"Hounded" by Kevin Hearne-- Lighthearted, Funny Urban Fantasy

Pillow talk in the modern era often involves the sharing of childhood stories or perhaps an exchange of dream vacations. One of recent partners, a lovely lass named Jesse with a tattoo of Tinker Bell on her right shoulder blade (about as far from a real faery as one can get), had wanted to discuss a science-fiction television program, Battlestar Galactica, as a political allegory for the Bush years. When I confessed I had no knowledge of the show nor any interest in getting to know it or anything about American politics, she called me a "frakkin' Cylon" and stormed out of the house, leaving me confused but somewhat relieved.

~Excerpt from Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

With the current glut of paranormal fiction finding something new is almost as important as finding something good. Thankfully, "Hounded" by Kevin Hearne is both.

Atticus O'Sullivan is a very old Druid-- born before Jesus old-- and the last of his kind. He looks twenty one and happily plays the part of the slightly daft owner of an occult apothecary/bookstore. But Atticus (or Siodhachan as he's known to the Celtic gods) has been dodging Aenghus Óg, the not-so-loving Celtic god of love and poetry, for centuries over the possession of the sword Fragarach-- also known as "The Answerer."

But something bigger is brewing than a fight over a sword. Whatever Aenghus Óg has in mind is stirring up all of Tír na nÓg and suddenly Atticus finds himself with a bevy of goddesses showing up on his doorstep-- and none of them are telling him the truth. Thankfully Atticus has his faithful Irish wolfhoud Oberon (who can speak to Atticus through a telepathic link) and his team of lawyers (vampire and werewolf) to help him fight a battle that's beginning to look a lot like a full-fledged war between the gods.

"Hounded" is a highly-quotable blast of a book. It's by turns silly, lighthearted, full of action and has tons of pop-culture references sure to appeal to the geek in all of us. It's the kind of book most readers of paranormal fiction "get"-- as you will see from the Amazon reviews. There are a few readers who complain that Atticus is far too fun-loving to be a two-thousand year old Druid, but I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that, for once, our hero isn't the angst-ridden protagonist that comes along in almost every book I read. But I don't mean to give the impression that Hearne's book is something like the ultra-silly fiction written by MaryJanice Davidson or Janet Evanovich written from a guy's point of view--because it's not. Atticus isn't an incompetent hero, he's just a hero who isn't conflicted about his place in the world. He's still living because he wants to and he's going to enjoy each day as it comes. He likes teasing his friends and he has an active libido, but he's also the kind of guy who doesn't back down from a fight.

The charm of "Hounded" comes from many elements. The sense of humor is a huge part of its appeal, but the Druidic aspects do set it apart from all the other books that primarily focus on vampires, werewolves and witches. Granted, I wouldn't know if the Druidic aspects were in any way accurate, but they give the story a different focus than others of its kind and there's something deeply appealing about a philosophy that is connected to the earth and non-judgmental about different beliefs.

The banter between Atticus and his dog Oberon is very enjoyable as well.

*Did Genghis Khan take his coffee black?* Oberon asked me. After my bathtime story, he wanted to be the Genghis Khan of dogs. He wanted a harem of French poodles, all of whom were named either Fifi or Bambi. It was an amusing habit of his: Oberon had, in the past, wanted to be Vlad the Impaler, Joan of Arc, Bertand Russell, and any other historical figure I had recently told him about while he was getting a thorough cleansing. His Liberace period had been particularly good for my soul: You haven't lived until you've seen an Irish Wolfhound parading around in rhinestone-studded gold lamé

I wish I had a dog with that much personality.

If you prefer your heroes to be the broody type, then "Hounded" isn't your kind of book. But if you prefer your escapism light and action-oriented, then you should like "Hounded" as much as I did.

4 out of 5 stars.

DNF Review: "The Demon Trapper's Daughter" by Jana Oliver

I've never done a DNF (did not finish) review before-- usually I don't get far enough into a book I don't like to actually qualify it as review material. But Jana Oliver's The Demon Trapper's Daughter is unusual in that I made it most of the way before giving it up as being too irritating to be worth the effort to finish.

Obviously you don't need to read this whole review to know what my final verdict will be.

"The Demon Trapper's Daughter" is the story of Riley Blackthorn, the daughter of a well-known demon trapper who wants to follow in her father's footsteps. At seventeen Riley has been training as an apprentice to her father long enough to be trusted to trap a minor demon on her own. But her fist solo trapping goes awry as it becomes clear that two demons are working together and, even worse, they seem to know Riley's name. Riley thinks things can't get worse as video of her escapades hits the net, but another fatal collusion between demons leads to her father's death.

Alone in the world Riley knows the only thing she can do to survive is the become an independent trapper, but she must first finish her apprenticeship and her new master not only hated her father, but doesn't think woman are capable of working as trappers. But becoming a master trapper is only the first of Riley's challenges: she must also stand vigil at her father's grave for twelve nights to prevent necromancers from animating and selling her father's body; and sort out her feelings for two young men-- one of whom she's had feelings for since she was a child.

"The Demon Trapper's Daughter" has a lot of interesting premises. In this dystopian world angels, demons, Heaven and Hell aren't a matter of faith, but known for a fact to exist. It isn't spelled out when the demons first appeared, but the world has significantly changed. Everything is extraordinarily expensive and school is held in old coffee shops and grocery stores. Demons range from harmless little magpies that steal odd items from your home to monstrosities that have to be hunted down with holy water and lots of weapons. And it was the mythology that kept me interested long enough to really give this book a go.

