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review 2019-11-05 09:52
Los, beklauen wir einen Drachen!
Fool's Gold - Jon Hollins

Jon Hollins heißt in Wahrheit Jonathan Wood. Das Pseudonym wurde ihm vom Verlag Orbit nahegelegt, um Assoziationen mit seiner Urban Fantasy – Reihe „Arthur Wallace“, die unter seinem echten Namen erschien, zu vermeiden. Es ist nicht so einfach, Informationen über ihn zu finden, denn er besitzt keine Website. Stattdessen managt er seine digitale Präsenz über soziale Netzwerke. Auf Reddit erklärte er anlässlich des Erscheinens seines ersten High Fantasy – Romans, dass dieser eine Hommage an seine Auffassung des Genres ist, in dem es ihm zufolge im Prinzip darum geht, dass Freunde zusammen Abenteuer erleben. Erweitert man diesen klassischen Plot um ausgeklügelte Raubüberfälle in der Tradition von „Ocean’s Eleven“, erhält man „Fool’s Gold“, den Auftakt von Hollins‘ Trilogie „The Dragon Lords“.

 

Niemand mag Drachen. Im Kondorra Tal sind sich alle einig, dass Drachen fiese, gierige Tyrannen sind, die viel zu hohe Steuern verlangen und zum Spaß die Bevölkerung terrorisieren. Doch die Leute haben auch Angst vor ihnen. Also halten sie still und unterwerfen sich den kriminellen Gesetzen der Drachen. Will hat sich längst damit abgefunden, dass er als einfacher Bauer nichts gegen das Unrecht in Kondorra unternehmen kann. Bis zum Tag des „bürokratischen Missgeschicks“. Von jetzt auf gleich verliert er alles: seine mageren Finanzen, seine Farm, sogar sein Dach über dem Kopf. Verzweifelt flüchtet er in eine Höhle in den umliegenden Wäldern – nur um festzustellen, dass diese besetzt ist. Unversehens steht er den Söldnern Lette und Balur, der Gelehrten Quirk und dem verrückten alten Firkin gegenüber. Am Lagerfeuer tauschen sie ihre Geschichten aus. Getragen von seiner Stimmung rutscht Will versehentlich ein wahnwitziger Vorschlag heraus. Verflucht sei sein verräterisches Mundwerk! Denn welche Person bei gesundem Verstand würde schon ernsthaft erwägen, einen Drachen zu bestehlen?

 

