' trip to a tavern leads to a horrific hangover among unpleasant company. The story takes a while to get rolling, the monsters seem to have a poor grasp of tactics, and some holes can be poked in the narrative, but overall it ended up being a lot of fun.

“All the Lands, Nowhere a Home” by Steven Zimmer While the adventure in the second half of the story was enjoyable, the first half of the story spends too much time on the Valkyrie-like main character's dealing with boorish men. The story begins with her killing a number of brigands for raping a refugee, then she beats up multiple leering drunks in a tavern for mistreating barmaids and groping her. This would have been fine if the plot that followed had been some sort of meditation about women's plight in a male-dominated world, but the meat of the story has nothing more to say about gender, focusing on a wilderness encounter with a horrific ghoul-like creature. The second half of the story is exciting and well-rendered, but because of the disconnect between the adventure portion and the opening the heroine's characterization suffers. All the seemingly extraneous verbiage spent on her protecting women against the depredations of men ends up making her look like the cliche of a “strong independent woman who don't need no man” when a lighter hand would have made her more effective as a heroine. Her bravery, loyalty, and battle prowess in the second half do more to exhibit her strength and toughness than the wasted paragraphs punching alcoholics for making sexist remarks. The end was exciting, but this story could have been tightened up.

“The Witch of Rymal Pass” by J.S. Veter The contrast between the heroine in this story and the one from the preceding tale could not have been greater. Themis is presented as a vengeful force of nature throughout this bloody revenge tale, with no words wasted on describing her as a strong woman warrior, her every single action demonstrates it. Nasty and gory, this was one of the highlights of the anthology.

Overall this was a strong anthology that I would be happy to recommend to any fan of the sword & sorcery subgenre of fantasy. The stories by Requard, Neal, and Veter in particular stood out from the pack. I look forward to reading the Sorcery-focused sequel.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #JamesRTuck #ThunderOnTheBattlefieldSword #ThunderOnTheBattlefield

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 23, 2021.

We Are All Completely Fine

By Daryl Gregory – Tachyon Publications – July 21, 2014

Review by Robin Marx

This brief novel (novella?) is about a group therapy circle where all the participants are sole survivors of supernaturally-tinged massacres. One patient was partially consumed by cannibals, another escaped from a cult that inscribed every inch of her flesh with occult scars, another was held captive by a deranged otherworldly killer that carved macabre artwork into her bones. They meet on a weekly basis, each searching for solace and companionship, but their fragile steps towards peace are halted when the past catches up to one of their members.

This is a fast, fun story with an interesting premise. However, I felt like it selected and followed up on the least interesting plot thread. I found Greta’s story the least compelling of any of the survivors’, and the book suffered in the second half when it made that the central focus. There was so much good stuff hinted at in the other characters’ pasts, and I would have rather liked to learn more about pretty much any of the other characters than Greta.

This story is still worth reading, but it felt like a great premise squandered.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Horror #DarylGregory #WeAreAllCompletelyFine

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 27, 2016.

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

By Lois McMaster Bujold – Baen Books – February 2, 2016

Review by Robin Marx

An alternate title for this could be “How Cordelia Got Her Groove Back.”

Lois McMaster Bujold is perhaps my favorite living author and her Vorkosigan books my favorite ongoing series. While this book has very little to offer those new to the series and characters, longtime fans may enjoy it provided they don't mind the fact that (continuing a recent trend) it's more of a romance novel than anything else.

The story focuses on Cordelia Vorkosigan (star of the first book in the series, but mostly a supporting character in subsequent books) and Admiral Jole, a pleasant but somewhat minor character that—to be honest—has never left much of an impression on me. Bujold is a master of characterization and I love spending time with her creations. After so many years, reading about them is like checking in with old friends. That feel is present in this book, but Miles' presence is all too brief.

The usual brilliant characterization aside, there's not a lot of action or really even much drama present here. While I appreciate that the romance referred to in the title begins fairly early on, without much “Will they or won't they?” jerking around, there's not much conflict in the story that follows. The romance has some obstacles to overcome, but nothing too wrenching or surprising, and they're all introduced and reconciled fairly quickly and without much trouble.

Over the course of the story, some details are revealed about Aral's past. Without getting into spoilers, I found them interesting and not particularly hard to swallow, but some readers may have trouble reconciling them with the character as presented to date. I don't think this aspect had been hinted about previously, so some readers might feel taken off guard.

The best words to describe this book are probably cozy and sedate. My rating for this book is really 3.5 stars, but rounded up for the Vorkosigan factor.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #GentlemanJoleAndTheRedQueen #VorkosiganSaga #LoisMcMasterBujold