Bitter Night (2009) Diana Pharoah Francis Max is a Shadowblade. A warrior transformed by and bound to a witch. Shadowblades cannot stand the touch of the sun, and their counterparts–Sunspears–cannot bear the darkness. Between them they guard and protect the witches they serve. Being a Shadowblade or Sunspear incredible abilities and immortality of a kind, […]
The Court of the Air (2007) Stephen Hunt Molly is an orphan, abandoned at birth, living in the poor house and working odd jobs until she gets her vote and can leave. Oliver lives with his uncle–his parents were killed in an accident–but his actions are restricted, due to the circumstances of the accident that […]
Soulless (2009) Gail Carriger Alexia Tarabotti doesn’t have a soul. This isn’t a particularly well known fact, since the only people who can recognize this are the supernatural–vampires, werewolves etc. But when she is attacked by a vampire at a ball, she is (quite willingly) drawn into an intrigue, against the wishes of Lord Macon […]
The Fire King (2009) Marjorie Liu This is a kissing book. I knew that when I picked it up, because it had a floating man head on the cover, and that swoopy writing you only see on romance covers. But I was somewhere without a book, and when I stopped at the grocery store to […]
The Outlaw Demon Wails (2008) Kim Harrison Rachel and Ivy are still reeling from Kistin’s death and Rachel is trying to return to normalcy by going Halloween shopping with her mother. Unfortunately, their expedition is rudely interrupted by Al, who has somehow escaped the confines of prison and is out to kill Rachel. I really […]
Child of Fire (2009) Harry Connolly I really wanted to love this book. John Scalzi featured it (and Harry Connolly) in one of his Big Idea posts, and as I’ve loved other books I’ve picked up that way, I was really looking forward to the story. But. I spent the whole book feeling like I […]
Destined for an Early Grave (2009) Jeaniene Frost Cat is no longer working for the government slaying rogue vampires. She and Bones are off to Paris for a well-deserved vacation. Unfortunately, Cat remains the only living half-vampire, and her unique position remains a threat to the undead. Although the initial story seems to have come […]
On Edge (2009) Ilona Andrews Let me get it out of the way first thing: This is a kissing book. Yes, I know, I know. I usually hate kissing books. And in my defense, I didn’t know it was a kissing book when I ordered it. I saw Ilona Andrews had a new series coming […]
Host (2007) Faith Hunter This seems to be the conclusion of Faith Hunters Rogue Mage series. I say seems to be, because although the story arc was completed, there were threads left hanging. Now that could be good story telling, or she could be hoping to add to the series later. I’m hoping its the […]
Seraphs (2007) Faith Hunter Thorn St. Croix is now out of the closet as a neomage. Half the town wants to thank her for saving them, the other half wants to burn her at the stake. To make things worse, there are angels trapped under the mountain, and it looks like Thorn is the only […]
Better Off Undead (2008) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Daniel M. Hoyt Anthologies edited by Martin H. Greenberg are usually ones I can pick up knowing that I’ll like the majority of stories within. This volume? Not so much. There were a handful of stories I thought were good, but for the most part? […]
Rosemary and Rue (2009) Seanan McGuire October Daye disappeared for thirteen years. When she returned, she refused to return to her life as a changeling knight or as a private investigator, but is instead trying to squeak by as a human. Unfortunately for her, Faerie refuses to let her go. The Faerie from which Toby […]
Trick of the Light (2009) Rob Thurman I’ve loved Rob Thurman’s writing since I stumbled across Nightlife, the first book in the Cal Leandros series. So when I came across a new book–even though it wasn’t a Cal Leandros book–I snatched it right up. Once I had the book I hesitated. What if it wasn’t […]
Night Life (2008) Caitlin Kitteredge Luna is a copy in Nocturne City who is hiding her true nature as a were. When a serial killer starts eviscerating women and taking their finger bones, Luna is assigned the case, but the deaths–combined with an unusual struggle to hide her true nature, threatens Luna’s secret and her […]
Bloodring (2006) Faith Hunter Thorn is a neomage. But unlike the rest of her mage brethren, she does not live in a mage Enclave, but instead is hiding in the small town of Mineral City running a gem and jewelry show with her friends–none of who know she is a neomage in hiding. Unfortunately for […]
Dancing on the Head of a Pin (2009) Thomas E. Sniegoski Remy Chandler may have averted the apocalypse, but things aren’t looking any better for him this time around. He’s been hired to recover some missing weapons–weapons that are most certainly more than they first appear. The second Remy Chandler novel actually follows the short […]
Madame Xanadu Vol 1 Disenchanted (2009) Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder Handley, Richard Friend First things first, I am not a regular comic reader. The first comic series I ever read was Sandman, and since then I’ve been reading a handful of titles, almost exclusively Dark Horse and Vertigo, simply because those are the titles that […]
