Black Blood by John Meaney - review

Black Blood
*UK title Dark Blood
John Meaney
Fantasy with a gothic/punk feel...

****** six out of six stars...maybe more

cover - this cover really represents the book.  If you look closely,  focus on the gothic style of buildings, the spires, the claw look, and the dark, dark, skies....gives a touch of the feel of the setting....

Quite a while ago, I was gifted a book called Bone Song by John Meaney.  When I read it, I was blown away by the style, the general feel of the book, the dialogue...everything about it.  So of course, I got online and ordered the sequel - couldn't find any books at all by John Meaney in our local Barnes & Nobel store (the only big bookstore in our city).  I feel a rant coming on....C'MON!!! big bookstores...there are literally hundreds if not more authors and titles of books that you are not carrying...but you will put up whole sections of reprints and products of Twilight books - hardcover, trade paperback, playing cards, wrapping paper, etc.   I know it's business, but how about trying to sell some books?  get some of the books in the store that available, a better variety of SciFi, Fantasy, UF, etc for customers who are stuck going to your store because there is only one other bookstore - the bookstore that closes before 6 p.m.?  - okay - rant over. 
....I found a copy of the sequel, ordered it and then put it on the shelf and kind of forgot I had it- I tend to do things like this.  So the other day, I was thinking about Bone Song....about how much I enjoyed it and I found Black Blood and started reading it.  I enjoyed the hell out of it.  Just as good as the first novel and what an ending!  Oh boy....kind of gives hope that a third book might decide to come out of this man's brain....

This is one of those books that is hard to review - it's hard to give it quite the justice it might deserve.  The setting is amazing.  The city of Tristopolis is dark, because on their earth, the rotation is different, so that parts of the earth are always in light, and parts are always in the dark.  In Tristopolis, for example, people buy sunglasses to wear INSIDE.  The energy and materials used are manufactured by things like bones (explained in Bone Song), huge insects, spiders, etc.  Wraiths help to power things such as elevators, security systems, lights, all kinds of things.  This is just a small taste of the rich world building that Meaney has worked out.   Best yet, you're never, ever treated to longwinded explanations of things - nope.  it's all weaved into the story in short descriptions, so well done that you don't even realize that anything is being explained.  Masterfully done.

In the first novel, there was a conspiracy and murder.  Donal - a police investigator became involved with Laura - a highly placed detective who just happened to be a very rich zombie.  Zombies are not your Walking Dead type of zombies in this world.  Rather it's more along the lines of Terry Pratchett's zombies...sort of.  These zombies are people who have paid to be resurrected after death, treated with a black heart (among other things) and have to re-charge using a power source to stay functioning...  If you haven't read Bone Song, this will be a spoiler....
s
p
o
i
l
e
r
for Bone Song....Donal ended up having a premature death while trying to save his love...and ended up with her zombie heart...So in Black Blood his story begins with him being a new zombie, having a promotion and dealing not only with grief, but with learning his new limits, powers, abilities, etc.   And trouble is brewing.  There's this new department in the police headquarters called Customer Relationships...and everyone who works there is superbly happy....oddly so.  And a hatred of non-humans...specifically zombies has been increasing and brewing.  Politicians are trying to get new laws passed, taking away rights.  Odd things are happening and Donal is being drawn deeper and deeper into a quagmire of conspiracies while trying to find Laura's murder....

John Meaney told a very interesting compelling story.  His narration and dialogue is great - along with his worldbuilding.  I feel like I might be gushing, but I think this is one of the best books I've read.  It's up there among my favorites. 

This duo of books is very good, and I am planning to see what his other works are like; I see that he's quite a writer, with a few series out there.  Again - what a hell of a book.  I kind of want to go back to the first book and start reading the story all over again...

It's Monday, and I wish it were Saturday again...

