Magic Burns (2008) Ilona Andrews The sequel to Magic Bites, Magic Burns continues the story of Kate Daniels, magic user, fighter, and no longer mercenary, but instead member of the Order, a group that helps keep the peace in a dangerous and uncertain world. While taking a case as a mercenary, Kate stumbles upon a […]
All Together Dead (2007) Charlaine Harris It’s been awhile since I read a new Sookie Stackhouse story. They’re now published in hardback first, and as much as I enjoy her stories and her writing, I don’t much care for hardback books. I also wasn’t sure they were worth $25. So I placed it on pre-order […]
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (2002) Holly Black Tithe came up multiple times as a recommended book for me on Amazon, but when I read the description and saw it was a about a sixteen year old, I thought, “No thanks. Not in the mood for teen angst.” But I finally put Tithe on my […]
Hosts (2001) F. Paul Wilson The further into the Repairman Jack series I get, the more I’m starting to miss having read Conspiracies. In the fifth Repairman Jack novel, things start out badly for Jack when he’s on a Subway car where a man pulls out a gun and starts picking of the passengers one, […]
Stardust (1997) Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess I’ve been a fan of Stardust for years. In fact it is the first comic I ever bought, although I called it a book, because it had, you know, lots of words and stuff. And didn’t really look like a comic. I eventually got over that, and it […]
Buffy Season 8: The Long Way Home (2007) Joss Whedon, Georges Jeanty I love Buffy. Buffy is what made me check out Firefly, and I love Firefly more than almost anything ever on TV. The Long Way Home takes up after the end of Season 7. Sunnydale is destroyed, every slayer with potential is now […]
White Night (2007) Jim Butcher I’ve been reading the Dresden Files series for awhile now, even when Harry was annoying the crap out of me, by being incredibly stupid and obtuse. But the books got better, and Harry got smarter, and the stories have been getting better ever since. When Murphy calls Harry to come […]
Once Bitten, Twice Shy (2007) Jennifer Rardin I picked up this book, couldn’t decide how I felt about it, and thought I’d read a little more. But before I’d decided if I liked it or not, I realized I was more than halfway through the book, so I may as well just finish it. Jaz […]
Sandman: The Dream Hunters (1999) Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano I was feeling glum last night, so I reread Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano’s The Dream Hunters. This is a comic book for people who say they don’t like comic books, and if you haven’t read it before, you can click through and read my […]
Madhouse (2008) Rob Thurman I’ve been eagerly awaiting Madhouse for months. I have loved the previous Cal Leandros books, and couldn’t wait to read more about Cal and Niko. Although I enjoyed this book as much as the previous two, I was very unhappy with the last three paragraphs. In fact, I’d recommend reading the […]
All the Rage (2000) F. Paul Wilson The third Repairman Jack novel, Conspiracies, has not been reprinted, and the used prices were a little steep, so I skipped Conspiracies and went straight to the fourth book, All the Rage. As with the previous two Repairman Jack books I read, I very much enjoyed All the […]
THUD (2005) Terry Pratchett I’m not sure what it is about Terry Pratchett. I’ll see a new Discworld book, and think, yeah, he’s good, but I’m sure it can’t be as good as I remember, and so I’ll put off getting or reading the book for awhile, till several have backed up, then I’ll decided […]
Legacies (1998) F. Paul Wilson The second Repairman Jack book takes up an undetermined time after the events of the first book, Tomb. The indeterminate time is most likely due to the fact that there were 15 years between the two books. When a local AIDS clinic where Gia volunteers is robbed, she convinces Jack […]
The Tomb (1984/2004) F. Paul Wilson Repairman Jack fixes things. Not appliances or houses or anything so prosaic, but instead fixes situations. When he is asked to “fix” two separate problems at the same time, little did he realize that the situation would turn deadly–and the girl he loves in mortal danger–the girl he loves […]
Bitten (2001) Kelley Armstrong I had several people recommend Bitten to me as a supernatural fantasy I’d enjoy. I started reading it, wasn’t interested, and then took it with me to the dentist. I discovered that by the time I got to the first chapter I was sucked in. This story had excellent world and […]
Heroes: Volume One (2007) As previously mentioned elsewhere, we finally finished watching Heroes. (Yes, I know we’re slow. But we were watching the DVDs.) Heroes: Volume One tells the stories in between the shows. We not only see Nathan and DL discovering their powers, but we also learn more about some of the characters who […]
Unquiet Dreams (2008) Mark del Franco Unquiet Dreams is Mark del Franco’s second book about Connor Grey, consulting detective and damaged druid. When Detective Murdock asks Connor to help him investigate the death of a teen in the Weird, they are both drawn into a mystery that stretches as low as bridge dwelling trolls and […]
