Humouress gets (two) serious in 2013

(Serious? Who, me? You must be joking!)






Review   Rating                Title & Author

✔                   25)   Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller            (a)   (quota!)
✔                   26)   Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson                                 (a)
✔                   27)   Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop                         (a)
✔                   28)   Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson                     (a)
✔               29)   God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell                                   (a)
✔               30)   Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch *               (a)
✔                   31)   Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder                         (a)   (May quota!)

✔                   32)   Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link                        (m)
✔               33)   Dark of the Moon by P.C. Hodgell                       (m)
✔                   34)   Among Others by Jo Walton                               (m)
✔                   35)   Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen         (m)
✔                       36)   Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock          (m)
✔                   37)   Changing the World ed. Mercedes Lackey            (m)

✔                   38)   Soulless by Gail Carriger                                      (j)   (June quota!)
✔                   39)   Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder                           (j)
✔                   40)  The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells       (j)
✔             41)   The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier *            (j)
✔                   42)   Cupcakes by Daniel Kelley                                    (j)
✔                   43)   Turning Point by Lisanne Norman                        (j)
✔                   44)   Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith                           (j)   (July quota!)
✔                   45)   Court Duel by Sherwood Smith                            (j)
✔               46)   Sorcery and Cecilia, or, the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer    (j)
✔                   47)   Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller   (j)

(Yes, she's back)

You can click on the list number of the book to go straight to my review within this thread or the previous one (or click the title and go to the work page, where I usually post my review, at some stage).

25262728293031     April

323334353637 May

3839404142 4344454647

Books read in January - March 2013.

    1)  Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart                         (d/j)
             2)  Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter                (j)
         3)  The Fairytale Detectives by Michael Buckley           (j)
    4)  The Phoenix Guards by Stephen Brust                    (j)
    5)  Karavans by Jennifer Roberson                               (j)
    6)  King's Dragon by Kate Elliott *                                (j)
         7)  Heat Wave by Richard Castle                                 (j)   (quota!)
         8)   The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle                      (j)
         9)  The King's Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells           (j)

    10)  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine                  (j/f)
    11) Lady Susan by Jane Austen                                    (f)
    12) Piratica by Tanith Lee                                             (f)
    13) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry         (f)
    14) Alcatraz versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson  (f) (quota again!!)
    15) The Honor of the Queen by David Webber               (f)
    16) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins *    (f)
         17) Jhereg by Stephen Brust                                        (f)
    18) Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown                (f)

         19) Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce              (f/m)   (quota)
     20) Graceling by Kristin Cashore *                                 (m)
         21) The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie    (m)
         22) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman *                      (m)
         23) Yendi by Steven Brust                                             (m)
             24) Teckla by Steven Brust                                            (m)

{ Some topics for my personal reference :
Basic HTML
Basic HTML 2012
How to do fancy things in your posts

What we are reading threads:
Juvenile and Young Adult
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Green Dragon
Fantasyland January

My wikipage, to keep track of book bullets: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/User:Humouress
and the Location Wiki }

coloured stars :

I've noticed that a lot of people have listed their rating system. Well, mine is ... rather subjective; depends on my mood. I try not to let it be, but if it's a classic, or recommended by loads of people on LT, I sort of feel pressured into rating it high. Plus, I try to be positive (after all, someone has gone to the effort of writing the book. I've tried writing, and ... well, I can't do it, so all writers have my admiration), so it's rare for my rating to dip below 3 stars, unless I really don't like a book. (There is 1 half star in my catalogue - 'nuff said)

I'm also including books I read to my kids because they do take up my reading time - even the ones I read to my toddler, because he usually asks for them to be re-read five times in a row quite happily (I think I'm creating another book-monster!); and because I'm hoping it'll help me reach my 75 book mark this year.

(I'm also over on FictFact, as humouress.)

Welcome ...

Date Due        Title
2 Jul 2013     Changeless / Gail Carriger. / Carriger, Gail.     {Renew}
2 Jul 2013     Of darkness, light, and fire / Tanya Huff. / Huff, Tanya.    {Renew}
2 Jul 2013     The search for the Red Dragon / written and illustrated by James A. Owen. / Owen, James A.     {Renew}
2 Jul 2013     Touchstone / Melanie Rawn. / Rawn, Melanie.     {Renew}
2 Jul 2013     Turning point / Lisanne Norman. / Norman, Lisanne.     {Renew}

Date Due        Title

19 Jun 2013     The girl who circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making / Valente, Catherynne M.    {Renew}
3 Jul 2013     Camelot's honour / Zettel, Sarah.
3 Jul 2013     Camelot's Shadow : an Arthurian romance / Zettel, Sarah.
3 Jul 2013     Skewed throne: book 1 of the throne of Amenkor / Palmatier, Joshua.
3 Jul 2013     The crimson sword / by Eldon Thompson. / Thompson, Eldon.
3 Jul 2013     Unnatural issue / Lackey, Mercedes.

Treats, as promised! Enjoy, guilt free :

25) Fledgling by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

(Eleventh of 16 {chronological order}: Liaden universe novels, twenty seventh of 36 {publication order} : Liaden universe works. Sci-fi)
(LT recommended)



Having read enthusiastic exchanges on LT about the books in the Liaden universe, I put the series on my TBR pile; but I was hard put to find the books at the library. I finally managed to get my hands on a few of them, of which Fledgling, though not one of the first of the books, is, at least, the first of a sub-series within that universe.

Fledgling is set on Delgado, famous for its university and academics and which is deemed a 'safe world'; this means that everything is strictly regulated (to a point of ridiculousness, from a 21st century viewpoint), everyone is taught how to be a team player, and the culture is to conform to what is considered best for everyone as a whole.

For fourteen year old Theo Waitley, everything seems to be going wrong. All her life, she has lived in a house with a garden, with her mother, Professor Kamele Waitley, and her House Father, Jen Sar Kiladi. Suddenly, her mother decides to move back to the Wall, where most academics live, so everything Theo has ever known, including her relationship with Father, has to change.

Theo has always been considered 'physically challenged' or 'clumsy', and her mother is under constant pressure to put her on mild medication to control this. The couple of incidences of her 'clumsiness' in the story, however, indicate that the other person is at least as much at fault, but because of the notes in her file, Theo is the one who gets the blame - and more notes added to her file.

Then Kamele has to go off-planet on a research trip, and decides, in Theo's best interest, to take her along - and whole new worlds, both shipboard and planet-side, open up for Theo.

I found this an engaging book, with an intriguing concept of a futuristic society, and I enjoyed discovering other cultures with Theo. However (and this is more a fault of my expectations), I kept waiting to find out what the buzz was about the Liaden universe, but I never really did. There were a couple of times that Theo was identified on sight by other people as a Liad, but I couldn't tell how, or why it would make her special. Other than that, there was nothing that marked it, to me, as part of the Liaden canon, but maybe someone who has read the other books would spot it.

There's an amusing passage which (I hope) would be the opposite of a conversation I'd have with my kids, when Theo wants to make herself a cup of tea and finds a machine instead:

'Kamele's frown got deeper, and Theo felt her stomach clench.

"This is the kitchen that most people eat out of," she said sternly. "It amused Professor Kiladi to bypass the kaf and cook meals from basic ingredients, and I saw no harm in allowing him to teach you something of the art, since you were interested. If I had foreseen that you would scorn plain, honest food out of the kaf-" '

Unfortunately, though it is the start of Theo Waitley's adventures, this was probably not the best place to dive into the Liaden universe as a first book.

souloftherose has pointed me towards the Baen website, where there is a free e-book of Agent of Change, which is the first Liaden book. I will certainly be investigating that.

Three and a half stars

26) Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson

(First of ?. Historical fantasy)
(LT recommended)



The story is set in late 18th century Boston, when North America was still a colony and feeling the bite of British taxes. We see a little of the underbelly of the city, as our hero has to find work where he can.

Ethan Kaille is a thief taker; he tracks down thieves to retrieve stolen property. He does have an advantage - he is a conjurer; but this means he has to be circumspect, as people are still burnt for witchcraft. Ethan is also remembered for having been convicted of mutiny, for which he served a long, harsh sentence in the Bahamas. Sephira Pryce considers herself Boston's thief taker, but she allows Ethan to work on sufferance, keeping the rich clients for herself. Unlike Ethan, who works alone, she has a gang of thugs to help her.

But then an unusual case presents itself. A rich merchant's daughter is found dead and her brooch is missing, so Ethan is called in to try to recover it because of the unusual circumstances of her death. In doing so, he realises that her death must have been caused by magic. Against his better judgement, he decides to investigate further, and finds his way blocked by Sephira (who doesn't want him impressing his upper class client and infringing on her territory) and by a conjurer far more powerful than him who is willing to use a darker source of power for his magic than Ethan does.

I must confess that, not being versed in American Revolution history, I got a bit lost in the first chapter - though I do know that Sam Adams makes beer. ;0) Unfortunately, Ethan does spend a lot of time getting beaten up to try and deter him from continuing with his investigations. This may be because, as a conjurer, he can heal himself quickly - so he can be beaten up again. Although Ethan keeps insisting that he is not a witch (and no such thing exists), though conjuring is often mistaken for witchcraft, it was never explained what the difference is, which puzzled me.

I searched out this book at the library, based on several LT recommendations. Although it is historical fantasy (as opposed to pure fantasy) and a bit darker than I am completely comfortable with, it is well written, and I look forward to reading the sequel.

Three and a half stars

I'm holding out for the treats!

Wow, Roni - that was quick!

Please help yourself.

Oh, yummy!

Happy new thread!

>11 ronincats:: :0)

>12 Esquiress:: Thanks, Es!

Howdy, Nina - the new thread is looking sharp!

>14 Dejah_Thoris:: Well, ya know ;0)

Thanks, Dejah.

7 > Nice review - sounds like these are worth adding to the ever growing TBR

Wow those treats are impressive. I think I'm going to like this thread, Nina. ;)

>17 MickyFine:: Aren't they, though? What a great hostess!

>16 roundballnz:: Thanks, Alex.

Ah, yes - the TBR. I took Fledgling off the TBR, but now I have to investigate the rest of the series, so more books on the TBR list!

>17 MickyFine:, 18: Thank you, ladies. I hope you enjoy them.

I quite like the strawberries, myself.

Goodbye, Mrs T.

New thread, New thread and such a nice one with sooooo many treats.
Hi Nina, I hope you are doing well. Just stopping by to wish you and your family a fab weekend!

Thank you, Bianca.

We're hoping to go out with my cousin and his family - he has a one year old my kids can play with. The weather is still nice, unlike last year.

I hope your weekend is good, too. I see (elsewhere) that you'll be heading home to Germany soon; back to Alex, and the new kitchen ... exciting!

#6 Ooh, yum!

Hope you're having a good weekend!

Thanks, Heather. The weekend is good, so far.

Unfortunately I'm transitioning from the irritating drippy-nose stage of a cold to the miserable blocked-nose stage, so I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for myself; and the kids look like they might be starting, too. But we caught up with my cousin & family, which was really nice.

Tomorrow, we're supposed to do a 'busy-bee' for the play, to get sets and things sorted out, so that should be fun. And the weather is still nice; which is good, because Friday was the last day of term, so I've got to keep my older kid entertained for two weeks. My younger one is at pre-school, which keeps going, but a lot of his activities are taking a break. I'm thinking about organising a few things; let's hope that this time, I actually get off my bum and do them! :0) ('scuse language)

27) Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop

(Eighth of 9: The Black Jewels series. Fantasy)



As you may know, from my other reviews, this is not one of my one of my absolutely favourite series, but I keep coming back to it because it is fun. It's almost YA, except for certain explicit words and scenes (which, if I'm being honest, I could have done without).

This is a continuation of the story in The Shadow Queen, picking up from where Cassidy has finally been accepted as the Queen of the Territory of Dena Nehele. Theran Grayhaven, who is the last scion of the leading family of Dena Nehele and descended from legends, had brought her to his Territory to restore the land, after it was devastated by the rule of degenerate Queens. But now the Black Widows have woven their tangled webs and foresee danger ahead for Dena Nehele.

Although Cassidy proved herself in The Shadow Queen by dint of hard work and compassion, Theran still feels that a 'proper' Queen would have more style and polish. When an old acquaintance of Cassidy's comes to visit who seems to have that style and polish, Theran is dazzled by her, and forms a magical bond with her, in spite of the fact that she is rather shallow. As a result of this, he has a difference of opinion with the rest of Cassidy's court of twelve Blood males, and the Court moves to one of the Shalador reserves; Shalador being another Territory that was decimated by the bad Queens and whose people were given refuge in Dena Nehele.

Cassidy continues with her work ethic of doing her best for the people, both Blood and landen, so we see the contrast between the two Queens, and when things come to a head, we know which Queen is best for the land.

I liked this better than The Shadow Queen because it focussed on Cassidy's story without so many side-tracks into the lives and sex lives of Jaenelle, Daemon and co. The humour, though, is not as subtle as I prefer it, which knocks it down the list.

I did think that the justice meted Cassidy's 'friend' seemed fair, though her protégée (lead astray by her) didn't get such a chance. I must confess I'm still confused by the multiple hierarchical structure, and a map of the Territory would have been helpful.

(With apologies to die-hard fans of the series), I find it light fluff, fun to come back to once in a while.

Three and a half stars

#25 Boo, to the miserable blocked-nose stage of a cold :-(

Thanks, Heather.