Spätestens, seit ich als Kind „Der kleine Hobbit“ von J.R.R. Tolkien gelesen habe, habe ich sehr spezifische Ansprüche daran, wie ein Drache in der High Fantasy porträtiert zu sein hat. Smaug prägte mein Bild dieser Spezies nachdrücklich, eine Erfahrung, die ich mit Jon Hollins teile. Ebenso begeisterte mich der Film „Ocean’s Eleven“, als das Remake Anfang der 2000er herauskam. Ein Buch, das meine traditionelle Vorstellung von Drachen mit der Action eines Heist-Plots kombiniert, klang für mich ideal. Leider war „Fool’s Gold“ jedoch nicht exakt das Jubelfest, das ich mir ausgemalt hatte. Obwohl der Auftakt der „The Dragon Lords“-Trilogie viel Gutes enthält, machten sich vor allem im Worldbuilding und im Handlungsverlauf Mängel bemerkbar, die meine Lektüre negativ beeinflussten. Das ist wirklich schade, denn zuerst erlebte ich einen vielversprechenden Start. Ich erfreute mich an Hollins überzeugender Darstellung der Drachen als tyrannische, gierige Dreckssäcke und genoss den glucksenden Humor des Autors, der seinen lockeren Schreibstil wunderbar ergänzt und schnell eine Verbindung zu den Figuren herstellt. Natürlich war es Balur, der grobe Echsenmann, der jedes Problem einfach totprügelt und einen Hang zu verschwurbelter Grammatik hat, der mein Herz im Sturm eroberte, aber auch die Dynamik zwischen Lette und Will faszinierte mich, weil sie ihr Abenteuer als charakterliche Gegensätze beginnen und sich mit Fortschreiten der Geschichte immer weiter aufeinander zu bewegen. Nur Quirk mochte ich nicht, da ich mich ständig über ihre idealistischen Ansichten ärgerte, deretwegen sie jeden Plan, den Will für ihre skurrile Bande ersinnt, kritisiert, ohne Alternativen vorzuschlagen. Meine Schwierigkeiten lagen allerdings nicht an Quirk, sondern enthüllten sich, sobald der Handlungsverlauf Form annahm. „Fool’s Gold“ ist zeitweise ziemlich zäh, weil zwischen den explosiven Vorhaben der Truppe viel zu wenig passiert. Die immer gleichen Unterhaltungen während ihrer Reisen durch Kondorra, dessen austauschbare, spärlich beschriebene Landschaft keinerlei Atmosphäre entstehen ließ, langweilten mich. Hätte Jon Hollins diese Gespräche wenigstens genutzt, um das Kondorra Tal nachvollziehbarer in seine Welt Avarra einzuarbeiten, hätten mich diese Spannungstiefs weniger angeödet, doch bedauerlicherweise verpasste er diese Chance. Daher blieben einige wichtige Fragen ungeklärt, zum Beispiel, wieso Kondorra das einzige Gebiet ist, das von Drachen beherrscht wird und warum es vom Rest von Avarra nahezu isoliert ist, was sich besonders in einem gravierenden Bildungsgefälle äußert. Gefühlt könnte das Tal hinter einer dicken Mauer liegen, so wenig Austausch findet offenbar statt. Angesichts der Gier der Drachen erschien mir das nicht plausibel. Mächtige, geflügelte Wesen, denen Gold das Liebste ist, ignorieren zusätzliche Einnahmequellen und beschränken sich freiwillig auf wenige Handelsbeziehungen? Das kann ich schwer glauben.

 

„Fool’s Gold“ war für mich eine merkwürdige Grauzonen-Lektüre: die einzelnen Elemente des Trilogieauftakts gefielen mir, mit ihrer Kombination konnte ich mich hingegen nicht recht anfreunden. Ich denke, dass Jon Hollins die Transitionsphasen seiner Geschichte beim Schreiben ebenso Probleme bereiteten wie mir beim Lesen. Es wirkte, als wüsste er nicht, wie er diesen Leerlauf effektiv nutzen sollte. Man spürt, dass Worldbuilding, wie er offen zugibt, für ihn eine neue Herausforderung ist, denn erfahrenen High Fantasy – Autor_innen gelingt es, Spannung unter anderem durch die geschickte Platzierung von Hintergrundinformationen aufrechtzuerhalten – übrigens eine Taktik, die in „Ocean’s Eleven“ ebenfalls angewendet wurde, weshalb „Fool’s Gold“ dem Vergleich mit dem Film meiner Ansicht nach nicht ganz standhält. Trotz dessen erkenne ich Hollins positive Absichten und werde der Fortsetzung „False Idols“ eine Chance geben. Einer Truppe, die nicht davor zurückschreckt, Drachen zu beklauen, steht sicher eine glänzende Zukunft bevor.

Source: wortmagieblog.wordpress.com/2019/11/05/jon-hollins-fools-gold
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review 2019-06-17 15:08
Out Aug 6
Iron Magicians: The Search for the Magic Crystals - Cetrix,Yuio

It is a comic quest. You have to help with the Eiffel Tower and can play either as male or female. Though, I must wonder why the girl has less magic and more charisma than the boy does.  To be fair, charisma in the book seems to be the ability to match wits, but charisma is a strange word choice

It makes excellent use of the landmarks of Paris as well as fairy tales. Game play is like a Choose Your Own Adventure, but slightly more detailed. There is a bit too many mazes which are more annoying in comic panel form than a straight CYOA go to page form.

 

Still this series of comic quests would make an excellent gift or book for middle grades.  There are two more in the series - Knight's Club I and II - but those books are just male characters.  I prefer this one and the Hocus and Pocus series because they have both male and female characters.  And the Hocus and Pocus books are better than this one.  But all three make excellent use of puzzles and problem solving.

