Codex Born by Jim C. Hines

Codex Born is the second book of the Magic Ex Libris series, a successful sequel to Libriomancer. The book hits all the marks: sound character development progressing from the first book, fast paced action with enough grit to keep it interesting without getting gory.

The world building is on an as-needed basis. This looks like the beginning of a long series and, given the quality of the writing, I'm hoping for a long run.

Ex-Communication by Peter Clines

Finished Ex-Communication by Peter Clines. A great continuation of the series. Zombies, superheroes, and zombie-superheroes... this series can do no wrong. Continuing characters are well developed and go through real changes; Clines is not afraid to break some eggs to make the omelet.

Looking forward to a fourth and fifth book in the series. If you haven't read the first two books (Ex-Heroes, and Ex-Patriots) in the series you'll probably still enjoy this book, but whats the point? The first two books are great.

From the author:

Three books in, and peo­ple are still in­ter­ested in a hand­ful of su­per­heroes I made up in fifth grade. This is a source of con­stant amaze­ment to me.

Wicked Bronze Ambition by Glen Cook

Finished by Wicked Bronze Ambition by Glen Cook. A decent enough continuation of the series (14th book in the series) with the participation of all the (surviving) characters from previous books. Garrett P.I. is getting older and TunFaire is becoming a more law-abiding city but there is still room for some adventure.

Not crazy about the super-short chapter format, especially when continuing scenes are split for no apparent reason.

2013 Hugo Award Winner - Redshirts

Definitely deserved the win. Funny and poignant.

 

2013 Hugo Award Winners | The Hugo Awards: BEST NOVEL

Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, John Scalzi (Tor)

Judgement Night (Bureau 13 vol 1) by Nick Pollotta

I enjoyed Judgement Night much more than the first Pollotta book I tried. Bureau 13 is a secret American organization that handles Alien and Occult threats to the the world. The action is fast paced.

The first book I tried, Illegal Aliens, is widely touted as one of Pollotta's best (and best known) forays into the sci-fi/fantasy-humour genre. The plot was intriguing and the choice of characters was inspiring. The humor, however, was overly over the top. I have never experienced anything so baldly hacky before.

Bureau 13 was toned down enough for me to appreciate the hyperbole.

Pollotta was a very prolific author, often writing under the pseudonyms James Axler and Don Pendleton.

Announcing the 2013 Locus Award Winners! | Tor.com

Announcing the 2013 Locus Award Winners! | Tor.com: The winners of the 2013 Locus Awards were announced today at the annual Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle.

The Wertzone: RIVERS OF LONDON optioned for TV

The Wertzone: RIVERS OF LONDON optioned for TV: Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London books have been optioned for TV. Feel Films has picked up the rights, possibly with a view to producing in cooperation with one of the main British TV networks.

This would make a great TV series. Great characters and the supernatural aspects can be handled easily with practical effects (no CGI).

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

An interesting vision of future Earth and the solar system populated by genetically modified humans. Terraforming planets, moons, and asteroids and artificial intelligence are also explored in the book.

While the book has been lauded by the critics and won many awards, I found the plot sluggish. What conflict there was seemed unimportant to character development (if there was any).

There were a great many cool ideas but there was no adventure.

London Falling by Paul Cornell

I really enjoyed this new British urban fantasy offering. The gritty realism of the police protagonists is strongly reminiscent of the style of British police procedurals that began with the BBC classic The Sweeney.

The slow start to the story focused on world building and the introduction of the protagonists. They are flawed and do not exhibit any extraordinary talents. This sets the table for a gritty story more often found in the horror genre.

I like the banter among the team mates. It is often witty without sounding forced.

The West Ham football club details add verisimilitude, but I dislike English soccer because its so historically deep and jock heavy. Its NFL fanaticism to the nth power.

Decades ago, these characters were first created for a television series pitch overseen by the tremendous talents of Steven Moffat and Beryl and Sue Vertue. The story has changed out of all recognition since those days, but their support and encouragement remain, and I owe them many thanks.

Haha! I knew it.

‘Good. It is time that defines whether something is real or not. Time is what makes what people experience a tragedy or a love story or a triumph. Hell is where time has stopped, where there’s no more innovation. No horizon. No change. I sometimes think Hell would suit the British down to the ground, and that, given the chance, they’d vote for it. You’d better make sure they never get the chance, eh?’

A little bit of politics never hurts.

Science Fiction Pioneer and Grand Master Jack Vance, 1916-2013 | Tor.com

Science Fiction Pioneer and Grand Master Jack Vance, 1916-2013 | Tor.com: In his long and prolific career, Vance won many awards and accolades, including the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and inspired countless readers and fellow writers with his work in fantasy, science fiction, and mystery.