However, as I got further into the story I kept getting distracted and irritated by the YA elements that Oliver kept throwing into the story to keep the young adult label, and the incongruity of that with the book's more adult content. Because Riley is seventeen the story is littered with the requisite teenage dramas of boyfriends and bullies and that would be fine if it were balanced well within the story; but it's not. For a book that's targeted at young adults, there is a lot of profanity and frank sexuality. We don't get sex scenes, which might explain how the book keeps it YA designation, but it's definitely a book for older teens at best.

But I persevered beyond the language despite my feeling that it wasn't right for the age designation because I kept hoping for the payoff. There were a couple of different mysteries within the story, one concerning the holy water and another regarding a reality-TV show about Vatican sponsored demon hunting, that had the potential to go somewhere. But as I reached the last fifty pages of the book too many annoying distractions took away my ability to care how the story resolved itself.

One of my main beefs with "The Demon Trapper's Daughter" is the constant insistence that women would be regarded as less able to hunt demons. It just doesn't jibe with a rough demon infested world that anyone capable of handling a weapon is going to be disregarded because of their gender. It just seemed contrived to appeal to an audience that would likely be largely female and addicted to "Twilight." But the coup de grâce for me was the random introduction of too many "hot" guys who are destined to flirt with the main character. We already had two love interests in the first two-thirds of the book, so when the story edges into it's final chapters there seemed no reason to bring anyone else into the mix. I'm sure the character had something to do with at least one of the mysteries that needed to be solved, but his appearance was too abrupt, too convenient and totally off-putting.

I admit that I am not a huge fan of YA fiction that gets into the whole does he like me or doesn't he like me? mold. But I can overlook teen angst if the story is interesting enough. Books like The Hunger Games and Divergent worked for me because there was a logic to the story as well as a good emotional payoff. But "The Demon Trapper's Daughter" jumped around too much for my logic-loving brain and didn't strike the right chords for me emotionally to make it work.

Despite my reservations, this book seems to be a big hit among the teen crowd, if the reviews on Amazon are any guide (it's probably the language); but I suspect that most adult readers looking for a nice paranormal diversion would probably be better served by avoiding this one.

Book Review(s): "Magic Bites" and "Magic Burns" by Ilona Andrews

One of the benefits of an extended vacation is the ability to catch up on books you've been meaning to read but never got the chance. I'm a 'beach-read' kind of person while on vacation because I'm far too easily distracted to concentrate on anything too involved; which is why paranormal fiction becomes my go-to genre on these occasions. Having been a fan of The Edge series by Ilona Andrews it was a no-brainer to pick the first two books in the Kate Daniels series for my leisure time reading this time around.

Magic Bites was the first book published by the husband and wife team of Ilona Gordon and Andrew Gordon who write under the pseudonym Ilona Andrews. Set in a future Atlanta Georgia that is radically changed thanks to magic waves that "crash" and alternate with technological waves that render technology and magic supreme at different times. When the magic is high gasoline-powered cars lose function, along with everything else technological, and magical creatures roam the night. In the new world the two most powerful groups are The People and The Pack. The People are a secretive group of necromancers who have the ability to "pilot" vampires through a strong mental control that keeps their blood-lust in check-- though the loss of that control will send a vampire on an uncontrollable feeding frenzy. The Pack is a tight hierarchy of shapshifters who must join The Pack or risk "going loup" when the first change comes at adolescence and the urges of the change rip apart their sanity.

Kate Daniels works as a mercenary who is often called upon to help in cases of magical emergencies. Armed with a saber appropriately named Slayer, Kate is a mysterious bundle of magical ability and attitude. When Kate's mentor is murdered Kate finds herself entangled with both The People and The Pack as both groups are caught up in a series of related murders that may send both groups to war with each other. The strength of Kate as a main character, and her saving grace, is her heart. She might throw out some sarcastic remarks but she has strong personal integrity and tons of compassion. Her magical abilities aren't really spelled out beyond the understanding that she inherited a magical legacy of some sort and that the magic is so strong in her blood that anything with her blood on it must be burned or it can be used against her. She does some neat tricks with her sword and has the ability to use "power words" that give her a certain command over other people, but the extent of her power isn't clear.

"Magic Bites" is, in some respects, boilerplate paranormal fiction. Kate is written in the now typical kick-ass heroine vein full of smart-alec remarks and the ability, or willingness, to take on all comers. But the overall package offered in "Magic Bites" takes it a level above the standard paranormal fare. What makes this books (and series) is the overlap of magic and technology. It's a bit confusing at first as the narration of the story offers tidbits about how the world functions in bits and pieces and it isn't clear for awhile how far into the future the story is set and how the magic first appeared. But the overlap is so intriguing and imaginatively done that it's difficult not to be impressed by what is created in this story. There's a terrific sense of anticipation as you read the book and wait to see what mythological creature is going to appear next.

However, there are times when "Magic Bites" does read like a debut novel. There are a lot of characters thrown at the reader and the story jumps around just enough to make the overall flow somewhat confusing-- you will find yourself backtracking to reread previous paragraphs in order to figure out where the story may have jumped or if you missed something. And while I think that books by Ilona Andrews make more effort than most to bridge logic gaps that are common to fast-moving paranormal fiction, there are times when the narrative doesn't make sense on a logical level and it feels as if certain elements are thrown in for emotional impact without ironing out the wrinkles. Those looking for paranormal romance will be somewhat disappointed because the romance angle is almost non-existent, though there are hints that it will materialize eventually.

