Lucifer Vol 1: Devil in the Gateway (2001) Mike Carey, Scott Hampton, Chris Weston I’d considered picking up Lucifer since I finished reading The Sandman. I liked the characters of Lucifer and what Neil Gaiman did with him, but I’d hesitated picking up the Lucifer, since it wasn’t written by Neil Gaiman, and I’ve been […]
Purity of the Blood (1997) Arturo Perez-Reverte translated by Margaret Sayers Peden Purity of the Blood is the second Captain Alatriste book. Inigo continues the story of Captain Alatriste, who remains in Madrid, still talking of returning to war, but still looking after Inigo, and still taking commissions to make ends meet. This time he […]
Perdido Street Station (2000) China Mieville I’ve been reading this book since March, a page or two at a time and for awhile, I was beginning to think it was never going to end. It’s not that this book isn’t good–it is good–I just didn’t care for it. Isaac is a scientist–an eccentric scientist who […]
The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006) Scott Lynch It’s somewhat difficult to classify The Lies of Locke Lamora. It’s definitely fantasy, but I haven’t come across a lot of fantasy like it. The closet comparison I can think of is Thieves’ World; the main characters are scoundrels and thieves, and no one is up to […]
Mr. Punch (1994) Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean I received Mr. Punch for Christmas. It’s been on my Wish List for a couple of years now, but I’ve never purchased it for myself, because (I’m sorry to say) I’m not that fond of Dave McKean’s artwork. I can understand why it’s interesting and good, but […]
The Ladies of Grace Adieu (2006) Susanna Clarke Illustrated by Charles Vess The Ladies of Grace Adieu is a collection of short stories set in the same world was Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell during the 18th and 19th centuries. Several of the stories revolve around familiar characters–Jonathan Strange, the Raven King, the Duke of […]
Touch the Dark (2006) Karen Chance Cassandra is a clairvoyant who is on the run from her former vampire master. After she receives a death notice on her computer, she flees, taking only her gun from her office, and stopping only to warn her roommate that there is danger coming, and he shouldn’t go home. […]
Hell To Pay (2006) Simon R. Green I am quite fond of Simon R. Green’s Nightside books, although the Nightside itself would probably be offended by the use of the word fond. John Taylor is a private investigator in the Nightside, an alternate city within London where it is always night, and anything you can […]
Night Watch (2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield I picked up this book a month or two ago, even though I didn’t have time to read it, because I was afraid it would be one of those books that I never saw again if I didn’t get it then. Having read it, I am […]
Fables: Vol 8 Wolves (2006) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha It actually took me awhile to realize that this was Volume 8, rather than another stand alone book. It should have been obvious–after all, it’s been 6 months, so it’s time for another collection, but everything I saw simply said Wolves and not Volume […]
Ex Machina: March to War (2006) Brian K Vaughan March to War is the fourth installment of the Ex Machina series. The president is pushing for war in Iraq, and Mitchell Hundred is dealing with the repercussions of that in New York. A group wants to have a peace protest, and the police commissioner wants […]
Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall (2006) Bill Willingham If you haven’t read Bill Willingham’s Fables series, then you have really been missing out. Fables tells of the characters–Fables–who have escaped the lands of fairy tales after they were drive out by the adversary, and are now living in New York, hiding their true nature from […]
Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens (2003) Jane Dunn I like to read books about history because my knowledge of history is–at best–poor, and I always like learning more. For instances, the sum total of my knowledge of the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots was that Mary thought the secret codes […]
Tripping to Somewhere (2006) Kristopher Reisz Gilly and Sam are looking to escape their lives, and opportunity knocks when one of the city’s better known street people tells them that the Witches Carnival is in town, and if they move fast they can catch it. As Gilly and Sam run after the Witches Carnival, we […]
Small Vices (1997) Robert B Parker On the trip to get my grandmother, as I was driving alone I wanted a book to listen to, to help me stay awake and coherent. I grabbed Small Vices, read by Burt Reynolds to keep me company on the trip. I really do love this book, and I […]
The Dark Sleep (1999) P.N. Elrod I don’t know how I messed it up, but somehow I thought that The Dark Sleep came after Lady Crymsyn. This would be wrong. The Dark Sleep precedes Lady Crymsyn. Luckily, both are stand alone books, so I didn’t lose anything by reading them out of order. This was […]
