Thieves World, Book 6: Wings of Omen (1984) edited by Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin What Women Do Best by Chris & Janet Morris Daughter of the Sun by Robin W. Bailey A Breath of Power by Diana L. Paxson The Hand That Feeds You by Diane Duane Witching Hour […]
Thieves World, Book 5: The Face of Chaos (1983) edited by Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin High Moon by Janet Morris Necromant by C.J. Cherryh The Art of Alliance by Robert Lynn Asprin The Corners of Memory by Lynn Abbey Votary by David Drake Mirror Image by Diana L. Paxson […]
Thieves World, Book 4: Storm Season (1982) Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin Exercise in Pain by Robert Lynn Asprin Downwind by C.J. Cherryh A Fugitive Art by Diana L. Paxson Steel by Lynn Abbey Wizard Weather by Janet Morris Godson by Andrew J. Offutt Epilog by Robert Lynn Asprin This […]
Thieves’ World, Book 3: Shadows Of Sanctuary (1981) Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin Looking for Satan by Vonda N. McIntyre Ischade by C.J. Cherryh A Gift in Parting by Robert Lynn Asprin The Vivisectionist by Andrew Offutt The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn by Diana L. Paxson Then Azyuna Danced by […]
Blood Trade (2013) Faith Hunter I really like Jane Yellowrock. I know I say that every time I read one of these books, but that’s because it remains true. Natchez, Mississippi is overrun with rogues, and the Master hires Jane to come help him solve this problem. But when she arrives, things are even worse […]
Thieves’ World, Book 2: Tales From the Vulgar Unicorn (1980) edited by Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin Spiders of the Purple Mage by Philip José Farmer Goddess by David Drake The Fruits of Enlibar by Lynn Abbey The Dream of the Sorceress by A.E. van Vogt Vashanka’s Minion by Janet […]
Thieves’ World (1979) Robert Asprin and Lynn Abbey Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin Sentences of Death by John Brunner The Face of Chaos by Lynn Abbey The Gate of Flying Knives by Poul Anderson Shadowspawn by Andrew Offutt The Price of Doing Business by Robert Lynn Asprin Blood Brothers by Joe Haldeman Myrtis by Christine […]
Erstwhile: Untold Tales From the Brothers Grimm (2012) Gina Biggs, Louisa Roy, Elle Skinner As a huge fan of folk and fairy tales, I’ve had Erstwhile on my RSS feed for awhile now, and I was vaguely aware that they’d published a printed collection of their tales, but when it popped up on Amazon, I […]
Chosen at Nightfall (2013) C.C. Hunter The conclusion to Kylie Galen’s story arc at Shadow Falls. Kylie has had a rough couple months: she lost her grandmother, her parents are divorcing, she’s discovered she’s a supernatural being, she learned the man she’d called her father her entire life was not, in fact, her biological father, […]
The Death of the Necromancer (1998) Martha Wells Nicholas Valiarde wants more than anything in the world to avenge the death of his foster father. The fact his foster father was hung for practicing necromancy (a charge that was proved, to late, to be false) doesn’t cause Nic to hesitate. Nor does the fact that […]
Grave Mercy (2012) Robin LaFevers Ismae Rienne has been sired by Mortain, death himself. At the age of fourteen she is wed to a pig farmer who, upon discovering the scars upon her body, beats her and locks up her to be burned or drowned by a priest the next day. But the local hedge […]
Saved at Sunrise (2013) C. C. Hunter I’m a fan of C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls series, and was introduced to it through the free novella Turned at Dark about Della Tang, who is also the main character in this novella. Della wanted to go into law enforcement before she was turned, now, she wants to […]
Whispers at Moonrise (2012) C. C. Hunter Kylie Galen now knows she’s a chameleon, but she doesn’t know what that means. Nor do any of her classmates or teachers at Shadow Falls, her boarding school for the supernatural. She also doesn’t know what to do about Lucas, the werewolf she’s supposed to be dating, but […]
Thieftaker (2012) D.B. Jackson Ethan Kaille is a thieftaker and a conjurer living in Boston in 1765. Around him, discontent with Britain and taxes swirl, but Ethan, having already paid the price years earlier for mutiny, wants nothing to do with the Sons of Liberty. However, a girl–young woman–is killed during a riot, and the […]
Twice Tempted: A Night Prince Novel (2013) Jeaniene Frost NOTICE: If you had not read Jeaniene Frost before, SHE WRITES BOINKING BOOKS. Okay, that’s out of the way… The sequel to Once Burned is also not the final book in this series (I’m guessing the middle book of a trilogy, but I don’t know that […]
Seven Kinds of Hell (2013) Dana Cameron Zoe Miller’s mother has died. And before she dies, she makes Zoe promise to keep running from her father’s people. Since Zoe is running from herself as much as from her father’s people, it’s not a promise she has trouble keeping. Unfortunately for her, her father’s people seem […]
Death’s Excellent Vacation (2010) Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner Yeah, I’m a sucker for anthologies. Especially ones where I know the majority of the stories will be good. Mind you, I wasn’t impressed enough with the list of authors to pay full price (this still isn’t out in paperback yet?!) but there were […]