Overall I liked "Magic Bites" though I find myself torn on what kind of grade to give it. I guess I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars for likability and imagination and 3.5 stars for execution.

The second book in the Kate Daniels series, Magic Burns, shows good growth in the series and smooths out some of the rough edges that detracted from the first book. Kate, now working as a liaison between The Mercenary Guild and The Order of Merciful Aid, is asked to look into what initially appears to be a simple theft of some maps belonging to The Pack and ends up trying to find the missing mother of a teenager. Kate's investigation leads her to a coven of witches who worship a Celtic goddess who have gotten in over their head due to their inexperience and may have attracted the attention of a god who wants to set a horde of demons loose in an attempt to destroy humanity.

"Magic Burns" gets further into the mythology of the series and we finally get some insight into how magic first began to appear-- and why-- as well as further explaining how The Pack and The People operate. Most of the secondary character development focuses on The Pack as Kate's potential love interest is Curran-- The Pack alpha who also happens to be a massive lion in his shifter form.

There's a lot to like about "Magic Burns." The relationship between Kate and her teenage charge is sweet but not cloying as Kate doesn't go the mother route and instead settles on "crazy aunt Kate" as her role in the kid's life; though she does frequently refer to the child as "my kid." The Pack is also interesting as we get a glimpse into the various groups including the were-hyenas and their particular kinks. Somehow the book manages to make were-creatures and vampires interesting in an over-saturated genre. But my favorite thing is something that all the books by Andrews features particularly well-- the magic. Every myth, every religion, every magical thing you ever heard of has the potential to show up and I love it. Whether it's a mobile-home park gone crazy, high-rises that turn to granite or crazy mermaid-like creatures with prehensile hair, there's always something new jumping out at you.

The only negative I'd give the series is the super slow reveal of certain plot points. As before the romantic elements are beyond anemic, but that doesn't really bother me. Many allusions are made to Kate's heritage and it's easy to make some educated guesses about her parentage, but so far Kate's mostly a cipher. The main revelations are limited to The Pack and the magic system of the series.

There is still a tendency toward a lot of busy action but overall I'm really liking the Kate Daniels series. I'm home now and have my nose buried in book number three. I could nit-pick here and there, but I'm still of the opinion that the writing team known as Ilona Andrews writes some of the most enjoyable paranormal fiction on the shelf right now. "Magic Burns" gets a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

The Most Challenging Thing I've Ever Read

I don't know about you, but I tend to blog in waves in which certain themes pop up with some regularity until I feel like I've exhausted everything I have to say on the subject. Hopefully I don't exhaust those who read this blog in the process.

So, going along with the trend I started with Literary Deal Breakers and continued with the subject of Rape in Fiction, I began to think about the most disturbing book I ever read. I've talked about books I choose not to read once certain things occur within the story, but that doesn't mean I walk away from everything that makes me uncomfortable.

I read a book about three years ago that left an indelible mark on my psyche-- so much so that I don't ever have to think twice about which book I would say was the most troubling thing I have ever read. Surprisingly it wasn't something that was full of graphic violence. It wasn't a horror novel like something written by Stephen King. It was a psychological thriller called "Neuropath" by Scott Bakker, and it pushed the boundaries of what I'm able to tolerate so much that I wanted to scrub my brain when I was done.

As I look over the review I wrote for "Neuropath" (shown below) I realize that, if I were to try to read this book now, I'd probably walk away. But then again... The thing is, the content that really bothered me didn't show up until I was at least halfway through the book; and by then I HAD to know what was going to happen. Not gonna lie-- I should have just put it down.

Have you ever read anything that left you feeling as if you ended up with a bruised psyche? Something that kind of...hurt? That's what this book is to me.

What stories, if any, have scarred you?



Ignorance is Bliss.

If I could come up with one phrase to sum up my feelings after reading Neuropath by Scott Bakker it would be ignorance is bliss.

Why?

Because Bakker's novel is relentless in that it won't let us sit back and accept all the assumptions we have made about ourselves. Not just ourselves as individuals, but us as human beings. If you have ever sat back and thought about all the big questions: What is consciousness? Are we more than a bundle of bone, muscle, nerve endings and brain tissue? Do we rationalize an existence beyond this life simply because we are too afraid to contemplate the alternative? Are emotions like love, shame, fear and desire real, or are they simply evolution's way of making sure we, as a species, continue to procreate and survive?

Those are all questions that Bakker weaves into a novel that is by turns thoughtful and horrifying.

"Neuropath" follows the story of Professor Thomas Bible, a psychology professor at Columbia, who is still trying to pull his life together after his divorce. One night, his best friend and college roommate Neil Cassidy, drops in with a bottle of whisky and a confession; he's been secretly working for the NSA interrogating terrorists with a new science that allows him to turn off neural switches in the brain that literally makes the terrorists want to tell him all their secrets. These revelations renew discussions about The Argument that Neil and Thomas had debated throughout their college career. The Argument is, at its core, the idea that free will is an illusion. That we are nothing but meat puppets who believe that consciousness is real and that we will rationalize our self awareness no matter how much evidence we see to the contrary.

After a drunken night of disturbing revelations, Tom manages his bleary way into work the next day where he is confronted by FBI agents who have a video of a crime that is beyond heinous-- and Neil is the main suspect. After that Tom's life is literally thrown down the rabbit hole. All the assumptions he had made about his life, his marriage and his friendship to Neil are turned inside out. And not only does Tom have to confront a lot of uncomfortable truths, he has to help the FBI get inside the head of Neil Cassidy; something Tom is uniquely qualified but reluctant to do.

