Where’s My Cow? (2005) Terry Pratchett If you like Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, then you will definitely want to read this book. First of all, it has an award, “Children’s Winner of the Ankh-Morpork Librarians’ Award. OOK!” Also, it has blurbs on the back, “‘…wonderfully instructive’ Tuppence Swivel, the Times of Ankh Morpork” and “‘…Are we […]
The Sandman Vol 7: Brief Lives (1994) Neil Gaiman In Brief Lives Delirium decides that she wants to search for her brother Destruction, who abandoned his job 300 years earlier. She goes first to Desire and Despair, both of whom tell her to abandon her idea of finding Destruction. After all, he had reasons why […]
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1999) John Berendt I read this book several years ago, after listening to the abridged version as an audio book. I was looking for something that I could read a little bit of and put down, so this seemed a good choice. Author John Berendt traveled to […]
Rising Stars: Visitations (2002) J. Michael Straczynski Published between Power and Fire and Ash, Visitations gives some background stories. The first story, Rising Starts, is a quick history of what caused the specials, an excerpt of Dr Wells’ diary, and the Supreme Court opinion on how the specials were to be treated as children. Plus […]
Anansi Boys (2005) Neil Gaiman All summer I went back and forth over whether I was going to get Neil Gaiman’s new book Anansi Boys in hardback, or wait until it came out in paperback. On one hand, I greatly prefer paperback books–they’re smaller and lighter. On the other hand, I really didn’t want to […]
The Sandman Vol 6: Fables & Reflections (1993) Neil Gaiman This may be my favorite Sandman collection. There are several different tales told, some in the past, some in the far past, and all excellent. It starts with “Fear of Falling,” a story of a man who is afraid to succeed. It’s a short story […]
Powers of Detection (2004) edited Dana Stabenow I like fantasies. I like mysteries. So… “Stories of Mystery and Fantasy” sounds like a good thing. Plus Charlaine Harris has a Sookie Stackhouse short story, and that had to be a good thing. Well, it was an okay thing. The Charlaine Harris story was good. In “Fairy […]
Rising Stars: Born in Fire (2001) Power (2002) Fire and Ash (2005) J. Michael Straczynski Wow. When I asked for comic recommendations, Tom gave me several suggestions. The one I found locally was Rising Stars. Initially I only picked up the first volume, however I saw that all three volumes were there, so I figure […]
Maiden, Matron, Crone (2005) Kerrie Hughes and Martin H. Greenberg I try to pick up fantasy anthologies when I see them, since chances are they won’t be there the next time I look. I picked up Maiden, Matron, Crone while ago, but saved it to read during the school year, because short story collections are […]
Death: The Time of Your Life (1997) Neil Gaiman This may be one of favorite Neil Gaiman graphic novels. Foxglove is on tour and Hazel is home with Alvie, the child she was pregnant with in The High Cost of Living. Foxglove is falling apart at the seems, and Hazel has made a deal whose […]
Death: The High Cost of Living (1994) Neil Gaiman It’s hardly a surprise that Neil Gaiman would write a comic about Death. In Sandman she was usually far more likable than her brother, Dream, the hero of the series. In one of the early Sandman episodes we learn that once a century, Death takes corporeal […]
The Sandman Vol 5: A Game of You (1992) Neil Gaiman Barbie, who we first met in The Doll’s House, has moved to New York City after her break-up with Ken. She hasn’t dreamed for two years, when she was pulled into the dream vortex created by Rose Walker, but Barbie’s Dreamworld is not content […]
The Sandman Vol 4: Season of Mists (1991) Neil Gaiman Season of Mists is the story of Dream’s journey to Hell to free Nada, after he is confronted by the fact that he unjustly sent her there ten thousand years before. All the stories in Seasons of Mists are part of a single tale, of […]
The Sandman Vol 3: Dream Country (1990) Neil Gaiman Dream Country is the third book in the Sandman series. In this collection of short stories, Dream is peripheral character for the most part, though in “Facade” Death appears instead. I’m particularly fond of “A Dream of a Thousand Cats.” We have two cats, and I’m […]
The Sandman Vol 2: The Doll’s House (1990) Neil Gaiman There is a vortex in the Dreaming, that Dream must control before it destroys the Dreaming. He must also find four of the major arcana that have wandered from the Dreaming: Brute and Glob, the Corinthian, and Fiddler’s Green. Meanwhile, Rose Walker searches for her […]
The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes (1989) Neil Gaiman The first volume in the Sandman series, Preludes and Nocturnes tells of Dreams capture by Roderick Burgess, his eventual escape, and his recovery of his bag of sand, his mask, and his ruby. This collection especially makes me feel as if there’s stuff I’m missing, […]
Shakespeare’s Counselor (2001) Charlaine Harris My complaint about this book is that it was too engrossing. I laid down just to read a couple of chapters, and two hours later I found myself two-thirds of the way into the book, and not going to sleep early as I’d planned. Here I felt bad and wanted […]
