Category: Urban Fantasy Page 40 of 45

Saturday Miscellany — 5/10/14

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On May 10, 2014

In Books, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, News/Misc., Robert B. Parker, Spenser

Odds ‘n ends over the last week or so about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    I’m sure there were plenty of good books released this week, but I didn’t notice any of them, because for me, there’s only one:

  • Robert B. Parker’s Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins — Atkins’ 3rd outing at the helm of this series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Sadly, couldn’t find time this week. Another week will not pass without that being fixed. Read a little Q&A about the book.

Twenty Palaces by Harry Connolly

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On November 20, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, Harry Connolly, Twenty Palaces, Urban Fantasy

Twenty Palaces
Twenty Palaces

by Harry Connolly
Series: Twenty Palaces, #.5


E-book, 250 pages
Radar Avenue Press, 2011

I’m not usually one for prequels — if the author/filmmakers have done their job, we know what we need to know already. Sure, it allows the creator to fill in some blanks, make the in-joke — but on the whole, they just seem to serve as red meat for fans*, while offering little new.

But a well-done prequel can be a lot of fun — and in the end, if you’re not reading genre fiction for fun — what’s the point?

Between the rest of the books in this criminally-underselling series, we’re given a decent idea what happened between Ray and Annalise before Child of Fire, how Ray got his Knife (one of the coolest tools I can remember reading about), and about Wally getting Ray into this mess. So, I put off reading this one longer than I’d intended to. Glad I finally got around to it — this was a blast.

Ray Lilly is a messed up, broken, not-so-good guy trying to live straight — to become a “seat belt person,” as he puts it. He’s fresh from prison, but he knows he hasn’t finished paying his debt to society (his policeman uncle helps drive this home) and really wants to get on with his new life.

Naturally, his old life — particularly his old friends, are there to drag him off his new path. But this isn’t your garden-variety recidivism at work. There’s some otherworldly magic using his friends — and almost everyone around him — for ends that even a guy of Ray’s questionable morality can’t abide.

The new reality that Ray steps into here is unlike anything you’ve seen before — dark, scary, amoral, and uncaring — a lot like our world seems too often. The magic system that Connolly has created in this series is something special — I so, so wish we’d gotten to see more of it following Circle of Enemies.

This was fun, very satisfying — and most of all, it made me want to re-read the rest of the books, I’d forgotten just how addicting these books were.

If you’ve read the Twenty Palaces series, this is a nice little cherry on top — if you haven’t? Skip this for now, and run to your indie bookstore (or internet retailer, I guess) and grab them.

—–

* Not that I’m against red meat for fans — as a fan of many things, including red meat, I like when creators entertain me.

—–

4 Stars

Ever After by Kim Harrison

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On November 1, 2013

In F-J, Fiction, Kim Harrison, The Hollows (Rachel Morgan), Urban Fantasy

Ever After
Ever After

by Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows, #11
Mass Market Paperback, 528 pg.
Harper Voyager, 2013

So here we are at Hollows #11 — or as I prefer to think of them, The Adventures of Jenks and his Tenants. It’s the best in quite a while, if you ask me.* I’ve had a hard time maintaining a real interest in these lately, and have only persisted because I’ve read so many of them and I’m curious about how Harrison brings the series to a close. The nominal main character, Rachel, did make a radical developmental leap two books back — and while that served as the core of #10, I think it paid off here.

Thankfully.

Since the events at the end of #9, Rachel’s been more proactive, less wishy-washy about her personal life, and generally more interesting than she’d been. This is definitely the best use of her I can remember.

Ivy is still criminally misused and underused. I can’t believe that Harrison still cares about her at all — keeping her “off screen” so much, and then having her do practically nothing meaningful once she shows. Yes, I can see where the groundwork is being laid for a major Ivy storyline, but at this point, I have no confidence that we’ll see it — and if we do? I can’t see it working too well.

Jenks, on the other hand, played an important role throughout — his presence effected the story, he mattered. Not just because I like him better than anyone else in this universe, but the way Harrison uses him is so far superior to any other character, I like him more and more each passing novel. The stuff with his kids, and Belle, while not that important, in the grand scheme of things, grounds the novel and the characters.