Well, I took it as an opportunity to make myself a toddy - whiskey, sugar and hot water. My husband usually makes it for me; I may have got the proportions a little bit off ... but I'm pretty happy, now :0D

What Heather says - Even more booooooo's to the blocked nose!
Toddy - sounds like that what we call "Grog" in Germany. Well, I don't drink/like any alcohol, but I have been told by many people that especially a toddy is supposed to be terrific when having a cold :)

Good to hear that you had a lovely time with your family *smile*

Great review on Shalador's Lady - well, I am a so called "die hard fan" of Anne Bishop. However, I actually do view her books as fluff entertainment as well, but her ones are the few I go back to on a regular basis :). If you don't care that much for the explicit adult themes you might would enjoy her new series which started off with Written in Red. I only can say wonderful.

Thanks, Bianca. I tend to lose my appetite and drink lots of hot drinks of various descriptions, so I'll be sloshing for the next day or so. Ermm ... not sure that sounds too good; don't worry - toddy / grog is only when I'm feeling really sorry for myself.

As for 'die-hard fans', I was thinking of you, and a couple of others, when I wrote that ;0)

Well, in regards to the "die-hard fans" I should have known that you were thinking of me and some of the other *grin*. Ahem, I mentioned often enough that I am such a sucker for her books :P

Well, I do hope that you will feel better soon :)

Oh, I hate that stuffed-head stage! I really hope you feel better very soon, and that the kiddles don't come down with it. (Although if you are feeling miserable, it might help a bit to slow them down in the meantime.)

>31 drachenbraut23:: :0)

Thanks, Bianca.

>32 ronincats:: Thanks, Roni. My youngest did have a drippy nose and complained of a sore throat for a couple of days. He was grumpy and clingy the day before that, and that was about it. My eldest mentioned a sore throat - which miraculously disappeared at the mention of ice cream or playing with his friends, etc.

I seem to be coming out of it, without the days of misery of a deep winter cold - hopefully.

I hope you are feeling a 100% again Nina and yay for Warbreaker I really hope you will enjoy it as much as I did :)

Glad you are feeling better, then! I liked Warbreaker too.

>35 drachenbraut23:, 36: Thanks, ladies. I seem to have plateaued at the blocked nose - blocked ears stage, so I'm a bit grumpy, and not doing very much except watching the ironing pile up (but that's probably my inherent laziness. Shh!). Other than doing (as my eldest commented) elephant impressions, I'm not too bad, though.

28) Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

(Stand alone. Fantasy)



Two cities, the capital of their nations: Idris, a mountain town, where the people live simply and the royal family mingle with their people; and Hallandren, the city that same royal family escaped from centuries ago where now the gods dwell in a city within a city, set apart from their people.

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, the eldest and youngest children of the Idrian king. Vivenna, the eldest, has been promised as a bride to the God King of Hallandren, as an effort to stave off the war that has been threatening the unstable peace for generations. Siri, the youngest, is unimportant, carefree and rebellious. Until, on the cusp of the promised marriage, the two sisters' places are exchanged.

Both sisters are essentially innocents, thrust into situations which, they find, are not what they had been raised to believe. Siri, who loves her freedom in her mountain home, finds she is forbidden to leave the God King's temple. Vivenna, raised all her life for one purpose, now has none; and so she determines to rescue her sister from the clutches of the monster that she had accepted would be her own husband. She follows Siri into tropical Hallandren, full of frivolous colour, where people use the abomination of Breath to control other people's lives. Both girls grow into their new roles, finding that they are stronger people than they had realised. We watch them develop as they struggle within the limits of their new circumstances to avert the now impending war threatening Idris that has crystallised with their presence in Hallandren.

Although the sisters are the focus of the story, we also meet other people around them. Amongst them are Lightsong, one of the lesser god in the Hallandrenan pantheon who doesn't believe in his own godhood, and Denth and Vasher, two old adversaries, one a mercenary and one an adventurer, who are adept at using Breath to help them achieve their ends.

Each person is born with one BioChromatic Breath, but it can be transferred to another person. One person can collect many Breaths, and use it to Awaken objects with the power. There is a cost, though; using Breath is powered by colour, which leaches from the Awakener's surroundings. Unfortunately, giving up one's Breath means becoming a Drab and losing much of the joy in life.

I didn't fully comprehend the scope and the mechanics of the power, though Vasher does explain it quite nicely at one point; but he also points out that even the people who know how to unlock and use the power understand it very little, too, and research is ongoing.

This is (at the moment) a stand-alone work, though there is an indication at the end that there could be further adventures to come.

Though the writing is lighter and less intense in style than, say, Robert Jordan, there are so many twists and turns in this story as we watch the sisters meet their challenges, and my attention was completely engaged. It is a long book, at close to 700 pages, but the pages just fly by. It was fun to read, with occasional banter, from Lightsong, that was reminiscent of David Edding's Belgariad series.

I looked for this book based on the enthusiastic recommendations of both Bianca and Roni. I've been reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, but I've been a bit wary of picking up the last few books where he collaborated with Sanderson. I thought this would be a good introduction to Sanderson's adult writing (I read his YA book Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians a few months ago - recommended by Roni), and now I'm quite happy to go back to continue the Wheel of Time. I will also be looking out for Sanderson's other books.

Four stars

I'm discovering it's never a good idea for me to visit bookshops when I'm desperately reading library books that have to be returned (ie renewed the maximum number of times already). I'm starting a tendency to buy the book, so I then have time to read it more leisurely as my bedtime reading (which also gives me time to start the next library book). I bought Graceling that way - which will entail, at some point, picking up the other books in the series, too; and the other week, I bought four books in P.C. Hodgell's Kencyrath series.

I've only nearly finished God Stalk of that last batch, but so far, absolutely no regrets. (Until I see the credit card bill, that is ...)

Ooh, ooh, ooh, you're reading God Stalk?!? I love that whole series, but the first book is truly fantastic, imho. What inspired you?

I'm going to be started Graceling next. And then I'll have to get Fire and Bitterblue but I think I'll try to get them from the library.

Well, now I have finished God Stalk and have to review it. I agree with you, it's wonderful - very rich and ... better save my words for the review ;0)

I saw the series mentioned - I can't remember where at the moment; probably one of the 'What we are reading' type threads - and I felt it was one of those I'd seen around a lot, but not read (I think; it seemed familiar in places, though)(and I could have been confusing it with something like the Chanur series). So when I wandered into one of my not-local library, I happened to think of it ... and there we are. Loved it, and very glad I did pick it up.

Oooh! A stand-alone Sanderson! On the list it goes!

Grab it, quick! I saw mention of a sequel on another review.

29), 33) The God Stalker Chronicles by P. C. Hodgell



(Omnibus 1: first two of 6: Chronicles of the Kencyrath series. High fantasy)
(LT mentioned)

1 - God Stalk

Jame, her past a confusion of memories, stumbles out of the Haunted Lands in a desperate race for the human city of Tai-Tastigon.

Jame is a Kencyrath; they are blessed with traits like endurance and a fierce sense of honour, and chosen by the Three-Faced God to defend the Chain of Creation (of which the world of Rathillien is part) from the encroachments of Perimal Darkling.

She knows that her home in the Haunted Lands has been invaded and destroyed. Her goal is to cross the Ebonbane Mountains to reach the rest of the Kencyrath in the hopes of finding her twin brother, Tori. In Tai-Tastigon, however, she has to recover from her injuries, and then finds herself with obligations that her sense of honour won't let her abandon. Amongst these, she finds herself offered the coveted apprenticeship to Penari, a Master Thief - which rather tests that sense of honour - which gives her entry into the Thieves Guild, and all its convoluted politics.

All of these entail a delay of over a year, waiting for the snow to clear from the passes of the Ebonbane, but Jame finds scrapes and adventures aplenty to occupy her time. The Res aB'tyrr inn took her in when she was injured, but has troubles of its own, and could use her help; especially when she discovers that she can dance the Senetha, a Kencyr dance which holds its audience in thrall. The Lower Town is infested with dead gods, which shakes Jame's monotheist beliefs, so she uses her time to conduct experiments. Along the way, she makes good friends as well as enemies, and loses some, too.

I really liked this book; it is richly detailed and intensely written, and has those odd flashes of humour that I love. You get caught up in the half-hidden mysteries to be resolved; not least of these is the one of Jame's past, which keeps coming back to haunt her - and us. I'm looking forward to discovering the truth in the rest of the books in the series.

Five stars. Recommended.



2 - Dark of the Moon

This, book two of the Chronicles of the Kencyrath, forms the second half of the omnibus, The God Stalker Chronicles.

Jame, having fulfilled her obligations in Tai-Tastigon, can now leave for the Riverlands of the Kencyrath together with Marc, another Kencyr, and her blind golden ounce, Jorin. However, circumstances dictate that they leave precipitately and they have to cross the deadly pass over the Ebonbane mountains in the teeth of winter, which no-one has even attempted before.

Meanwhile, Jame's twin brother Tori, whom she is desperately seeking to hand over the hereditary ring and sword of their father, has problems of his own. In spite of missing these artefacts, he has been accepted as Highlord of the Kencyrath and has administered them peaceably, although some of the Highborn lords have their own agenda. Now the Kencyrarth have received word that the Hoard which endlessly circles the Southern Waste has broken the circle and is heading for the Riverlands, so he must first convince the lords to march against them, and then lead the badly outnumbered Kencyr Host into battle.

The pieces of the missing years of Jame's past start to fall into place as changers, those high Kencyr turned to evil by the fallen Master of Knorth, appear outside Perimal Darkling hunting Jame and involving themselves in the matters of the Kencyr.

The strength of Perimal Darkling on Rathillien is growing. If the thin crescent doesn't rise after the dark of the moon, the Kencyr will know that the moon has been swallowed and this world, too, has finally fallen.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first. Though the detail and richness might have been a bit less intense than in God Stalk (but this could just be that the vivid personality of the city of Tai-Tastigon was - necessarily - missing), the action was fast-paced, with Jame, Tori and their friends leaping from one fraught situation to the next as they battled unknown enemies. I liked the quirks of fantasy, such as a tree whose leaves swarmed to more temperate climes for the winter, and the humorous touches of the first book are still present.

Four and a half stars. Looking forward to the next book.

I am so glad you loved this one, Nina. It is one of my very favorite, very original fantasies, and I live in fear that something will happen to Hodgell before she finishes the series! But your wait will be nothing to mine! After this book, no one would publish the sequels until finally a small publishing house, Hypatia Press, picked up the first. Then it went out of business and Meisha Merlin picked up the first three books (hb only). Then THEY went out of business. But finally her fan base had become large and vociferous enough that she was picked up by a major publishing house and we can access her books readily. But it was nearly 12 years after first reading God Stalk before I could get a copy of the next two sequels, and then 12 years after that before she started regularly producing more sequels!

Sometimes I look into the background of the books I read (like the life of Comte Antoine de Saint-Exupéry after I read The Little Prince), and I meandered onto Hodgell's website, so I picked up some of that story about having to go through various presses. But I hadn't paid attention to just how long it's taken!

I assume you've read Honour's Paradox http://www.librarything.com/work/11367145 by now, Roni? Is there yet more to Jame's story?

Mind you, there are quite a few long waits for sequels in Fantasy; Joanne Bertin (who's third book was finally published a few months ago after a long wait - but the first two are now out of print), Robin McKinley's much loved Blue Sword (she's waiting for Damar to come through), the final book of the Wheel of Time series (the trade paperback is out, but I'm waiting for a shelf-sized version).

ETA: force correct touchstone Honour's Paradox

I watched the Season 2 finale of Downton Abbey on Sunday. How could they do that to us! Oh sorry - you haven't seen it yet? Well, I can only hope it's one of those bad dream sequency things that we'll wake up from at the beginning of the next season. I hope that's not a spoiler, but essentially, it's one of those shock endings that they like to leave you with at the end of a season. Which, anyway, all the trailers had dire warnings about before the show.

Sorry. Just rambling. But how could they!

>46 humouress: No, nothing new out yet, and the story still not near complete. Lots of fun getting there, though.

30) Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch {a.k.a. Midnight Riot}

(First of 3?: Rivers of London series. Urban fantasy)



I'm not quite sure how to classify this; I suppose urban fantasy comes closest.

Police constables Peter Grant and Lesley May have just finished their stints in uniform, and are due to be reassigned. Initially it looks like PC Grant is slated for a desk job doing data entry, while PC May has an edge that sees her going somewhere more exciting; but a ghostly something in their last case has caught Chief Inspector Nightingale's eye, and sees Grant assigned to his rather ... special branch of the Met. This entails him moving into The Folly, a Georgian terrace house in Russell Square which has been the home of English magic since 1775.

Equipment for ghost hunters: thermal underwear, very important; warm coat; thermos flask; patience; ghost.

That first case remains unsolved, and over the following months other seemingly unrelated crimes link back to it. Grant, May, Nightingale and their teams investigate. We follow Grant as - while studying to practice magic - he tracks the clues through the boroughs, the history, the folklore and the rivers of London to find the puppet-master behind it all.

There's been a lot of buzz on LT about this book (I first picked up wookiebender's recommendation about six months ago), but it's taken me a while to get around to reading this, my preferred sub-genre being high fantasy; plus it had always been borrowed from the library by someone else. Having finally got my hands on it, I found this very readable and a lot of fun; it appealed to my quirky sense of humour, and I could roll my eyes along with our protagonist at his descriptions of family.

I grew up in Greater London, and though it's been a while since I left and I couldn't place all the landmarks (and definitely not all the history nor the tributaries of the Thames), I enjoyed the trawl through the various parts of London. I know absolutely nothing about the workings of the Metropolitan Police force, but the descriptions of the police at work felt authentic. And I liked the disparaging comments Grant makes along the way, woven into the fabric of the book. I found Grant himself very likeable, too.