Time and Life is just flying by - it's passing so fast.  We just had a weekend and now another weekend is over and I'm starting another week of working.  Not sure how much I'm enjoying working anymore - I used to enjoy it quite a bit more.  I guess as long as I'm still having some fun with the students, then it's all good, right?  When all the joy is gone, then it's definitely time to quit.  In the meantime, my grandson is going to be starting at the same school I work, the same school my granddaughter attends.  All the more reason for me to keep trying to work.  It'll be fun, watching the two of them at school.  So I need to hang in there for at least one more year.

Fingers are crossed.

In the meantime, there are things to participate in such as blogger memes.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is the meme - one of the funnest memes to participate in.  Hosted by Sheila of Book Journey, fellow bloggers get together (not really, we're from ALL OVER THE WORLD) and post what we've been reading and plan to read.

This past week, I actually finished two...2!...books.  That's big for me lately.  :)  Both books were pretty good.

Black Blood by John Meaney.  This is a sequel to Bone Song and is also known as Dark Blood in the UK.  Both books are amazing, and after finishing Black Blood I'm left wishing that this man would write a third.  The world in the book is so rich, with steampunk only Gothic style.  You have to read to appreciate.

The other book read was a young adult SciFi - Cinder.  It's a totally new take on the classic Cinderella story.  Written by Marissa Meyer, the story was interesting, and the type of young adult novel that's interesting to all ages - even older women like me. 

current reads

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

and/or

Scorch by Gina Damico

Tuesday Teaser...it's time for another Teaser...

I've always wanted to make a meme related lol cat!  

It's that time again - time for another teaser or two...  Hosted by MizB of ShouldBeReading,  Teaser Tuesdays is a fun way for us to get together and tease each other.  No really, that's what we do.  With snippets from our current reads, making sure there are no spoilers of course.  Then we visit each other's blogs to share.

This week, our school kicked off our book faire.  The library is full of books to sell; each class is given time to go through and browse the books, and parents of students are encouraged to come in and buy, buy, buy, buy!  ;)  Once in a while there are some very good deals.  A certain percentage of the proceeds are usually dedicated to some classrooms, or in the case of last year - to the library.  We were able to put in a completely new state book set, some newer than 1985 books on a variety of countries, and some books on animals in general.  It was great.  We have  a real whirlwind in charge of this, and she managed to work her magic.  I think we ended up with way more books than we would have had without her.  Amazing.

I had a few minutes to browse and was able to pick up TWO (2!) books that I've been eyeing for a while.  One of them I've had eye on for over a year, in fact, from way before its release date of January 2012.  I've been seeing posts about it for at least two years...  Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Legend by Marie Lu.

Black Blood (aka Dark Blood)

by John Meaney

from page 52

'Donal shifted his weight forward onto his feet.  The black iron chair quivered, as though about to restrain him; but Commissioner Vilnar shook his head.  The chair grew still, allowing Donal to stand up.'

Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

from page 3

'     Tossing the screwdriver onto the table, Cinder gripped her heel and yanked the foot from its socket.  A spark singed her fingertips and she jerked away, leaving the foot to dangle from a tangle of red and yellow wires. 

There it is (or there they are) two teasers for you tonight.  Both promise to be good reads.  I'm totally enjoying Black Blood right now - in the right mood for it (If I could only ignore the t.v. for a bit....)  Here's to reading and books!

AND....Here's to creepy kittens.  :)

It's Monday, and I haven't read much this week...

One of my favorite Young Adult writers (hell, one of my favorite authors in general) is part of a book/contest tour with the second of her Clanless series, Summer Break Blues.  I've had the privilege of reading this, and it's good.  Very good.  click on the above button, then check out all the places you can visit to win books!  you might win, and if you do - pick out Summer Break Blues - it's a good book.

After two weeks in a row of three day weekends, {and it's been wonderful to have three day weekends, four day work weeks} it's going to be hard to go back to a five day work week.  But real life intrudes...

...and so here we are again, at a work day Monday. 