The Argument isn't a new philosophy, but Bakker doesn't let it lie as nothing but an abstract discussion, he brings science to the conversation to back him up. The book takes place in a not-so-distant future, though Bakker doesn't specify exactly when. So the science that may or may not prove The Argument is more than simple philosophy isn't fully developed; but it is developed enough to put most of our assumptions about existence into question.

In many respects this is the hardest book I've ever had to review. There's no question I highly respect what Bakker has done here. This is a book that makes you think, hard. It is also totally uncompromising. Let me explain.

The villain in "Neuropath" is not only convinced that we have no free will, he's on a mission to prove it. High profile people who stand for something, whether it be religion, politics or even sex, are kidnapped so that they can be used as living examples that demonstrate the truth of The Argument. I was often reminded of the movie Se7en as each kidnap victim, and the results of their torture, is revealed. The only difference here is that instead of making a statement about sin, Bakker is making a statement about free will. But Bakker's statement goes beyond the shocking images we saw in the movie "Se7en" because he brings children into the mix.

I understand why Bakker chose not to exclude that which most of us find completely repugnant-- children as victims. If one is to fully give in to The Argument, as we are to believe the villain in "Neuropath" has, then there is no reason that children would be exempt from the atrocities committed. There is no moral high ground here because morality is an illusion, just as every part of consciousness is illusory. However, by using children as part of mix, Bakker takes the book to whole different level of disturbing. I have children myself and seriously considered putting the book down because it hit too close to home.

But I continued to read. Why? Because I wanted to see how The Argument ended; at least within the context of the story. But Bakker isn't about Hollywood endings I can't claim to have walked away from the book satisfied. Instead I walked away disturbed.

Now, I won't say I lost any sleep over this book. I didn't. I think this is because I put the book down frequently in order to ponder the philosophy within. As Bakker himself states his belief in free will in the Afterward of his book, I also choose to believe that we have free will. I choose to believe that our consciousness is more than an illusion. I can't claim to have any proof to back up my belief, but after reading the book I don't believe that science or the book "Neuropath" have proven, yet, that we are nothing more than animated bundles of firing synapses. In fact, that is what I think is the fundamental flaw in an otherwise exceedingly well thought out book. There is no real opposition put up against The Argument.

I don't know about you, but I need to hear both sides of an argument to pick a side--usually. I won't accuse Bakker of creating a straw man argument here though, there's too much science and philosophy to back the assertions made in creating The Argument. But every time it is presented in "Neuropath" it is presented almost as a fait accompli. Which is a shame because there is no character more perfect to show the contradictions between belief and action as Thomas Bible. In fact, there are many times that he, despite his apparent belief in The Argument, beseeches God to intercede on his behalf-- despite an absolute belief in the futility of prayers. The contradictions in human nature and science are never demonstrated as clearly as in those moments. But the moment that I really was waiting for, the moment where Thomas abandons his reasoning, his Argument, out of desperation for his family, never happens. Therefore The Argument loses some of its impact because of its lack of opposition, and that lack left me feeling the culmination of the book was missing the full-circle it could have had.

This is a work that is worthy of respect though. The amount of philosophy packed within it's pages is profound, though overwhelming at times, but it will force you to think. It will disturb you for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that Bakker creates characters that are relatable and you will connect to them; making the tragedies they suffer more powerful. "Neuropath" is a thinking man's thriller and there's no doubt it will make you question some of your most fundamental beliefs.

Perhaps leave you with the feeling that, indeed, ignorance is bliss.

Book Review: "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

"They don't want people to listen, they want people to agree[...] And you shouldn't bully people into agreeing with you."

~Divergent by Veronica Roth.

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

I always say I don't read much YA fiction-- and that's true-- but it seems that every year one YA title manages to captivate me-- and this year's book is "Divergent" by Veronica Roth.

Dystopian themes seem to be fairly hot in YA fiction but "Divergent" doesn't spend a lot of time dealing with the end-of-the-world aspects of the story. The collapse of society as we know it is the set-up, but what really impressed me about this book was the way Roth takes topics that are very common in YA fiction, like the conformity of cliques and finding one's individuality, and giving them uncommon depth.

We don't know what precipitates the decline of modern civilization, but the solution presented in "Divergent" involves dividing people into groups based on their most prominent personality traits with the intention of creating the ever impossible Utopian society. As always happens in this kind of scenario the various factions become suspicious of each other and the plotting begins.

Tris grows up largely unaware of the tensions that exist between groups because she has grown up mostly isolated within the faction of her birth. But she does know that she isn't sure she belongs in Abnegation even though she has spent her whole life there. When Tris does choose a faction (a spoiler I won't reveal here) she not only learns a lot about the political rifts that have developed between groups, but also that conformity to one's chosen traits is a matter of life and death.

When I first started reading "Divergent" I was tempted to try to compare it to other books. I looked at the factions that Roth describes and began to think Harry Potter. Are the Dauntless supposed to represent Gryffindor? I mused. But those comparisons fade as the depth of the narrative becomes clearer. What I liked best about Divergent" is that while each group could potentially stand-in for the cliques we remember from high school (the geeks, the jocks, the rebels etc.,) they are also very relatable to the adult reader as surrogates for the political jockeying and misinformation we see blasted out the cable networks everyday. The story quickly goes from just entertainment to a pointed reminder that it's not whether or not we're willing to challenge the assumptions of other people that matter, but whether we're willing to challenge our own. "Divergent" also had me tempted to make comparisons to "The Hunger Games" because Tris was such a strong character. But Tris is a fully realized heroine and easily stands up the best characters to show up in YA fiction.