Lady Crymsyn (2000) P.N. Elrod After finishing the last three books, I was reluctant to read this book, for fear it would continue what felt to me as a downward spiral. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Lady Crymsyn went back to the things that I had liked so much about the previous […]
Cookies and Brownies (1999) Alice Medrich This is, hands down, my favorite cookbook. I bought it on whim from a cookbook club, and when I pulled it out of the box, was slightly disappointed at how slender the book was. This was the only disappointment this book was ever to give. I have a lot […]
For those who don’t read my other weblog, I’m incredibly busy right now, getting my house ready because my Grandmother is going to be moving in. So don’t expect much for the rest of the month. But to make this at least slightly about books, Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn is […]
The Price of Murder (2003) Bruce Alexander The Price of Murder is the last, complete Sir John Fielding book written by Bruce Alexander. The body of a child is pulled from the river, and it is believed to be the body of a young girl reported as missing by her mother several weeks earlier. Meanwhile, […]
An Experiment in Treason (2002) Bruce Alexander Mister Donnelly takes Jeremy out to Portsmouth to see Benjamin Franklin perform an experiment. Although his politics is reviled by many, others are fascinated by his scientific experiments, and may have some sympathy for his politics. While Jeremy is gone, there is a brutal murder during the course […]
Smuggler’s Moon (2001) Bruce Alexander Lady Fielding has gone off to York to visit her mother who is ill. Soon after she leaves, Sir John is requested by the Lord Chief Justice to travel to Kent to check on the local magistrate, Albert Sarton. Because Sir John is in charge of Clarissa and Lady Fielding […]
A Chill in the Blood (1998) P. N. Elrod The best thing about A Chill in the Blood is that it finishes the story arc started in Fire in the Blood. Angela Paco and Vaughn Kyler are fighting for control of Chicago and Jack and Charles are caught between, with both gangs believing that Jack […]
Blood on the Water (1992) P. N. Elrod Okay. Now I’m starting to get frustrated. This is the second book with an unfinished story arc. It’s not quite as bad as the previous book, but it’s still frustrating. Blood on the Water picks up immediately after the end of Fire in the Blood. And by […]
Fire in the Blood (1991) P. N. Elrod The Vampire Files Vol II I have to say that I found Fire in the Blood disappointing on multiple levels. Although the mystery wasn’t bad, I know I’ve read at least one of the major conclusions. So it was only the details that were a surprise, rather […]
Art in the Blood (1991) P. N. Elrod The Vampire Files Vol II It probably means something that when I started the first story in The Vampire Files Volume Two I had to stop and think, “Wait a second. Which vampire was this? Who did he kill in the last book?” It possibly means that […]
The Color of Death (2000) Bruce Alexander Sir John Fielding (and thus Jeremy) are called out when a gang of black men robbed a house on St. James street and murdered one of the porters during the course of their crime. But most importantly, events conspire to cause Jeremy to conduct a great deal of […]
Doppelganger (2006) Marie Brennan Doppelganger. Doppelganger. Doppelganger! Okay, now you know why I picked up the book. What a fun word: doppelganger! Luckily, I looked at the back cover first, and read the blurb and found the story interesting. Because if I’d seen the front cover first I might have put the book down without […]
A Spectacle of Corruption (2004) David Liss In the sequel to A Conspiracy of Paper, Benjamin Weaver is convicted of a murder he did not commit, in a trial that was a farce of justice, as the judge all but ordered the jury to find Weaver guilty, despite the fact that the witnesses against Weaver […]
Death of a Colonial (1999) Bruce Alexander There is a distinct disadvantage to buying used books on-line. In order to get as many books as possible from as few sellers as possible, I didn’t pay close attention to the sellers comments, and so ended up not only with five hard-backed books (ick) but a hard […]
Ex Cathedra (2006) Rebecca Maines I first came across Rebecca Maine in MZB’s Sword And Sorceress anthology, with her short story “Plowshares.” That story, and ten others make up the single author anthology Ex Cathedra. As a note for the curious, ex cathedra is the term that has come to define the idea of papal […]
Jack, Knave and Fool (1998) Bruce Alexander I think the Sir John Fielding mysteries get better as the series continues. Characters continue to be introduced to the series, while familiar characters continue to make an appearance and play an important part in the life of Jeremy Proctor. In Jack, Knave and Fool Jeremy speaks of […]
Person or Persons Unknown (1997) Bruce Alexander About a year has passed since the events of Watery Grave and Jeremy Proctor is starting to become a full fledged teenager–in though if not in deed. Although he appreciates what Sir John Fielding has done for him, he begins to feel that he is being treated like […]
Watery Grave (1996) Bruce Alexander Tom Durham–son of the now Lady Fielding–has returned to London on shore leave from the Navy. He returns with a love of the sea, and a desire to make the Navy his life. But coming ashore with him are orders for the trial of one of the members of the […]
