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Archive for 'Paper'

Tooth and Nail

Tooth and Nail (1992) Ian Rankin In some ways, 1992 doesn’t seem that long ago to me. But reading this book, it seems a lifetime ago. Tooth and Nail was written in 1992, it many of the little things in the book made it feel old to me: the lack of cell phones, the smoking, […]

Gateways

Gateways (2003) F. Paul Wilson In this seventh Repairman Jack novel, Jack receives a call from his brother, saying their father is in the hospital in Florida, and Jack needs to go down to take care of their father. While there, Jack must discover not only what placed his father in the hospital, but why. […]

The Haunted Air

The Haunted Air (2002) F. Paul Wilson The sixth Repairman Jack novel, Haunted Air takes place a year after the events of The Tomb. Jack is still in turmoil after the events of Hosts as he attempts to deal with Kate’s death. Like the previous books, Jack is still learning more about The Otherness, and […]

Hell To Pay

Hell To Pay (2006) Simon R. Green Now I’m back to waiting for the next Nightside book to come out in paperback. I hate waiting.

Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth

Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth (2006) Simon R. Green John Taylor finally deals with his mother. The story arc is over!

Paths Not Taken

Paths Not Taken (2005) Simon R. Green This is the one that ends badly. Off to read Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth.

Hex and the City

Hex and the City (2005) Simon R Green Humph. I’d nearly forgotten that this is where the books change and now it’s all a mad rush to deal with John’s mother and the possible destruction of Nightside. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get the next book.

Nightingale’s Lament

Nightingale’s Lament (2004) Simon R. Green I’m still working my way back through the Nightside books, and enjoying them the second time as much as I did the first time.

Agents of Light and Darkness

Agents of Light and Darkness (2003) Simon R Green Just reread Agents of Light and Darkness. Just as good as I remembered.

Something from the Nightside

Something from the Nightside (2002) Simon R Green Decided that re-reading the Nightside was what just what I was in the mood for, so I re-read Something from the Nightside and enjoyed it even more the second time than I did the first, as I got to see that all the passing comments that became […]

Daemon Eyes

Daemon Eyes (2007) Camille Bacon-Smith This book is a compilation of Eye of the Daemon (1996) and Eye of the Empress (1998) I have been, quite literally, carrying this book around for months. I believe I started it when the leaves were just changing color. I had it in my bag for any times I […]

The Becoming

The Becoming (2004) Jeanne C. Stein Anna Strong is a bounty hunter. She and her partner David are trying to bring in a bail jumper when he attacks them both, and his attack on Anna turns her into a vampire. (This isn’t a secret. This story is about how she becomes a vampire.) So. Another […]

Serenity: Better Days, Vol 2

Serenity: Better Days, Vol 2 (2008) Joss Whedon, Bret Matthews, Will Conrad, Michelle Madsen The second issue in a three part series, Vol 2 continues the story of the crew between the end of the series and the movie. Now that they have escaped their last gig, they’re off to spend the loot. The best […]

Vampire Hunter D Volume 1

Vampire Hunter D Volume 1 (1983) Hideyuki Kikuchi, Yoshitaka Amano, translated by Kevin Leahy I first encountered Yoshitaka Amano’s work in his collaboration with Neil Gaiman on Sandman The Dream Hunters. I loved both the story and the art, and ended up buying his “Fairies” which is just as gorgeous. So when I picked up […]

Dancing with Werewolves

Dancing with Werewolves (2007) Carole Nelson Douglas I picked this book up, then let it languish on the shelf for awhile. Primarily because something about the cover bugged me, although I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is. But I decided to pick it up, and was in for a surprise. This book […]

Magic Burns

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

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

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

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, […]

Serenity: Better Days, Vol 1

Serenity: Better Days, Vol 1 (2008) Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, Will Conrad, Michelle Madsen Being a Firefly fan, when I heard there was another Serenity comic coming out, I wanted to know where I could sign up. Well, I pre-ordered from TFAW, and Better Days Volume 1 arrived today. I immediately opened and commenced reading. […]

Stardust

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

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

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

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 […]

The Dream Hunters

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

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

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

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

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 […]

Silent in the Grave

Silent in the Grave (2007) Deanna Raybourn To say that Silent in the Grave annoyed me would be a vast understatement. This book had tons of high recommendations, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. First, the heroine, who is supposed to be intelligent, tends towards sheer idiocy. Sure, she’s well […]

Death at La Fenice

Death at La Fenice (1992) Donna Leon Guido Brunetti is vice-commissario of police in the Venice, and a good detective as well. When a world famous maestro is found dead in his dressing room, from what seems to be cyanide poisoning, Guido is immediately pressured to find the killer, lest Venice receive bad press. Although […]

Knots and Crosses

Knots and Crosses (1987) Ian Rankin Knots and Crosses is the first John Rebus mystery. John Rebus is a Detective in the Edinburgh police force, who is not doing a very good job of getting over his divorce, or his time spent in the special forces. When someone starts kidnapping and murdering young girls, the […]

The Tomb

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

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

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

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

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 […]

Zen Attitude

Zen Attitude (1997) Sujata Massey It’s not that this wasn’t a good story–it was. And it’s not that the characters weren’t vivid–they were. And it’s not like the writing wasn’t strong–it was. But there was something I just can’t put my finger on… missing from the story. Possibly the fact that the cover reads “A […]

Wraith

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

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

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 […]

Bangkok Tattoo

Bangkok Tattoo (2005) John Burdett The sequel to Bangkok 8 returns us to Krung Thep, where Sonchai is now part owner of the Old Mans Club, in addition to remaining a detective in the Royal Thai Police Force. It is because they are in Bangkok that a devout Buddhist and policeman can also be part […]

Going Postal

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

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

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

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 […]

Bangkok 8

Bangkok 8 (2003) John Burdett Sonchai and his life-long friend and now partner in the Bangkok police force, Pichai, are following an American Marine through Bangkok, on the orders of the Colonel, the head of the police department in his sector. When the Marine is murdered and the woman he was with has disappeared, Sonchai–for […]

Murder on Astor Place

Murder on Astor Place (1999) Victoria Thompson I’m a sucker for historical mysteries, so chances are if a series looks halfway decent, I’ll try it out. Sarah Brandt is a widowed midwife who practices her trade in new York city in the late 1800s. Theodore Roosevelt has just started his attempts to reform the New […]

The Secret History of Moscow

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: Power Down

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 […]