The premise is great, the execution much less so. A Japanese guy named Kazuya Souma is summoned to another world to be a hero. However, he's not really a demon-slaying kind of guy, and the summoning didn't specifically ask for someone who could slay the demon lord, so he decides that his heroism will involve improving the country's economy. He uses his new magical ability to get paperwork done at a faster rate, and he puts out a call for people with abilities that might be able to help the country.

I just finished the section in which he evaluated the five most gifted individuals, and I'm not all that impressed. Apparently the absolute most important person in the bunch is a guy named Poncho Panacotta, who went broke pursuing his desire to eat anything and everything that could possibly be eaten. In a country that is currently in the midst of a food shortage. The author just spent several pages emphasizing how wonderful it was that Souma recognized Poncho's importance, but readers still don't know why he'll turn out to be so vital. All I can think is that maybe he'll have knowledge of a particular source of food that most folks in the country don't know about. But I feel like this would work a lot better if Poncho were a talented chef rather than a self-admitted glutton.

Souma's a hard worker, sure, but he doesn't strike me as particularly amazing. Instead, it's more like this country was so badly managed that even Souma's basic knowledge about how things might be improved (selling all the things in the royal vault that have purely monetary value, gradually switching from growing cotton to growing more food crops, improving the health of the country's forests with periodic thinning, etc.) is seen as revolutionary.

It took me two tries to add this to my Currently Reading shelf. Booklikes kept timing out. If this keeps up, I may have to go on a Booklikes break. I just copied over the information I need in order to keep track of BLopoly even if I can't reach my own Booklikes blog.

Anyway, this is my pick for my latest BLopoly spot. The title has all the letters necessary to spell "Rome." We'll see how it goes. It's another J-Novel Club title, so I'm not expecting much. The main character seems a bit boring, and the story just sort of plops readers into whatever new world he's found himself in, without much warning or time to adjust. The main character was barely fazed by being transported to a new world and was looking over account books and world history within an hour of arriving.

If you like a main character to be a villain instead of a hero read “Cold Heart”. Estelle Munroe nicknamed “Cold Heart” is an assassin serving a mysterious individual with powers to control whatever he wants in the shadows. But after a successful mission Estelle discovers that her sister Gayle drowned while swimming in the Clyde in Glasgow. Gayle was scared of water and to Estelle her death was totally out of character, more than questionable and even impossible. She had to find out what happened to her sister even defying he superiors orders to stay put….but at what price…..what a thrilling read.

In a third person’s point of view, the story flips between Estelle’s past and the present as she navigates through the mystery of her sister’s death. The methods of this ruthless assassin determined to find the truth are brutal and at time even unnecessary but are definitely effective. Estelle is certainly very hateful, uncaring and heartless human being. The author gave her a very interesting and difficult persona: at first you start hating her and cannot see anything qualifying her actions but slowly you are pulled in and rooting for her success in avenging her sister’s death. Estelle is a seriously kick-ass female protagonist and is well-defined character. I love her.

This novel is filled with violence and is very graphic. It offers several twists along the way and provides quite a roller coaster ride till the end. The wonderfully exciting and engrossing plot is well-written and crafted. This is one story where the author takes us into the dark side of the human psyche and into the world of brutal killings….

“Cold Heart” is attention grabbing…I loved it…well-done

Hopkins and Satomasso are quite a pair. From heart palpitations to the ever present frustration, they refused to hold back on the chemistry. Their delivery is flameworthy. McKenna James dishes out the emotions with her ever present flair and as always I was easily hooked. Lucky Inheritance sets emotions ablaze with passion, heart and humor.

The Heap by Sean Adams is recalls the type of winking political and societal satire presented in works by Vonnegut and Pyncheon, or in the film “Brazil” by Terry Gilliam.  Adam’s novel wittily reflects the mindlessness and vapidity of our modern age within an alternative universe controlled by a corrupt bureaucracy that takes advantage of people’s worst tendencies.  The story is simple but unusual- Orville is a man searching for his brother among the ruins of a collapsed building.  “Los Verticalés” was originally designed as a type of utopian community, an enormous ever-expanding tower meant to provide everything people would need for existence within one self-contained structure. The Heap takes place after the building’s inevitable collapse, becoming a tale of the stalled rescue of the lone survivor of the tragedy, Bernard.  Orville’s brother is still within the rubble, broadcasting continuously from his radio station and taking calls from the outside. The building’s original architects have enlisted people to conduct the search as they also unearth and sell off salvageable items. A whole community has sprung up around the effort, including: the diggers and an administrative support system; small businesses to provide amenities; and a band of people who once lived in the tower, having escaped the tragedy by not being home when the collapse occurred.  These are the “displaced,” who write about what life was like in Los Verticalés, providing the reader some vital background information about the social experiment. Most of The Heap consists of Adams describing how the evolved community has established its own routines and fallen into a state of passive ennui over time.  Lydia, one of Orville’s dig partners, is the only character who possesses political ambitions and is therefore consistently frustrated by the reluctance of others to change or put forth extra effort. Other secondary characters become allegories for human adaptation to loss and the drive toward comfort even if freedom must be sacrificed.  It takes a bit too long, but eventually events occur that shake up the plodding existence of the Heap and its inhabitants- challenging them to stand up to the menacing corporate cabal that wants them to continue succumbing to their stupor.  Orville, with his uniquely emotional connection to the place, is responsible for rebelling against the underlying power structure. His reluctant awareness and subsequent actions result in some unexpected and humorous ripple effects.  Strange and sometimes slow-paced, The Heap is an interesting experiment in storytelling.  Though probably not universally appealing, readers who are searching for something unique, smile-provoking and subtly pointed would do well to give this new novel a try.

Thanks to the author, William Morrow and Library Thing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.