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review 2019-03-18 23:14
Prank Craigslist ads, and this subsequent book of responding emails, reveal there are a lot of people out there willing to do just about anything
Race Me in a Lobster Suit - Kelly Mahon

This is a crazy book, just no other way to put it.
If you saw ‘Pranked’ which was on TV or ‘Crank Yankers’ which was a puppet TV show based on prank-calling, you will get the idea of this, which is based on the author posting prank ads on Craigslist. The resulting email ‘conversations’ from those ads are contained within this book, and if you hate the idea of unsuspecting people being strung along on fall pretenses, this isn’t for you.
If you can put all seriousness aside and maybe have a few minutes at a time to read it (in the guest room? the loo?), you will probably read this with eyes widened and emit a chuckle or two.

If you look at this too seriously you will see that lots of people wasted their time engaging in the banter necessary for this book:
People actually entertaining the idea of dressing up snakes for a fashion show. Seriously considering crocheting someone into a cocoon for the winter. Pretending to be someone’s made-up partner to be taken along to a work party. Sitting for a tea party dressed like a doll.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the fact that these people were strung along for the sake of author Kelly Mahon’s crazy idea for a book. BUT just like you can’t look away from a car crash on the highway, it’s hard not to read this and marvel WHY people are even considering doing these things. Some of them are so outlandish and ridiculous that I can’t even believe they would do them for money, let alone free. But it takes all sorts to make this world interesting, right?

I don’t think Mahon put this together with any malicious intent, but a laugh at others’ expense is hard to absorb. That said, if you answer an ad for racing in a lobster suit, you sound like you’re up for anything (or at least maybe a laugh)

Source: www.goodreads.com/book/show/38116996-the-past-and-other-things-that-should-stay-buried
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review 2018-09-20 23:25
Heavy metal horror masterpiece that is sure to become a cult classic; another hit from Grady Hendrix
We Sold Our Souls - Grady Hendrix

‘We Sold Our Souls’ is one HELL of a ride. Grady Hendrix, King of horror at Quirk Books, has written a heavy metal masterpiece with a female lead guitarist, Kris Pulaski, as its star.
Less classic horror this time (his previous books are ‘Horrorstör’, and ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’), Hendrix has laden ‘Souls’ with conspiracy theory and real life horrors.

Kris Pulaski was in a heavy metal band called Dürt Würk two decades ago and they were on the brink of success when the lead singer Terry Hunt ripped the band apart and left to start his solo career. And it seems Terry’s rise to success was at the cost of selling the band’s souls.
That’s right, he sold their souls for rock’n’roll…or in this case, heavy metal.

 

Kris’ pitiful present day existence is working at the reception of a Best Western, and if you can stomach the ‘Welcome To Hell’ chapter (good horror always comes at the cost of reading things that make your stomach turn), then you can follow Kris on her journey as she gets whisked from Pennsylvania to a Satanic rehab center, and then across the country again to grimy Las Vegas. Years of grueling, crazy, exciting, challenging (to say the least), and often nasty experiences on the road with the band, were nothing compared to this trip, and it seems like all Kris’ heavy metal years were preparation and toughened her up. The journey to Las Vegas is overwhelming, but Kris has a mission she can’t ignore. There’s also a whole host of colorful characters along the way, but I do have to wonder if Hendrix has a thing against UPS (you will see what I mean when you read the book).

 

The greatest thing about this book is that Hendrix has chosen to write ‘Souls’ with a female protagonist. Not just that: a kickass, middle-aged (even though I hate that word, because that’s what I am now, I suppose), female as its lead. And she plays the guitar like a certain other Hendrix. She doesn’t take any bull from anyone and doesn’t stop fighting back once she starts on her new road trip.

 

While it seems as though she has given up with her hotel job, the revelation that she must stop her old bandmate Terry Hunt, lights a fire in Kris, and the book has that vibe of ‘don’t give up, don’t let the system win, don’t let the bullies push you’. That’s highly clear in the messages of conspiracy theory, our paranoia-laden country, and how culture is selling itself (its soul) particularly out to cell phones and shallow marketing. Reading the book will give you a greater sense of the way the conspiracy theory works in ‘Souls’ - I’m kind of at a loss as how to explain the genius behind how it’s woven in - but Hendrix has cleverly used snippets of radio and newspaper to show how ‘news’ travels and information spreads. This has always been the way conspiracy theories spread and this underbelly of the book is fascinating.

