Men at Arms (1993) Terry Pratchett Another reread and another Night Watch story. This one also had several passages that stuck with me. Such as, And this was right. And it was fate that had let Edward recognize this just when he’d got his plan. And it was right that it was Fate, and the […]
Guards! Guards! (1989) Terry Pratchett I love Discworld. That’s not to say I love all the books, but some of the character arcs in this series feature some of the best writing around. Guards! Guards! is the start of the Night Watch story arc. When we meet Captain Samuel Vimes, he’s drinking himself into the […]
Steam & Sorcery (2011) Cindy Spencer Pape First off, this is a Steampunk romance, with equal weight being given to both descriptors. So there is lots of boinking. However, aside from the boinking, there are interesting characters and some good world building. Sir Merrick Hadrian is a Knight of the Order of the Round table, […]
Bone Shop (2010) T.A. Pratt Bone Shop is Marla Mason’s back story–from how she first discovered magic to how she ended up chief sorcerer of Freeport. This was originally published as a serial novel on Tim Pratt’s website after a financial crisis, but is now available as an eBook or a paper book. It’s short, […]
The White City (2010) Elizabeth Bear Abigail Irene, Sebastian,and Phoebe have traveled to Moscow, as they attempt to get over their loss of Jack. However, Sebastian spent time here with Jack, before he met Irene and Phoebe, and his memories of the place include Jack. And murder–past and present–inserts itself into their lives, both causing […]
Bangkok Tattoo (2005) John Burdett After rereading Bangkok 8, I felt the need to reread Bangkok Tattoo. It’s not as good as Bangkok 8, which I love. But it’s still good. Previous review.
Miss Bramble and the Leviathan (2010) Kristen Painter This is more of a short story than even a novella, so I can’t say it was worth the $3 purchase price. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t awesome. Typical steampunk romance, with female character who loves gears and cogs and thinks no one will ever love […]
Bangkok 8 (2003) John Burdett Yeah, this is a reread, but it’s on sale on Amazon as an eBook for $1.99. I couldn’t resist. Here’s my first review, which tells you a tiny bit about the story: https://klishis.com/reading/archives/486. The nice thing about eBooks is it’s easier to mark passages that tickle my fancy. So this […]
Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1991) Barry Hughart This is the third and final book in the Master Li and Number Ten Ox trilogy. I’m a little sad to see it end, but it was quite enjoyable. Oddly, the passages that caught my attention in this book weren’t the funny ones, but the ones that related to […]
The Best Paranormal Crime Stories Ever Told (2010) edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers I wouldn’t say the best necessarily, but it’s not a bad selection of stories. And the fact that I got to read it for free probably helped. “Appetite for Murder” is Simon R. Green story that does not feature […]
Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel (2011) Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris I was a lot happier about this book before I discovered I’d paid full price for it. Eliza D. Braun and Wellington Books are agents of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences who met when Braun rescued Books from Antarctica after he’d […]
The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After (2006) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer Kate and Cecy are once again embroiled in magical mysteries. James is called to investigate the disappearance of a magician who was inspecting the rail lines up north. Thomas and Kate thus get to care for James and Cecy’s brood, and […]
The Story of the Stone (1988) Barry Hughart Master Li has taken Number Ten Ox on as his assistant. The Abbot of the monastery of the Valley of Sorrows comes to Master Li asking for help resolving the unexpected death of his librarian, and the strange dead spots in the Valley. Along the way they […]