Literary Coconut

 I had wanted to get the reviews for Ashes of Man's predecessors done before I got to this one, but my gratefulness for Netgalley's ARC supersedes this. Thank you Netgalley!  This review will be spoiler-free, but vague references to the nature of previous events in previous books will be made.  Ashes of Man is book 5 of the Sun Eater series, but it originally was to be book 4. Publishers were forced to split the book apart, as there was a paper shortage at the time. Do not let this worry you; both Kingdoms of Death (book 4) and Ashes of Man are made better by this split. Why? I'll answer this question as I go along this review. The series so far has put Hadrian Marlowe through the COMPLETE ringer, which is made especially clear in Kingdoms of Death. Ruocchio does not hold back one bit when it comes to this. It would be no surprise then, to hear that the years are taking their toll on Hadrian Marlowe, both on his physical body and his mental state. Hadrian Marlowe is a broke

Empire of Silence is often compared to Name of the Wind and Dune, both of which are revered works in the sci-fi and fantasy landscape. I disagree. This is better. Now I must admit, I wasn't the biggest fan of both Name of the Wind and Dune; I found Name of the Wind to be painfully mediocre, and I did not finish Dune. My experience with science fiction has been rough up to this point. The technical jargon and scientific theories on which sci-fi stories are built around often made me feel like I needed to be a science nerd to fully comprehend literature in this realm. And because of this, I've always avoided science fiction. It took me quite a bit of convincing to start the Sun Eater series, and wow, am I grateful for that.  This series works for both sci-fi and fantasy fans, having enough scientific and extraterrestrial intrigue to honor its sci-fi roots, while also not leaning too heavily toward the science parts. There is something in the series for any avid SFF reader: vivid

 Lions of Al-Rassan is a standalone novel written by Guy Gavriel Kay, set in a fictional rendition of medieval Spain, inspired by the history of El Cid. This is the second of Kay's works that I've read, and while it didn't inspire the same awe in me that Under Heaven did, it's still a book that I greatly appreciated reading. First things first: the Kindath are Jews, the Jaddites Christians, the Asharites Muslims. Remember this when you read this review, and hopefully when you read the book itself. I was confused by the terminology and names, but having this in mind helped me to navigate through the religious conflicts and references in this book.  The story of Lions of Al-Rassan is spearheaded by three characters, who all come from vastly different backgrounds; Jehane, a Kindath medic, Rodrigo Belmonte, a renowned Jaddite mercenary, and Ammar Ibn Khairan, an Asharite, the man who killed the last Khalif of Al-Rassan. One of the tale's many highlights was in seeing ho

Under Heaven is a story set in a fictional rendition of Tang Dynasty China, closely adapting the events of the An Lushan rebellion. This was my entryway into the world of Guy Gavriel Kay's works; Kay is best known for writing stories that are very closely inspired by history, which takes a quarter turn towards the fantastical. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, and in this review I'll explain exactly why. In this story, Kay focuses on smaller strands in history's grand tapestry, which is evident in the protagonist's writing. Shen Tai is a gravedigger at Kuala Nor, working to bury dead corpses left behind in the aftermath of a war, often accompanied by the hallowing voices of souls. His solitude is soon brought to an end, as a letter from the Taguran Empire's Queen arrives, announcing a personal gift of two hundred and fifty Sardian horses for Shen Tai. The plot then ensues, and we as readers can then see how a normal man can be swept right into the tides o

This post was taken directly from my post on Reddit, and there will be full spoilers for season, 3 of this show in this post. I'm working on points for a comprehensive review of The Boys, so if you are interested in the points of worship and praise that I want to fully express about this show, keep an eye out. For now however, if you don't want spoilers for season 3 of The Boys, please click away. Before jumping into the finale, I was concerned because the general reception to it seemed so negative, with some people even comparing it to Game of Thrones' season 8. But I ended up genuinely enjoying it, and a lot of the general criticisms I was seeing people make were choices that made sense to me. This post is intended to be my response to these points.  Firstly,  1) Starlight's whole power up scene. Look, I love Starlight. Her character conflict of fighting for her personal values and ideals in a world where everything she fights for is discouraged is an inspiring act. I

 Sit with me  on lush glades  Listen to the birds  whisper at midnight's peak.  Watch the wolves frolick around the forest's edge.  Under the stars' sparkling eyes, we can rest, safely.  Let gentle moonlight Shine upon your face.  Let the dark night sky  Be our shroud of peace.