Trent continues to grow on me — I was ready for the series to dump him ages ago, but now I really enjoy him. I still think that it’d have made sense, and been a healthier/wiser choice for Ivy and Rachel to have nothing more to do with him after maybe the third book, but that’s clearly not what Harrison wanted, and it’s paying off. Best use of him yet — the way he treats, and wanted to treat Rachel throughout this is so much better than he’s done before — character growth is always good. I wish Rachel got a bit more of it to match him.

Couple of quick character moments before I move on — Bis is such a great addition to the series, and this time we get to meet more gargoyles. I wouldn’t mind a few short stories featuring them (nothing against Anton Strout’s gargoyle series, I should add). I even liked Newt and Al for maybe the first time ever — but I really can’t get into the details there.

The seeds for the plot were planted from the beginning of the series, and were watered consistently — so the payoff here was well-earned, and dealt with correctly. The choices that Quen, Trent and Rachel are forced to make, the actions they take aren’t easy and felt like things people would choose to do, not merely decisions made for the sake of moving the story along (something I don’t think Harrison has consistently done). It’s really the best since, maybe book #4 in that regard.

The last chapter served as a really good epilogue, as well as setting the stage for the future — along with providing a lot of fodder for the various ‘shippers out there (most of this book does that, really). If Harrison’s doing what I think she’s doing here, I will be pleased.

In the end, a pleasant addition to this series, one that exceeded my expectations — can’t ask for much more than that.

* Apparently, I said the same thing after #10, but I don’t remember thinking that.

—–

3.5 Stars

Saturday Miscellany – 10/26

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On October 26, 2013

In Books, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne, News/Misc., Robert B. Parker, Spenser

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth — The concluding volume of the Divergent Trilogy came out this week to much wailing and moaning from fans, apparently. I finished it yesterday and was satisfied — review to come soon.
  • Rags & Bones edited by Tim Pratt and Melissa Marr — the concept behind this is great, an impressive lineup of authors. What’s not to like here? Read The Big Idea entry on it.
  • Silent Night: A Spenser Holiday Novel by Robert B. Parker with Helen Brann — On the one hand, I’d really like to read what it was that Parker was working on at his death, and I’m curious to see how well his editor/someone other than Ace Atkins can do with the Spenser-verse. On the other hand — a Christmas story?!?!?
  • Poe by J. Lincoln Fenn — this one intrigues me — sounds creepy, suspenseful, and really good

Categories: Books, News/Misc.
Tags: Miscellany

Indexing, Episode 12: Bad Apple by Seanan McGuire

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On October 23, 2013

In Fantasy, Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

Now that this serial is over, my plan is to write up my thoughts on this last episode and then in a day or two, write something on the series as a whole. Should prove easier to do, anyway.

—

IndexingIndexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.12

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 12: Bad Apple
Spoiler-y, but not terribly so, words to follow. Use caution.

It almost had to end this way, didn’t it? The focus throughout has been on Henry and Sloane — sure, the rest of the team were used well, but McGuire’s kept our attention on these two. So when most of the Bureau is taken out of commission, obviously they’d be the two least affected. The conclusion isn’t the knock-down, drag-out, epic fighting many might have guessed. Instead, Henry and Sloane simply outsmart their nemesis, using the narrative as only those who spend every waking moment dealing with it could (not that this is violence-free, Sloane does get to strut her stuff a bit).

We also get a little more information on the Snow White fairly tale, and what it can do to a person. Pretty fascinating, although I’m not sure how much was necessary for us. I’ll probably talk more about this in the next post.

A lot of fun — a climax that seemed a bit rushed (I have to keep reminding myself that McGuire has limited space to work with here), but that’s really my only beef.

I’ve gotten used to dipping my toe into this world every couple of weeks, and I’ll miss the world. Glad I got these 12 episodes, though.

Indexing, Episode 11: Scarlet Flowers by Seanan McGuire

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On October 9, 2013

In Fantasy, Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

—-

IndexingIndexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.11

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 11: Scarlet Flowers
I’m honestly not sure what to say about this, practically every reaction I had was so spoiler-y I don’t think I can say anything substantive about it.

Everything about this episode was totally different from what I expected. There were a few scenes with a peaceful, homey, family feeling. Seeing these characters enjoying those moments makes you believe they’d go through all they’re going through for each other. There was the bonus of an unexpected appearance of as long-lost family member.

