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Review: 'Red Moon' by Benjamin Percy They live among us. They are our neighbours, our mothers, our lovers. They change. When government agents kick down Claire Forrester's front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is. Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero. Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy. So far, the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge...and the battle for humanity will begin. I’m not generally a huge fan of paranormal fiction, but Red Moon – a dystopian, post-apocalyptic horror-thriller – isn't half bad. Set in something close to the present-day USA, the premise is that around 5% of the population are infected with Lobos, a prion that causes them to become werewolves, or lycans. Lycans – which are thought to have existed since around the 7th century – live amongst humans, but not as equals: most are feared and reviled, and a fierce political battle has been ongoing as to whether they should be treated as humans or second class citizens, people or dogs. Central to this debate is Chase Williams, a rebellious governor who has gained huge popular support due to his outspoken anti-lycan policies, which include forcing all lycans to sign a public register and declare their lycan status on all forms of ID. This sparks an escalating conflict between the American government and a small group of lycans led by the mysterious Balor, who will stop at nothing until the country belongs to the ‘superior’ lycan race. The story is told from several characters’ point of view, the central ones being Claire (a lycan since birth who dreams of going to college and meeting boys), Patrick (whose father fought against the lycans in the great wars) and Chase, the aforementioned politician. Each of these characters start out being interesting and sympathetic, and the fact that they each have completely different backgrounds means we’re given varying insights into the social and political situation. Other point of view characters include Miriam, Claire’s kick-ass lycan aunt, and Neal Desai, a scientist who has been working with Patrick’s father for years to try and produce a vaccine against Lobos. I said above that each of the main characters start out being interesting and sympathetic; unfortunately, for me, they didn’t really stay that way. Chase’s roguish disregard of everyone and everything other than himself was charming at first, but quickly became dull. Patrick switched from an insecure but likeable young man unsure of his place in the world to a flat and indistinct automaton. And, after her initial introduction, I found that I really didn’t sympathise much with Claire, and found her various shifts in personality (from her lack of emotion over her parent’s fates to her willingness to trust an entire fraternity of strange men to her sudden desire for revenge against her own race) to be very superficial and not developed thoroughly enough. This is partly a consequence of the many confusing time jumps, in which it’s often unclear exactly how much time has passed between events, resulting in seemingly unexplainable character personality shifts. Another aspect of the sequencing that jarred was the frequency of ‘fade to black’ moments, where the author seems to be building up to an exciting event only to suddenly end the chapter and have the character briefly recount the scene for us later, completely deflating the tension by insisting on telling rather than showing us what happened. I feel that, in this way, the author missed some crucial opportunities for making a good book great. My major gripe, however, was something I just couldn’t get away from. As a general rule I absolutely despise books written in the present tense: I find them jarring, annoying and totally non-immersive. There are very few exceptions to this rule, and unfortunately Red Moon is not one of them. This, coupled with the occasionally confusing timeline, did sometimes seem to make the book a bit of a chore to read; however, I appreciate that this is entirely a matter of personal preference. This may all seem a little harsh, but believe me, there’s also plenty to like here. The numerous scientific explanations of the Lobos infection are fascinating; I felt they were one of the novel’s strongest points, as they gave credence to the whole setup and occasionally had me sitting back and thinking, ‘yeah, this could totally happen!’. I mentioned above that I’m not usually a fan of werewolf stories, but the fact that the explanation for their transformation was scientific rather than paranormal made it a lot more palatable to me. Because of this I really enjoyed Neal Desai’s chapters, although unfortunately they are few and far between. He is easy to sympathise with, he has strong motives for everything he does, and the way he is coerced into joining Chase’s political campaign is really interesting. It’s just a shame he didn’t have more page time: I think the author really could have made something of him as a main character by focusing on his search for a cure. As it is, it never really feels like there’s that much at stake with regards to the vaccine, whereas I would have preferred to see this plotline built up a lot more. I did like the plentiful amount of subtext in the book, which was fairly ‘in your face’ yet not too preachy. The author manages to sneak in plenty of astute political and social commentary and criticism, from the politicians who only care about tragedy in terms of how it affects their campaign, to the terrorists who are somehow worse because they’re lycan terrorists, to the ‘big brother’-style state of domestic surveillance, to the ongoing battle between the US and the ‘Lycan Republic’ that they occupy. The beauty of the werewolf tale in general is that it works on many levels: as an allegory for race, social class, religion, you name it, it works. I think what I liked most about this particular use of such allegory was that it hammered home the point that there are bad people in every group, that it’s our actions rather than our race that determine whether we are human or monster, and that entire groups shouldn’t be demonised just for the actions of a few. Serious bits aside, the other main attraction of the book is that lots of things happen. It starts strongly with an opening scene full of great tension and visuals, and continues with generally strong, fast pacing throughout. The action is plentiful, fun and bloody, and there are some brilliantly gory and memorable images: those that particularly stand out are the massacre at the hot springs, the lycan attack on the plane, and of course the grisly human larder in the secret base. I have to say, though, it turns pretty bleak towards the end, although I think the author did well to avoid a clichéd ending (such as that in the movie adaptation of World War Z). And, despite its bleakness, I have to say I really liked the post-apocalyptic turn towards the end, set mainly in the newly-created, lycan-inhabited Ghostlands following a nuclear explosion. But, while the ending is open for a sequel, the main point of the ending is that we don’t know what will happen to humanity: I think, as an ending, it has way more impact if the author keeps it that way. My rating: 3/5

Easter treats! Can't wait to read them all. I might even try and get through Ex-Heroes over the long weekend.

