The Glorious Strategist by Sam Ryan

The Glorious Strategist
by Sam Ryan
Pages: 279
Date: September 27 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Dynasty Saga (3rd in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: November 3 2015

Vaguely reluctant to review this book here. Rather liked the first book in the series, loved the second, so happily dove into this one once I finally noticed it had been released two months ago, or something like two months ago. I really need to figure out a way to pay more attention.

I'm vaguely reluctant to review because I liked this book here. And the only thing I can think to write in this little box here is kinda negative. Which would give the wrong impression about the book.

I wish to note before I go all negative and stuff: I enjoyed this book, it was fun and easy to read. Had the right amount of eroticism. The characters were nice and groovy. The plot dripped cats. Okay, I was trying to find some other way to write 'good characterization, solid plot', but I failed.

Okay then, the negatives. There were a ton of times when I got jerked out of the story. Vaguely unfortunate. I normally don't notice, but I noticed this time. Why was I being jerked out of the story? Word choices. As in:

"Lymee wanted someone knew that would force her to fight differently." - 7% into book (re: knew instead of new)

"I am after all only a lord of a minor Dynasty and am still knew to being a noble." - 29% into the book. (re: knew instead of new)

There are 89 times this word, knew, was used. Sometimes when new was meant, sometimes when knew was meant. And the word know was used 221 times. The phrase 'I know' was used 52 times.

I know. I shouldn't have gotten hung up on the times knew was used instead of new, or know instead of now; or the simple number of times the word, or phrase were used. I feel petty. But jerk me out of the story. Made me pause.

See, I didn't really want to write a review. It was a good book. It is a good book. I enjoyed it. And the only thing I can seem to write about were word choices. Sorry. *hangs head sadly*

The Wandering Traveler by Sam Ryan

The Wandering Traveler
by Sam Ryan
Pages: 288
Date: April 24 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Dynasty Saga (2nd in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: June 18 2015

I only really have two notes:
1) heh. Apparently my vague feeling in the first book re: arousal of main character was correct.
2) the fantasy element was a lot more notice-able in this book, though, except for certain scenes, still subtle.

and then:
I liked the book. I'd recommend it. I wish book three "The Gloriousness of Being Straight", or whatever the title was that I saw in the endnotes, was already available for me to immediately read. I'm actually sad about that. That it isn't available for me to immediately read.

oh and:
Since it was mentioned in the end-notes, I'm not exactly sure what was meant by the "180 change in the main character's personality". I mean, the story opens one and a half years after the first book. After much adventure. And travel. And stuff. Like rape. So, um, personality should, at the very least, alter a tiny bit, yes? Heck, just living as a 17 year old in the real world, and then suddenly living a year and a half in a world where 17 is not only an adult, but is three or four years older than most people are when they are considered to be adults in this other world would alter a person's personality. And that's without adding the experience gained from traveling around having adventures.

The Heavenly Fox by Sam Ryan

The Heavenly Fox
by Sam Ryan
Pages: 225
Date: January 27 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Dynasty Saga (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: June 17 2015

This is one of those books that kind of defy genres, or labels. It's a displaced in time story, something of a time travel story. But no scientific explanation is given, and time travel stories in and of themselves, by their very nature, unless heavily loaded down with science fictiony elements, stretch the science fiction label. So this book isn't science fiction.

There is a long tradition of displacement in time, of people displaced in time, I mean. The guy who had a nap and woke up ages later (Rip van Wrinkle), the guy who suddenly found himself back in King Arthur's time ([book:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|162898]), etc. Somewhat by definition those have a fantasy element by their very existence, but still, it's not exactly what is normally thought of as "fantasy."

Well, this one does have very very minor touches of fantasy in the story itself, beyond the displacement in time element, so a certain "light fantasy" label could be applied.

It's supposedly set back in time, though the oddly knowledgeable 17 year old does not recognize the place by looking on maps, and does not recognize the people. Who appear to be have a mix of Asian traits. Nor does she recognize, it appears, the concept of the seven kingdoms. Though I did. There was a period in ancient Chinese history when seven kingdoms competed against each other.

Even so, there is no specific reason to believe that mention of Seven Kingdoms in the book, refers to the seven kingdoms that were conquored to create China. Especially with men having no authority at the top levels in the book. There were some rather powerful warrior women back then, though, in real life - well, at least one springs to mind. Pre-China wasn't ruled by women, though (a counter to that, I guess, is that history got rewritten a lot in ancient China, to the point that the first Emperor literally destroyed every history that existed before him. Basically saying - history begins now; so it's vaguely possible history was rewritten and that there actually was a time of female rule in ancient China, however unlikely that might seem today).

People go in and out of fashion. I've no idea if Sun Tzu would have been known in 200 B.C. China, though I suspect he would have been. Though that was 300 years after he was around. Still, it's vaguely possible he was in a low point in 'popularity' at the time and so it is not, in and of itself, a clue that this isn't ancient China simply because several teenagers didn't recognize the name Sun Tzu (most of the women in the book, it is easy to forget, especially as they are groping and more each other, are actually younger than the main character's 17 years of age).

All the above just means - I do not even know if I could call this historical fiction. As elements suggest someone traveled back in time to the warring period in ancient China, but that person could easily enough been thrust far enough forward into a post-apocalyptic world to confront a mixed-Asian culture that's about at the level of the warring period in ancient China. So this might even be a post-apocalyptic book for all I know (though there is even less evidence of that being the case).

Well. That was a lot on how I can't really figure out how to place this book on the shelves. Probably too much.

Story-wise: there are points here and there wherein things kind of dragged, and or events seemed to oddly jump, but otherwise it was a quite interesting and good story.

Character-wise: The characters . . . hmms . . seemed, on somewhat vague recollection, to be mostly well-rounded. I liked Lymee, and Alia, and all the rest. The poly-sexual nature of the time was an interesting thing to confront, especially from the view point of a "modern" woman falling in love with someone but being unable to act on it because the person they loved, couldn't have a monogamous relationship. And that "modern" woman wouldn't allow herself to be in a position of being in anything but a monogamous relationship.

Sex wise - it was somewhat oddly injected. Somewhat naturally, but still oddly. There was a layer of eroticism spread throughout. Scenes of bathing, scenes of groping, etc. While at the same time someone looking specifically for that, for graphic sex, would probably be disappointed. I guess. At some point I kind of suspected that part of the fantasy element of the story was some kind of . . hmms . . . spell/pheromones/something that was impacting that woman from the future (Lymee), because she just kept getting more and more aroused as the book unfolded, but that was just a stray thought as I read.

A strange book. A good book. So interesting that I got the sequel before I'd even completed 25% of this book. And yet, not a five star level book. Just . . . something kept it from getting there. Probably not even a 4.5 book, if we had 1/2 stars here, but a good solid 4 star book.