Assassin Fantastic (2001) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Alexander Potter I know that Martin Greenberg puts together good anthologies, however there’s something about the “Fantastic” that gets tacked onto the end of each anthology theme title that puts me off for some reason. However, I’ve always been fond of Assassin characters, so I picked […]
Fables Vol 3: Storybook Love (2004) Bill Willingham So apparently I lied. I must pay at least some attention to the artwork in graphic novels, because I really hate the way that Bigby looks in the middle stories here. The way he looks as a wolf is great. I quite like it. But as a […]
Silver’s Edge (2004) Anne Kelleher This book really pissed me off. And the stupid thing is that there was a simple solution that would have made everything okay. That solution? MARK SOMEWHERE ON THE DAMNED BOOK THAT IT IS PART OF A TRILOGY. Up until the last twenty or so pages I loved this book. […]
Shadows of Myth (2005) Rachel Lee A woman awakens amidst carnage, with no memory of what has happened or who she is. Elsewhere, in her father’s inn Sara remembers her lost mother as she helps to prepare for the fall harvest, despite the fact that the harvest was bad and winter seems to have came […]
A Conspiracy of Paper (2000) David Liss It’s 1719. Benjamin Weaver is a Jew and a thief-taker and an ex-boxer, all of which set him apart from the rest of London society, but it is his work as a thief-taker which leads him to the intrigues of the 18th century stock market, as well as […]
The Compass Rose (2005) Gail Dayton In response to a desperate plea to the Gods to save her city from ransacking, naitan Kallista Varyl becomes one of the Godstruck–suddenly possessing more power than anyone in Adaran has for centuries. This is another book published by Luna. I picked up several that all looked VERY good, […]
The Club Dumas (1993) Arturo Perez-Reverte translated by Sonia Soto (1996) I started this book, but couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of familiarity. Then I realized that I’d seen a movie of this story. The Ninth Gate (starring Johnny Depp) was the movie of Arturo Perez-Reverte’s The Club Dumas. So I’ve put it down for […]
The Wild Wood (1994) Charles de Lint Eithnie feels like she has lost something in her paintings, and is wandering the woods near her home searching for the soul that used fill her paintings. Originally published in ’94, Orb rereleased The Wild Wood in 2004. It’s a very short book, just 205 pages with wide […]
Fables Vol 2: Animal Farm (2003) Bill Willingham Fables who can’t pass as human live on “The Farm”, where they are hidden from the mundanes. Every year Snow White, the assistant mayor of Fabletown, visits “The Farm” to see how things are going. This year she takes her sister, Rose Red, partially as part of […]
The Mark of Zorro (1919) Johnston McCulley I had a Zorro book as a kid. I have no idea where it came from–I’m sure my mom didn’t buy it for me. It may have been left at the house by the previous occupants, like the James Bond books I eventually read and loved. It was […]
Lion of Ireland (1981) Morgan Llywelyn Lion of Ireland recounts the story of Brian Boru, one of the greatest kings of Ireland. He sought to unite all the small kingdoms and dispose of the petty rivalries that allowed the Norsemen to repeatedly plunder Irish cities. This was an interesting book–I love historical novels and fantasies, […]
The Firebird’s Vengeance (2004) Sarah Zettel The Firebird’s Vengeance is Sarah Zettel’s third book Isavalta book, set soon after the events of A Sorcerer’s Treason. Bridget Lederle is contacted by the Vixen, who warns Bridget that the Firebird is coming to take revenge upon Isavalta and Hung-Tse. She also poses an enigmatic question about Bridget’s […]
A Sorcerer’s Treason (2002) Sarah Zettel Bridget Lederle has inherited her father’s job as a lighthouse keeper on Sand Island, a job that is perfect for her, not only because she is shunned by much of the community, but also because she has a sight that often shows her when danger lurks. When she rescues […]
In Camelot’s Shadow (2004) Sarah Zettel I knew when I started the book that this was going to be a fantasy/romance. Perhaps for that reason, or perhaps because the romance was well done, and I haven’t read a well written romance before. But whatever the reason, I really liked this book. I picked it up […]
Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile (2002) Bill Willingham I’m reminded of what I said when I started reading Sandman–I wonder if comic books are wasted on me. I don’t stop to look at the art work, I want to read the story and I want to know what happens RIGHT NOW. I’m an impatient […]
Byzantium (1996) Stephen R. Lawhead By all rights I should love this book. It’s set in ancient times, in this case it starts in ancient Ireland not too long after Christianity has taken hold of the land. The writing is good. The main character is well developed. But I just can’t get into it. 150 […]