And then the strange events of the last few paragraphs that led to the cliff-hanger? Really whet my appetite for whatever’s next. Again, nothing here was what I thought I’d see in Episode 11. But it totally worked.

Stonecast by Anton Strout

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On October 3, 2013

In Anton Strout, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

StonecastStonecast

by Anton Strout
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pg.
Ace, 2013

Stonecast was not as fun as it’s predecessor, Alchemystic, but it’s designed to be a that way (still fun, and occasionally funny, however). Lexi’s still trying to figure out how to deal with this new reality she’s found herself in — magic exists, she’s a Spellmason (at least an entry-level and self-taught one) — but now the stakes are higher — her brother and a centuries-old dictator are gunning for her, and have taken her guardian gargoyle captive. She knows that she only has a little while before they’re going to come back to finish what they started last time, and she needs to figure out as much as she can before that so she can defend herself. So where Alchemystic had a feel similar to the hero-discovering-his/her-power montage from recent super-hero movies, Stonecast‘s feel is closer to that of an A-Team or MacGuyver episode where they’ve only got a little time to throw together some way to take down the bad guys.

Spellmasonry isn’t the only supernatural game in town, as we all (including the characters) assumed last time out, and Lexi and her friends get introduced to some of that expanded universe — they meet an alchemist, the representative of an expansive group that studies the supernatural, and see the results of other magic user’s work. Along those lines, Strout also gives us a cameo that points to a whole lot more supernatural activity in their world.

Both of these characters are working off their own agendas, which don’t necessarily line up with Lexi’s, and neither she nor the reader are really ever sure what their angle is. Which leads to something like a two-front war she has to wage — I guess it’s more of a single-front war with a strong possibility that at least another front will open up at any moment. Which is good for dramatic tension, good for the reader, but bad for Lexie.

Stanis, on the other hand, has his hands full — his father (the aforementioned dictator) is trying to bend the gargoyle to his will, and is using methods that the Geneva Conventions would frown on. He’s also dealing with the severing of the bond between himself and the Belarus family, after all this time that’s a difficult transition. By the end of Stonecast, he’ll have even bigger problems to deal with.

The biggest problem with this book is space — it’s just not long enough. We need to see more of the effort that Lexi’s putting into preparation for the return of Kejetan; we need to see more effort that Lexi and her alchemist sensei are putting forth to build up her abilities — and the relationship between the two of them felt too rushed throughout. And thanks to the alchemist, we don’t get nearly enough time with Rory and Marshall this time out — yes, Lexi explains shutting them out for their own protection, so it holds up narratively, but Shaggy without Fred and Daphne just isn’t as fun. I did like Marshall’s development towards the end of this book, but Rory might as well not have been mentioned. We just needed more detail, to see more of the struggles in general.

Still, on the whole, I really enjoy this world, and enjoyed the book — and what’s set up for Spellmason Chronicles #3 has me really looking forward to reading it.

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: Alchemystic by Anton Strout

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On October 3, 2013

In Anton Strout, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Alchemystic (The Spellmason Chronicles, #1)Alchemystic

by Anton Strout
Mass Market Paperback, 290 pg.
Ace, 2012

Yay! Been waiting for this one for too long. Sure, I’d prefer a new Simon Canderous novel, but this makes up for it.

This isn’t a conventional UF–your three human heroes are definitely not run-of-the-mill, which is nice; they’re all likeable, which is nicer. You want to spend time with them, you want them to come out on top, you want the giant, nigh-humorless and nigh-invulnerable, living statue to come to their rescue. Which works out for everyone, because that’s what the statue wants, too.

Stanis, the statue–gargoyle–in question here is a pretty nice character, too. Can’t get into all of it without entering spoiler territory, but for a superhero that gets, but doesn’t totally get, these odd humans, he’s pretty fun.

That’s a good description for the whole book–pretty fun. Not as intense, or dark and brooding, as a lot of UF. But a nice, fun, character-driven read. Good ending that’s not quite a cliff-hanger, but whets the appetite for volume 2.

—–

4 Stars

Anton Strout-Apalooza 2013

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On October 2, 2013

In Anton Strout, