Review - Gears of War: Coalition's End by Karen Traviss

I ended up liking this one much more than I ever thought I would. Plus, we're also running a giveaway of Gears of War: Coalition's End. (Here's the review)

Book Haul

Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever by Greg Cox (Amazon) I'm not sure about this one. I'm a little tired of tie-ins for now, so it may be a while before I get to it.

This original novel is the official tie-in to Warehouse 13, one of the hottest shows on the Syfy Channel. Like the TV drama, the novel tracks U.S. Secret Service Agents Peter Latimer and Myka Bering as they tap the supernatural artifacts of Warehouse 13 to solve troubling mysteries. In A Touch of Fear, Pete and Myka battle a madman-unleashed plague and the loss of a team member. A mass market original that will keep you guessing.

Grave Expectations by Charles Dickens and Sherri Browning Erwin (Amazon) I haven't quite made my mind up about mash-ups. I haven't had great luck (Abraham Lincold: Vampire Hunter), but that wasn't fully a mash-up. I hope this proves my expectations wrong.

A clever literary mash-up that rewrites Charles Dickens's Great Expectations with Pip as a werewolf and Estella as a vampire slayer.

Low Town by Daniel Polansky (Amazon) This one's been getting lots of good reviews lately, so I have to same I'm looking forward to it.

In the forgotten back alleys and flophouses that lie in the shadows of Rigus, the finest city of the Thirteen Lands, you will find Low Town. It is an ugly place, and its cham­pion is an ugly man. Disgraced intelligence agent. Forgotten war hero. Independent drug dealer. After a fall from grace five years ago, a man known as the Warden leads a life of crime, addicted to cheap violence and expensive drugs. Every day is a constant hustle to find new customers and protect his turf from low-life competition like Tancred the Harelip and Ling Chi, the enigmatic crime lord of the heathens.

The Warden’s life of drugged iniquity is shaken by his dis­covery of a murdered child down a dead-end street . . . set­ting him on a collision course with the life he left behind. As a former agent with Black House—the secret police—he knows better than anyone that murder in Low Town is an everyday thing, the kind of crime that doesn’t get investi­gated. To protect his home, he will take part in a dangerous game of deception between underworld bosses and the psy­chotic head of Black House, but the truth is far darker than he imagines. In Low Town, no one can be trusted.

Daniel Polansky has crafted a thrilling novel steeped in noir sensibilities and relentless action, and set in an original world of stunning imagination, leading to a gut-wrenching, unforeseeable conclusion. Low Town is an attention-grabbing debut that will leave readers riveted . . . and hun­gry for more.

What I'm Reading - August 11 - 21

I finally found some reading time in the last week. A 16 hour trip after completing an internship will do that to you, especially when school hasn't started up.

Reading Progress:

Runescape: Betrayal at Falador by T.S. Church -- 250 out of 497 (Making some progress, but it's not getting any better.)

Demon Squad: Resurrection by Tim Marquitz -- 75 out of 173 (Finally making some progress. Should finish this very soon. Great series.)

Lord of Chaos (WoT 6) by Robert Jordan -- 200 out of 986 (I finished my rereading portion and now there's no more rereading for me. This is a great series, I've just had to learn to appreciate the journey and not worry too much about the endgame.)


Audiobook:

The Prestige by Christopher Priest -- 2 out of 10 CD's (This is really good. It's similar to the movie, which I loved, but different enough.)

Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton -- I made it 4 out of 14 CD's and gave up. Everything revolved around sex and maybe it was because it was too weird listening to it on audio, but I was just sick of it. I want to learn about the world/characters/anything more than what the prostitute's doing. I plan to give it another chance through text because Newton really is a great writer and there are some great moments.


Finished and awaiting review:

Gears of War: Coalition's End by Karen Traviss
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (WoT 4) (audiobook)
The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan (WoT 5) (audiobook)

What I'm Reading - August 4-10

Again, not a good week for reading. I DID, however, finish a big test which I don't have to study for anymore (until I find out I have to retake it - DOH). But, the family and I did get to spend the day in Hollywood, going to Madame Trussaud's Wax Museum, seeing the stars on the walk of fame, going to Grauman's theater, etc. Saturday, we went to the beach and Monday the Dodgers game against the Phillies.

See, I told you I'm busy. :)

Reading Progress:

Gears of War: Coalition's End by Karen Traviss -->; 244 pages in out of 443 (Some progress - 82 pages. It's not as much action-packed as I thought - I was thinking Warhammer and it's just not. I'm still enjoying it and getting more and more hooked.)

RuneScape: Betrayal at Falador by T.S. Church -->; 180 pages in out of 497 (Barely any progress - 18 pages. It's a very light read. Fun, but a bit too obvious.)

Demon Squad: Resurrection by Tim Marquitz -->; 50 pages in out of 173 (No progress. I just need more time. Anyone have any to spare?)

Audiobook:

The Fires of Heaven (WoT 5) by Robert Jordan -->; 27 out of 30 CD's in (Some progress - 3 CD's. I'm getting excited to start reading this series again instead of listening. That happens right after I'm done with this book.)

Hope you're having a great week. Reading anything good I should know about?

New Look...Again

I guess it's that time to find a new look for the blog. I'm hoping I'll stay with this one a bit longer. I was just really tired of the old white on black. It's just too hard for my eyes and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. This just feels better already. :)

What I'm Reading

I've seen this type of update done around the blog-o-verse, especially here, and I thought I'd give it a go myself. Kind of like a journal of my reading for each week or so.

Sometimes I have a problem with sticking to one book. It happens especially after I read a really long book or series and I'm back to square one with something else. I want that feeling again of knowing the characters and the world and that's just not going to happen for a couple 50 pages or so.

While in the process, I start picking up multiple books, and that's the situation I find myself in right now.

Physical Books:

Gears of War: Coalition's End by Karen Traviss -->; 162 pages in out of 443 (Steady progress, but not as quick as I'd like. I'm enjoying it, but not as much action as I expected.)

RuneScape: Betrayal at Falador by T.S. Church -->; 162 pages in out of 497 (I know, random. Not much progress. I was going along fine in this one, but it's not the most exciting. The foreshadowing and setup is way too blatant.)

Demon Squad: Resurrection by Tim Marquitz -->; 50 pages in out of 173 (Not a lot of progress this week, I have the hardest time with ebooks. I can only look at a computer so long after looking at it all day. I'm really enjoying being back with Frank Trigg, just wish I had more time.)

Audiobook:

The Fires of Heaven (WoT 5) by Robert Jordan -->; 24 out of 30 CD's in (My 20 minute commute has definitely helped with some good progress. Better than I remember.)

Well, working 45+ hours a week plus studying a couple hours each night for my exam (the MPRE) that's on Friday has pretty much killed my reading the last few weeks. I'm excited to get back on track.

It's funny that I'm reading two game tie-in books and I've never really played either, at least it's been a while since the first Gears of War and that's it.

(Audiobook) Review - The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

Continuing my reread, I'm technically on book 5 but review-wise book 3: The Dragon Reborn.