It’s book review time again! Today, Anne will be talking about A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

A Plague of Giants marks the start of a new fantasy series by the author, Kevin Hearne. I started reading this book before seeing the author’s note at the back revealing that he wrote this book based on the old tradition of nightly serial storytelling. That explained a lot about how he laid out the tale. The plot follows multiple characters, weaving their stories together to finally form a comprehensive whole that includes giants wielding fire, a heroine who wields water magic, a young man who gains the ability to communicate with animals, and a host of others.

I enjoyed the book but will admit it was a bit of a slog to get through the first half. If it hadn’t included a map and a Dramatis Personae, I would have been hopelessly lost on who was who and what was what due to the short chapters and quickly shifting viewpoints. It was much smoother on the back half and I was glad I stuck with it. I think the author did a good job in fleshing out his magical/mythical systems and the particulars of each of the various countries, but, due to my own confusion, I gave this book 3 1/2 stars instead of 4 out of 5. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

As for the Litzos, our mom Nancy is recovering from the flu and a resultant bout of pneumonia. We’ve completed more chapters on the rewrite and first round of edits on The Ocular. This week, we plan to keep plugging away at all our projects.

Super Bowl is over and it’s back to work. Congratulations, Philadelphia!

Kind regards,

Anne, Nancy, and Eric