Grant interviewing a witness:

"Wrong, how?" I asked.
"Just wrong," she said, displaying precisely the characteristic that makes eyewitnesses such a useful part of any police investigation. "He went past so fast I didn't see much but it just looked ... wrong."

I found the magic believable and understated, and though it was the fantasy aspect of the book, the way that mythological characters fit right in to everyday life (living in a semi-detached house in the suburbs, for instance) made it seem perfectly normal.

I admit to being in a bit of a rush at the end, as the book is due back at the library today, but I didn't quite get the denouement; I felt there should have been something more to cause such a tragic chain of events. Other than that, I thought the parts of the book tied together nicely. I love the humour, which is such an intrinsic part of the book.

A very enjoyable book, cohesively written. It feels solid and satisfying, somehow; the comforting reassurance of a PC on his beat, perhaps? Add me to the chorus of LTers recommending it.

Four and a half stars.

Hi Nina,
what wonderful reviews and hooray that you enjoyed Warbreaker - so maybe you want to give Elantris a go next, which is another Sanderson - standalone and IMO even better than Warbreaker.

God Stalker has been on my wishlist for some time. Reading your review has convinced me that I actually should get the book on my next shopping trip. Well, since I stopped smoking it looks like I have got some more spending money on books.

Looking forward on your completed thoughts on Rivers of London. I am almost ready to start the second book :)

I hope everything is well with you and your family.

Nothing to contribute to Downtown Abbey. For some reason the series didn't appeal to me that much. I am just about to start season 2 of The Games of Thrones which is apparently a MUST for every dark fantasy NERD - LOL.

Did I tell you that you hit me with the Warbreaker bullet? I can't remember. I was like, "OOH! More Sanderson!"

Hey Nina!

I've waffled over Warbreaker. After your review, I guess I'll have to give it a try. God Stalker sounds interesting, but it's your enthusiasm in your review that makes it appealing. Another book goes on the list. But HA! you can't get me with Rivers of London - I already read it as Midnight Riot. And the two that follow as well. I'm hoping there will be more - it's certainly left open for it.

I watch Season I of DA and loved it. For some reason I avoided Season II, thinking perhaps I'd watch it when Season III came out. Well, now that I know what happens in Season III, maybe I'll wait for IV....

Sorry folks; we've been away; I took the kids down to Melbourne for the last bit of the school holidays. It's the first time I've done that (planes, trains and everything) without my husband to take point, or at least my parents for support. I've survived! but I may need some comfort and resuscitation. ;0)

>50 drachenbraut23:: Thanks, Bianca. I will certainly look up Elantris; I've seen it talked about around LT. Thanks for another BB!

God Stalk is definitely worth reading - it's richly textured. Jame can't remember the last few years of her life, so we have that mystery to look forward to solving. We do get hints of what happened in this book, but I'm looking forward to the next one to find out what it was.

I had to return Rivers of London (on the way to the airport, as it was due), but I wanted to check a couple of things before I posted my review on the book's page. Otherwise, it's fairly complete, now.

>51 Esquiress:: Hi, Esquiress. It's always nice to get someone with a good BB. Mind you, Bianca hit me with the Warbreaker one, so it's only fair to pass it on.

>52 Dejah_Thoris:: Hi, Dejah! We cross-posted.

More book bullets? Woo hoo!

Well, if I can't get you with Rivers of London, at least you've already been hit with that one. Thanks for reminding me that it has a different title - better add that to my review.

For some reason, period dramas appeal to me. I suppose it's because I've grown up in post-Colonial / Commonwealth countries - I'm not sure. We went to Melbourne for a long weekend, and had a glorious view of the CBD from our window. It's a fascinating mix of old-fashioned buildings (you know, dripping with architectural ornamentations (the names of which escape me at the moment), turrets, domes and so on) and steel-and-glass smooth-faced cubes. I, of course, prefer the detailed facades of centuries gone by. Somehow, the restrained tilt of an eyebrow speaks volumes to me.

Which, hopefully, I'll be able to convey when we open in less than two weeks. I've only (thankfully) got two lines in our panto, so I'm hoping to encourage the laughs with my expressions.

Less than two weeks? Oh my! I hope the kids are staying later so your director isn't so crazy. Are you excited? I suspect that expression is critical in panto!

Because kids can only work a certain number of hours, there are 2 teams of the kids who are under 16; the Red group and the Blue group. I was hoping that once we started run throughs with only one colour each night, I could leave my son (who's in Blue) at home on the Red nights. Unfortunately, they want everyone there every night in case there are changes.

Which I do understand. It does mean that he has to stay on until we finish, even if the other kids are released (though he doesn't mind - but they're school nights). The adults tend to go out to McD's afterwards, but I've got to get him back. No matter. We're both really enjoying it. In fact, I might put him in for Director, next time.

31) Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

(First of 3 : The Study series; First of 6 : Ixia / Sitia series. YA, fantasy)



The story opens with Yelena in prison for the crime of murder. Although it was in self-defence, the Rules that the Commander set in place, when he overthrew the corrupt magician King, do not allow for mitigating circumstances. Yelena has accepted her fate, but is suddenly reprieved when the Commander's food taster dies. The Rules say that the next prisoner in line to be executed will be offered his place; and so Yelena finds herself at the political centre of Ixia.

We follow her as she learns how to taste food for poisons, meets people in the castle, takes up self-defence and learns she can do magic - which is strictly forbidden under the Commander. Her past still haunts her, and she is still in danger from General Brazell, whose son she killed. But Brazell has his own agenda concerning Ixia, which runs counter to the Commander's even-handed communist-like Rules. Will Yelena manage to evade his clutches again, and help to save Ixia?

I found this fun to read, though it wasn't as detailed or rich as other books I've read recently. Somehow it lacked depth; even though it is narrated in the first person I didn't really connect with Yelena. Though there are constant hints at the tortures she encountered under Brazell, when we do finally find out what happened (towards the end of the book), it isn't detailed, and so I wouldn't say it's a dark story. There were some parts that could have used a bit more polish I feel (the 'romance', for instance, which was more 'frustrated desire suddenly requited') and some parts where the details were a bit sketchy, which is why I think the YA rating is justified; but all in all, a light, entertaining story.

Hi Nina,

thank you for the wonderful pic on my thread. Made me feel better straight away :)

It's a fascinating mix of old-fashioned buildings (you know, dripping with architectural ornamentations (the names of which escape me at the moment), turrets, domes and so on) and steel-and-glass smooth-faced cubes. I, of course, prefer the detailed facades of centuries gone by. Somehow, the restrained tilt of an eyebrow speaks volumes to me. sounds soo much like me. I always had this thing for old buildings and architecture and period clothing always intruiged me. One of my friends friends is specialist on 1920's clothing, especially theatre costumes. Everytime she comes round to stay with us (she gives sometimes lectures in London) I am always utterly fascinated by the pics and the material she shows us. I really can understand what you mean :)

In fact, I might put him in for Director, next time. LOL - I am so glad that you both enjoy the pantomine and hope that everything will be brilliant in two weeks time :) *whisper* do you think we could get some photos this time?

Very good review on Poison Study I read that a few years back and felt exactly the same way as you did. I still started the second book in the trilogy, but got somewhat bored 1/2 way through.
As there is an e-book sign, does that mean that you do have an e-book reader now?

Wish you a great week Nina *smile*

Your getting to close to performance! Actually, how many performances of your panto will you have? And I think it's interesting that you've got two teams of kids - that generally only happens in professional theater here. I hope all is going well, although I certainly know how stressful the last week or two of rehearsals can be. Has everyone finally gotten the choreography?

And I like the idea of your son as director...or perhaps you should do it?

Re: Poison Study - I'm pretty sure I read it a few years back, but it didn't make much of an impression. Your comment about it lacking depth strikes a chord with me.

>58 drachenbraut23:: You're welcome, Bianca. I'm glad the teeth extraction wasn't as bad as you feared, in the end.

When you mentioned 1920's, it made me think of a series I read, when I can get my hands on it. It's by Kerry Greenwood, about a character named Phryne Fisher, who started off in Australia, and grew up poor in London during WWI, and then comes into an inheritance and so moves back to Melbourne, where she becomes embroiled in mysteries, so she sets up a detective agency. The author is a contemporary author (she's still writing the Phryne Fisher series, in fact), but she puts in a lot of period details (though I'm no expert, so I can't vouch for the authenticity for certain). The books are a bit hard to find outside Australia; but they were serialised on TV last year, so they may be more accessible now.

I did manage a photo (eventually) last time. Our photographer has only started coming to rehearsals this week, but things are gearing up, so there should be some around. Dress rehearsal on Saturday!!!!

I'm planning to read the whole Study series, since I've already bought Sea Glass, without realising it was the second book in the second series }:0(
- we'll see how it goes.

I have an iPad, so I use the reader on there, but because the iTunes store my account is connected to doesn't have much in the way of books, I can't read much; it's got classics like Jane Austen, but not much contemporary fiction, unlike the US iTunes store.

I think I detailed the saga of trying to download Overdrive - which is the e-Reader the library prefers (although now I see I could download an iPad friendly e-book version) - when I read Naked Heat at the beginning of the year.

I hope you have a great rest-of-the-week too, Bianca.

I love Phryne! And I had no idea there was a tv version of her adventures. *rushes off to find them*

>59 Dejah_Thoris:: Hi Dejah - cross-posted again!

There must be 10 performances, over 3 weekends including matinées. Kids can only do a certain number of hours (maybe that's just certain countries? I remember when I read books - growing up in England - like Ballet Shoes and Gemma and Sisters that legally, their hours are limited), so we have to have two teams.

I think there are about 7 kids in each team; hard to remember for us cast members who do all the performances to have half our colleagues swapping out. I have a different child as my son / daughter, depending on which team is up, though it's fine in my case, as they both do the same things.

I think we've sorted out the steps / words / blocking / acting by now; now we just need to get the Oomph into our performance. But it's really started taking shape (i.e., director didn't have to yell too much tonight) ;0)

As for me directing, I don't think I have enough experience for that yet (plus my vision is obviously very different from our director's - didn't like any of my ideas) :0) Our current Assistant Director is doing it for the first time, and says it'll be the last; but then, the director is her father, so that's got a lot to do with it.

The funny thing about Poison Study is that a lot of the reviewers are actually very enthusiastic about it, and some of them had the opposite opinion to me.

I always try to write my review first to get my impressions down, and then look at some of the other reviews; often it triggers my memory and I add something I meant to say, but forgot. I actually went back and put that sentence in as a result, though I didn't want to slam the book, especially when I found out it was her first one.

Er ... Dejah?

Well, hope your search is successful!

A bit of help: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/phrynefisher/

Netflix has them! Netflix has them! Woohoo!

WooHOO!

32) Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link

(Anthology. Steampunk)



Friends on LT have been raving about the steampunk genre, so I thought this book would be a good way to check it out. Some stories in this collection felt like fantasy, or just straight fiction, though, without the clockworks or steam-powered machines that seem to be the hallmark of steampunk.

1 - Some Forunate Future Day - Cassandra Clare
A young girl is left behind during the war with only automatons for company.
I was never sure who to root for, in this one.
3***

2 - The Last Ride of the Glory Girls - Libba Bray
A teenager negotiates her way through the different options life in the Frontier West offers her and her mechanical talent, riding with a group of female outlaws being one of the choices.
I liked this better, and thought the ending was more hopeful.
3.5****

3 - Clockwork Fagin - Cory Doctorow
An Artful Dodger type character helps make life in a Canadian cripples' asylum less grim, harnessing the children's hitherto unutilised engineering skills; until one slip brings it all crashing down around them.
This one I liked.
4*****

4 - Seven Days Beset by Demons (graphic) - Shawn Cheng
An inventor of a snow-globe like ornament fancies a customer, and suffers through the seven deadly sins over the next 7 days.
Unfortunately, in the edition I'm reading, some of the text was hidden behind other speech bubbles or artwork. Short and light, but fun and a bit silly.
3.5***

5 - Hand in Glove - Ysabeau S. Wilce
An ambitious, overlooked police officer investigates a crime, using despised modern theories.
A little bit of Gothic horror. This was a good one, too.
4.5*****

6 - The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor - Delia Sherman
In Victorian Wales, a young girl with a yen for engineering and a love for the manor where her godmother works also wants to meet the ghost, whom no one has ever seen.
This was fun, and I like the protagonist. Best read in a Welsh accent, though ;0)
4****

7 - Gethsemane - Elizabeth Knox
This is the story of a handful of the people living on a volcanic island in the South Pacific in the days before the volcano erupted. Like the title, there are various biblical allusions.
3***

8 - The Summer People - Kelly Link
An intriguing, summery little story about a girl deep in the country who helps to look after the house of mysterious denizens, who repay her in odd gifts, like clockwork, magical trinkets.
Unfortunately, it felt as though the story was cut short and the ending tacked on without really answering the questions it set up.
3.5***

9 - Peace in Our Time - Garth Nix
An old man, who used to hold the highest position in a world where everything runs on clockwerk and even humans can be augmented by technology, has retired to the peace and quiet of his cottage and rose garden to rest his oversensitive ears. One day, he gets a visitor who wants to find out about his past life.
3***

10 - Nowhere Fast - Christopher Rowe
In Kentucky, in a future where fossil fuels have run out and people try to live lightly upon the earth, Luz dreams of surfing off California, like her grandmother. Ordinary people get around by walking or cycling, but Federals have machines or machine hybrids. And then peace of a summer day is spoiled by the noise of an engine, and Luz and her friends meet Fizz, who drives a car that he has built himself which is running on hempseed oil.
There is a moral here, but I'm not quite sure what it is.
3.5***

11 - Finishing School - a Colonial adventure (graphic) - Kathleen Jennings
Two charity-case school girls in an alternative-universe Queensland rebel agains conventions. One wants to study and not just become an expert housekeeper, and the other defies the accepted mantra that only lighter-than-air dirigibles can fly.
3.5***

12 - Steam Girl - Dylan Horrocks
A friendless kid is intrigued by a new girl (dubbed a freak by their classmates) and they both escape into the adventures of 'Steam Girl', which she has written and illustrated in a notebook, accompanied by gadgets she has made (which, unfortunately, don't work so well on Earth). Nicely written, with a hopeful ending.
5*****

13 - Everything Amiable and Obliging - Holly Black
Sophia, an orphaned heiress, has an aversion to automated mannequins, believing they helped cause her father's death, but her aunt's house is full of them. And now her cousin Amelia has fallen in love with one. Can automatons have feelings? And if so, are they just slaves?
This is a thoughtful story, with interesting ideas that could be explored in a longer work.
4****

14 - The Oracle Engine - M. T. Anderson
This is set in Roman times, when Caesar was making his conquests; with the addition of electricity and various machines. His rival, Crassus, who amassed his wealth by charging outrageous prices to douse house fires (amongst other things), decided to conquer the Parthian Empire, and to help him succeed, commissioned an Oracle Engine. It's quite punny.
3.5***

average 3.68 stars

>67 humouress: Oh man, that one looks like it's going to be a hit for me. So I'm going to pretend I didn't see it. ;)

Nina - I need to find those Kerry Greenwood books even if only for the covers.
I am slowly getting to grips with LT again after too long a break in the UK.
Have a lovely remainder of your weekend.

