Review: The Wrong Game

The Wrong Game by S.M. Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a 3-star review which is a reasonable estimate of my experience with this book.

The saga continues. People from our Earth have escaped to a parallel Earth called "Eden". They are fighting a war against another group of humans that came from a third parallel Earth. There is a fourth parallel Earth waiting in the wings.

Honestly, if you have read the first 4 books, then there won't be all that many surprises. The author is turning the crank on an established series. If you like the first 4 books, then this one will be fine. I'd have ordinarily given it 4-stars. But...

There are so many editing issues. Being an author whose work I have enjoyed, I forgave the errors for quite a while before making notes in my Kindle edition.

• Chapter 22 - One of our heroes encounters an enlisted person who starts the scene as a Private, becomes a Corporal (magically), and ends up as a Private by the end.
• The word "and" is repeated in Chapter 24
• Chapter 28 - There is a "The" that should be "They".
• Same chapter - It should read "of its" rather than "its"
• Chapter 30 - The phrase "the this". Either one works, but using both of them is wrong.

Poor editing gets in the way of a decent tale.

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Review: The Darkness That Comes Before

The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This is a 1-star review which is a reasonable estimate of my experience.

I didn't make it 10% through the book before Dorothy Parker's purported ghost launched it across the room. Within that span, we meet three different individuals. None of them are supplied with sufficient detail to establish a connection with the reader.

There are tons of references to other social/cultural elements of this world. There are several different "1000 shrines of..." or "1000 temples of..." references that feel a lot like Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. The difference is that the number of references to cultures existing outside of a Conan story are relatively few and eventually Conan takes center stage.

At 10% of the book, I was still trying to figure out which characters mattered and why. All of the references to mythic events, people, and other civilizational elements detracted from my engagement with the story.

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Review: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a 5-star review. He earned every drop of it.

Two star-crossed lovers. Separated by space? Time? Who knows. Yet joined by spirits in an attempt to free themselves. What has the spirits in chains? Read the story.

Yumi and Painter are in conflict with one another when they meet. He must abide by the social structures of her world. Structures that make no sense to him. She is terrified every time Painter violates her cultural protocols.

She then finds herself in his world where there aren't as many cultural protocols. And she slowly learns that Painter has made many mistakes in his life and hurt his friends. He does his best to hide the truth about himself for as long as possible.

Eventually, they discover the ability to see beyond the superficial and appreciate one another's perspective. Their strengths end up covering for each other's weaknesses in ways that ultimately make them better.

And there are spirits to be freed. So there is a mystery that needs to be unraveled. A mystery that impacts both of their worlds once it is fully revealed.

The narrative takes place in an obviously Japanese-inspired setting. Painter's world is akin to a neon-lit modern Japanese city while Yumi's world is more traditional and rural. The process of and inspiration for creating art is at the forefront of the tale.

Just go read the book. It is worth the time. There are moments of great humor as well as great sorrow. There is sympathy for those who are perceived as being least worthy of it. The ending is so well-earned.

This will be on my nomination list for the Hugo Awards in 2024

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