Review of The Jackal of Nar
Jan
31
2009

The Jackal of Nar
by John Marco
768pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 6/10
Amazon Rating: 3.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.34/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.9/5

The Jackal of Nar, John Marco’s debut novel, is the first book in a completed fantasy trilogy, Tyrants and Kings. It is followed by The Grand Design and concluded with The Saints of the Sword. The Jackal of Nar was unevenly paced, too long, and had a rather stupid main character, yet in spite of that I did find this character-driven novel enjoyable once it hit its stride, particularly for some of the secondary characters.

The technologically advanced empire of Nar is at war with its neighbor Lucel-Lor, led by a powerful magic user said to be blessed by his gods. Prince Richius Vantran of Nar, known to his enemies as Kalak (“The Jackal”), is leading the fight to keep a strategic location from being overrun by enemies. This is a losing battle, especially since the King of Aramoor (Richius’s father), refuses to send soldiers or food in spite of the Emperor’s will that he do all he can to aid the war. Even with their war machines, Richius and his men are near defeat until Blackwood Gayle appears and joins the battle. Although he is on the same side as Richius, Gayle is his bitter enemy and Richius is angered by the victory celebration in which Gayle’s men raid a village and Gayle attempts to rape a young woman. Richius saves the young woman and refuses further assistance from Gayle.

Later, Richius and one of his men take a trip to the nearby town and once again Richius encounters Dyana, the young woman he saved from Gayle. In spite of Richius’s heroics, Dyana despises him since he is the Jackal – but Richius believes Dyana to be the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and is quite obsessed with her. Abandoned by her family, Dyana is now working as a prostitute to earn money and Richius cannot help but purchase a night with her. Later, Richius regrets this and tries to make it up to her. He finds out she was betrothed to Tharn, the leader of Lucel-Lor, and is trying to escape his desperate search for her. Richius tries to protect her and she agrees to go to Nar with him, but she is lost to him in a magical storm created by Tharn – and he cannot forget her.


The Jackal of Nar is often labeled as “military fantasy,” but it did not primarily focus on the warfare, although there was a lot of blood and death. It was somewhat about the politics of the kingdoms, but mostly about the character of Richius. Each section of the book begins with an excerpt from his journal. In the very first 4 pages of the book, he is shown to be a very reflective man attempting to understand the world around him. After working with a member of the Triin race, he has discovered they are just like humans and plans to teach his father this when he gets home. In the beginning, I liked his character because I do like reading about people who can change their beliefs when presented with evidence that the world does not fall into the neat little package they always thought it did. Richius seemed like an overall good guy who tried to do the right thing whether this was taking care of the men under him or preventing Gayle from harming the very people they were supposed to be struggling to protect. He was supposed to be smart, he was supposed to be wonderful at military strategy, but he made so many stupid decisions that I found it hard to connect with him when I really wanted to yell at him for being an idiot. The root of much of Richius’s foolishness was his feelings for Dyana, so I did not find it completely unrealistic since he was one of those people who follows his heart instead of his head – I just couldn’t particularly care about a character whose only major flaw seemed to be moronic decision-making.

As Richius’s obsession, Dyana was an important character but she was also one I never really liked. The whole relationship never rang true to me since Dyana seemed to have stopped hating Richius a little too quickly to be believable. Although he was being very kind to her, she still loathed him after he prevented her imminent rape so I would expect it to take a very long, long time for her to even get to an average level of abhorrence for the man.

Because of this, I found many of the secondary characters far more interesting than Richius or Dyana, particularly Tharn and Voris, the war-leader from Lucel-Lor who first dubbed Richius as “The Jackal.” Tharn was a very gray character who initially appeared corrupt but had motivations behind most of his actions that made him seem at least somewhat sympathetic. Even the horrific action of making Dyana go with him was at least within the realms of culturally acceptable since the entire Triin race did not believe women had any rights. As Tharn’s betrothed, Dyana was his possession as far as he was concerned since that is what he had been raised to believe. (It was fairly late in the book when I came to see Voris as an interesting character so I’m going to avoid discussing him for fear of entering spoiler territory.)

Many of the characters had both good and bad traits, with even some of the more evilly bent characters having valid reasons for their actions. There was still one cookie cutter black-hearted villain, though. Blackwood Gayle never showed any redeeming features and just seemed to be a bad guy because that’s just how he was.