I know, Paul; I'm rather partial to them myself.

Thanks for dropping by. Have a great weekend ... er ... Sunday, too.

#44 Ooh - 5 stars for God Stalk! I've been meaning to read that series for years now. I even have the first book.....

#49 I've enjoyed the first two books in that series a lot. I think book 4 (Broken Homes) is out this summer.

Hooray! I've got Phryne for the weekend - now I've got to find time to watch her.

>71 souloftherose:: Hi, Heather, thanks for visiting. I enjoyed God Stalk and am now reading Dark of the Moon, which is the second book in The God Stalker Chronicles.

I didn't realise the Rivers of London series was more than a trilogy; so I've got that to look forward to now.

>72 Dejah_Thoris:: Thanks for coming by, Princess D. I hope you got to watch Miss Fisher in action.

I really enjoyed the first Phryne dvd. As you know, they don't stick faithfully to the books, but they do a nice job cutting them down to one hour. Thank you so much for mentioning them!

You're welcome! I hope see you had fun.

When I mentioned them, I didn't think anyone outside Australia would know what I was talking about. They're very hard to come by outside Oz. I think she's still writing books in the series, though she does do contemporary stuff, I think (I haven't tried it, yet).

I've read several books in her contemporary series with Corrina Champman, baker, and they just don't do that much for me. I think I've read all the Phryne books available in the U.S. - I keep hoping there will be more!

Hmm; maybe I'll just stick with Miss Fisher for a while longer.

I saw several episodes a year ago, but haven't seen any for a while. When I saw the first trailer, the actress didn't quite live up to my mental image of Phryne ('Fry-knee', though I keep thinking 'Frin'); I imagined her as longer and cooler, and ... possibly younger. I know, not PC, especially from where I'm sitting on the age spectrum. Or the height spectrum.

But it's great seeing the period details in the background that I hadn't thought about because they weren't focussed on in the books, or because I'm not familiar with the Australia (Melbourne) of that era.

Woah, the covers of the Phryne series look absolutely stunning. As Paul said it probably would be worth getting them for the stunning covers alone. However, I have put them into my blackhole and recommended them to my sister who loves this kind of books. She was a great fan of the Carola Dunn books which are similar in genre.

I wish you and your kids good luck for your play. I read on Dejah's thread that it's not that long anymore until your play is going to open *big smile*

Thank you for your wishes, Bianca. We open on Friday night, but my son's first performance will be on Saturday. Fingers crossed! We've had so many dress rehearsals and late nights this week, it's getting a bit tiring, but the dynamics will change dramatically once we have an audience to play to and react.

I haven't read Carola Dunn; in fact, I haven't read much in this genre (period mystery), I think, except obvious ones like Agatha Christie - but she was writing about her own times. I think I picked up my first Phryne Fisher, Away with the Fairies, one holiday, while browsing in a bookshop. It intrigued me enough that, later, I started from the beginning and am still working my way through. I hope your sister likes them, too.

Hi Nina! I've got Phryne on the brain and it's all your fault! I actually think Essie Davis as Phryne works pretty well. The period details and the setting are big factors in my fondness for the books - that and Phryne's independent take on life!

I'm glad Bianca asked about your Panto - I was going to ask if you were opening this weekend! Break a leg, both of you - I hope you have a wonderful time! An audience is a marvelous thing....

>79 drachenbraut23: Bianca - I agree - the Phryne covers are stunning! What's more, they are entirely appropriate to the feel of the books. I hope you give them a try.

As for Carola Dunn, well, I can see the similarities between the Phryne books and Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mysteries (Dunn also used to write Regency romances). The Daisy books are mildly amusing - I think I've read them all over the years - but I prefer Phryne.

Historical mystery is my favorite mystery genre right now. Contemporary cozies just aren't doing much for me at the moment.

Break a leg, GF!

>81 Dejah_Thoris:: Thank you, Dejah!

Actually, once I watched the programmes, the whole thing came together, and Essie is good. It was just my initial impression; you know, how they bring to life an old favourite, and the actual person is never the way they look in your head.

>82 Esquiress:: Thank you, Es!

I've read and reviewed Dark of the Moon, which is the second half of the omnibus edition, The God Stalker Chronicles.

We had two great opening nights - Friday for the first team of kids and Saturday for the second - followed by a matinée today. After all the excitement, I'm tired. Next weekend, we have a Saturday matinée, too, so we'll (the adults) be doing 4 shows. It's going well, though. I had family and friends at both opening nights (more on the second one, to see my son perform as well - he did a great job, especially as it's his first time on stage)

Congrats, GF! Keep breaking legs :)

Thanks, Es!

Apparently someone in the audience yelled out, when the pantomime dame went on stage, "Oh my god - that's a man!", which we all found hilarious.

Glad the show is a hit! Keep up the good work. And glad you are enjoying the Kencyrath series!

Thanks, Roni!

I'm really enjoying delving back into high fantasy, which seems to be going out of fashion this century. The fantasy written in the 70s/ 80s / 90s definitely have a different ambience; current writing seems to be grittier or grimmer, or more real, perhaps. I don't think we'd see anything like those whimsical swarming leaves around now.

I forgot to say: my husband came to both opening nights, bringing both kids on the first night, and brought our youngest to watch his brother on the second night. Apparently, he was a very enthusiastic audience member, getting into all the "Oh no he isn't"s and "Behind you!"s with gusto (while his older brother - who really ought to know by now after all the rehearsals - kept trying to shush him).

So on the second night, our leading boy (played, obviously, by a girl) came back and asked me "Is that your son in the front? When I was in the cave, he yelled out 'It's skeletons!' and I had to miss some of the lines" (because she was supposed to go through a whole list of 'is it a rat, or a cat, or a bat ...') "and say 'Oh, yes. Skeletons"

And my little boy very proudly told me when we got in the car "Mamma, you know when Aladdin goes into the cave and they were all trying to guess what it was? I had to tell them there were skeletons". What can you do?

Nina that's wonderful! Good for your youngest - the joys of live theater! I'm delight to hear that both openings went so well - what fun!

I know you must be beat - opening weekend can be very draining. I hope you're looking forward to your next four performances - are you getting sad yet that it's almost over?

BTW, how long were you guys in rehearsal, anyway?

As the high fantasy front, too much of it is to grim for me. Of course, there a lot of urban fantasy I feel that way about, too. I look for humor and optimism - I don't always find it, but I look!

"the joys of live theater!" Indeed!

I remember when I was in Into the Woods as Jack's Mother, and my grandmother was laughing really loudly in the audience as my "dead" body was carried off the stage! It was so hard not to laugh!

>91 Dejah_Thoris:: Thanks, Dejah. It has been tiring. We're just back from a rehearsal - hopefully our last, but it sounds like our director might want to do another 'refresher' in the middle of next week. We've done 3 out of 10 performances, so we're not even half-way through, yet. But (going by the last one - which was also the first one - that I did) by this time next week, I'll be hitting my stride, and we'll only have 3 left, so I'll be feeling sad. I am 'senior courtier' and of the gaggle of courtiers there are two other mums, but the rest are teenagers (and some in the two different groups). The teenagers do have a different outlook on life.

Right now, I can't remember when we started rehearsals, but it must have been around the end of January / beginning of February, and twice a week.

Really, you think high fantasy is grim? I was thinking just the opposite. Song of Ice and Fire, for example, I wouldn't call 'high fantasy', but just 'fantasy'. It's so grim for me, in fact, that I got as far as book 2, or possibly book 3, and decided that G.R.R.M. was killing off my favourite characters so fast that there wouldn't be anyone left after a couple more books (so I haven't rushed to continue reading the series). I'm surprised he's got as far as he has, already ;0) Compare that to The Belgariad, which was big in its own day, and the ambience is very different.

I think urban fantasy is grounded in 'our' world, and of necessity must be more 'real'.

I look for humor and optimism - me, too. And also in real life. I'm a very flippant person, really :0)

>92 Esquiress:: Oh, my, Es; I didn't know you trod the boards as well. You're multi-talented!

It would have been strange if the 'dead' body had laughed.

Your story reminds me of my husband's mother telling me about when he played Julius Caesar in high school. Apparently, she cried as he was being 'stabbed'.

ETA: I had to look up Into the Woods; it looks like it could be played either way, either comedy or dark. I'm assuming your production went with comedy?

>95 humouress:: I do indeed tread the boards! I'm such a Renaissance woman :)

Our director played the first act as mostly comedy and the second act as very dark comedy, even though it was a high school show. The audience loved it. I was only in tenth grade when I was cast as Jack's Mother. It took everyone by surprise.

Good for you, Es. Do you still go on stage?

>97 humouress:: Well, I perform with a choral society, and through that met the music director of a local community theater production of Annie Get Your Gun. I'm supposed to be auditioning, but I haven't heard anything yet... So we'll see :)

When I was teaching, I was assistant director of the musical for three years, stage manager for four, director of the play for one year, assistant director for one. So I've kept my foot in the door of the theater :)

>98 Esquiress:: Wow! That's quite a resumé. Good luck with the audition.

34) Among Others by Jo Walton

(Stand-alone. YA, fantasy)
(LT recommended)



Fairies are real. They exist in our world, and Mori knows how to see them - when they want to be seen. They've even taught her how to do some magic, though she is a bit wary of using it, since she doesn't know how it works. Her mother can do magic, too, and so could her twin sister, Mor (Morganna). But Morganna died in the same accident that crippled Mori, when they saved the world from their mother by thwarting her bid for power.

It is Wednesday the 5th of September 1979 and fifteen year old Mori (Morwenna) is about to start boarding school in Shropshire, England, far away from her beloved Grampar and Aunt Teg, and her friends in South Wales. She won't use magic to help herself since she's so uncertain about how it affects the world, and she doesn't want to become someone like her mother.

She's only just met her father's (Daniel) step sisters, who are sending her to their old boarding school, and even Daniel himself, whom she's met so recently that she's still uneasy with him. Then she walks into his study and discovers that, like her (and her mother), he likes to read books, and his favourites are science fiction.

And so Mori copes with being in a strange situation in a strange place by reading, though she feels so lonely, she does do one piece of magic for herself, to find a ∞ karass, and then is wracked by guilt over it. She quickly finishes the books she borrowed from her father and the limited resources of the school library, and expands her scope to the local library. Imagine her joy when she discovers interlibrary loans, and a science fiction book club!

Interlibrary loans are a wonder of the world and a glory of civilisation.
Libraries are really wonderful. They're better than bookshops, even. I mean bookshops make a profit on selling you books, but libraries just sit there lending you books quietly out of the goodness of their hearts.

Though she doesn't fit in well at school, in the book club she finds like-minded people of all ages. Through them and through her reading she finds the strength to move on from the events of her past and to resist her mother's malign magic.

The story itself is about Mori finding her feet in the everyday world after the tragedy she has been through, though we don't find out much about what happened. But this is also a book about books and libraries; it is, in fact, dedicated to librarians:

"This is for all the libraries in the world,
and the librarians who sit there day after day
lending books to people."

One of the features that intrigued me when reading recommendations for this book was the reams of authors and books mentioned - mainly science fiction and fantasy, but also classics and poets - that Mori has read or comes across over the course of the story. I've read some of them, I recognise most of them, and now I have a long list (see below) of 'recommended reading'.

Unfortunately, by not having read all the books, I felt I missed some references. I had a feeling that Mori's reading might have reflected events in her life at that point; for instance, the last book mentioned, as Mori starts a new chapter of her life, is Gate of Ivrel, C. J. Cherryh's first published book, which opens the Morgaine Stories.

I found the book interesting for the list of books and authors Mori / Walton mentions, and I may have missed something in the story by stopping to make a note of them as I read about them. Though in hindsight it's a good story, while I was reading it the story seemed gentle and evenly paced, the huge drama having occurred before the story starts, and which is only obliquely referred to. I suppose I like more action in my reading.

∞ For anyone else who, like me, hasn't read Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle (yet) and is puzzled as to what a karass is, it comes from Bokonism (a religion he invented) and is 'a group of people who work together to, in the context of the book and Bokonism, “do God’s will.” '

And for anyone who loves books (LT, anyone?), one last quote:

"Bibliotropic," Hugh said. "Like sunflowers are heliotropic, they naturally turn towards the sun. We naturally turn towards the bookshop."