"Divergent" isn't a perfect book. While the action is well paced there were a few times I was forced to admit that the confrontations between the heroes and the villains were very stereotypically written. One sequence in particular has that James Bond flavor of setting the scene in which the hero is put into a fairly silly, over complicated trap reminiscent of tying Bond to a table and aiming a laser at him-- while the villain walks away. Like that. I also wished that Roth had gone into some detail as to what led to the breakdown of society and how widespread it was as the story is set in Chicago and makes no mention of whether or not it is the only city left standing- but I do have hope that this part of the story may be expanded upon in the future.

But "Divergent" is one of those books that has such a huge emotional payoff that you don't mind the flaws in the narrative. Roth takes messages that are often inserted into YA fiction and makes them relevant to any reader. I loved how she showed that any kind of behavior, no matter how rebellious it seems, can be a type of conformity-- and how dangerous that is. And that making assumptions about people as a "type" makes it so easy to make them an enemy. Honestly, most adults I know need to be reminded of these things more than any teenager I've ever met.

I couldn't put "Divergent" down. It's just a very satisfying read that leaves you hungry for the sequel.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Veronica Roth Website (Quick aside-- I just read that Roth is 22 years old! I am seriously impressed.)

Book Review: "Among Thieves" by Douglas Hulick

Among Thieves: A Tale of the Kin by Douglas Hulick
Roc
432 pages

Anyone who reads this blog may know I finished this book about two months ago and I've been raving about it ever since. I waited to post a review because I didn't want to put this up too soon and have you forget about this title-- because I'm recommending it for sure. But we're closing in on just a couple of weeks until the April 5th release date-- and I want to get the buzz started on this one (as if I have that kind of influence). You'll thank me later.

Drothe is a member of the criminal world of the Kin. Known as a Nose, Drothe is an information gatherer by trade. He works the criminal underworld of Ildrecca and sifts through the information that might be useful to the crime lord he works for. But for all the dangers a Nose might run into while trying to navigate the dangerous world of the Kin, it's Drothe's side business of selling relics that proves to be the most deadly.

Drothe's latest attempt at moving a relic gets unusually complicated as some dangerous people start trying to get their hands on it themselves. And while Drothe is trying to figure out that puzzle, rumors of a war within different factions of the Kin begin to start gaining momentum. Drothe tries to put them off as idle speculation, but it isn't long before he gets sucked into the middle of a turf war. And the relic, which just happens to end up in Drothe's hands, is right at the center of the fight-- and a lot of powerful people want to get their hands on that relic.

"Among Thieves" is a fooler. You'll look at the cover and think it's just an average fantasy debut. You might pass it up because it doesn't have the buzz we've grown accustomed to when authors like Patrick Rothfuss or Joe Abercrombie made their well publicized entry into the genre. And all I can say is-- I'm baffled that "Among Thieves" hasn't had more buzz surrounding it. It's a really good book. So good that I was inspired to write this post outlining what I like in fantasy fiction-- and why "Among Thieves" met every criteria.

But since this is the official review, I'll go over some of those points again.

Fantasy can be tough because creating a new world with all the trappings of fantasy, including magic and the social/political structure is hard to make believable. Too many authors are tempted to fall back on the template set up by authors like J.R.R Tolkien or go so far afield that there isn't much for the reader to grab onto as things get really weird. But Douglas Hulick finds a balance that is just right in the world he creates for "Among Thieves." We've all read stories about assassins and thieves in our favorite fantasy, so it's a bit of a challenge to create something we haven't seen before. So Hulick does the smart thing and doesn't try to start from scratch. He uses the "cant" or thieves' argot drawn from Elizabethan England and Twentieth Century American-underworld slang as a foundation for the language and culture and extemporizes from there-- and it works. The culture and politics are Hulick's own, but the commonality of language lends a sense of credibility that makes the whole structure really solid.

Magic is also tricky in fantasy. I like magic that is there, but not overwhelmingly so. What I liked about how the magic is used in "Among Thieves" is that it's there, but not easy to use or cheap to buy. Drothe is a thief who also has useful magical ability that was handed down to him from his stepfather, but it's a subtle gift with some downsides that make it a hindrance to anyone who isn't up to no good. Kulick does a good job of establishing what the boundaries of the magic are without hard-to-follow info-dumps and I liked how it never interfered with the flow of the larger story.

And when it comes to the most important part of the story (in my opinion), the characters, Hulick does a terrific job. One of my main complaints with popular fiction is the temptation to use stereotypes to build characters and the unfortunate result that the characters never move beyond outlines of familiar personalities. Drothe, as a thief who is cast as the hero, is a well known personality in fantasy fiction. But Hulick does a very good job of establishing Drothe as someone who finds the honor in a largely dishonorable world. I liked that the story existed within the confines of the criminal underworld. The thieving and scheming exists in a place where people know the rules and act accordingly. But most importantly, each character has a distinct set of characteristics and motives.

The story structure was also exceptionally well done. I appreciate that Hulick didn't rush the story. The hunt for the relic that is integral to the plot isn't treated as an aside and the narrative is allowed to grow and develop at a natural pace. Other, smaller things also tickled my fancy when it came to "Among Thieves" as well. For example, Hulick doesn't use a lot of profanity, which is kind of refreshing given the frequency it seems to be used in modern fantasy these days. There is plenty of content that could be referred to as "gritty" -- to use the most overused adjective in reviewing today-- but nothing that doesn't fit perfectly into the story. I'm also not a huge fan of prose-heavy writing, so I liked the straight forward style of Hulick's writing. If I could think of the biggest compliment I would give a writer, it would be to say a book is seamless. And in my opinion-- "Among Thieves" is seamless storytelling.