Glad it's not just me.

Ooh, meow! Great review of the Williams, Tim, it's gone straight on my wishlist. Glad to see you enjoyed The Three Musketeers, too - it's one of my favourite classics ever!

Great reviews Gaia, especially Harry Potter and The Daylight War (I'm really looking forward to getting back into Peter V Brett now!). You seem to have got through quite a lot of bigger books lately in addition to the shorter ones - good going! Oh, you're awful!

Oh dear, I hope you don't expect me to take the book seriously after that! I remember you recommending it. I'm looking forward to reading GRRM's Tuf Voyaging, as it's supposedly got more of a SF bent than his usual stories. Thank you! Yes, yet another one added to my growing pile labelled 'Terry Brooks books I've never read'.

That's one of the worst covers I've ever seen. Great bargain though! Like the girl in Blair Witch?

So, the rest of the books from my binge at The Works finally arrived! Aren't they beautiful? Has anyone read any of them before? Can anyone tell me why the cover image for Hyperion is a massive spiky arse?

Well, with that glowing praise, how could I not be excited to get stuck in to the series?

Yes! I'm expecting high quality Blair Witch Books, as usual.

Exciting! I hope you're going to post pictures when they arrive?

Thanks Tim! Yeah, I don't think you'd like it much since you didn't enjoy The Dragon's Path as much as I did either . . . although this one really is a lot better than I make it sound. I think it was actually just under 400 pages, so I suppose that's about a quarter of the book I didn't really enjoy that much. When you put it like that it sounds rubbish, but it really wasn't bad in the end! (And, on the plus side, the brand new hardback is only £7.50 on Amazon . . . which is the main reason I bought it!) Oh, great, I can't wait to read Mistborn now! And thanks. I think I write better reviews when I have stuff to complain about . . .

Gaia would put Johnny 5 to shame! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqbt5JlQGZQ&list=PLFkjj5nWbCAE-JXIEQLcLnOmQIC9TjVOK