Must Love Hellhounds (2009) Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook I picked up this anthology solely because I saw Ilona Andrews had a story in it. Charlaine Harris also usually writes decent short stories, but not always. But I figured, I like everything I’ve read by Ilona Andrews, and there should be at […]
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming (2009) Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence, Francis Tsai, Amelia Woo What is it with supernatural fantasy authors and comic books? First Jim Butcher, now Patricia Briggs. Not that I’m complaining. It’s fun to spend time with characters I enjoy in a medium other than I’m used to, and I of course love short […]
Hunting Ground (2009) Patricia Briggs Anna was still getting used to the idea of being married to Charles when they go to Seattle his father–the Marrok. The American werewolves are planning on coming out, and the European wolves have been invited to ask questions of the Marrok about how they would be affected by this. […]
Skinwalker (2009) Faith Hunter First off, I love this cover. Yeah, she has a silly amount of cleavage, but aside from that, the cover gives a very good description of what the character’s attitude. Bike? Check. Riding leathers? Check. Shotgun? Check. Get out of my way attitude? Check. Kudos to whomever at Roc does their […]
Cast in Silence (2009) Michelle Sagara Cast in Silence continues the story of Kaylin Neya, Private in the Hawk force, marked by Nightshade, and possessed of magical powers she has yet to learn to control. The forces that surround and imbue Elantra are slipping into chaos, and both Kaylin’s history and powers make her uniquely […]
Skin Deep (2009) Mark del Franco Having enjoyed Mark del Franco’s Connor Grey supernatural mysteries, I pre-ordered Skin Deep hoping he would do as good a job writing a female lead as he did a male lead. The book came, but then I put of reading it primarily for the blurb on the cover, “She’ll […]
House of Mystery Vol 2: Love Stories for Dead People (2009) Matthew Sturges, Luca Rossi, Jose Marzan Jr The story opens with some of Ann’s back story. We still don’t know what brought her to the House of Mystery, but we know some of what shaped her–and that she doesn’t come from our reality. Ann […]
Fables Vol 12 The Dark Ages (2009) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allerd, David Hahn NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Rating: 9/10
House of Mystery: Vol 1 Room & Boredom (2008) Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, Luca Rossi We wandered into a Borders while we were in Denver, and I noticed House of Mystery: Room & Boredom becuase of Bill Willingham’s name across the top. I love Fables, so I’m willing to try anything he has a hand […]
Underground (2008) Kat Richardson I have got to start paying better attention when I pre-order books. I now have two copies of Underground. (sigh) Harper Blaine is a private investigator who was beaten to death several years previously. She was only dead for a few minutes, but she woke up a changed woman, and able […]
Vicious Circle (2006) Mike Carey Felix (Fix) Castor, who is usually at loose ends, is suddenly involved in three different cases. As a consultant in a police case, in a missing child case, and in assisting Juliet with a case she has taken on involving a haunted or possessed church. Additionally, he is still trying […]
The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle (2008) Jim Butcher, Ardian Syaf Harry Dresden in comic form. First, the story was interesting and I liked it. There is a murder at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Although city officials would like to blame Moe the gorilla for the murder, Murphy calls Harry in because the crime […]
Jhegaala (2008) Steven Brust First things first, I love Steven Brust, and I love the Vlad Taltos books. That said, this is not anywhere close to being one of my favorite books in the series. Jhegalla is set between the events of Phoenix and Athyra. We learn some of what happened to Vlad after he […]
Darkness Calls (2009) Marjorie M. Liu As a disclaimer, I read much of this book on the plane, so that may have affected my opinion to some degree. Darkness Calls continues the story of Maxine Kiss. She is a Hunter who has inherited a fight against demons and the darkness. Unfortunately for her, it is […]
Runaways: Rock Zombies (2009) Terry Moore, Takeshi Miyazawa, Christiana Strain First things first: Wha? The last two stories? Wha? This volume starts at the radio station where Chase has been working. Val has decided he wants to money and power and all that, so attempts to turn all of LA into zombies. And I have […]
Strange Brew (2009) edited by P.N. Elrod I love short story collections. They’re a way to discover new authors, visit with favorite characters, and to be honest I just enjoy short stories. Now if you like short stories, you eventually learn that a lot of collections are not worth buying, but there are certain authors […]
