Review

The Obsidian Trilogy – Book 1: The Outstretched Shadow – By Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , 1 Comment

Hey Jared,

I am really enjoying reading some of the iconic books we grew up with. Usually I have difficulty rereading books because I know what’s going to happen. Thankfully that has not been the case. This blog seems to be helping me pick out things I normally don’t pay attention to. Also my parched parental brain has conveniently forgotten much, so I’ll remember the general story lines but very few details.

At this point I plan to review each of the books in The Obsidian Trilogy. My primary reason being that it has a significant influence in how I read and enjoy novels in the Fantasy genre. A pillar of my pantheon.

The-Outstretched-Shadow.jpgTitle: The Outstretched Shadow
Series: The Obsidian Trilogy; Book 1
Author: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Medieval, Dragons, Higher Magic,
Synopsis: Kellen doesn’t fit the life his father plans for him. A High Mage, like his father, fulfilling the potential and responsibility of his forefathers. A leader in the Golden City, Armethalieh. However, the perfect life prepared for him has dark shadows. When three books find their way into his possession, Kellen must decide to remain in the relative safety of the City of a Thousand Bells or follow the whims of a greater Power.
Recommendation: Adult or late teens. Mild sexual content and innuendos. Moderate violence and high gore, but well balanced and done with purpose. I highly recommend this book!

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The Obsidian Trilogy – Book 1: The Outstretched Shadow – By Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Dragon Jousters Series – Book 1: Joust – By Mercedes Lackey

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Jared,

This book should be familiar to you since I know you have at least one book in the series on your shelf. It’s been many years since I read Joust, so I was eager to open the pages again and rediscover it.

joustTitle: Joust
Series: Dragon Jousters; Book 1
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Bronze Age, Dragons, No Higher Magic
Synopsis: Vetch leads a pitiful, miserable life. That is because Vetch is a serf. Bound to work the land of his forefathers for the rest of his life he is less than a slave. However the chance encounter with a Jouster and his dragon will alter the paths of nations.
Recommendation: I read this when I was in my late teens but I met a 10 year old at the library pulling it off the shelf to read again. That might be a bit young however I would recommend it for teens and up.

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Dragon Jousters Series – Book 1: Joust – By Mercedes Lackey

Armada – By Ernest Cline

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Hey Jared,

You’ve been pretty quiet lately. If I didn’t see you drooling over $4000 toys on Facebook I might be concerned for you. Anyway, here is the breakdown…..

Armada-Cover.jpgTitle: Armada
Author: Ernest Cline
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: CU, Near Future, Aliens
Synopsis: In the near future, Zack Lightman discovers himself on the front line of an alien invasion. But not to worry, the government has known for a long time and they have been preparing humanity for this event for decades…..and gamers are going to save the world.
Recommendation: I echo the Teen recommended audience and reading level. It has more modern references so the younger ages shouldn’t feel as lost as they might have in Ready Player One. It was a decent read that I found it enjoyable.

 

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Armada – By Ernest Cline

Mistborn Trilogy – Book 1: The Final Empire – By Brandon Sanderson

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , Leave a comment

Hey,

So you are probably saying, “About time, Robert! What took you so long?!?” Well, to be honest, Jared…..The beginning of the book was a little….boring. Too much flash. Too much doom and gloom……not enough meat in the first few chapters. I tried 3 different times to get through those first dry pages over the years. At last I have finally succeeded. Bout time!

Mistborn-cover.jpgTitle: The Final Empire
Series: Mistborn Trilogy; Book 1
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Unique Magic
Synopsis: The Final Empire controls the known world and rules with a tyrannical iron fist. A group of professional thieves turn revolutionaries have the best chance in the last thousand years to fracture the Empires hold. Their job is near-impossible. How do you bring down a government that has stood for a thousand year? More importantly, how do you kill a god?
Recommendation: Mature content with a similar reading level. Late teens would be my suggestion, definitely no earlier. It took me until really the end to decide that I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to read the next one. Correction ….. I already have. Booya!

– – Mild Spoilers – –

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Mistborn Trilogy – Book 1: The Final Empire – By Brandon Sanderson

The Martian – By Andy Weir

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , 2 Comments

Sup Jared?

……Sorry about that. I’m starting to get bored of starting every review the same and Mark might have been a touch of a bad influence on my professionalism.

18007564.jpgTitle: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Modern, Hard Scifi
Synopsis: Mark Watney is stranded on Mars. His fellow crew members, thinking him dead, left him behind. He was very much not dead. Follow his struggles and triumphs in this realistic, hard science, look at surviving a failed mission to Mars.
Recommendation: Mild language, but over all a pretty easy read. A 12 year old could probably get by without too much difficulty. An understanding of the more complex technical aspects may require an older reader. WARNING: Book contains several old people references. Notably music of the 70’s and movies of the 70’s and 80’s. Continue reading “The Martian – By Andy Weir” →

The Martian – By Andy Weir

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard – Book 1: The Sword of Summer – By Rick Riordan

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Jared,

I agree wholeheartedly; Star Wars Battlefront is in desperate need of a campaign or some other similar mode. Split-screen was what really elevated Battlefront I and II from just good game to truly great games.

