voeggroll's reviews
26 reviews

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Quick read and a really fun and snarky ride.

This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says about You by Susan Rogers, Ogi Ogas

challenging inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

The Whispering Swarm by Michael Moorcock

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It's not the first time Michael Moorcock has been a character in his own book, but possibly the first time he's been the main character.
"The Whispering Swarm" is part autobiography and part interdimensional, historical fiction.
If you're looking for an insight into the creation of some of his most famous works, look elsewhere.
Perhaps counterintuitively, Moorcock presents himself as a somewhat unsympathetic character who makes choices with consequences, frankly, he deserves.
But all is not lost! After the plodding depression that is the 2nd act of the book, the 3rd act finally sees real action replete with 17th century English history, classical French heroes, and...gun-toting monks?
This London-within-a-London fiction may not be the most exciting tale Moorcock has told, but if you're interested in characters that can't tell the difference between an acid trip and reality, then this is the story for you.
Also, I hope you like learning about Oliver Cromwell!

The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel

emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

A fantastic history of the sprawling world and influence of Prog Rock.
Prog is dead, long live prog!

The Land Leviathan: A New Scientific Romance by Michael Moorcock

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It's effectively a rehash of "The Warlord of the Air," but, you know, on land.
Bastable meets an alternate timeline Gandhi (presiding over South Africa) and eventually ships out with the "Black Atilla," who's express mission is to liberate to world's Black population from the tyranny of the Whites.
Bastable struggles again with where his loyalties lie before certain events force hla decision.

Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

There's some strong use of racial and ethnic slurs I was not prepared for in here. They appear in service of the plot, and to illustrate the author's opposition to imperialism.
I understand why they're used, but I still don't like it.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Be warned this book deals with death and dying and all that comes with it.
It's a deeply personal and powerful story that is, at times, difficult to get through, but not impossible.

Duran Duran's Rio by Annie Zaleski

informative lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

5.0

I may be biased because I love "Rio" and Duran Duran, but this book was exquisitely informative in the dissection of a landmark album. For fans and general music lovers alike, this book is a loving and educational tribute to one of the finest albums ever created!

The White Wolf by Michael Moorcock

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0

The 3rd of the Saga Press volumes of Elric Tales, and by far the beefiest. 
The moonbeam roads trilogy is different than the earlier Elric books largely because they were written some 40 years later.  Moorcock's style of writing has evolved in that time and these books seem more complex and dense.  At times the dealings of the Von Beks can be...boring as well as the prognostication of various side characters spouting their own theories of the workings of the multiverse, but all in all, it's an enjoyable trilogy that places our hero in more familiar times and links the author directly to the tale as well.

Cold Copper Tears by Glen Cook

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I started out of order as this is the 3rd Garrett book, but I didn't feel terribly out of place.
The setting of TunFaire is truly magical, in the sens that creatures of magic live there alongside humans as peaceably as possible.
Garrett is semi-curmudgeon that has a voice that reminds me faintly of Croaker from Cook's Black Company series.
Aside from the occasional sexism (Garret's "favorite sport is woman"), the book is filled with colorful characters that wouldn't be remotely out of place in any fantasy or detective novel.