Kiss of Steel (2012) Bec McMasters Honoria is trying to hold her family together after the murder of her father. But her job doesn’t pay much, and the medicines they need for her brother are very expensive, and even worse, don’t seem to be working very well. To make things worse, she is expected to […]
Whispers Under Ground (2012) Ben Aaronovitch Peter Grant is slowly getting used to being a copper for the Folly. The addition of Lesley as a new apprentice both gives Peter someone to work with, and eases some of the loneliness of working for a man who is much much older than he looks. I’m really […]
Cards & Caravans (2013) Cindy Spencer Pape THIS IS ANOTHER BOINKING BOOK. Although there is less boinking here than in the Bloodhounds series. The fifth book of the Gaslight Chronicles finds Connor McKay coming to the rescue of Belinda Danvers who has been convinced of murder by witchcraft and sentenced to burn at the stake. […]
The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius (2013) John Joseph Adams “Professor Incognito Apologizes: an Itemized List” by Austin Grossman “Father of the Groom” by Harry Turtledove “Laughter at the Academy: by Seanan McGuire “Letter to the Editor” by David D. Levine “Instead of a Loving Heart” […]
Frost Burned (2013) Patricia Briggs This series switched to hard back first printings several volumes ago, which I hated, because I hate hard back books. Luckily for me, I have a kindle, so I can buy new releases without having to wait a year (or more!) for the book to come out in paperback. HUZZAH! […]
Archer’s Lady (2012) Moira Rogers This is the next book in the Bloodhounds series, and IS A BOINKING BOOK. LOTS OF BOINKING. Just so you know. Why do I keep reading this? Because I find the world she created fascinating. Bloodhounds are humans who were created/remade/manipulated to fight vampires. They have keep the towns in […]
The Way of the Wizard (2010) John Joseph Adams I love anthologies. They give me an escape in bite size pieces that won’t keep me up past my bed time on a work night, and they also often a wonderful introduction to authors I have not read previously. This anthology focuses upon wizards of all […]
Slashback (2013) Rob Thurman Needless to say, I was eagerly waiting Slashback So let’s get the bad out of the way first: it felt like this book hadn’t been copyedited. On multiple occasions I had to stop and reread in order to figure out what was actually being said, which threw me completely out of […]
Hunter’s Prey (2012) Moira Rogers First things first, THIS IS A BOINKING BOOK. See the publisher? Samhain Publishing, Ltd? They print erotica. So you have been warned. But here’s the thing. I really really like her world building. Wild West, except that vampires exist in the wilds, and frontier towns are subject to raids by […]
Graveminder (2011) Melissa Marr Rebekkah Barrow is called back to Claysville for the death of her grandmother, the Graveminder. Byron Montgomery has gone into the family business, and helps his father at their funeral home. But the death of Maylene Barrow, Rebekkah’s grandmother, makes him there’s way more going on than he’s been told. This […]
Thomas the Rhymer (1990) Ellen Kushner Of course I’d read this before. But after rereading Swordspoint, I wanted to read it again. This is actually a novel based upon the folklore and myth surrounding Thomas the Rhymer, told in four parts. The first is told by Gavin, a crofter, living in the hills with his […]
Moon Over Soho (2011) Ben Aaronovitch Peter Grant is not just a constable in the London’s Metropolitan Police, he’s also the Met’s only apprentice magician. And while he’s governor/master is recovering from being shot, Peter’s on his own probably more than he should be. So it is Peter who is called in when Dr. Walid […]
Across the Nightingale Floor (2002) Lian Hearn I first read these several years ago, and, as I said at the time, couldn’t wait for enough time to pass so I could reread them. Far more time than I expected has passed, but when I came across other books in the series, I had to read […]
Teeth: Vampire Tales (2011) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling This is an Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling anthology, so as always, there are fascinating bits of folklore. Rice, not garlic, was the most effective means of keeping Chinese vampires at bay, for they had a strange compulsion to count. Throwing rice at the […]
Midnight Riot (2011) Ben Aaronovitch Peter Grant wants to be a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Unfortunately, his tendency to be distracted looks like it’s going to head him into the Case Progression Unit. Until one night he comes across a witness to a crime no one else has talked to. Too bad that witness […]
Heaven’s Net is Wide (2007) Lian Hearn This is the tale of Lord Otori Shigeru, heir to the Otori clan. But it is so very much more. We learn not just of the Otori–Shigeru’s family, but of The Tribe, and of the Hidden, and of the Maruyama and of the amazing and fabulous world that […]
The Girl in the Steel Corset (2012) Kady Cross Finley Jayne is about to lose her position as maid. The drunk son of the house–a dissolute dandy–has a reputation for taking advantage of maids and other young women in the employ of his house. But when he attempts to take advantage of Finley, he is […]