For a Few Demons More (2007) Kim Harrison Michael is actually the one who has been following this series. I’ve been reading them, but only after his initial push to get me to read them, after I started the first book and was completely and utterly annoyed by the main character, Rachel Morgan. As Michael […]
Wraith (2007) Phaedra Weldon My initial review was going to be that I foubd Wraith to be pretty much meh. The I read the last twenty or so pages, during which it sprinted from meh to boo. What bugged me? Where to start? First and foremost, I didn’t understand why the cop liked Zoe so […]
Already Dead (2005) Charlie Huston Joe Pitt is a vampire who was a small time punk and thug before he was turned. After he was turned, he spent some time working as an enforce and, not to thrilled with that line of work either, then ended up Rogue, doing his freelance work and pretty much […]
Iron Kissed (2008) Patricia Briggs I really like Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series, so I’ve had Iron Kissed on pre-order since I found out it was available. I had to finish the book I was currently reading before I started this, but yesterday afternoon I picked it up and didn’t want to put it back […]
Going Postal (2004) Terry Pratchett Going Postal is the next Discworld book in line, and like Monstrous Regiment, the primary characters are new ones. Although other characters continue to make an appearence, and Lord Vetinari plays an important part in the story, like Monstrous Regiment, Going Postal requires no previous knowledge of Discworld, which makes […]
Monstrous Regiment (2003) Terry Pratchett I love Terry Pratchett’s books. However, I’ll frequently go long periods where I don’t read his books, despite his prodigious publication rate, because once I get started I frequently read a lot of his books, sometimes going back and re-reading much of the series. At which point I get tired […]
The Buried Pyramid (2004) Jane Lindskold I spent the first two thirds of this book mildly wondering why it was classified as a fantasy. Then the fantasy kicked in, but I’d given up caring whether it was fantasy or historical fiction long before. I just wanted to know what happened. Jenny Benet has been orphaned, […]
Kitty and the Silver Bullet (2007) Carrie Vaughn The fourth kitty book sees Kitty returning to Denver for a family emergency. Unfortunately, he return places her in the middle of a vampire turf war where she is requested to take sides. As this was the fourth Kitty book, was I a little leery when I […]
The Secret History of Moscow (2007) Ekaterina Sedia I both enjoyed this book and found it frustrating. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, which drew heavily upon Russian folklore. However, at times the writing bothered me. Some of the descriptive prose was phrased in ways that took me a moment to parse, and in the moment […]
Ex Machina: Vol 6 Power Down (2007) Brian K. Vauhgan & Tony Harris In the latest installment of Ex Machina, Mitchell Hundred continues his time as mayor of New York, and the great blackout that affected the entire city is now affecting him as well–seems also to be linked to him in some way. We […]
Valley of the Soul (2006) Tamara Siler Jones Valley of the Soul is the third book in the Dubric Byerly mystery series. I read Ghosts in the Snow and enjoyed it, and decided to order the rest of series. Unfortunately, Threads of Malice was out of print, so I had to skip to Valley of […]
Dzur (2006) Steven Brust I’ve been reading Steven Brusts Vlad Taltos novels since about 1994, and I’ve been snatching them up eagerly as they’ve come out–at least until Dzur. Not because I don’t still love Vlad, but because I love reading this books, and don’t like reading hardback. So I decided to bite the bullet […]
Jack of Fables Vol 2: Jack of Hearts (2007) Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, Steve Leialoha I preordered Jack of Hearts months ago, because I am a huge fan of Fables. And I was disappointed when there was a delay in publication. Unfortunately, this volume didn’t really live up to my expectations. When the […]
Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was (1984) Barry Hughart I have a weakness for fantasy novels set in Asia–especially those set in ancient China. So when I saw Bridge of Birds on the shelf I immediately snatched it up. A strange malady has struck the children of the village […]
Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold Although I have Jane Lindskold’s series starting with Through a Wolf’s Eyes I’ve never read it, because I simply haven’t been in the mood for a long series. However, I picked up and read Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls which I thought was absolutely marvelous. So […]
Chill Factor:Weather Warden Book 3 (2005) Rachel Caine Chill Factor takes up where Heat Stroke took off; Joanne has to get to Las Vegas to try and stop Kevin and Jonathan from inadvertently destroying much of the ecosystem of the planet. Unlike Heat Stoke, Chill Factor doesn’t have a cliff hanger ending, which is a […]
