horse/man
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What happens when your entire identity revolves around a way of life that is becoming obsolete? ...
Literary Fiction
Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern
5.0
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Blithely flinging aside the Victorian manners that kept her disapproving mother corseted, the New...
1920s
Westward on the High-Hilled Plains: The Later Prehistory of the West Midlands
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The West Midlands has struggled archaeologically to project a distinct regional identity, having...
The Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec
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As wine connoisseurs know, Argentine wine was once famously bad. The grapes were overwatered,...
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Shattered Realm of Ardor Benn in Books
Mar 12, 2021
The second Ardor Benn book is another epic tale of the ruse artist taking on the royal family. The first book saw Ard's efforts depose the current king and save the dragon race (and hence the world). Sadly, the replacement royalty is no better and the Great Chain is now scattered into different, warring islands. Ard finds himself embroiled in a plot to unearth the conspiracy that the new king's dead nephew, and the rightful heir, is not actually dead.
There is also an interesting new subplot where we see a university professor tasked with discovering new Grit types (the world's magic system, whereby different materials once digested and fired by a dragon produce different magical results). This angle, like the industrial/medical revolution is surprisingly thrilling, with additional intrigue as the results become the interests of some unsavoury characters.
Ard and Raek are once again superb and quickly put together a plot to infiltrate a secret criminal underworld and discover the whereabouts of the true king. The secrecy and plotting, and use of the world's magic makes for some excellent exciting passages.
There are the usual twists and turns along the way, as the security measures in place in the secret society make it hard for Ard to progress too quickly.
As with the first book, the true nature of this strange world is unveiled a little more over the course of the book in spectacular fashion.
A wonderful fun read.
The Hidden People
5.0
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In 1851, within the grand glass arches of London's Crystal Palace, Albie Mirralls meets his cousin...
Horror
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Gilded Cage in Books
Jan 26, 2019 (Updated Jan 26, 2019)
The start to the book is gentle (post-prologue), introducing a family who are about to do their ten years time in subservience. Hierarchy is the name of the game in GILDED CAGE and if you're not skilled then you have to forfeit your rights as a person and serve the skilled for ten years in slavedays. This family were from Manchester and as a Mancunian myself, I was piqued at this facet to the book. Manchester had a slaveday town called Millsmoor and this was described as a dark, pre-industrial revolution kind of inhuman place; definitely a contrast to life outside.
Lots about this book interested me, the Equals (skilled) and their way of life. What I found was that almost all of the Equals in this book were obnoxious in one way or another. There was no upstairs/downstairs feel to the story, despite some suggestion of kind dispositions. Do not get me started on the sadomasochistic keeping of a man-dog.
Whilst this is the first book in a trilogy and there is much more to come, the story did not weave together for me at all. I don't feel invested enough to continue with the rest of the series.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
6.0
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When Melisande Stokes, an expert in linguistics and languages, accidently meets military...
The Earles of Liverpool: A Georgian Merchant Dynasty
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This book uses the experience of three generations of the Earle family to throw light on the social...
The Secret Financial Life of Food: From Commodities Markets to Supermarkets
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One morning while reading Barron's, Kara Newman took note of a casual bit of advice offered by famed...