Three and a half stars.

>99 humouress:: Why, thanks, GF :)

Among Others :

Karass?
(Th 1 May 1975)
W 5 September 1979 - w 20 Feb 1980)

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Earthsea Trilogy - Ursula K. Le Guin
Jane of Lantern Hill - L. M. Montgomery
Greyfriars
Malory Towers - Enid Blyton
- Angela Brazil
- Dickens
- Trollope
- Hardy
- Poul Anderson
Dragonquest - Anne McCaffrey (Weyr Search)
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
- John Brunner
Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Wind's Twelve Quarters volume 2 - Ursula K. Le Guin
The Last Starship From Earth - John Boyd
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr
Ensign Flandry - Poul Anderson
Creatures of Light and Darkness - Roger Zelazny
Empire Star - Samuel R. Delany
God Bless You Mr. Tidewater / Cat's Cradle / Breakfast of Champions / Welcome to the Monkey House / The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Pilgrimage - Zenna Henderson
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.
Dying Inside - Robert Silverberg
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel - Robert Heinlein
The Chrysalids - John Wyndham
The Bull From the Sea / The Charioteer - Mary Renault
- Mary Renault
- C. S. Lewis (works for adults)
The Last Battle - C. S. Lewis
The Lathe of Heaven / City of Illusions - Ursula K. Le Guin
The Flight of the Horse / Ringworld / A Gift from Earth - Larry Niven
Out of the Silent Planet - C. S. Lewis
Warm Worlds and Otherwise - James Tiptree Jr.
- Tiptree collection
Nine Princes in Amber / The Guns of Avalon - Roger Zelazny
Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
- Chekhov
Triton - Samuel R. Delany
I Capture the Castle / The starlight barking - Dodie Smith
- Arthur Ransome
- Noel Streatfield
Inklings biography - H. Carpenter
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
The Communist Manifesto
Purposes of Love / The Last of the Wine - Mary Renault
The Magus - John Fowles
- Robert Silverberg
- Thomas Hardy
- Aeschylus
The Girl Who Was Plugged In / Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death- James Tiptree Jr.
The Left Hand of the Electron / The End of Eternity - Isaac Asimov
- Plato
- Socrates
The Symposium - Plato
World of Ptaavs - Larry Niven
Time Enough for Love - Robert A. Heinlein
Dangerous Visions - Harlan Ellison
- Theodore Sturgeon
The Best of Galaxy volume IV - ed. Roger Zelazny
The Spell Sword - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Babel-17 - Samuel R. Delaney
Glory Road - Robert A. Heinlein
(Destinies - sf magazine)
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson
Waldo and Magic Inc - Robert A. Heinlein
The Broken Sword - Poul Anderson
Telempath - callahan Spider Robinson
Up the Line - Robert Silverberg
Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains / Heritage of the Star - Sylvia Engdahl
Four Quartets / The Waste Land - T. S. Eliot
Crow - Ted Hughes
Lord Foul's Bane - Steven Donaldson
Dragonsong / Dragonsinger - Anne McCaffrey
A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
The Silmarillion - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Crystal Cave - Mary Stewart
The Shockwave Rider / Stand on Zanzibar - John Brunner
Imperial Earth / Childhoods End / 2001 : A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clark
Born With the Dead - Robert Silverberg
Red Shift - Alan Garner
The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin
City - Clifford D. Simak
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Republic - Plato
Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey
An Old Captivity - Nevil Shute
The Eye of the Heron / The Word for World is Forest / The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
- Philip K. Dick
The Kissing Gate - ?Pamela Haines
Stepsons of Terra - Robert Silverberg
Voyage to Alpha Centauri - ?Fritz Leichert
Guardians of Time - Poul Anderson
The World Inside - Robert Silverberg
Make Room! Make Room! - Harry Harrison
The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven
The White Dragon - Anne McCaffrey
Flandry series - Poul Anderson
Citizen of the Galaxy - Robert A. Heinlein
Lot - Ward Moore
Selected poems - W. H. Auden
Guide to Science - Isaac Assimov
A History of the English Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchill
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Einstein Intersection - Samuel R. Delaney
Charisma / Hello Summer, Goodbye - Michael G. Coney
Sign of the Unicorn - Roger Zelazny
Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Tempest / Romeo & Juliet / A midsummer nights dream - William Shakespeare
- Keats
Aeneid - Virgil
Foundation trilogy - Isaac Asimov
- Cordwainer Smith
The Dream Master - Roger Zelazny
Mission of Gravity - Hal Clement
Vicinity Cluster / Chaining the Lady / A Spell for Chameleon -Piers Anthony
- Chaucer
Return to Night - Mary Renault
- Josephine Tey
Brat Farrar - Josephine Tey
The Isle of the Dead - Roger Zelazny
- Harlan Ellison
- Vonda McIntyre
- Catherine Cookson
The Laws / Phaedrus - Plato
The Greeks - H. D. F. Kitto
He Who Shapes - Roger Zelazny
Telepathist - John Brunner
The Winter's Tale / Richard II - William Shakespeare
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Elsie Dinsmore
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Eric, or Little by Little - Frederic W. Farrar
What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge
Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter
- Judy Blume
Space Hostages - Nicholas Fisk
Houston, Houston - James Tiptree Jr.
Doorways in the Sand - Roger Zelazny
Road Marks - ?
The Number of the Beast / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
Covenant
The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
Lensmen books - E. E. 'Doc' Smith
Lord Peter books - Dorothy L. Sayers
This Immortal - Roger Zelazny
Ansible! magazine - (Dave Langford)
Philip K. Dick
H. Beam Piper
Zenna Henderson
The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
- Virgil
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
The Persian Boy - Mary Renault
Pavane - (Keith Roberts)
Times Without Number - John Brunner
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K.Dick
Bring the Jubilee - Ward Moore
Guardians of Time -
A Dream of Wessex - Christopher Priest
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen - H. Beam Piper
Lord Darcy - Randall Garrett
- Lord Dunsany
Too Many Magicians - Randall Garrett
A Touch of Strange - Theodore Sturgeon
Inverted World - Christopher Priest
Gate of Ivrel - C. J. Cherryh
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil - J. R. R. Tolkien

Good for you. I thought about doing that while reading it but, as usual for a first reading, was too engaged in getting ahead on the story to do it.

Those were the notes I made while reading; I knew I wouldn't do it otherwise, though I think I lost out a bit on the story because of that. But it looked like a good list I ought to read from. I'll tidy it up once I've finished the review.

So now we've finished 7 of our 10 performances. I really like our group of actors; I think the best part of doing community theatre is the community. There are quite a few family groupings in our cast and crew. Apart from my son and myself, there are a few siblings, and couples, and parent / child teams. There's one wall covered with photographs of past productions from at least as far back as the '70s, and you can see some of the faces when they were rather younger. Some of the kids have grown up with the society (and some of the adults are now a ... bit older).

Friday night was ... hmmm. The audience was small, but responsive. We dropped a few things backstage, and the lights and curtains weren't quite coordinated and then, for the final scene, we missed our cue! The lady who usually listens for it and rounds us up was helping someone with their costume, and we were all late going on, but the folks on stage covered quite well.

For the Saturday matinée, we had a good house, but they were more quiet though they picked up in the second half. We had quite a few family, since my son was performing. Saturday night was better; but it's the first time I've done 2 shows in one day, and it's a bit of a blur.

The Sunday matinée was booked out by the Council, to reward volunteers, and I think that was our best audience yet, and one of our best shows. The audience reaction really has a corresponding effect on our performance. They laughed in places other audiences hadn't, but they also didn't laugh in places we were expecting laughs. My son got a laugh when he came on, which I hadn't noticed in previous performances (so I was quite chuffed), though my parents said he had got one for the Saturday matinée.

And now we've only got one weekend to go, and I'm starting to feel a bit sad. But at least we have 3 weekends. One of the other ladies had to rush off between the two shows yesterday to perform in a (music) concert, and she said it was a bit disappointing, because after all the preparation, it was over in one go. It's a bit tiring, but good.

I'm glad you're having such a great time with the Panto - and it's nice that your performances are spread over three weekends. Audiences, particularly responsive ones, make such a difference, don't they? Laughter is such a boost - as long as it's someplace they should be laughing!

I've got to read Among Others. What a fabulous list of books - I've read quite a few, but there are a few gaps there. BTW, I went to boarding school a few years later than you. I was, of course, very, very young, too. LOL.

eek double posted!

35) Here, There Be Dragons : The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen

(First of 7? Imaginarium Geographica series. YA, fantasy)



The story starts in London of March 1917, during the Great War. Three strangers are brought together, one to be Caretaker principa of the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of the Archipelago of all the imaginary lands of myth and story. Only, these lands are real and do exist in a different universe. Their fate is intertwined with our world and they are in danger, as the Winter King is rapidly conquering islands, throwing a shadow over them as he goes.

Escaping from the creatures of shadow who have killed the previous Caretaker, John, Charles and Jack board a semi-sentient dragon ship and sail to the Archipelago, where they become embroiled in a quest to save the Archipelago from the ravages of the Winter King, and thus, save our world.

The story recalls fond memories of classics and old favourites, being reminiscent of Narnia, in particular. Anyone who has read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, Peter Pan, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland, Tea with the Black Dragon, A Tale of Two Cities, The Book of Three, 1,001 Arabian Nights - and many more - will find themselves on familiar ground. With good reason, too; the lands in the Imaginarium Geographica are the lands created in those stories.

I did wonder why Owen chose to begin his story in war-torn London when I felt his characterisation wasn't spot on (I'm sorry; two of my favourite authors are Jane Austen and P. G. Wodehouse and I get pernickety about period references), but the reason becomes clear at the end.

I feel that while the storyline is commensurate with many well-loved adventures , the writing isn't quite as tight as those classics, so it falls into the junior fiction category for me, and I'm rating it as such. It is a good beginning to the series, although it is a complete story in itself. I'll be looking out for the sequels.

Four stars.

I've had that one sitting on my tbr bookshelves for a couple of years, so am looking forward to hearing what you think of it since our tastes are so similar!

>106 Dejah_Thoris:: Hi, Dejah. It looks like not only did I double post, I cross posted (again!), too.

The play comes from England, and some of the jokes (the cultural reference ones) are specific and a bit dated, so the younger cast members especially don't get them all. The director has changed most of them to current Australian ones, but it's when the audience laughs at the one liners that it starts to make sense to them. I got most of them - but then, I've always been a bit weird like that ;0)

We must have been babies at school. Mind you, apparently one of my uncles was sent to a girls' boarding school as a baby, during the war.

>109 ronincats:: Hi, Roni. I was polishing my review of Among Others at the library when I saw your post. The computer there was a bit slow, and I wanted to look for some quotes from Rivers of London, so I decided to leave Here, There Be Dragons for later. But if you want a brief opinion, it's a good YA fantasy (almost, in fact, just a good fantasy), with a lot of flavours and hints (intentionally) of Narnia, Neverland and other familiar places.

I noted somewhere recently that books I read consecutively / concurrently seem to have a similar theme. Like Among Others, this one refers to other classic books and authors (who, in fact, appear in the story). I hadn't realised, but it is the first in a series. I think you'd enjoy it.

ETA: while sitting in the library, flicking through Rivers of London, I was giggling appreciatively to myself. I hope the other patrons weren't too ... disturbed. :0D

Last night was our final performance of the pantomime, then we had presentations, and went on to a couple of the cast members' house for the after-party. I took my son along, and he was very excited at being allowed to stay up until 3 a.m.! Today was bump out, but we slept in and got there late, so we missed most of whoever came, I suspect. We said goodbye to most people yesterday, though, but we're both a little down today. :0(

#102 Wow - that's dedication! Someone made a list of all the books Mori read/mentioned using the beta lists function here and there's also a LT profile set up for her here.

Glad to hear your play went well!

>113 souloftherose:: I copied it over to a wiki, though I haven't edited it yet, but that LT profile is probably more useful. Thanks for the links.

I hope the house-buying process is still on track; I hate the waiting-to-hear part, especially when you're almost there. I've been through the process in two different countries, and the legalese and estate agent traditions are oddly different. Does me 'ead in, as my friend would say.

I adored Among Others, I think because of the love-letter-to-books feeling of the whole thing... though, like you, I felt I probably missed quite a few subtleties because I haven't read many of the referenced older sci-fi-/fantasy novels. And I was thinking about making a reading list from it, but... you've gone ahead and done it! I may have to steal the list from you... :)

>115 dk_phoenix:: Go ahead, Faith - please steal the list. It's taking forever to put the touchstones in, so someone else should also get some use out of it. (That's why I'm not mentioning Heather's links.)

Phew - I'm finally up to date with reviews (of books I've finished). Roni - you can have a look at Here, There Be Dragons, now. :0)

#114 Yeah, I'm getting fidgety with the waiting too. I want to measure rooms, buy furniture, start packing etc! We're waiting to hear from the vendor whether our completion date ( day we pay the money and get the keys) suits him. Hopefully we'll hear this week.

Was there going to be a read of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series at some point?

The last night of a show can be tough - even though you're tired and ready for the show to be over, it's hard to let it go!

Last night was the final Hotel Paradiso performance - we had a pretty good party, too! Are you going to be looking around for more performance opportunities for you both?

>118 souloftherose:: There is a group read planned. I said June, because that's when I thought I would be able to get ahold of my books, but I might postpone it to July as it looks like I won't be getting them until then. Someone suggested a couple of months for each book, so I might leave it as it is.