The Blue Girl (2004) Charles de Lint I love Charles de Lint. There is nothing he has written that I have read that I have not liked, and most of what he writes I absolutely love. Yet for some reason I was hesitant to read this book. Probably because the main characters are high school […]
Silver Wolf, Black Falcon (2000) Dennis McKiernan This is the final book in Dennis McKiernan’s Mithgar series, where all the loose ends are tied up. We follow the journal of Bair, the impossible child, borne of Riatha and Urus. The reeds speak of Bair as the one to find the silver sword, to be borne […]
The Iron Tower Trilogy: The Dark Tide (1984), Shadows of Doom (1984), The Darkest Day (1984) Dennis McKiernan The Iron Tower Trilogy tells the tale of the Winter War, Mordru’s final attempt to gain control of Mithgar and bring Gryphon back into the world. The story is told from the point of view of Tipperton […]
The Eye of the Hunter (1992) Dennis L. McKiernan If I remember correctly, this is the second Dennis McKiernan book I read–and the first novel. (The first book was the short story collection Tales of Mithgar.) In The Eye of the Hunter, the Lastborn Firstborns Gwilly and Faeril, join with Riatha and Aravan to fulfill […]
A Circle of Cats (2003) Charles de Lint Illustrated by Charles Vess I received this book for my birthday from Brian and Stacie. (THANKS!) I’d placed it on my wish list solely because it was written by Charles de Lint, and as usual, I wasn’t disappointed. A Circle of Cats is about Lillian, a girl […]
Into the Fire (1998) Dennis McKiernan Book Two of the Hel’s Crucible Duology The conlusion to the story started in Into the Forge, Phais, Loric, Tipperton, and Beau leave Mineholt North to continue Tip’s quest to take the coin to Agron. War continues to rage as Gryphon seeks to dominate Mithgar and all its inhabitants. […]
Into the Forge (1996) Dennis McKiernan The first book in the Hel’s Crucible duology. Tipperton is awakened by sounds of battle outside his door, and thus is drawn into what is to become one of Mithgar’s great battles of good versus evil, as Gryphon seeks to dominate not just Neddra, but Mithgar and all its […]
The Fencing Master (1988) Arturo Perez-Reverte translated by Margaret Jull Costa (1998) I initially didn’t realize that this books were originally in Spanish, and was a little unsure when I realized they were translated, but then decided that it shouldn’t make a difference, and so happily read the book. The Fencing Master is set in […]
Burn Marks (1990) Sara Paretsky V.I.’s aunt Elena shows up on her doorstop at 3 in the morning after escaping the fire that burned down the hotel where she was living. As an alcoholic deadbeat aunt is not the idea roomate, V.I. gives her 24 hours to find a new place and get out, but […]
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2005) J.K. Rowling Finished. And grr… I liked the book up through the last couple chapters. Then it went exactly where I thought it was going to go. And I’m not happy about it. Also, this had all the feel of a second book in a trilogy–minor points […]
Blood Shot (1988) Sara Paretsky V.I. Warshawski reluctantly heads back to the old neighborhood–her childhood next door neighbor wants her help in solving the mystery of her past. V.I.’s mother had befriended the single mother next door, and made V.I. take care of Caroline, the little girl. Now, as her mother lies dying, Caroline begs […]
Killing Orders (1985) Sara Paretsky In Killing Orders V.I.’s bitter and unpleasant aunt asks her to look into a matter for her–securities have been forged at the church where Aunt Rosa works, and as everyone who had access to the safe is under suspicion, she is on leave from her job at the church. Worried, […]
Indemnity Only (1982) and Deadlock (1984) Sara Paretsky I used to own the V.I. Warshawski series, but in a fit of pique–and shelf space squeeze–I sold them all. I recently decided that I wanted to give them another chance, which means that I needed to reread them, which means I had to find all the […]
Cold Service (2005) Robert B. Parker I had figured that I was going to have to wait a year, until it came out in paperback, to read the latest Spender book. However, we found a hardback copy at Half Price Books, cheaper than the coming paperback will be, so we got it. There was a […]
The Last Templar (1995) Michael Jecks This was an interesting book. The mystery was good, the story was good, and I quite liked the historical setting and the history lesson. The writing was, for the most part, very good, with one glaring exception. In this book Michael Jecks switches point of view abruptly and sometimes […]
The Dragonstone (1996) Dennis McKiernan This is a good book, but not my favorite Mithgar books. Unlike other books set in Mithgar, there are few appearances by characters from other books: Aravan is mentioned in passing, the great dragons make an appearance, and Vanidar accompanies Arin for awhile, but mostly the characters in this book […]
Voyage of the Fox Rider (1993) Dennis McKiernan Dennis McKiernan is another author I appreciate for his ability to write duologies and single book fantasies. Of course as the Mithgar books all have the same setting, and contain recurring characters, I suppose that gives him the luxury of being able to continue in a known […]