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (2011) Kady Cross Finley Jane has just been throw out of her most recent position. After seeing the governess in the house slap one of her charges, Finley retaliates with a punch that quite literally knocks out the woman’s teeth. With trepidation, she returns home–to the bookstore her mother […]
Madame Mirage (2008) Paul Dini and Kenneth Rocafort Oh! That was lovely! Well, not lovely lovely. I mean, it was violent and lots of bad things happened. But it was a fabulous story of revenge and consequences. It also took a quick poke with a sharp stick and hero and gender stereotypes–yeah, I know. I […]
Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners (1987) Ellen Kushner I love this book. As I’ve said before, this isn’t a fantasy in the usual sense of the genre. There are no magicians or mystical creatures. There is no magic, except the magic found in the expert storytelling. Here is our introduction to Richard St Vier: The […]
Companions to the Moon (2007) Charles de Lint This is a short story that’s not connected to Newford–just the story of a woman who thinks her boyfriend is cheating on her, and what she discovers. Of course, this is Charles de Lint, so you never expect what she discovers. Charles de Lint never fails to […]
In Sea-Salt Tears (2012) Seanan McGuire The Luidaeg has been a complicated character throughout the October Daye series. This story gives us a glimpse of the relationship between the Selkie and The Luidaeg. The only way a selkie can become a true fey is to inherit one. But there aren’t many skins, so most selkie […]
Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs My. I was not expecting where that went. Now that the werewolves have been outed, the Marrock has been far more strict about enforcing the rules. And Charles, as his enforcer, has been very busy. He has also become haunted by those he is forced to kill, and those ghosts […]
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon (2007) P.N. Elrod The follow up to My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, at least in theme. This was a very mixed bag. Some of the stories were good, some I could barely stand to finish, and in fact, put this anthology down several times, for something (anything?) I liked a […]
Happily Ever After (2011) John Klima Not sure how I missed this when I first came out, but this anthology is full of things I love: authors whose books I love, stories based on folk and fairy tales–lovely! The only thing I didn’t like, is I wish the anthology hadn’t ended on such a dark […]
Fables Vol 18: Cubs in Toyland (2013) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Gene Ha I… oh. So. There’s death. We were forewarned, but that didn’t mean I was expecting it. Winter Wolf is off with Bigby, learning how to be the North Wind. Beauty and Beast are still with Flycatcher in Haven. The citizens […]
Discount Armageddon: An InCryptid Novel (2012) Seanan McGuire Verity Price is a cryptozoologist. And dancer. And member of a renegade family that supports the rights of cryptids to live as long as they don’t kill humans. Cryptids? They’re the monsters that go bump in the night. The creatures of myth and folklore. There is so […]
Home Improvement: Undead Edition (2011) Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner As with most anthologies, there are stories here I really liked, and some that I found to be just okay. What was unusual was that there were some stories that I actually strongly disliked. “Gray” by Patricia Briggs isn’t a Mercy Thompson story, but […]
Graceling (2009) Kristin Cashore It took me a couple of tries to get into Graceling, but once I did, I ended up staying WAY up past my bedtime to finish it. Katsa is a Graceling–a person with different colored that denote that she is a gift–a special power. Every Graceling has unique powers, and Katsa […]
American Gods: Tenth Anniversary Edition (2001/2011) Neil Gaiman I needed some comfort reading to distract me, so since I’d picked up the 10th anniversary edition of American Gods for the kindle awhile ago, it won the comfort reading lottery. I’ve read American Gods many times before, but not this version with the expanded material. Only […]
Dragon in the System (2007) Cindy Spenser Pape So, another boinking book by Cindy Spencer Paper. Again, I didn’t buy it for the boinking, but because I enjoy her world building, and because it was $1.49. Lori is a herpetologist (really! how awesome that the heroine loves lizards!) who has a broken engagement behind her, […]
Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul (2011) Leanna Renee Hieber This is a YA/Historical/Fantasy/Romance (got all that?). We are reading the journal of Miss Natalie Stewart, who recently left the Connecticut Asylum, where she spent several years, not because she is a lunatic, but because she has been mute since the age of […]
X-23 Vol. 3: Don’t Look Back (2012) Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda, Phil Noto This is (apparently [at least for now]) the conclusion to Laura’s story arc. The first part of the story–pretty much ‘Adventures in Babysitting’ with X-23 I really could have one without. It felt like they needed to shoehorn some action adventure in, […]