The Seeress of Kell (1991) David Eddings The fifth book of the Mallorean and the tenth book about Belgarion finishes his story. Although David Eddings wrote three more books set in this world, they were books about the past–telling the stories of how Belgarath and Polgara became who they were. This books closes the story […]
Sorceress of Darshiva (1989) David Eddings Garion and company are continuing to move through Mallorea, and trying to avoid Urvon and Zandramas while figuring out where they need to go next. They spend time in Melcenea, where they discover not just where Zandramas has been and what she’s been doing, but also where they need […]
Demon Lord of Karanda (1988) David Eddings The third book of the Mallorean sees Garion and his company traveling through Mallorea. They meet ‘Zakath but even better, they also run into Yarblek and Vella. That’s the funny thing about this series. As a whole, I don’t like the story nearly as much as I like […]
King of the Murgos (1988) David Eddings Garion and his companions continue to search for Zandramas, who has stole Belgarion’s son. In the second book they travel again through Nyissa, and meet again with Salmissra, and travel through Cythol Murgos, where they meet King Urgit. I like Urgit–I don’t find him the slightest bit believable, […]
Guardians of the West (1987) David Eddings The first book of the Mallorean coversthe years following the events of the final book of the Belgariad. Errand, Polgara and Durnik move into Poledra’s cottage–after Belgarath helps them repair it–and we get to see some of Errand’s youth. Ce’Nedra and Garion have problems (not that this should […]
Enchanters’ Endgame (1984) David Eddings The Belgariad concludes with Enchanters’ Endgame. This is another of my favorite books, primarily because I love Garion and Belgarath and Silk traveling through Gar Og Nadrak. And Silk and Yarblek are perfect partners. But not only is it fun to see them travel through Gar Og Nadrak, I quite […]
Castle of Wizardry (1984) David Eddings The fourth book in David Edding’s Belgariad finds Garion and the rest of the company returning to Riva. Belgarath has collapsed from exhaustion, and events conspire to place Garion in command of the group. We also see him quickly developing his skills with the Will and the World, as […]
Magician’s Gambit (1983) David Eddings The third book in the Belgariad has never been my favorite. This book starts with Ce’Nedra’s point of view, and I just never really got Ce’Nedra and always found her annoying. Doesn’t mean the book isn’t good, just that I’m not a fan of Ce’Nedra’s or of reading her point […]
Queen of Sorcery (1982) David Eddings The cover is coming off my copy of the second book of the Belgariad, Queen of Sorcery. As with the previous book, the spine is bent and the corners are rounded, but like the first book it’s from multiple readings and being carried around and shoved into pockets and […]
Pawn of Prophecy (1982) David Eddings I was given a used copy of The Belgariad series in college as part of a gift exchange where I worked. This was the series that returned me to being a reader and got me back into reading fantasy, which I hadn’t done since I was much younger. My […]
Buffy Season 8 Vol 3: Wolves at the Gate (2008) Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, Joss Whedon We finally learn who kissed Buffy and woke her up. We also learn where Xander went after Sunnydale was destroyed, and someone wants Buffy’s scythe. (Not necessarily in that order.) I’m not sure how I feel about the story […]
Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall (2006) Bill Willingham Couldn’t decide what I wanted to read, so I decided to re-read 1001 Night of Snowfall, which is probably my favorite volume in the Fables series. This is a wonderful series, and if you have not read any of the Fables series, this is a wonderful place […]
Buffy Season 8 Vol 2: No Future for You (2008) Brian K Vaughan, Georges Jeanty, Joss Whedon I wandered downstairs looking for something to read, and realized that I had never read the second volume of Buffy Season 8–and two volumes have come out since then. Volume two see the return of Faith, and what […]
Daemons Are Forever (2008) Simon R. Green That was thoroughly disappointing. I really like Simon R. Green’s writing style–I love the Nightside books and liked the first Eddie Drood book, The Man with the Golden Torc. The second Eddie Drood book, however, not so much. This book was all over the place, and it wasn’t […]
Last Watch (2009) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield I’d been thinking recently about rereading Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch series, so when I stumbled upon Last Watch, my first thought was, “Why the hell didn’t I know this was out?!” my second thought was that this was the excuse I needed to reread the Night […]
Twilight Watch (2003/2007) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield Just finished re-reading Twilight Watch, the third book in the Night Watch series. Now I can start the new book in the series, and find out what Anton’s been up to. Published by Miramax Rating: 9/10
Day Watch (2000/2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield Just re-read Day Watch. As with Night Watch, I found that I understood and enjoyed the book better the second time around. Especially since I understood where the first story was going. Published by Miramax Rating: 9/10