This has been a hard review for me to articulate since I felt that the book had a lot of flaws yet I enjoyed reading it anyway due to the fact that most of the characters were not black or white. The beginning was stilted and a slow, and there were times when I felt it dragged in the middle, but there were also quite a few times where I found myself saying I’d just read one more chapter, then saying it again after reaching the end of that chapter. The end is definitely better than the beginning and The Jackal of Nar is a solid first novel.

6/10

Other Reviews:
SF Site
Speculative Horizons

Monette and Bear to Write Sequels to A Companion to Wolves
Jan
28
2009

Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette have sold two sequels to their wonderful novel A Companion to Wolves! I actually had missed that piece of news until I read a review of the book over at Adventures in Reading today. According to the post on Bear’s Livejournal, the next two books are tentatively named An Apprentice of Elves and A Reckoning of Men. Since I loved the first book, I cannot wait to read the rest and am thrilled that they finally decided to write more (since Bear’s site has said a sequel or two was possible for a while).

The Graveyard Book Wins the Newberry Medal
Jan
26
2009

I was so thrilled to see that Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book won the Newberry Medal! It was one of my favorite books I read last year and I’m sure it would have been one I loved when I was a kid, too. Congratulations to Neil Gaiman who sounds very excited (if you click on the above link you’ll see what I mean)!

I’m going to keep it short tonight because I’m exhausted. After work I went out to dinner for an anniversary, then we got a flat tire, had to have the car towed, and had to take a taxi home. What a night. At least we got the flat tire while at Borders where I used up the rest of my gift cards while waiting. It was a tough choice since there were quite a few books I wanted to get, but I ended up with:

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee

I got the first two because I’m now reading Inside Straight and really liked the parts written by Abraham and Vaughn. The other two are ones I’ve thought about getting for a while.

Hopefully this week I’ll get up that review of The Jackal of Nar. After that, I now also need to review Kushiel’s Dart and Childhood’s End (which I was very silly to be afraid of).

Favorites of 2008 Part II
Jan
22
2009

I wasn’t planning to post my favorite books read in 2008 here, but I had a request to do so since the link to the post at The Book Smugglers no longer went to it after their blog moved. I fixed the link to go to their fabulous new blog but figured I may as well post it here again as requested. So if you already read that, this is just a repeat of the same (but not as pretty, since I didn’t put the pictures back in).

The following is a list of my top 10 favorite books I’ve read this year (regardless of year of publication since only about 20% of the 54 I read were published this past year). To add some variety, I made a rule that I’m limiting one book per series to a list – otherwise, there would be a lot of repeat occurrences since I discovered some great new series this year. I am also going to forget about whether or not my head thought the book was worthy of a higher rating and go entirely with how much the book stuck with me and affected me personally.

1. The Virtu (#2 The Doctrine of Labyrinth) by Sarah Monette

The entire The Doctrine of Labyrinth series is my absolute favorite new book discovery of the year and The Virtu had the tightest plot and most interesting developments of the three. It’s dark, populated with two very different yet in some ways very similar characters with huge flaws and emotional issues – the wizard Felix Harrowgate and the assassin Mildmay. Both men were so well drawn that I couldn’t read enough about them. Monette is one of those authors who asks herself what the worst possible thing she can do to her characters is and then does it, so her books are far from cheery and light. They are gripping, intense and include some of the best characterization I’ve ever read. You can tell the author poured her heart and soul into those two characters, and considering Monette is a new novelist, I expect great things to come from her.

2. Shades of Dark (#2 Dock Five Universe) by Linnea Sinclair

Gabriel’s Ghost, the first book in this science fiction romance series was my first book by Linnea Sinclair. I suppose you could say I liked it since the day I finished it, I almost immediately went to the bookstore to buy the next one – and was halfway through it by the time I went to bed that night. With its darker tone, the newer book was my favorite of the two but both had an engaging storyline and characters I really cared about. They were both almost impossible to put down. It was days before I stopped thinking about these two books all the time and I have yet to get over the way Shades of Dark ended.

3. The Book of Joby by Mark Ferrari

Mark Ferrari’s impressive debut novel read like the author was an experienced writer. The Book of Joby is a modern retelling of the Book of Job from the Bible incorporated with the story of King Arthur. God and Lucifer meet over lattes in a New England coffee shop only to have the Devil challenge God to what the Creator refers to as “that same stupid bet.” The fate of the entire world depends on Joby, chosen as God’s candidate – if Joby fails, the entire world will be destroyed and redesigned according to Lucifer’s instructions. This story of one man’s struggle against great odds drew me in immediately and contained a great mixture of happy moments, tragedy, and humor.