 

If you don’t know all the music in the book, this may be a little daunting, as there are a lot of heavy metal and music references, but I think if you have even the remote interest in or knowledge of decades old music such as Black Sabbath and Slayer, and remember the days when everyone thought that heavy metal listeners were devil worshipers, you will appreciate what Hendrix is doing here (and no you don’t have to actually like the music). Trigger warnings for sexual assault and creepy crawlies; this is definitely rated R.

 

Hendrix is an undeniable force in pop culture literature and has written an unforgettable book, one that’s not for everyone, but will be a cult classic, but not like any of the schlock he writes about in his awesome ‘Paperbacks from Hell’. No one writes like this guy; ‘We Sold Our Souls’ is funny, gross, complex, and a wonderful blend of horror, pop culture, conspiracy theory, and is infused with a heavy dose of music history. Only Grady Hendrix could have done that.

 

**I'm really lucky because this Friday I get to meet Grady here in Seattle at his book signing and I get to have my big stack of books signed. 

*Kudos to Doogie Horner again, for another excellent book cover design for Grady. It's worth noting that the hardcover of this book has beautiful black ink-sprayed pages. 

 

 

 

UPDATE:

What an amazing ‘signing’. To anyone who gets to go to one of the signings on this book tour: Grady will blow your mind with the presentation he has ready for you; I wish I’d been prepared and been able to record it or something, so I could listen to it again (you hear/see that, Grady?).
The whole ‘secret history’ behind heavy metal and how it has rotted so many young minds (aka the wonderful conspiracy theories that set WSOS in motion) is the basis for Grady’s brilliant ‘lecture’, along with a slideshow and I wish I’d at least taken notes, but I chuckled too much to do that. It was the most funny, inspiring, thoughtful signing I’ve been to yet.

 

THANK YOU TO GRADY for revealing the personal background behind writing this book in particular; I really appreciated your message at the end, you have so much heart, especially for a guy who writes some of my favorite books which are complete with things like people getting their scalps ripped off, beetles crawling down their shirts, and high schoolers needing exorcisms. Plus you will say ‘fuck’ a lot right near the children’s department in the bookstore and do the ‘voices’ of the members of KISS.
And I have NO idea how you have the energy that you do (you delivered about 20-25 pages at cutthroat speed), especially since I’m someone who has zero energy most of the time, thanks to MS.
Us Seattlites apologize for the death of metal circa 1991 when Nirvana et al burst onto the scene (I thought it was funny that you started your tour here*), but you must admit jeans are way more comfortable than leather pants, so that was a godsend. I’d love to hear your take on whether that was a conspiracy itself.

So, thank you for coming and signing my massive stack of books, for your presentation, and for your writing genius. Thank you to librarians for buying secret copies of books for kids like a certain one did for you.
You rock.

*We would like to reiterate that we did indeed have a very hot and sunny summer here this year (again) in Seattle, and now that  it’s raining we are actually all quite relieved. Sorry you had to experience it for your trip though. Make sure you come back for your next book.

Source: www.goodreads.com/book/show/37715859-we-sold-our-souls
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review 2018-09-10 03:54
Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger (audiobook)
Manners & Mutiny - Gail Carriger,Moira Quirk

Series: Finishing School #4

 

Sophronia is older here, now one of the more senior students, but she's still investigating a possible Picklemen plot (honestly that whole secret society with a pickle theme is just odd) and gets into lots of trouble. There was also a fun segment near the beginning of the book where the girls were tasked with acting like another girl as an exercise and thus confusing the other people they're interacting with.

 

Overall I'd say that this series was a light and amusing read, despite the general air of danger, and the audio was a good option. Because Sophronia is a student investigating what could be characterized as a crime (basically it is but it's not clear how without giving out spoilers), I'll be counting this one for the "Baker Street Irregulars" square for Halloween Bingo.

 

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