Don't let the fact that this is a humble paperback release fool you-- this is a book worth mentioning. And I sincerely hope it gets the attention it deserves.

5 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" by N.K. Jemisin

I've been in a reading rut. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I pick up a book, read half, and then lose interest. The books I've been trying to read have been good too-- really good. Sometimes, though, it just doesn't matter. The mind doesn't quiet and just finishing something, anything, seems like a massive hurdle. So it was a relief to pick up N.K. Jemisin's debut novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and find a book that broke through my funk and jump-started my reading back into first gear.

Following the murder of her mother, Yeine Darr is summoned to the city of Sky by her grandfather and told that she is now in contention for the throne. Sky is the seat of the powerful Arameri family who rule The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms with the power of captive Gods at their disposal. Following the Gods' war the Arameri became the chosen people of Itempas, currently the most powerful of the Gods. They also gained custody of the imprisoned Nightlord (Nahadoth), the God who lost the war and has been imprisoned in a human shell for thousands of years. Barely sane, Nahadoth is chained to the Arameri family and has destroyed entire nations at their command.

Yeine knows little of the world she is forced into. Her mother gave up the throne before Yeine was born and Dekarta, Yeine's grandfather, never forgave her for leaving. Yeine not only walks into the usual palace intrigues and debauchery, but has to navigate a world of mad gods and jealous magicians while trying to find out who murdered her mother.

I've read some reviews that say "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is fairly standard fantasy due to the well trod storyline of powerful families and living Gods. But I think to say that is to miss what the book is about entirely. "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is a book about how people connect and the needs that tie us together; and ultimately the main character, Yeine, is the heart of "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms"-- everything flows through her. Early on we're introduced to Nahadoth and a couple other minor gods (known as "godlings") who are tied to and live in the Sky castle. My favorite thing about "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" has to be the various Gods and the prominent place they have in the story. Rarely have I read a fantasy that allows the Gods to be main characters without humanizing them too much, but here they are alternatively intriguing, alien and frightening in the way that Gods should be.

One critique that is valid of "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is that the villains are rather boilerplate. They possess the kind of cruelty and indifference that are common to most 'bad-guy' characters. We're given enough background to understand that they have become that way thanks to unlimited power and no consequences. And the narrative does falter when Yeine comes to Sky and has the potential to upend the status quo and offer an alternative to generations of abuse-- and no one really seizes the opportunity. But there is a soulfulness to "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" that kind of transcends most of these considerations because, again, it's the feelings the characters evoke and the relationships that develop that mattered to me more than anything else. It's not the e-vil-ness of the villainy that we should be focusing on, but how it affects those it touches.

I really connected to "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms." It may not be for everyone due to its unusual style. Jemisin opens each chapter with a a kind of stream-of-consciousness narration that doesn't make a whole lot of sense at first, but becomes clear as the story progresses. But I liked it because it's a nice change between that and the first person recounting of events by Yeine. I loved the feel of "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms." Jemisin captures raw emotion in a way that worked for me and had many small moments that I thought were genuinely touching. There are times when the story can seem a bit convoluted but it never really strays into overly-complicated territory. It has it's fair share of suspense and mystery, but ultimately I'd recommend it for its soul.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: "Bayou Moon" by Ilona Andrews

I always feel like I'm throwing the dice when I pick up a book of paranormal fiction because there has been such a deluge of titles in recent years.  But the husband & wife writing team known as Ilona Andrews really caught my attention with On The Edge last year and I knew Bayou Moon was going to be on my 'must-read' list as soon as I saw the title; and it was every bit as good as I had hoped it would be.

"Bayou Moon" is one of those sequels that follows the story of one of the secondary characters to make an appearance in the first book. William, a shape-shifter and romantic rival of one of the main characters in "On the Edge," takes center stage in the second installment of Andrews' "The Edge" series.

The Edge is a swath of land that stands between the non-magical world, known as the Broken, and the magical world known as the Weird. Thanks to unruly magic and its history as a place of exile for fugitives from the Weird, The Edge is a particularly dangerous place--and nowhere is more hazardous than the Mire. Cerise Mar was raised in the swamp known as the Mire as part of a large clan that is land-rich but cash-poor. The Mars are known as a strong clan that will defend their land and their honor with magic and muscle as needed, so it's unexpected when Cerise's parents disappear and it appears that foul play was involved.

What Cerise doesn't know is that her parents were unwittingly drawn into the middle of an ongoing conflict between two nations in the Weird who are after control of a magical weapon that can change the balance of power. William, a man whose fate was sealed by his shape-shifting nature, is a soldier hired to look into the actions of a spy from the Weird, known as the Spider, and in the course of the investigation crosses paths with Cerise.

There are so many things to love about "Bayou Moon" that it's hard to know where to begin...

You might think that the shape-shifting nature of William's character would make "Bayou Moon" like any other work of paranormal fiction, but that would be selling the story short. William isn't the alpha of some wolf pack-- in fact there are no wolf packs in the Weird. He also isn't one of those stereotypical, brooding characters, whose main role is to look good in a pair of jeans-- though you know he looks good in them anyway. There's an honest-to-goodness back story here. Likewise Cerise doesn't fall into the clichéd characterization of the sarcastically hyper-sexual bad-ass. She's tough, but not irritating like so many leading ladies are these days.