4. The Player of Games (A Culture Novel) by Iain M. Banks

The Player of Games is intelligent space opera featuring a master of strategy games as the main character instead of an action/adventure hero. This was my introduction to the Culture and I found the idealistic future presented fascinating. Yet as wonderful as it appeared, Banks managed to paint a darker picture of it while making it still seem like a pretty good world to live in, especially in comparison to the glamorous Empire of Azad, in which racism, sexism, and cruelty run rampant. The Player of Games is a multi-layered story containing depth – yet it is highly entertaining and not at all dry.

5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This is without a doubt my favorite novel by Gaiman (none of his books are as awesome as his Sandman comics, though). His fantasy retelling of The Jungle Book details the adventures of a boy raised by the inhabitants of the local cemetery after the murder of his family. At once chilling and charming, touching and humorous, this was one absorbing creative tale I didn’t want to put down.

6. Blood and Iron (Promethean Age #1) by Elizabeth Bear

All four books in this urban fantasy series are excellent, including the two books in The Stratford Man duology released this summer. While the more recent books are stronger, the first one remains my favorite because I loved the characters Elayne and Whiskey so much. Intertwined with many mythologies from the British Isles (King Arthur, Tam Lin, Puck, and Morgan La Fey are all present), Bear’s Faerie is not out of a Disney cartoon but is rather grim with complex gray characters who have to make some difficult choices.

7. Primary Inversion (The Skolian Saga) by Catherine Asaro

The first book published in this romantic space opera series (containing some hard science fiction) holds a special place in my heart because it’s the first book that really convinced me that maybe I do like science fiction after all. The Skolian empaths/telepaths are in conflict with the Eubians, a race that derives pleasure from harming others – especially empaths. This one had it all – a great female character, intriguing societies, political intrigue, forbidden romance, and a pretty cool space battle!

8. Archangel Protocol (#1 AngelLINK series) by Lyda Morehouse

Archangel Protocol takes place in a not-too-distant future in which America no longer has separation between politics and religion. This fast-paced, difficult to put down novel contains some great ideas about society, a fun mystery, and some romance. I’ve decided to call it a cyberpunk mystery romance socio-religious/political adventure. It’s the only cyberpunk I’ve ever actually found enjoyable but sadly it is out of print.

9. A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear

A serious parody of animal companion tales based on Norse mythology about a band of men who bond with wolves to protect the people from trolls. In spite of their knowledge of battle, these defenders of the realm are seen as unmanly by many due to their homosexual practices. When a leader’s son is chosen by a wolf, he must contend with his father’s disdain if he wants to join the society as the wolf’s companion. This novel incorporates Bear’s handling of myth with both Bear and Monette’s ability to write deeply troubled characters – of course it’s one of my favorites of the year!

10. Wanderlust (#2 Jax series) by Ann Aguirre

Grimspace (the first book in this romantic space opera series) was difficult to put down, but this one was far better and impossible to put down. Fun, fast-paced, and a bit over the top, this one had me hooked from start to finish (it’s the only book I read this year that I finished in one day). Aguirre found an excellent balance between action and keeping the plot moving while exploring character relationships.

There you have it – my top 10 favorite books of 2008! So which books can I not wait for in 2009? There are three that top the list.

1. Corambis by Sarah Monette

The fourth and final book in The Doctrine of Labyrinth series will be out in April 2009. While I’ll be sad to see it end, I can’t wait to revisit my favorite characters and find out what happens to them. This is one of those books I will have to have as soon as it is out, even if it means walking to the bookstore in a blizzard (I live in Maine – blizzards in April are a very real possibility).

2. Hope’s Folly by Linnea Sinclair

The third book in the Dock 5 Universe is about Philip Guthrie, a character appearing in the first two books, and is scheduled for release in February 2009. Although I will miss Chaz and Sully, who are now some of my favorite characters of all time, this is another book that I’d go out in a blizzard for.

3. Kings and Assassins by Lane Robins

Even though it did not make it onto my top 10 list, I was very impressed with Robins’s debut novel Maledicte, a dark fantasy novel about a young woman possessed by the goddess of love and vengeance. Robins drew me in with lush prose and gray characters. This book is actually about Janus, who seemed more evil than gray but reading about evil characters can be fun. While I wouldn’t go out in a blizzard for this one, I will get it fairly soon after its release (also in April 2009).