I'll pop over to the group read thread and sort it out, in a bit.

>119 Dejah_Thoris:: The play itself went really well on the last night. (We didn't do the Sunday matinée, because the last Sunday is reserved for bump out.) My son just got more and more confident as the run went on - I was hoping that the whole process would give him more confidence. He comes on as a suitor for the princess, before Aladdin, and gets rejected. They picked the smallest kid in each team for the role, so he got a good giggle when he appeared, and a big 'Awww' when he had to walk slump off. The other kid is an amazingly confident little girl, and she played it by flouncing off.

We had a few relatives in the audience who enjoyed it (so they said), and quite a few family of other cast members, as well as people who've acted or been involved in past productions with the society. Plus, the other team of kids sat in, so they could take their final bows, too. So we had a really appreciative audience, and their interaction fed our energy, so it was one of the best, or even the best show.

Leave them wanting more, they say.

We made some really good friends, creeping round the packed green room, so I'm sad - and my son is heartbroken - that it's all over. It's been a really good experience for both of us (the late, cold nights notwithstanding), so yes, I'd like to do this again. Mind you, my 4 year old learned some of the other actors' lines from his brother, so as soon as someone's willing to take him, we'll get him involved, too. Maybe he could prompt?

We got a video of the show, and we will get photos at some point, but (for copyright reasons) we're not allowed to post them online. Last time, I managed to find something already on the net, so I'll hunt around and see if I can do that again.

Just found your thread and posting to say that I'm another one who really enjoyed Among Others. Partly for the whole feeling of the love of books that it showed, but also partly to its attitude to landscape. I love this idea that you need places that aren't fenced in, it really corresponds to what I feel as well:

a population of more than a hundred thousand, all living in Victorian terraced houses, terraced up the hillside ... Away from these rows, it was wild. .... the hills were beautiful, were green and had trees and sheep, and they were always there. They didn't belong to anyone, unlike the flat farmed fenced-in countryside around the school.'.

You're right, the landscape was lovingly described. Unfortunately, my reading time was fractionated, as usual, (a lot of it while hanging around the green room, waiting to go on) which makes it hard to hold onto the ambience of a book. Plus, I stopped every few minutes to note down yet another book or author.

Maybe a re-read is due, at some future date.

36) Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

(Stand alone. Junior fiction, fantasy)



When Princess Ben (Benevolence) was fifteen, assassins attacked the king and her parents, making her the queen in waiting of the small kingdom (in a medieval pseudo-Europe, I'm guessing) of Montagne. The immediate suspect is the neighbouring kingdom of Drachensbett, which has always wanted to annex their fertile valley. Until now, Ben's aunt - the former queen - had been held at bay by her mother, but now she took Ben in, reduced her rations, tortured her with lessons in trivia, such as how to embroider an acceptable handkerchief and kept her in a cell. But Ben discovered the secret of the castle within that cell, and used it to embark on unintended adventures.

I didn't empathise with Princess Ben, although she narrates the story, but she might appeal to the target audience (assuming they are also fifteen years old, or so) - so I can see why her character would be written in that style. The plot was alright (it didn't have me throwing my hands up in despair), but it seemed disjointed to me and the eventual romance wasn't convincing.

The author has written an award-winning contemporary fiction series (Dairy Queen - which I haven't read), so she can write well. I think if she had written in straight English instead of attempting an archaic, flowery style and focused more on the flow of the story, this would have been a stronger book. (I must admit I read it from an adult's viewpoint, rather than a teen, and didn't give it the benefit of the doubt.)

I may join in the Jordan group read. I only got as far as book four many, many years ago but I have the series on my TBR One Day list.

Yay Morphy; we'd love to see you there. Hoping to start in July.

congratulations on the successful show run, Nina! And yes, parting is such sweet sorrow in such instances, isn't it?

#120 July/August for the Jordan works for me too.

Wait, is this group read the one of The Eye of the World?

Also... Congrats on your show, GF :)

>126 humouress:: Thank you, Roni. Parting has been bittersweet; we worked for so long to get it right, and the final weeks intensified the focus, and the show got better and better every time we performed in front of an audience ... and now it's all over. My son asked (despairingly!) "What am I going to do with my nights, now there aren't any more rehearsals?"

>128 souloftherose:: Great, Heather! Hopefully I will have got my books by then, and won't have to juggle the timetable again.

>129 Esquiress:: Yup; this is the one that starts with The Eye of the World - the first of 13? of the WoT series. Thank you for your wishes, Es. I hope yours is as much fun.

37) Changing the World - all new Tales of Valdemar edited by Mercedes Lackey

(Anthology; Valdemar universe. Fantasy)



1 - The One Left Behind - Mercedes Lackey
Set before the reign of Sendar; Marya's father was Chosen when she was small, and abandoned her and her mother to become a Herald. Years later, Marya's fiancé left to become a Herald before they could marry. But all is not quite as it appeared.
3.5***

2 - For Want of a Nail - Rosemary Edghill & Denise McCune
Set at the time of the founding of Valdemar, when the Companions first appeared.
Navar and Doladan have been sent out on patrol to find out about the new city's neighbours. Navar worries about how Valdemar will remain uncorrupted until he meets the Companions Ardatha and Tisarand.
I haven't worked out the significance of the title, though.
3***

3 - Softly Falling Snow - Elizabeth A. Vaughan
Queen Elspeth the Peacemaker, an old lady towards the end of her reign, finds solace in a walk in the snow and in talking to Bard Kyran.
I liked this synopsis of Elspeth's life.
4****

4 - The Reluctant Herald - Mickey Zucker Reichert
When Lubonne meets his Companion, Carthea, he's happy with his life as it is and decides not to become a Herald. Carthea, however, tries to change his mind.
3.5***

5 - A Storytelling of Crows - Elisabeth Waters
Maia likes living in the forest, away from people, where she can communicate with the animals around her, including Dexter the racoon. She collects feathers from the crows to fletch arrows for her brother to sell, until one day the Companion Clyton rides into her clearing to ask for her help with his injured Herald, Samina, and she finds herself getting involved in the affairs of humans.
3.5***

6 - Waiting to Belong - Kristin schwengel
Shia, trained by her mother as a healer, was left behind in the village when Teo was Chosen. The little girl Pira shows signs of a Gift, when the Companion Eodan comes to the village.
I liked this story, but I felt I was missing something at the end, when there was a lot of regret and Eodan cut off something he was saying, but it seemed as though the reader would know what it would have been.
4****

7 - The Last Part of the Way - Brenda Cooper
Rhiannon, a bard, and her twin sister Dionne, a healer, are accompanying the young Herald Lioran and his Companion Mila to Shelter's End. Lioran has suffered a tragedy in his life and they hope that they can help him.
3.5***

8 - Midwinter Gifts - Stephanie D. Shaver
Lelia, a bard and twin sister to Lyle, whose Companion is Rivan, is recommended by Vehs, Wil's Companion and Talamir (the older Queen's Own) to help him gain access to a manor house where his Gift hints there will be serious trouble.
I like the open ending, though I wasn't sure about Wil's visions.
4****

9 - Wounded Bird - Michael Z. Williamson
Riga of the Kossaki people and her brother Erki are in Mirr on a trading mission. Riga finds it hard because, as a woman, she is considered almost nothing, though she is recognised as a trader and fighter amongst her people. While being hosted, she becomes concerned about Jesrin, who is not much older than her and who seems to be beaten at the slightest whim of her owner.
3.5***

10 - Defending the Heart - Kate Paulk
Set just after the time of the change-winds, Ree - a hobgoblin - and his best friend Jem find their safety and sanctuary threatened.
3.5***

11 - Matters of the Heart - Sarah A. Hoyt
This story follows straight on from the previous one. Ree finds his place threatened again, and finds out what family means.
4****

12 - Nothing Better to Do - Tanya Huff
A young Herald and his Companion (Jors and Gervais), both inexperienced with children, are saddled with transporting a toddler to his surviving relatives.
This one was quite funny.
4****

13 - The Thief of Anvil's Close - Fiona Patton
Hektor Dann's family have always been in the Watch. Newly promoted over his brothers, Hektor is called in by an irascible old blacksmith to look for a thief that no-one else can see.
3.5***

14 - Twice Blessed - Judith Tarr
Coryn Chooses Nerys and Kelyn (concurrently) - two girls who have hated each other from birth. Egil and Bronwen and their Companions, Cynara and Rohanan, are sent to investigate.
3***

15 - Be Careful What You Wish For - Nancy Asire
With the changes in Karse and a female Son of the Sun on the Karsite throne, Tomar decides to return with his Companion Keesha to see if he can find any of the family he left behind when he fled Karse as a child.
3.5***

16 - Interview With a Companion - Ben Ohlander
A reporter interviews a Companion near Lexington, Kentucky. (Yes; in our universe.)
3.5***

average 3.59 stars

Yup; this is the one that starts with The Eye of the World - the first of 13? of the WoT series.

So we're planning on starting that in July? I vaguely remember someone saying June, but I am just fine waiting until July. I definitely want to read the first tome.

>131 humouress:: It was originally June, but I've hit a bit of a delay. This will be after the half-year mark, anyway, so it's nice and tidy; if we do one every two months we'll have finished the first 3 by the end of the year. It sounds slow, but if you look at them lined up on a shelf, you can see they get bigger as they go along.

>133 humouress:: I'm great with July/August. I'm sure I won't finish it *in* July, so having it through August will be nice.

>134 Esquiress:: Cool!

In other news, I've just started Soulless, the first book in The Parasol Protectorate. I'm about 30 pages in, and have already written half my review. Loving it; it's fun!

ETA: I just popped over to check on who recommended it to me, and I've only noted 'several people Jan / Feb 2013'. So thank you, all of you.

I'm glad you're enjoying The Parasol Protectorate. That entire series is fun. And Gail Carriger has just started a YA series set in the same universe but about 30 years earlier than the adult series. It's quite good as well.

Hi Nina!

Your son's reaction to the show being over is so cute - I sometimes feel that way but at this point in my likfe am more apt to be thrilled with the free time!

I'm never certain about story collections in an established universe written by multiple authors. I'm tempted to give this one a try just to read the Tanya Huff story. Thanks for the review!

I'm so glad you're enjoying Soulless - great book, entertaining series. I can't wait to find out what you think!

#135 I love the Parasol Protectorate series - they're a lot of fun :-)

Thanks, Dejah.

I'm never certain about story collections in an established universe written by multiple authors. I know what you mean; you're never sure if it's going to have the same ambience, or your favourite characters (should they appear) might be written differently from the way you expect them to behave. For me, I must admit, the Valdemar books are more of a go-to comfort read than outright favourites, so I'm not as invested in them as in other series. (Maybe because the first book I read was not the first in the series. I hate coming into the middle of series like that. I'd like to go back and read the 'Arrows' series again, if I can find it.)

I'd have to check, but there are several Valdemar anthologies, and I think Mercedes Lackey edits them. She has edited this one, and I thought most of the stories held quite well to the feel of the Valdemar books. (The 'Gryphon' and 'Collegia' series have a slightly different feel, for me; I mean the other Herald series). Try it and see ;0)

I'm hoping to finish Soulless today. I'm tempted to start my review now, anyway - often, I have a commentary in my head when I'm in the middle of a book, but doing something else, like the washing up; but of course, I can think of anything to say once I've finished the book, and am sitting in front of the computer.

>138 souloftherose:: Hi, Heather; we cross-posted. Soulless is fun, unexpectedly. I've spotted the rest of the series at the library, but I'm enjoying it so much, I'm tempted to buy the series for my shelves. I assume the rest of the books are as good?

Um ... just asked my husband to peek at my Phryne Fisher titles, with the result that he had a fume about the quantities of books, and I am now banned from buying books. So I shall lay low for a bit, and hide my current purchases under the covers until I am back in charity with him.

Oh dear - how funny that Phryne got you in trouble! I'm looking forward to reading a least a few Phryne mysteries this month.

As it happens I don't like all the Parasol Protectorate books equally well - I'll be interested in hearing what you think!

I think the Parasol Protectorate is a solid series, Nina, but not one I'd purchase. Although to be fair, I'm a stingy book buyer. I probably buy no more than a dozen books in a year. *shrug*

Nina - Loved your comment about being 30 pages in and already half way through your review. Done that many times myself too but then when I get to the keyboard with the book on the read pile I can't remember what the hell I was gonna say about it.

Have a lovely Sunday.

38) Soulless by Gail Carriger

(First of 4: Parasol Protectorate series; fantasy, steampunk)



Suspend disbelief and prepare to have fun!

This is a *Regency romance, set in Queen Victoria's time in a parallel universe where supernatural beings (vampires, werewolves, ghosts and suchlike) have come out of the closet and are an accepted enough part of society that they can be peers of the realm, and a Shadow Parliament is held in Westminster during the dark hours. They also have a dedicated ministry, BUR (the Bureau of Unnatural Registry). Scientists, however, are regarded with suspicion.

The story, though it focuses on the relationship between Connal Maccon (head of BUR) and Alexia Tarabotti, is a mystery about lone werewolves and vampires disappearing and new ones appearing; but these don't seem to know the basics that their type should, and they don't live very long. Naturally, our two heroes investigate.

Thankfully (for me) I found the characters (being a Scottish werewolf and a half Italian soulless spinster) more three dimensional than those of genuine Regency romances. While she is by no means a Jane Austin heroine, Miss Alexia Tarabotti has common sense and curiosity on her side (as well as being soulless, and thus impervious to the touch of supernaturals). The antipathy / attraction between Lord Maccon and Alexia was based on prior acquaintance (see the hedgehog incident) and not something that happened the first time we see them meet, so it was believable.

