Books for April

Darknesses by L E Modesitt, Jr.

Review

In Darknesses, L E Modesitt manages to achieve what he did with Legacies all over again. It's a very different plotline this time around, though, dealing with wars between foreign nations, ancient magical devices and political intrigue in the court of the Lord Protector. At the beginning of the story, Alucius is back in the Iron Valleys militia, where he is waiting for his time with the army to finish so he can go home to his stead. But forces are gathering, both against the Iron Valleys and against nations around it. When the Iron Valleys Council agrees to make the country part of Lanachrona, ruled by the Lord Protector, many are furious. Alucius is taken from the Iron Valleys and stationed in Derforya, where the armies of the plains nomads, aided by creatures not seen since the Cataclysm, are threatening to attack. Can Alucius hope to return home in the face of such great odds?

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bagigalupi

Review

Ship Breaker tells a grim tale of a shattered future. In America's Gulf Coast Region, any semblance of law and order disappeared decades ago. Now, the only money comes from finding valuable metals in all the rotting hulks that wash ashore, and the only protection from paying some toughs to enforce it. The beaches are a dangerous place, where one step into the wrong person's territory could get you killed, and the only safety comes from being in a ship-stripping crew. Nailer is one such worker, who crawls into the ducts of the ships to strip wires and cables. When he and a friend discover a passenger boat washed ashore with a girl in it, they aren't sure what to do. When the daughter turns out to be the daughter of a billionaire businessman who purchases all the scraps harvested on the beach, he has to make the choice between handing her over to her father's enemies, and striking it rich, and saving her life.

-- JackW - 05 Apr 2011