Howdy,
Some people claim to be reading more than usual due to stay home orders. Me, not so much. Overall, my reading habits are about the same as pre-lockdown. I've purchased a few more books than is typical, now I just need to get around to read them.
This month, my reading habits have been eclectic. A grim fantasy, a hard-nosed suspense, and a sci-fi thriller. All are quite good, but not all are great.
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
You won't find it too many heroes in this novel by Abercrombie. Probably none, at least in the traditional fantasy fiction sense. The heroes referenced in the title are rocks on a hilltop where maybe some heroic warriors died sometime in the past. What you will find in this novel are gallows humor aplenty and some outstanding action sequences. I found myself chuckling more than once at the dark humor. The action sequences reminded me why I enjoyed The Fist Law Trilogy so much. Highly recommended.
Masked Prey by John Sandford
I enjoyed this Lucas Davenport novel. I've recently found some of Sandford's books a little predictable(I don't read them in order). In Masked Prey, he managed a couple of clever plot twists that kept the novel engaging to the very end. Also, I think his use of the alt-right makes the plot especially timely.
Invasive by Chuck Wendig
I was a little disappointed in Invasive. After reading Zeroes and Wanderers, I had high hopes for this sci-fi thriller. It falls a bit short when compared to the aforementioned novels by the same author. What is super interesting for any writer is that if you read all three books (Zeroes then Invasive then Wanderers), you can map out the progression of Wendig's ideas. Wanderers, in some ways, is a mashup of Zeroes and Invasive, combining the biological threat from the latter with the supercomputer creepiness of the first.
Don't get me wrong, Invasive is still a good book with an exciting and satisfying ending.