I'm glad I succumbed to all the LT recommendations about this book. It's light and fun (not to mention the numerous descriptions of the various foods Alexia gets to eat) and a little bit erotic - this is definitely not a YA book. I understand, though, that the romance isn't quite so prominent in the other books in the series, and her next series (set prior to The Parasol Protectorate is classified as YA).

Off to the library to look for the next in the series!

Three and a half stars.



* yes, I know; but apart from a couple of mentions of bustles and Queen Victoria, it feels like a Regency romance - which also encompasses my usual complaint of the details not being faithful to the period.

The interesting thing about the Parasol Protectorate series is that each book is supposed to be a send up of a different type of book.

"I borrow a lot from traditional Gothic literature tropes. So while Soulless was loosely basted on a Gothic romance model, Changeless is more of a Gothic mystery. Blameless uses a lot of Gothic boy's adventure, Quartermain-style. Heartless borrows a bit from Sherlock Holmes and the cozies. Timeless is intended to be travel journal-esque. So while Alexia and the irrepressible Lord Maccon are still there, the romance is a little less important to the plot."

>142 Dejah_Thoris:: If I can get hold of Phryne, I'll join you in one or two mysteries, Dejah.

Maybe I'll borrow the next 'Parasol Protectorate' (though she seems to have lost her parasol by the end of this first book) from the library, and see how that goes.

>143 MickyFine:: Given what you say, Micky, that's definitely going to be my immediate strategy. I do try to be stingy with book-buying too, because I know I can't give up my books, no matter how much I dislike any (after reading, of course).

I think my husband doesn't begrudge me the cost so much as the space. :0)

>144 PaulCranswick:: Thanks for dropping by, Paul. Sunday has been relaxed, though I played badminton in the morning, so I don't need to feel too guilty.

>146 Morphidae:: That is interesting, Morphy - though I hope it doesn't mean I have to read those tropes first! The closest I've got to some of them is probably Northanger Abbey, though I do keep meaning to check out the Gothic mysteries. Sometime.

I suppose the romance has been dealt with in the first book, anyway.

No, it just means she uses those tropes not that you have to be familiar with them. I didn't even know about it until after I read them all.

I hadn't heard that Morphy, but looking back over the series I can certainly see it now that it's been pointed out to me! Thanks.

Cut off from buying books?! Oh no!

>149 Morphidae:, 150: Oh, good. So 'Sometime' can remain as ... sometime ...

I'm hoping to pop down to the library today, if I can finish reviewing Soulless in time, and try and get the next one out. Or tomorrow, since books are due in then, anyway.

>151 Esquiress:: Don't worry, Es; I'm sure he doesn't mean it. He vaguely understands it's a lifeline. I've got some books I've bought but not read to catch up on, and by then hopefully, he'll have forgotten. Or I can pretend I've forgotten. :0) {brave smile}

ETA: or should that be :0}

39) Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

(Second of 3 : The Study series; Second of 6 : Ixia / Sitia series. YA, fantasy)



This is the second book in Yelena's story, and events follow almost straight on from the end of Poison Study (so I'm trying to write this review without spoilers for the first book). Yelena is taken, along with the survivors from her 'orphanage', to find her family and - since she must learn to control her magic before it kills her - to study with Master Magician Irys. She finds herself in an unfamiliar situation with people who are not sure of her motives.

Yelena not only studies magic at the Magicians' Keep - it would have been nice to see more of her life there - but learns about different types of magic practices in different parts of Sitia. She discovers that she is strong in a magic that has not been seen in a long time, which makes people more suspicious of her. She also meets the last member of the royal family of Ixia who, having escaped the assassination of his family, wants to use Yelena to help him get his throne back.

While she is at the Keep, she is asked to try and help a girl who has been horrifically treated, and is the only surviving victim of an unknown killer. Yelena, and the magicians, then do everything they can to save the girl and catch the killer before he strikes again.

I thought this was a stronger book than the first one, though the plot was more straightforward and not quite as interesting. The world-building is quite solid.

Although I picked this up from the YA section of the library, I should warn you that, once again, the evil magician gets his powers through torture and rape. Though we are not given gruesome details, we do get told about some of the devices and the torturers' intents.

This was fun to read, and was more detailed than Poison Study. I liked meeting Yelena's family, although her mother did have an annoying habit of disappearing up the nearest tree when stressed. This series is not a 'must read' for me, but rather 'if I see it on the library shelves, I'll pick it up'.

Three and a half stars.

Phew! I think my reviews are finally up to date; I've just reviewed the Steampunk! anthology.

Off to pack for the long weekend.

"...Happy Birthday, dear Majesty,
Happy birthday to You"

This is where we went for the weekend:

,,

,,

40) The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

(Second of 3? 4?: King Rolen's Kin series. Fantasy)



The hard-won thirty year peace King Rolen earned for Rolencia seems set to be broken and all of his children affected. Piro has had visions of the castle being invaded, Lence and Byren have come up against the fore-runners of an invading force and even Fyn, who has spent the last ten years in the monastry of fighting monks, may not be safe. All of them, in different parts of the country, come up against the invaders and try to get help to their father in different ways, not knowing what has happened to the rest of their family.

Affinity (magic, which can be found in 'seeps' on the ground, and which can be used by Affinity workers and Affinity-beasts) and power-workers come into play, in spite of King Rolen's ban. Fyn tries to use his acknowledged Affinity, and Piro struggles with her hidden Affinity, but both are untrained in its use. The invaders, however, have no such restrictions and, in fact, use it to try and find the locations of King Rolen's disappeared kin.

Again, this was an easy book to read, and I am starting to care about the characters (though there have been a couple of moments when I've thought 'I wouldn't do that, if I were you'). I think this is a stronger book than the first one, though it could still use some polishing in one or two places. I did find it a little distracting, occasionally, jumping between characters; but it did serve to keep us informed as to what was happening in different parts of the country, and tied the story together.

I wil be looking for the next (last?) book in the series.

Three and a half stars

#155 & 156 Wow - what amazing photos!

Aren't they? But they're not mine; I got them from the web. This weekend was the last for VIVID, a light show around the Harbour and Rocks areas of Sydney CBD. I took the kids to stay in the city for the long weekend.

Ironically, the holiday was to celebrate the Queen's birthday. The weather was gorgeous - in the low 20s (ºC), which is a little warm for winter - but great for walking around. There was also a weekend market, and interactive light toys for the kids; drums that set lights glowing when banged, see-saws that changed colours as you rode them, and so on.

Those pictures of the Opera House are stunning. I always think it's funny that the one place you definitely don't get a holiday for the Queen's birthday is the UK.

Hmm, in Canada we get a holiday for Queen Victoria... but not the current Queen. :)

We don't get one of those either!

>161 MickyFine:: You do know that Queen Victoria is actually ... well, never mind. Any excuse for a holiday.

Even more odd is the fact that the (present) Queen's official birthday is in June so people have nicer weather to celebrate it than her actual birthday, which is in winter. But we're in the southern hemisphere.

>163 humouress: Yup, we're aware of the "not living" status of Queen Victoria. I think we mostly just wanted a long weekend in May. ;) (Huh, just checked the Wikipedia article and Victoria day has been around for a while).

The irony the date selection while in the southern hemisphere is kind of hysterical. :)

>164 MickyFine:: Truly.

New Zealand celebrated one week before Oz, to add to the confusion.

41) The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier

(First of 3?: Throne of Amenkor series; fantasy)



The Skewed Throne sits in the palace of the city of Amenkor, from where the Mistress guides the city. However, since the White Fire swept through the city more than six years ago, Amenkor has been degenerating, and the current Mistress's directions seem to be more and more detrimental than beneficial. From long habit, her orders are carried out and never questioned, but now the survival of the city is at stake. So she must be replaced; but it seems that the Skewed Throne will not accept a replacement for a Mistress who is still alive ...

We follow Varis as she steals through the Palace on a mission. As she moves through the corridors avoiding the guards, we learn her story, and the reasons and events in her hard life leading to this point.

Varis has been a child of the streets since the age of six. Not just any streets, but the streets beyond the Dredge, which separates the city of Amenkor from the slums where every day is hand to mouth survival. At fourteen, she killed a man in self-defence (not for the first time), and was found by Erick, the Seeker for the Mistress, whose job it was to find and assassinate criminals as directed by the Mistress. But the slums were getting tougher and more crowded, so he recruited her as his eyes and ears and dubbed her varis, which means 'hunter', when she was unable to tell him her name.

Though Erick trained her properly in knife fighting to defend herself and rewarded her with food whenever she found a mark for him, life was still tough for Varis. She had one more trick to survival, however; she could sense her surroundings, like being submerged in a river where everything was gray, but red indicated danger. She was surviving, but Varis wanted something more. She didn't want to turn into a killer.

Usually, violence will turn me away from a book, especially if it is gratuitous. Here, though, it is absolutely integral to the story. There is an ethereal sadness haunting the story, of what might have been. Varis is layered in wariness and grime, but underneath her suspicious nature, and unrecognised by her, she still hungers for the family she lost long ago.

This is Palmatier's fantasy debut, but it is a very strong novel, tightly woven and intense. I found it not so much a page-turner, where I couldn't wait to find out what happened next, as totally engrossing. The story pulled me in and swept me along until I emerged reluctantly much later; the pages turned themselves.

(Just one comment, though (minor point); it would have been nice to have had a map of the palace.)

Read it.

5 stars

It is so strange how diverse the reactions of even those with very similar tastes can be. I read The Skewed Throne several years ago and got rid of it immediately. I can't even tell you now why I had such a strong negative reaction--whether it was the writing or plot points. But I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I tried to define why I liked it so much, but I couldn't. Maybe I was just in the right reading mood.

It is a bit of an anachronism these days that the Queen's birthday is celebrated by holidays throughout the Commonwealth but not in the UK. I am not a Royalist by any stretch of the imagination but there is a certain pride of sorts in a display of a common bond between people of such disparate nations.

Have a lovely weekend Nina.

Thanks, Paul. And yerself.

I was thinking of getting you to break the deadlock on Roni's and my difference of opinion, fantasy being right up your alley and all. ;0)

LOL!

42) Cupcakes by Daniel Kelley

(Stand-alone, short story; fiction. ER, e-book)


I received this as an e-book from the June Early Reviewers batch. And, no, it's not a recipe book!

This is a short story, coming in at just under 70 pages on i-books, about four cousins growing up through childhood, told by one of the children looking back as an adult.

The story follows two sets of siblings from the time that Frances was mis-named Froggy by her older brother, then 2 years old, as they grow up and spend their summers hanging around their Aunt Winifred's bakery who calls the four of them her 'Cupcakes'. They get into scrapes, misappropriate treats from the bakery, have childhood adventures and arguments. Through it all, Aunt Winifred loves them and looks after them, and though they always wonder about their sobriquet, they relish it and recognise that it bonds them together as more than cousins, into life-long friends.

I read this with a smile on my face; I remember my childhood summers, and I watch my young children playing, so it is easy to relate to this narrative. It is well written, and a good length, though there are one or two rough edges. Much like a cupcake, it is short and sweet.

Recommended.

Three and a half stars

I thought this was going to be a review of a recipe book. I have a few kindle books on my iPad to read, just can't get going on that medium when I have so many real books cluttering my house. At present my iPad gets a lot of use in the kitchen as a virtual recipe book thanks to pinterest.

>173 avatiakh:: It was a book from the June Early Reviewers batch. From what it says (and, yes, I thought it was going to be a recipe book, too), lots of people pick it up thinking it's about baking cupcakes.

But it was very easy to read.

ETA: I think I'll make a couple of adjustments to my review, then :0)

43) Turning Point by Lisanne Norman

(First of 8 : Sholan Alliance series; science fiction)



Carrie is one of the first wave of colonists from Earth living on a distant planet. A few years after they had landed, aliens - Valtegans - arrived and took over the planet with superior fire-power, since when the Terrans have been living in subjugation. Their second colony ship is due imminently, with more advanced technology which they don't want to see fall into Valtegan hands.

Carrie had a telepathic bond with her mother, who died when she was small, and with her twin, Elise. One night, when Elise was caught by Valtegans and tortured to death, Carrie suffered with her and nearly died too; but in trying to re-establish her link with Elise, her questing mind found another. He was Kusac, from another alien species, the Shola, and their people had also been attacked by the Valtegans.

Together, could they encourage humans and Sholans to unite and fight the Valtegans?

I liked the story and the hint of romance. The book does suffer a bit from 'sci-fi / fantasy-books-published-last-century-must-not-exceed-300-pages' syndrome, which shows in a few less polished spots and details. Although it is integral to the story, the alien species are suspiciously similar to humans in physiognomy and psychology with only a few points of difference - much like early episodes of Star Trek where the aliens looked rather human.

I was a bit surprised when one of the characters pulled out a cigarette to smoke, but then I looked at the publication date, which was 1993. I was amused to see that tobacco was one of the first crops that the colonists planted.

All in all, it is an interesting plot, and I'd like to find out what happens next.

Three and a half stars.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

(Originally published as two novels (2&3 of 3, after prequel) Crown and Court series; fantasy, YA)



Part one:
44) Crown Duel

When the Count of Tlanth dies, his children Branaric and Meliara promise to start the war against king Galdran, which has been long threatening since he started demanding unreasonable taxes of his subjects. The king is also about to break the Covenant which protects the mysterious Hill Folk and the exotic and rare colourwood trees, whereby the Hill Folk provide magical Fire Sticks which burn indefinitely and which they distribute to every family across the country of Remalna.