Heat Stroke (2004) Rachel Caine Heat Stroke is the second book in Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series. Joanna was killed at the end of the first book, and is now adjusting to life as a djinn. Unfortunately for her, her adjustment period is not going to be long, and is turns out to be incredibly […]
Girl Genius Vol 6: Agatha Heterodyne and the Golden Trilobite (2007) Phil & Kaja Foglio When we last left Agatha, she was possessed by the spirit of her mother, who seems to have plans to take over the world. Gil still thinks Agatha is dead, and the Circus of Adventure has not yet decided how […]
Empire of Ivory (2007) Naomi Novik I’ve been waiting for Empire of Ivory to come out since I finished Black Power War last year. The war with Napoleon is still raging, and Lawrence, Temeraire and the rest of their group are returning to England, where they hope to learn why England did not come to […]
Girl Genius 5: Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess is the fifth volume in the Girl Genius series. Agatha is still traveling with the Circus of Adventure, Gil still thinks Agatha is dead, and Agatha still wants to meet up with her friends and newly discovered family. Unsurprisingly, she […]
Girl Genius Vol 4: Agatha Heterodyne and the Circus of Dreams (2006) Phil & Kaja Foglio I got lucky and the next Girl Genius came today (well, volumes 4 and 6 arrived. 5 should be here tomorrow.) I ended up tearing through volume 4–so much for drawing things out. Of course as soon as I […]
Many Bloody Returns (2007) edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner I pre-ordered this, not realizing it was in hardback. As much as I love anthologies, I’m not that excited about hardback books–especially anthologies where I don’t know all the authors or the quality of the stories. Many Bloody Returns pretty much tells you […]
Girl Genius Vol 3: Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine (2004) Phil & Kaja Foglio Now that Agatha is settling into Castle Wulfenbach, she is beginning to come to terms with her abilities. Now, she must learn about her heritage, and how her skills and her family’s past will change her life. We also see […]
Girl Genius Vol 2: Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City (2004) Phil & Kaja Foglio After being taken prisoner by the Baron Wulfenbach, Agatha is now living on Castle Wulfenback, and despite her anger, is slowly becoming friends with Gil. She also meets the other kids who live on Castle Wulfenbach, some of who are […]
Girl Genius Vol 1: Agatha Heterodyne and the Bettleburg Clank (2002) Phil & Kaja Foglio I came across the Girl Genius comic online, and got completely sucked in. After reading a good bit from the start of the story, I realized that I could purchase this in actual book format, which would be 1) easier […]
Places to Be, People to Kill (2007) Edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Brittany A. Koren I really like short stories, so I’m a sucker for anthologies. I’ve been burned a couple of times, but for the most part, anything that Martin H Greenberg has a hand in will most likely contain a majority of […]
The Shape-Changer’s Wife (1995) Sharon Shinn Everything I’ve ready by Sharon Shinn I have really liked, so when I saw The Shape-Changer’s Wife in a used bookstore, I picked it up. Then I left it on the bookshelf in one of those weird fits I go through, of worrying that a book–especially an earlier book–by […]
The Essential Bordertown: A Traveller’s Guide to the Edge of Faerie (1998) Terri Windling & Delia Sherman The Essential Bordertown is a collection of short stories set in Bordertown, the land between our world and Faerie. The stories are written with a teenage audiences in mind, with primarily teenage characters, and parts of a “traveler’s […]
Just re-read American Gods and found that I liked it even better the third time around. Perhaps because I read it more slowly, and thought more about the mythology
The Traveler (2005) John Twelve Hawks The Traveler has been my riding the PRT/sitting in waiting rooms book for the past month. However, once I got a third of the way into the book, it moved out of my jacket pocket and became my primary book to read. Maya is the daughter of a Harlequin–a […]
Children of Magic (2006) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes As I have mentioned on many previous occasions, I am a huge fan of short stories. Occasionally I have been disappointed, but for the most part the anthologies I have read have good, especially the one edited by Martin H. Greenberg. The theme […]
The Thread that Binds the Bones (1993) Nina Kiriki Hoffman I really like Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s writing. She hasn’t written many novels, but I’ve tried to get my hands on as many of them as I could. The Thread that Binds the Bones is out of print, but my brother found a used copy for […]
Shadows in the Starlight (2997) Elaine Cunningham I enjoyed the first book Changeling book, Shadows in the Darkness, so I decided to pick up Shadows in the Starlight. Unfortunately, for me, this book failed one of my most important tests–there was very little resolution to the story, and the book asked far more questions than […]