OBSIDIAN THREADS Blog Tour: Book Review

Obsidian Threads Blog Tour

Rho has awakened. Its acolytes will tear worlds apart to release their deity from its prison. Any hope of Rho's defeat lies with two people lost in a strange universe.

Kaden and Aren must learn to harness all their unique gifts if they are to rival the god of darkness reborn. They will not fight alone. A brilliant geneticist, a furry dwaro, two less than friendly elves, dragons, and a spunky red-haired computer stand with them. But if Kaden and Aren fail to reach their full potential, all of reality will be devoured until nothing remains but Rho...

Obsidian Threads
by Charlie Pulsipher
Sci-Fi/Fantasy

4 stars

A few of you may remember the review I did for the first book in this series, The Crystal Bridge, which turned into a discussion of the sci-fi genre as a whole because this was one of the first sci-fi books I actually really really enjoyed. 

Obsidian Threads is no different. While the sequel leans heavier into the fantasy side of the spectrum, it is -like its predecessor- truly a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Dragons and AIs. Elves and dwarves and genetic serums. Nerds and prophets and ancient gods. The Lost Shards has it all.

And remember that wicked, unbelievable cliffhanger Pulsipher left us with after the first book? I'll set your fears at ease right now -there isn't another one. This is a satisfying conclusion and totally worth the wait. 

What I most loved about this book was how beautifully Pulsipher weaves the sci-fi and fantasy elements together. (Again, the aforementioned combo of dragons and artificial intelligence.) Additionally, we get the added dash of medieval politics, genetic experiments, and (omg) a love triangle.

As you might have noticed in my most recent review, I'm not a huge fan of the messy YA love triangles, but this one I like. First, it's not actually 'messy'. Second, it's not a simpering, whining YA romance*. It's as straight-forward as two (pretty cool) guys liking the same girl and respecting her enough not to pressure her and waiting for her to make a decision. There's also the humorous aspect, because neither guy can bring himself to dislike the other and it totally irks them both.

There is so much going on in this story, but it's so well-crafted that I never felt overwhelmed. Not only is an ancient Prophecy coming to bloody fruition on the world of Ealdar, not only does the Earth science research compound Omegaphil start experimenting with forces they don't understand, but we also get the twin gods added to the mix, watching it all unfold below them and constantly teasing the reader along. All of these stories and their characters twist and twirl around each other, never quite fully lining up UNTIL the explosive finale which, well, I never saw coming.

Mind = officially blown.

 

Would I recommend The Lost Shards series to others? You better believe it.



Charlie Pulsipher is a were-hamster and lemur enthusiast living in Southern with his lovely wife and neurotic dog. He writes sci-fi and fantasy, and sometimes both at the same time. He’s obsessed with surviving the inevitable zombie-pocalypse. It’s coming. Tell your friends.

He spends his time away from the keyboard hiking and camping in stunning Southern Utah. He also enjoys woodworking, painting, drawing, and pretending to have super powers.

He neglects his twitter account. @charliepulse

His velociraptor impression is worth seeing. Ask him to show you. It just may be the coolest thing about him.

www.charliepulsipher.com
https://www.facebook.com/charlie.pulsipher

*Not that all YA romance is, just that the YA love triangle can get pretty grating.

BOOK REVIEW: The Crystal Bridge by Charlie Pulsipher

This week, I finished off a sci-fi book that blew my mind. More than that, it actually got me more interested in science and science fiction again

Check out my book review of The Crystal Bridge, book one of The Lost Shards series by Charlie Pulsipher. I gave this book five stars and, yeah, you should probably read it.

This booktube video kind of turned into a look at the sci-fi genre as a whole because I realized that I don't read as much sci-fi as I like to think I do. The book has great plot and fun characters, but I loved how brilliantly it handled the sci-fi elements. They weren't dumbed down; Pulsipher doesn't shy from complicated science, but he makes sure you understand it through example and context. This book made me feel smart. I grasped the technological concepts, instead of sitting back and scratching my head (as happens with me and sci-fi).

Did I mention great plot? Fun characters? Oh, and dragons. Definitely don't forget those.

My Week in Review: The Scavenge-Word Hunt

The Scavenge-Word Hunt

Several years ago –during a NaNoWriMo dare to use the ‘word of the day’ every, um, day– I came across one of the most wonderful words I have ever heard.

Defenestrate. To throw something out a window.

What is so wonderful about this? Honestly, I think I love the fact that there is a word with such a specific meaning. I love that there is actually a single word that relays the action of throwing something out of a window. How cool is that?

I have been on the lookout for this word ever since. Like an adventurer seeking ancient treasure, I have kept an eye and ear out during movies, TV, and books, waiting to hear just one genuine use of this literary gem. I try to use this word myself whenever I can, but as one might imagine, those opportunities to slide ‘defenestrate’ into casual conversation don’t often present themselves. (Can't you see someone throwing this into an argument? "I'm so angry, I could defenestrate you!") I have yet to see anyone actually employ it.

At least, until this week.

Super special bonus points are awarded to Numb3rs (season 2, episode 5) for granting me the first success this four year scavenger hunt has yet produced. Granted, it wasn’t mentioned off-hand, but it tickled me pink to hear it all the same. It gives me hope that this word will rise from obscurity. All the time I’ve spent waiting and watching, after all the heartache and despair, and it has all paid off. 

I knew it would happen someday. I just knew it.

Vocab Fab:

Speaking of rarely used and little known words:

• Promulgate: Promote or make widely known

I pulled this from Kevin J. Anderson's The Dragon Business (which is so far hilarious). Anderson makes a point, every time he uses this word, of saying how rarely it is used and that the characters have never actually heard it in a sentence before now. Maybe this is the trick to using 'defenestrate' on a more regular basis...

Writing Corner:

Revise, rewrite, realize something doesn’t work, repeat.

Reading Nook:

I finished two books this week:

The Crystal Bridge by Charlie Pulsipher, which gets five stars. This is sci-fi and, while I like to think that I read sci-fi, whenever I try to pick one up I have the hardest time getting into it. Not so much with this one. The hardcore sciencey (that is totally a word) elements of this story is what really drew me in, which is frankly astounding, considering how much I hated science in school. Really, really hated it. I never could wrap my brain around a lot of it. I’m hoping that –in addition to providing a great sci-fi adventure romp with distinct fantasy elements right down to mentions of Tolkien and elves– The Crystal Bridge may have sparked a new interest.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, which gets four stars. I recently watched the BBC miniseries by the same name and absolutely loved it, which meant I had to read the book it was based on. Or in this case, books. If you’ve seen the miniseries, let me warn you that each of its three main storylines is pulled from three different Gaskell novels. (Cranford centers around Miss Matty and Mary Smith.) This is a very sweet book about the small English town of Cranford and the people who live there, and the audiobook's narrator gave a wonderful performance. It’s definitely a different kind of story for me because it’s more about the everyday lives of people in a period community than a particular storyline or event. Whenever I read Gaskell’s work, I always feel that I get a genuine slice of the time, unspoiled by artistic license. But maybe that’s just me.

What are YOU reading this week?