The world of "Bayou Moon" is also endlessly fascinating. Unlike most paranormal fiction it doesn't really take place in an urban setting and the traditional fixtures of the genre, like vampires, witches and fairies, are nowhere to be seen. William's shape-shifting nature isn't the centerpiece of the story and the creatures that are sort of home-grown in the Broken are as original as they are deadly. Additionally, "Bayou Moon" isn't just about magic as the Broken is home to those who can perform all levels of magic (for many characters that means none-at-all), to those people and creatures who are magic. If I had any nit-picky complaints it would be that some of the plot devices are a tad complicated out the outset, but they do become clearer as the book moves along.

All of the story elements fit together seamlessly in a way that treats the reader to a unique blend of plot, setting and characterizations that put the book on a level above most of its competitors. If it falls below what I would consider a 5-star book, that's largely because it isn't one of those books that will go down as an instant classic-- it's still a paranormal romance after all. But for what it's meant to be it does its job very, very well (which means it's not a bodice-ripper in my lexicon). Even better, the story does find a way to tie back into the first book of the series with the promise of more sequels to come.
4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: "Grave Witch" by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft is a Grave Witch; someone who can not only speak to the dead, but who has the power to raise a 'shade' and allow them to speak with the living. Alex straddles the world of the living and the dead and has been friends with Death (the actual jeans and t-shirt wearing version) since she was a child and has made her living, meager as it is, by working as a police consultant and investigator.

A high-profile case involving the Governor, and Alex's politically powerful father, thrusts her in the middle of a situation full of dark magic and ritualistic murder involving other young witches with powers very similar to Alex's. Complicating matters are a mysterious new detective determined to keep her far away from the case and a ghost that decides to follow her home from the morgue.

"Grave Witch" follows a fairly standard pattern for paranormal fiction. The female lead is the plucky sort with unusual powers that either relate to witchcraft or shape-shifting (in this case the former). She has at least one very good looking man as the love interest who is over-protective, secretive and sexy in jeans (this one even says so on the back cover of the book). And she rushes head-long into dangerous situations with no regard to personal safety. Okay, we have that established.

The Good: Even though "Grave Witch" is pretty stereotypical of the genre, it still has some definite strengths. The overall system of magic isn't fully spelled-out in the book, but Alex's powers as a grave witch are pretty well developed. Alex's vision frequently shifts between the corporeal world and that of the dead as she views things through her 'grave-sight.' What I appreciated about Alex's powers as a grave-witch was the toll it takes on her physically as the grave-sight slowly deteriorates her ability to see in the real world. She's also a likable character who has her share of sarcasm but never falls off a cliff into full-on snarkiness which is a balance I like when reading paranormal fiction as the characters can be so similar across the genre.

Needs Work: "Grave Witch" is the first book to really drive me to divide my review into two categories that really spell out the good and bad in the book because, though I liked the book overall, I couldn't skip over some obvious critiques.  The first half of the book sets up Alex's character really well-- her home life, history, magical abilities and friendships. But as you get further into the book it becomes clear that there are still parts of the story that  feel as if they never made it out of the outline stage. The character of Death is intriguing, but I didn't quite understood what he was meant to be-- it just never really made sense.  The other secondary characters are also only sketchily defined and we only learn the barest details about the love interest in the last few pages. But if I had to pick one thing to really point out it would be that some of the non-magical elements really stretch the credibility of the story. For example, are we supposed to believe that someone can just walk into a morgue to visit their friend, the medical examiner-- who happens to be in the middle of performing an autopsy? Somehow I doubt it.

If there is anything that holds "Grave Witch" together it's the character of Alex Craft. Basically, I just liked her and was willing to read through some of the more unrealistic sequences to see what happened to her. I do hope to see some more depth in future installments, both in character development and world building, but I'd still say that "Grave Witch" was a fun book and I'll give the sequel a chance. But future books will have to fill in the credibility gaps if the series is to really succeed.
3 1/2 out of 5

Book Review: "The Adamantine Palace" by Stephen Deas

Dragons have always been a staple in fantasy fiction. When I was a little girl I always associated dragons with tales of valiant knights who slay the dragon to save the fair princess. Kind of like "Shrek," but without the happy ending for the dragon. When I was in my late teens I stumbled across Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" series and truly fell in love with the idea of intelligent dragons. And, over the years, have consistently gone back to the genre with authors like Naomi Novik and Mercedes Lackey. But the latest take on the dragon myth by Stephen Deas is like no other dragon tale I have read before.

The Adamantine Palace is an incredibly fast moving book. It grabs hold from the first chapter and doesn't let go until the very end. Centering around the struggle for power in Realms, "The Adamantine Palace" primarily follows the machinations of Prince Jehal. Known as "the Viper," Jehal seduces, murders and poisons his way through various plots to control the Realms by becoming the Speaker of the Realms. Embroiled in the battle for control of the Realms is Queen Shezira, who not-so-coincidentally is Jehal's soon-to-be mother-in-law.

One of the wedding gifts Shezira endeavors to bring to the wedding is a perfect white dragon. Dragons are power in the Realms. They used to wreak havoc on the people; burning settlements and killing people indiscriminately for food. But the alchemists of the Realms developed a potion that keeps the dragons under control and sedate enough to ride-- until someone tries to steal the perfect white and she comes out from under the spell of the alchemists' potion.

"The Adamantine Palace" moves from the two congruent story-lines and each are compelling in their own ways. The maneuvering of Jehal is virtually endless and the plotting grows increasingly complex. You'll think you know where the story is going to take you only to be completely confounded as it finds another avenue. But what really sets the book apart is how Deas envisions his dragons.