Now back to the books. This is the first of many Rick Riordan books I’ll be reviewing. Please note that this is one of his newest books and newest series…..for the next couple of months. He puts out new books every 4-6 months lately. It’s pretty impressive actually.

15724396Title: The Sword of Summer
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard; Book 1
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU, Modern, Magic, Mythology/Supernatural
Synopsis: Magnus Chase has lived on the streets for the last two years after his mother was violent murdered. Now, on his 16th birthday, his uncles and cousin are desperately looking for him under the very real guise of imminent danger. In classic Riordan fashion, Magnus is thrust into a world of Norse gods and mythology. Will he stop Ragnarok or hasten it’s coming?
Recommendation: A very easy read that is perfect for newer readers. Found this in the “Youth” section, with mild gore and moderate violence. I pretty much love everything I’ve gotten on my hands that’s by Rick Riordan!

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Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard – Book 1: The Sword of Summer – By Rick Riordan

Hunter Series – Book 1: Hunter – By Mercedes Lackey

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

 

Jared,

Got another book done. I ended up reading a lot less over the holidays than I was hoping or planning, but you know all about that. So my large stack of books sat gathering dust and is now running out of renewals. I’m now trying desperately to get through them all before then. With this one now complete, I’ve got 4 more with only 1 renew left. And to illustrate how much of a book-whore I am; I picked up another 5 more yesterday. AND I’m now convinced I’m going to be getting a card for the neighboring library system……thankfully that can wait for a bit while I get through these……unless I add more.

hunterTitle: Hunter
Series: Hunter Series; Book 1
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: EU, Near Future, Post-Apocalyptic, Higher Magic, Supernatural
Synopsis: Joy has lived a terrifying, yet stable, life. In the aftermath of the Diseray, when the magical and fantastical collided with our current reality, everyone’s life is terrifying. When her uncle gives her an ultimatum she can’t avoid, she’s thrust into world of twisted politics and shady deals. Now she must face the monsters at the door along with the ones poised to stab her, and her uncle, in the back.
Recommendation: Mid-Late Teens. The reading is easy and the plot isn’t too complicated with only minor gore, but a fair amount of violence.

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Hunter Series – Book 1: Hunter – By Mercedes Lackey

The Book of Phoenix – By Nnedi Okorafor

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , Leave a comment

Hey Jared,

Great to see you finally getting words on a page. Your reply on the Ranger’s Apprentice really points out that it needs a review of the entire series as a whole. We’ll need to figure out a good way to do that….I might have some ideas but I’ll need to get them sorted.

Anyway, I read this little book in a day. It was a good read and a pleasure to dig into.

The-Book-of-PhoenixTitle: The Book of Phoenix
Series: N/A (Prequel to “Who Fears Death”)
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU/EU, Near Future, Apocalyptic
Synopsis: Phoenix is only 2 years old, but in the body of a 40 year old woman. If only that was the strangest thing about her or her fellow “projects.” When events begin to spin rapidly out of control, Phoenix must choose to remain as she is or spread her wings and fly. Her decision will either let the world march to inevitable destruction or set it on fire.
Recommendation: Late teens to adult. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

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The Book of Phoenix – By Nnedi Okorafor

Reply: Ranger’s Apprentice Series – Book 1: Ruins of Gorlan – By John Flanagan

Jared, , , , 1 Comment

91yg6kZecWL9Hi Robert,

Ok Game of Thrones isn’t really my thing, I don’t usually enjoy that much graphic content. At least from what I’ve seen of the TV series. But A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms seems to be the kinda thing I might like. Even if I don’t read the books, you can still review the A Song of Fire and Ice Series.

Based on your review I went ahead and read the Ruins of Gorlan of the Ranger’s Apprentice Series. I started reading about 2 weeks ago and now I’m done book 12 if that gives you any hints of how I have liked it. But now onto the actual reply.

Please note I have added a SPOILERS disclaimer, in order to provide a more in depth look at the book. If you have not read this book I would recommend you do so before continuing on.

—-SPOILERS—-

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Reply: Ranger’s Apprentice Series – Book 1: Ruins of Gorlan – By John Flanagan

Ready Player One – By Ernest Cline

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Yo Jared,

I finished this bad boy late last night……or really early this morning. Anyway, holidays are in full swing so reading has been low on the priorities, but you know all about that.

021915_ReadyPlayerOne_CoverTitle: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: CU, Near Future, Virtual Reality
Synopsis: Set in a dystopian version of our own future where climate change and the energy crisis collided. The only escape from bleak reality is the OASIS virtual reality gaming system. When the eccentric and mildly insane inventor of the gaming rig dies suddenly, he setting in motion the largest egg hunt in human history where the winner will inherit everything he owns in both realities. The catch? No one can get past the first clue. That is until Parzival/Wade changes everything. Slog through 80’s refences, pop culture, video games, and movies in this ultimate Easter Egg hunt.
Recommendation: The target audience is definitely teenagers of the 80’s (who are now old people), but nerds and geeks of all ages will probably get something out of it. Some of the subject matter might not be appropriate for younger kids but perfect for teenagers.

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Ready Player One – By Ernest Cline