Their father had written to the king, with copies of his letter to be distributed to other courtiers, laying out the county's grievances and the danger of breaking the Covenant with the hope that even if the king would not relent, they would win other dissatisfied nobles to their cause. However, the king's answer is to send his cousin, Baron Debegri, to take Tlanth, and none of the other aristocrats respond to the letter.

Narrated by Meliara, this is the story of how the new Count and Countess cope with a war that their county is ill-prepared for. Initially, they harry Debegri's troops and make him look foolish, until the king sends the Marquis of Shevraeth, widely known as a court fop, to see if he can do any better. And then things begin to go wrong for the people of Tlanth and for Meliara herself.

Despite the premise of war and Meliara being first a prisoner and then a fugitive, this is an enjoyable, light story .

4****

I couldn't resist; I went straight on :

Part two:
45) Court Duel

At the end of the war, Meliara had retreated back to her beloved home in Tlanth, without waiting to see how events played out. Now, months later, her brother returns from the capital, Remalna-city, together with the Marquis of Shevraeth, now an ally, to persuade Meliara to come to Court, at the palace of Athanarel, at last.

Neither Meliara nor her brother had been to the capital before the war, and both were refreshingly blunt, without courtly manners and evasions. But while Branaric wouldn't notice being the brunt of a joke and would even make jokes at his own expense, Meliara could be hurt. It didn't help, either, that her one previous experience of Athanarel (the palace) was as Galdran's prisoner, when she was humiliated in the throne room in front of all the courtiers.

But Meliara has never been a shrinking violet, and - just as she did when facing down a bad king - she meets the challenges at Court head on, on her own terms.

This book was, if anything, even better written than the first one. It was engaging and easy to read with a likeable heroine who doesn't take herself too seriously. I enjoyed joining her on her adventures, and the touch of romance didn't hurt.

4****

Short story:
Vidanric's Birthday Surprise

This vignette returns to the same characters shortly after the end of the last story, to let us know what happens after the happily-ever-after. Meliara still has her misunderstandings, but everything turns out well in the end.

I enjoyed this last little visit to Meliara and her friends, and I wouldn't mind seeing more stories about them in future.

I scored a free copy of The Alchemyst by Michael Scott from the bookshop - woo woo!!

I have Crown Duel and Court Duel in the tbr pile--they have been there for simply ages. Obviously I need to dig them out and put them near the top of the pile.

It was fun to read; I think you'll enjoy it. I think it'll be in the re-read section as a comfort read, for me.

Lucky you getting a free book, that's a popular series isn't it? I'm feeling like going on a scifi kick after being so immersed in Among Others, though Seraphina has me hankering after more dragons.

I took the kids in to the shopping centre, as there were some clothes I needed to get my eldest for his drama performance, and they were getting a bit restless, so - as we were passing Dymocks, and we all love book shopping - I took them in as a treat. For them, of course. I picked up the mini catalogue, and noticed, among the welter of interesting looking items, that The Alchemyst had free copies available, which seemed too good to be true. I've been looking at that series for a while, but I hadn't picked it up to read, yet.

So when I went to the counter, I asked the sales assistant what it meant, and she said "I think that means copies to give away, but I'm sure we don't have that ... let me just check" - and there was one copy. I think that may be the first time I've 'won' anything. Woo hoo!

I will have to start on that long list from Among Others, myself. I've barely read any of them, I feel. And with everyone singing it's praises, I have to look for Seraphina, too.

You may have noticed that, inspired by Roni's lists and Nina's jibes (only kidding) I had a rare splurge on Sci-Fi/Fantasy on my Friday binge. Wool collection grabbed and not a knitting needle in sight, Railsea and Engine Summer also brought onto shelves unfamiliar to similar bed-fellows.

Have a great Sunday and I was interested to see the Lions squeak home yesterday. Referee was useless I must say. The Wallabies first try should not have happened as he had to call a penalty for the Lions in the plays preceding and called advantage when none was taken.

Paul,

I think the referees from both games NZLvFR & LionsvAus had shockers ........

Must admit Alex I haven't seen the All Black's win over the French but the standard and the nit-picking by referees is a concern. Australia spent almost all the game borderline offside, the referee penalised the Lions for extremely dubious offences in mauls, especially O'Driscoll, his calls on obstruction showed no appreciation of the game and with the Lions having Halfpenny's boots in tow he denied at least three penalties in front playing an alleged advantage that never came.

>182 PaulCranswick:: Yay, Roni - we got him! Not that I've read any of the books Paul's listed.

I must confess to lurking on my own thread; in spite of having initiated the sports discussion, and of liking Union, I didn't watch either of the games yesterday, so I was living vicariously through Alex's and Paul's conversation. Thanks for coming by, guys.

Since Australia won the first test, I'll probably catch highlights here and there.

The only sporting thing I noticed all week was the playing of the wrong anthem at the world hockey league in the Netherlands when the Australians got the NZ anthem.

I just have to rummage in my son's cupboards for some of the scifi mentioned in Among Others.

Nina - Duh the Lions won the test yesterday!!!!!

#176 I have Crown Duel wishlisted (I thought on Roni's recommendation but it can't be if she hasn't read them!) - really glad you enjoyed them.

>187 PaulCranswick: *blush* oh yes - you said. I only picked up the ref denying us our chances.

>186 avatiakh:: Kerry, as you can see, I haven't noticed any sports at all. My dad does seem to have it on all day and every day, but I'm too busy chasing the kids down. At the moment, I'm avoiding ironing their school uniforms.

>188 souloftherose:: Crown Duel reminds me of Sharon Shinn's writing - I don't know if you've read or like her works.

I hadn't seen anyone's recommendations for it, but as we were in the city a couple of weekends ago, I treated myself (with kids in tow; I mollified them with an Amazing Spider-man movie story book) to a visit to my favourite fantasy bookshop there - actually the only bricks-and-mortar one left, now I think. I was actually looking at Sharon Shinn's books, but I've got all the ones they had, and Sherwood Smith's books nearby looked interesting. So I whipped out my phone and looked up LT, which gave a favourable report. Actually, I was looking at the series beginning with Inda (which book I also picked up), and one review recommended reading Crown Duel and Court Duel, which are set in the same world. And the book just happened to be on the shelf, so ...

46) Sorcery and Cecilia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

(First of 3 Sorcery and Cecilia series; fantasy, alternative history, YA)



This story - told entirely in epistolary form consisting of the correspondence between two cousins, Kate (written by Caroline Stevermer) in London with Aunt Charlotte for her Season, and Cecilia (Patricia Wrede) left behind at home with Aunt Elizabeth in Rushton, Essex - tells their interrelated adventures in an alternative England where magic exists as an honourable profession (to the extent that Wizard Wellington uses it in the war).

There are nefarious doings afoot, revolving around an enchanted (of all things) chocolate pot. Kate meets the Mysterious Marquis of Schofield, who has never bothered to visit his country manor near Rushton, while Cecy helps untangle his affairs at the Essex end, no thanks to a certain Mr. Tarleton - who is quite hopeless at spying from the shrubbery.

The two cousins, with long experience of getting into and out of scrapes in their childhood with their siblings (vis à vis the episode with the goat), find themselves involved in more serious affairs. They conduct themselves with their customary sang froid (developed over years of explanations to their aunts) and adventuresome curiosity - not to mention collecting beaux and attending balls along the way - and rescue not only themselves but their friends; in spite of the gentlemen's well-intentioned efforts to protect them.

This was a delightfully lighthearted romp in an alternative Regency England. I've had this book on my TBR pile for a while, and I wish I had picked up The Grand Tour, so I could continue reading the cousins' adventures without having to wait.

I also like the afterword, in which the two authors (Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer) take turns to tell us how the book came into being, as they wrote letters to each other in the personae of the two heroines, with no knowledge of the other writer's plot.

Absolutely fun!

Four and a half stars.

I've read and loved all three of the Sorcery and Cecilia books, though typical for me I started with book 2 which remains my favourite.

I've never seen the series before, so I thought it was a new-on-the-shelves one; but the first version seems to have come out in 1988. I wonder how I missed it?

I read Sorcery and Cecilia years ago and loved it. I really do need to get to the other books in the series.

Sorcery and Cecelia was indeed published in 1988, didn't receive unusual attention, and went out of print. It gradually built up a rather cult following and was very expensive to find for a while, but eventually was reprinted in 2004, with the two sequels coming out in 2006 and 2009. Pat Wrede is one of those authors, like Bujold, that I automatically buy everything she writes.

If you like these, you might also like her two Mairelon the Magician books. And of course her Enchanted Forest Chronicles series is great fun, but I still love her Lyra books the best.

Hi Morphy, Roni. Thanks for coming by.

I wish they'd bring back a lot of books that were published in the 80s and 90s. I'm re-reading them and trying to complete my series; there's a freshness or innocence about a lot of them that appeals to me.

I like Bujold's Vorkosigan series, especially her Cordelia stories, and the Chalion books were a different angle, and fun; but I wasn't so keen on the one book I read of The Sharing Knife series.

I'll look into more Pat Wrede books; I have the entire Enchanted Forest Chronicles which were delightful, especially the first one.

I'm about five chapters (September has just met the wyvern) into The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente, as recommended on LT. I haven't had much opportunity to get into it properly, so it feels like it's going slowly at the moment, and not (yet) living up to expectations.

#192 I love Sorcery and Cecilia! I've never got round to reading the sequels - partly because they're a bit hard to come by in the UK and partly, I think, because I've been worried they won't be as good. But if Kerry says book two is her favourite perhaps I should clickety-click online (after moving house damn it)....

My trusty SF&F bookshop doesn't seem to have a copy of The Grand Tour in stock (I checked on-line, and they can order it in, but it's a bit on the expensive side), and I seem to have bought their last copy of Sorcery and Cecilia, though that was a while ago. I didn't realise it was a series, when I picked it up, or I either wouldn't have bought it, or bought the whole series.

And, no; you don't want to start buying books just before you move and make more work for yourself. Unless there's a compelling reason, like it's the last copy and might be sold by the time you're ready ...

Hi Nina, I just dropped by and here you are discussing Sorcery and Cecelia which I read and really enjoyed a few years ago. I have The Grand Tour patiently waiting on my Kindle and I should look into getting the third as well.

Thanks for coming by, Judy.

Obviously I should investigate e-books more thoroughly. I just downloaded Agent of Change, which I should have done about 3 months ago, but couldn't, for some reason (probably tech-illiteracy). Thanks for the tip!

I just laid out the chronology of the Liaden books on Lucy's thread (sibyx) if you are interested. I'm delighted you are going to check out Agent of Change, a particular favorite of mine.

Ooh, thanks. I'll have a look.

ETA : Roni's list

Oh, phew - I've got my 'continuation' arrow in time, before the end of June. I wasn't sure I'd make it :0)

Hope you've warmed up to September and her adventures. :)

I've now met Saturday, and things seem to be moving a bit faster. But now RL is intruding ...

>207 humouress: Yay! I am invested in your liking it as you sometimes are about books you love and want everyone to like.

47) Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

(Seventh of 16 {chronological order}: Liaden universe novels, first of 36 {publication order} : Liaden universe works. Sci-fi)
(LT recommended) (e-book, Baen free library)

,

Having successfully completed a spy mission for his Liaden bosses, Val Con is about to make his escape off-planet when he runs across a lady in need of help. Not a damsel in distress, and actually, she ain't no lady; Miri Robertson is a retired merc who worked as a bodyguard for an ex-Juntavas man. Unfortunately, his retirement hadn't been ... sanctioned by the Juntavas, who decided to collect, and Miri was caught in the cross-fire, outnumbered five to one.

So now, both of them need to get off-planet, he with the police after him, and she with the Juntavas (a galaxies-wide mob operation) after her. Fortunately, they run into the 'turtles' - a race of centuries-long lived aliens. This particular clan had adopted Val Con as their brother, and they are more than happy to embrace Miri, as his friend, and help their brethren in any way they can. However hasty they feel that humans and Liaden are.

I enjoyed this first Liaden book, with Val Con and Miri leading their pursuers a merry dance over the planet of Lufkit and across space as we meet the various races in this universe - including Yxtrang space pirates.

Three and a half stars

The Wallabies levelled the series in a really tough match-up yesterday and it is all set up for a thrilling finale. No complaints at all yesterday - the team that scores the only try ought to win. Kudos to the captain for going for the win instead of kicking for goal - hope he is not suspended for the last game as I personally don't believe that the "stamp" was deliberate.

Have a lovely weekend my dear.

I LOVE the turtles. I LOVE the turtles. Best aliens ever! Go, EDGER! Go, Sheather! Go, Watcher!

Um, hope you enjoyed the story.

>210 PaulCranswick:: Thanks for the update, Paul. I missed the match yet again; but after your report, I'll try and catch the final. I hope your weekend goes well, too.

Life is rather busy at the moment; or rather, it ought to be. We're upping sticks to move back to the tropics, so I'm just staring at piles of clothes, toys, papers etc. etc. and wondering where to start.

>211 ronincats:: I have to agree, Roni, the turtles are pretty cool, and unusual for aliens (as in, not humanoid). I may need to read more to get quite that enthusiastic, though; but I do like the way they handle themselves and the universe.

Unfortunately, I don't think I could travel in their ship; the experience sounded uncomfortably similar to being delirious with fever. Ugh!

I'm trying to hunt down more Liaden books. I'm not completely hooked (yet), the way their fan base is from the sounds of it, but I do want to read more.

I agree that the turtles' ship is NOT meant for humans.

If you can find Conflict of Honors, that's next, then Carpe Diem. I gave a run-down on the way the Liaden books fit together in Lucy's thread (sibyx) here last week: http://www.librarything.com/topic/154968#4164258

Thanks, Roni. I'll have a look.