Other books I’m looking forward to in 2009:

Blue Diablo (Corine Solomon #1) by Ann Aguirre
Doubleblind (Jax #3) by Ann Aguirre
By the Mountain Bound (#2 The Edda of Burdens) by Elizabeth Bear
Republic of Thieves (#3 Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch – I’m hoping this will be out next year anyway!
A Dance with Dragons (#5 A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin – This is probably wishful thinking on my part since I’ve been hoping for it the last few years.

Review of An Accidental Goddess
Jan
19
2009

An Accidental Goddess
by Linnea Sinclair
464pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 6/10
Amazon Rating: 4/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.95/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.54/5

An Accidental Goddess is a science fiction romance novel by Linnea Sinclair. It is a far future sequel to Wintertide, which I did not know until after reading this one. An Accidental Goddess is self-contained and makes perfect sense read on its own, though. I read this book right after Gabriel’s Ghost and Shades of Dark because I loved those two so much that I wanted to read more by Linnea Sinclair. However, as entertaining as An Accidental Goddess was, I thought the storyline and characters in the other two books were more complex and intriguing.

Gillie Davre, Raheiran Special Forces captain, awakens in a space station 342 years after her last memory, in which her ship was being attacked. That does not faze her nearly as much as the discovery that sometime during that 342 years, she was ordained a goddess by the Khalar. Her elevation was due to the “Sacred Sacrifice” she made in the fight against the enemy, the Fav’lhir – an act believed to have resulted in her death. In addition to being the savior of the Khalar, Gillie is also part of the mageline, meaning she has telepathic powers that seem godlike to the Khalar. Many of the facts about Gillie have been forgotten, leaving a lot of myths that Gillie is not comfortable with. Since she does not want to interfere with a people’s long held religious tradition, she determines to hide her identity the best she can.

Soon after awakening in sick bay, Gillie meets Admiral Rynan Mackarian, known as “Mack.” The practical Mack immediately falls for beautiful Gillie and her lavender-green eyes, even though he initially fears she may be a smuggler. Gillie likes Mack as well but is finding it difficult to get close to him while constantly lying to hide her identity and the truth about how she ended up on the space station. Soon she uncovers a plot by her old enemy the Fav’lhir and may be the only one who can save the people of Khalar once again.


An Accidental Goddess is a light, somewhat humorous story and the pages flew by, but I just did not connect with it the same way as Linnea Sinclair’s Dock Five books. It might not be fair to compare this one to the two Dock Five books, but I can’t help it since I read this one after enjoying those ones. I really wanted to read more books like those and this book was very different. That’s not at all a bad thing since reading about the same basic characters and the same basic plot would get boring. I just found I did not love any of the characters nearly as much as the ones from the other books and this one did not resonate with me the same way. It was a much simpler story, not as dark, and very predictable.

The fun-loving, down to earth Gillie is likable enough. Being ordained as a goddess did not go to her head at all – in fact, she was quite horrified to find a shrine dedicated to her, thinking a pub built in her honor would be more appropriate. She was too good for my taste, though. Gillie’s powers are used for unselfish reasons, such as helping others or defeating the bad guys. The consequences of holding great power was not a struggle for her. Her big problem was that her powers were glorified and I find it more interesting to read about such awesome abilities being demonized, or at least having some sort of big dilemma involved. Gillie could still get herself into trouble but it tended to be for all the right reasons.

Mack, the typical nice guy, was also a bit too upright for me. He’s a very efficient, hard-working man who is the youngest admiral in the Khalaran Fleet, at 43. He had realistic struggles such as worrying about Gillie falling for a younger, more fit man, but overall, he did not have any huge quandaries. He was very realistic as an overall good person with minor human issues, but I prefer reading about people who are more complicated with a morally gray side.

The story itself was straightforward played out very much as expected. The idea of not only waking up in the future but waking up to find a whole people worshipped you was interesting initially but I felt it was a bit drawn out. It was mainly used as a humorous plot device as Gillie kept getting herself into funny situations.

An Accidental Goddess is an entertaining, straightforward story with some romance and humor. It’s a good book, but I would recommend Linnea Sinclair newbies looking for something a little less light start with Gabriel’s Ghost instead.

6/10

Other Reviews:

Full RSS Now Available
Jan
16
2009

Based on recent conversations at the Dragon Federation, the response to Jeff’s question based on that discussion over at Fantasy Book News & Reviews, and the latest post at Racy Romance Reviews, I’ve changed the RSS feed to full text. I never really thought it mattered that much if it was partial or full since personally it doesn’t matter to me if it’s a partial feed or full when I subscribe to a blog. But I see it matters an awful lot to most other people, so I’m making it more convenient.