Sheila of Book Journey is the host of this fun weekly book meme; It's Monday, What Are You Reading?  I have to admit that once again I haven't been able to read much this week.  In fact, other than a skim through of a previously read book {and I don't think a quick skim through counts as a book read, does it?} for familiarity before reading the sequel of said book.

The book I skimmed through is Bone Song by John Meaney.  I read Bone Song last year, loved it and ordered the sequel.  When I received the sequel, I started it right away...but I also had started at least four other novels, so I ended up putting it temporarily aside...and once I put something temporarily aside, I tend to keep going on to other novels...

Finally this last week, I decided I needed to read it, but it has been so long that I though I might forget something - thus the skim through of the first novel.

I may not have read a complete novel last week, but I am Currently Reading 

Black Blood 

by John Meaney

the second in a duology {I wish it were a trilogy}.  I'm looking forward to a fun read with Black Blood - the world, the gadgets and power supply - it's all so....gothic/steampunkish.  :)

I have no firm plans for what to read next...I have so many great books sitting on my shelf and on my Kindle.  I haven't been buying very many books lately because of strained finances, which  might not be such a bad idea - holding off on buying new books.  At least I should read some of my patiently waiting TBR novels.  It's just so tempting to go shopping when ever I get a few dollars.  ;)

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday Tuesday Teaser (a word palindrome)

Know what a palindrome is? Usually you see it in a word form, like BoB or dad, Hannah, Anna. Same backwards as forwards. Here it's in phrase form (not a usual palindrome form). My favorite math activity is one that a 5th grade teacher gives each year's class. A list of numbers from one to 99, where you add (for example) for the number 21 add 12 to it - the answer is 33 which makes a number palindrome. Because it only took one addition, it's considered a one step. It's fun to watch the kids go through all the number, seeing the students who catch on quickly that the answer for the number 32 is going to be the same as for 23, the answer for 29 will be the same for 92, etc. The most challenging number was 89 (if I'm remembering right) It took over 23 steps to get to the palindrome and ended up being one of those huge numbers that have over 11 digits to it. Took four pages of additions (rather large writing, but still). I did the math myself once just to do it. Anyway - that was one of my randomosities. A bit of randomness that has nothing whatsoever to do with book blogging to round out your day. :)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I love this meme, even though I occasionally miss it, like last week. It's fun reading little bits of novels that are out there. It's fun finding little bits to tease others with. :) The Teaser Tuesday meme calls for a two sentence tease, with no spoilers. However, I have a hard time keeping to only two sentences, so at times I post a bit more. Either way, it's a fun meme to participate in, and I doubt the meme police are going to show up and fine me, (hopefully not, anyway!)

Snuff by Terry Pratchett - his newest book release
Snuff is set in the Disc World, with Commander Vimes of the City Watch being the focus. Vimes is forced into a vacation - something that is anathema to ol' coppers like him. One of my other favorite writers has interviewed Terry Pratchett - interesting interview.
{by the way - click here for a peak at a song that Neil Gaiman helped out with on the Craig Fergusen show - Moby and others were singers....scroll down the post, you'll see it. Loved it, and he also had a pretty good interview with Craig}

from page 109 of Snuff;
'Vimes stood up. "I'm going for a walk, chief constable. You can follow me if you like"
"Sorry sir, but I've arrested you!"
"No, son, you haven't," said Vimes, heading toward the front door.
"But I definitely told you that you were arrested, sir!" It was almost a wail.
Vimes opened the front door and started down the steps with Feeney trotting along behind him....'


Black Blood (aka Dark Blood) by John Meaney
The second in the Tristopolis trilogy
from page 17;
'He had a strange sense of architecture in his mind, a form of internal perception he had never known.
Then again, I've never been dead before.'

The first book was Bone Song - one of the best books I've read in 2011...or, well - ever.

I was planning on more random bits, but still a bit under the weather, so it's sleepy time again. Too tired even to post an LOL cat, and I love them kitties and their crazy captions.

:)