Snow, the perfect white, is our view into dragonkind. In fact, we're treated to an inside glimpse of Snow's perspective. But instead of making the dragon more relatable, it makes her terrifying. Once Snow starts coming out of her potion-induced stupor, she begins to remember a time when dragons were not enslaved by men. The more aware she becomes, the more determined she becomes to free the other dragons. Forcing a couple of mercenaries to help her, she begins her search for the stronghold of the alchemists so she can destroy the people responsible for controlling the dragons.

Snow is not an empathetic dragon. She doesn't see humans as friends or allies. She sees them as food. She has the intelligence to use them to further her aims, but there is always the threat of violence as her control is much like that of a child.

There's a lot of good storytelling going on in "The Adamantine Palace," though the action takes precedence over character development and world building. We know very little about the Realms as the geography, the people and the political structures are sketchily defined at best. The characters are slightly stereotypical and strangely there really aren't any heroes in Deas' fantasy. There are relatable characters, but we don't see moments of heroism as much as people just trying to survive.

But still, it's a riveting book in it's own way. I wanted to see what Jehal was going to do next: what his plotting was really all about. I wanted to know if Snow was going to lose control and just kill everyone in her path. There might be a few weaknesses to "The Adamantine Palace," but overall I didn't care. It was a page turner to the end.

Book Review: "Duplicate Effort" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

It’s been a long, long time since I read Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Star Wars: The New Rebellion, which is my first and only exposure up to this point with this author. I remember enjoying that book – it wasn’t particularly amazing, but it was definitely among the better offerings in the Bantam era of Star Wars books. I remember a good portion of the book being devoted to the investigation behind the bombing of the Senate building – and with Duplicate Effort I got a very similar vibe. This is the seventh book in Rusch’s Retrieval Artist series – best described as Law & Order/CSI in space. I’ve had no prior experience with this series before this book so I'll discuss not only what I thought about it but also how approachable it was.

Like any good Law & Order episode, Duplicate Effort starts with a murder. But the science fiction trappings are in place from the very beginning, as this murder takes place in a domed city on the moon, in a park that is self cleaning (and therefore removing all evidence of the crime). Called to the scene is a recently returned-to-duty cop named Nyquist, and the last thing he really wants is to be involved in a high profile case – which is exactly what this murder is going to be. Because the woman who’s dead is reporter Ki Bowles, and she had just released the first in a new expose series uncovering the truth behind a prestigious law firm and its corrupt policies. The information she had been given about this law firm came from Miles Flint, a Retrieval Artist (who’s job is to find missing persons) – and now he’s worried that whomever targeted her may also target his family. And his family consists of the 13 year old clone of his dead daughter, as well as a group of other 15 year old clones of the same – all adopted and unaware that their lives may be at risk. Meanwhile, the senior officer of the law firm itself sets out to solve the murder – because he knows he will be high on the list of suspects.

My first problem with Duplicate Effort is the fact that what I’ve described in the paragraph above takes over 200 pages to happen in the book. Earlier I described this book as being like Law & Order, but let’s be clear – it’s like the first half hour of that show dragged out so that you’re following nearly minute by minute the lives of the various characters (and there are more than I’ve already mentioned, like Nyquist’s reluctant partner, Flint’s lawer, the OTHER two dead bodies, the bodyguard suspect, the head of the moon police, the aliens…). I believe the murder happened in the morning, but I had no idea that this would take place over only a 24 hour period.

My second problem is the fact that a lot of the characters seem to contemplate the same information, to the point that for the reader it gets repetitive. I understand that each character is going to think about the impacts of the murder and how the media is going to respond – but I don’t need to hear each of their thoughts on the subject. It just felt like it was unnecessarily slowing down the novel.

Because there are lots of good things about the book as well. I had hoped that it would be fairly easy to join this series even though it’s book #7 – and it was. Each character’s motivations are well spelled out, even their prior histories through what I assume are the previous books are effectively introduced in this story without becoming info dumps. The characters are also well developed, with strong personality traits easily differentiating them. Flint’s 13 year old daughter Talia acts like a teenager; strong willed, a little rebellious, but also looking for her father’s approval.

As we get to see the investigation from different sides, the reader actually begins to see the larger picture before the characters in the book do. Talia and her sister clones are actually a key part of the murder – 15 years ago (when Flint’s daughter died and when the first clones were made) there were power outages reported throughout the Moon dome – strange occurrences that no one was ever able to explain. Now those same power fluctuations are happening again – only the people with each piece of this puzzle aren’t currently working together to solve the case. The title seems derived from this idea – duplicate effort both in terms of these multiple parties all working separately to solve the same mystery, and also in terms of the clones being duplicates – created in an effort to avoid punishment mandated by an alien law, one that has now come back to haunt those who weren’t responsible for the crime committed.

I can’t say that I strongly recommend Duplicate Effort, but I also wouldn’t call it a failure either. I think I would have preferred a book in this setting to be styled a little more pulpy, a little quicker with more action and suspense. But that’s not what this book (or I assume this series) is – it is a strongly detailed detective novel in a near-future setting, as realistic as a science fiction novel about law enforcement can be. I’m certain there’s an audience for this type of book, but don’t go into it expecting Space Opera. I do think Rusch a very capable author, and this book seems to fit well into my prior experience with her writing. I think by now you should be able to tell if this is a book you would enjoy, but as for myself I don’t think I’ll be revisiting this series.