Murder in Grub Street (1995) Bruce Alexander The second Sir John Fielding mystery, Murder in Grub Street opens with a recreation of broadsheet announcing the news of a horrific murder on Grub Street. A publisher on Grub street whose family and apprentices were all murdered in their beds. This cases shocks not just London, but […]
The Good, The Bad, and the Undead (2005) Kim Harrison The second book finds Rachel Morgan still working with Ivy and Jenks, and struggling to make ends meet. She’s getting jobs, but they’re barely enough to cover the rent. Plus, she still has to figure out how to pay off the demon she owes for […]
Dead Witch Walking (2004) Kim Harrison This book had a lot to overcome. I don’t like the cover, I hate the title, and the first time I picked up this book I couldn’t get past the first ten pages. However, I kept hearing good things about it, and Michael said that he liked it, so […]
Blind Justice (1994) Bruce Alexander A Sir John Fielding Mystery Jeremy Proctor was orphaned at thirteen, after a mob kills his father–all under the guise of justice. Jeremy runs away to London, and it is there that he first encounters Sir John Fielding, the famous magistrate of Bow Street. While Sir John is trying to […]
Winter Moon (2005) Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, and C.E. Murphy Winter Moon contains three novellas all centered around the moon: Moontide by Mercedes Lackey, The Heart of the Moon by Tanith Lee, and Banshee Cries by C.E. Murphy. Moontide and Heart of the Moon are traditional fantasies, while Banshee Cries is an urban fantasy set […]
The Water Room (2004) Christopher Fowler The second Bryant & May mystery, The Water Room takes place a month or so after the events of Full Dark House–at least the current day events. The Peculiar Crimes Unit is being rebuilt, and during the reconstruction, the unit is at loose ends, and two separate cases fall […]
Full Dark House (2003) Christopher Fowler A Bryant & May Mystery Full Dark House is the first Bryant & May mystery. An explosion destroys the Peculiar Crimes Unit, and Arthur Bryant is believed to have been inside. In order to discover the course and cause of the bombing, John May has to go back 60 […]
The Little Country (1991) Charles de Lint While musing over a broken relationship that may lead to a broken tour of American, Janey searches the attic and finds a book by her favorite author–an author who was good friends with her grandfather–and discovers there was only a single copy of the book printed, and that […]
Staying Dead (2005) Laura Anne Gilman A Retrievers Novel I found this book disappointing. I’ve come to expect a lot from books published by Luna, so it’s almost a shock for me to read one of their books that I don’t absolutely love. And the thing is I really should have loved this book. Like […]
Seventy-Seven Clocks (2005) Christopher Fowler A Bryant and May Mystery I picked this up at The Bookshelf’s Clarence sale. The name intrigued me, and the back cover sounded interesting, although I wasn’t quite sure what London’s Peculiar Crimes unit was, other than something that sounded fascinating. It’s 1973 and the Peculiar Crimes Unit has just […]
Wolf Moon (1988) Charles de Lint Wolf Moon is one of Charles de Lint’s earlier books. It’s quite short–only 245 pages. In tone, it reminds me very much of The Harp of the Grey Rose. A fantasy world that similar to, but not quite the same as, ours. Kern is a werewolf. Accepted by neither […]
The Red Tent (1997) Anita Diamant A co-worker who also loves to read loaned me this book. She said she enjoyed it, and thought I might as well. Of course my problem was that my “to read” list is pretty much ridiculous, so I had to force myself to put aside some of the lighter […]
Swan Sister (2003) Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling I don’t think I’ve come across a short story collection put together by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling that I didn’t like, and Swan Sister is no exception to the rule. The stories are fairy tales retold, by a variety of authors–many some of my favorites. The […]
Ptolemy’s Gate (2006) Jonathan Stroud The final book of the Bartimaeus trilogy, in Ptolemy’s Gate Bartimaeus and Nathaniel discover the conspiracy that has been plotting to overthrow the government. We also discover what Kitty Jones has been doing since we last saw her. John Mandrake may have risen in the government, but Kitty has been […]
Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners (1987) Ellen Kushner Despite my best efforts, I ended up re-reading Swordspoint again. I really love this book–and with good reason. Here, see for yourself: The falling snow made it hard for him to see. The fight hadn’t winded him, but he was hot and sweaty, and he could feel […]
Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days) (2006) Bill Willingham Volume 7 of Fables struck me as somehow different from previous volumes. Although there is a complete story arc about the Sinbad and the Arabian Fables coming to Fabletown, that story seemed almost secondary to several different different threads that were dropped or mentioned in passing. It […]