Review: 'The Emperor's Blades' by Brian Staveley The circle is closing. The stakes are high. And old truths will live again . . . The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy. His son Valyn, training for the empire's deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. He expected a challenge, but after several 'accidents' and a dying soldier's warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Yet before Valyn can take action, he must survive the mercenaries' brutal final initiation. Meanwhile, the Emperor's daughter, Minister Adare, hunts her father's murderer in the capital itself. Court politics can be fatal, but she needs justice. And Kaden, heir to the empire, studies in a remote monastery. Here, the Blank God's disciples teach their harsh ways - which Kaden must master to unlock their ancient powers. When an imperial delegation arrives, he's learnt enough to perceive evil intent. But will this keep him alive, as long-hidden powers make their move? I have to admit, I very nearly didn’t make it past the first 100 pages of The Emperor’s Blades. An intriguing prologue and opening chapter were quickly followed by pages and pages of fantasy clichés: a corrupt religious organisation threatening to overthrow the kingdom, two royal male protagonists (who are just normal, humble guys, honestly!), a soldier-in-training (in the most elite fighting force in the world, of course), a long-extinct race of evil immortals that are clearly going to be revealed not to be extinct, etc., etc. And then you have the plethora of ridiculously generic fantasy names. Seriously, the majority of the character names sound like they were sourced from an RPG name generator: in the first fifty pages or so we have Micijah Ut, Crenchan Xaw, Ran il Tornja, Heqet, Meshkent, Bilkun Hellel, Tan’is, Csestriim, Ashk’lan, Uinian, Sanlitun hui’Malkeenian, Akiil, Valyn, and many more. On top of this you have the term “’Kent-kissing” at least twenty eight times on every page, which gets kind of annoying. To clarify: ‘Kent’ is an abbreviation of the god ‘Ashkent’, and ‘Kent-kissing’ is used as a curse, as in the phrase “if I see that ‘Kent-kissing term used one more time in this dialogue I’m going to hurl this book through the window”. Anyway, I’d positioned myself next to the window (ready for the next ‘Kent-kissing use of the term that shall not be spoken), when something happened. What happened? It got better. That’s it, really. I can’t pinpoint exactly how or why, but after around 100 pages or so I really started to get interested. I cared a lot about what was going to happen with Valyn, I cared almost as much about what was happening to Kaden, and even managed to care a tiny bit about what was going on with Adare. The story has three central protagonists, all of whom are the children of the emperor and all of whom appear to be around eighteen years old. Valyn is the eldest, and has spent eight years training as an elite mercenary; Kaden is the royal heir (although he is younger, he has the ‘fiery eyes’ that indicate the right to rule) and has spent eight years as a peaceful monk; and Adare has spent her life at court, and will never be allowed to rule despite also having golden eyes. The whole setup reminded me of David Anthony Durham’s Acacia in that it follows the separate lives of three siblings and explores how their radically different upbringings has changed them, for better or worse. While it was good to know immediately how all the main characters were connected, I felt it would have been a bit more interesting to explore this further by making at least one of them at least a little bit morally ambiguous; as it is, they’re all pretty much perfect. Kaden is disciplined, Valyn is brave and Adare is (sort of) intelligent, and they’re all presented as being completely loyal and heroic in their own ways. I kept waiting for the conflict that would come, either when they reunited or when one of them lost their way or was led astray, but it never happened, and I felt that made the characters sort of flat where they were otherwise fairly well-defined. My other main gripe was that Adare, the only female protagonist, is severely underemphasized (she only has around three or four chapters in total), and is not very relatable, or even particularly sympathetic. It’s made clear from the beginning that she’s frustrated about her position in society – as a woman, she is not allowed to rule the kingdom, despite being the only royal personage present in the capital at the time, and someone else has been appointed to rule until her brother returns. However, her father, the emperor, did make her Minister of Finance when he died, to the chagrin of most of the more traditionalist society. This storyline had some great potential: I thought, brilliant, he’s going to show how she struggles against the patriarchal society by showing how strong and competent she is at doing a ‘man’s’ job and change everyone’s minds! But no: we see absolutely no evidence of her actually doing her job, despite it seeming like such a big deal, and instead she acts frustratingly how everyone expects her to act. She gets over-emotional at meetings, she throws herself carelessly into an affair with a man she barely knows – the man who is ruling in her stead, no less! – and, worst of all, she takes the painfully over-obvious circumstances of her father’s murder at face value, then acts prematurely and recklessly to avenge him without bothering to try and investigate what really happened. Her position at court – royal heir yet not allowed to rule, possessed of dangerous knowledge but not yet in a position to do anything about it – was not played out to full effect, and as such I never really felt invested in her chapters. Believe it or not, there was way more to like about this book than not: the pacing is fairly strong once it gets going, the settings and scenes are really vivid, and there’s a whole tonne of action. There are some really great scenes and images in there, including a brilliant sequence underground in a slarn lair, and the subplots and mysteries bring a nice variety and change of pace to the story. It’s easier to talk about things you don’t like than things you do, which is why so much of this review seems so critical, but I honestly enjoyed reading this book. I even stayed up until 1.30am just to finish it – and on a ‘Kent-kissing work night, too! 4/5

Good luck with the rest of the treatment Devi - I think you're very brave.

Some great reviews here Steve. The Reynolds sounds interesting - I loved the film Cube. And I really must get on track with my Gemmell reading . . .

Welcome to the forum, Clare!

Totally agree it should stay on TV . . . but both TV and films have their merits, I guess. Hopefully as the series gains in momentum he will end up with a big enough budget for what he wants to do?

Cheers, Raven, you've cost me a fortune! I ended up going a little crazy on The Works website and got GRRM's Fevre Dream and Tuf Voyaging - can't wait to read both! (Along with the other 21 non-GRRM fantasy books I also bought . . .) I worry that, in a film, all those brilliant dialogue scenes that characterise the series will be lost. I reckon they'd cut a whole bunch of the 'slower' parts out completely, when in reality they are what make the TV show special. True, true . . . but imagine, a 10-hour TV series (or 20, if they split the last ones into 2) vs. a 3-hour film? I know which one I'd pick. At least GRRM has told the TV show producers what he plans to happen at the end of the series, just in case something happens to him!

Hmm, very nice. But, you know, I think those covers look a little generic . . . I actually prefer the ones I have (I think they're Bantam Press?) I also think that, if I paid that much for a set of books, I'd be scared to even have them out on a shelf in case something happened to them. Nice! I didn't even know they'd published the newer ones in these editions. (Which is a pity, since my NoK is PS!) I take it you won't be collecting them?

Ooh, great books Tim!

Haha awesome, thanks guys!

Ooh, harsh! The latter. For some reason the Works are notorious for stocking every book in a series except the first one. Steve recommended the series a while ago, and Bitter Seeds has been on my wishlist for a few months. I hope I do like it when I finally get it. What did you make of the series? God yes, thank goodness for small blessings!

Great review, as always! Sounds intriguing . . .

Ah, fair enough! Thanks for enlightening me.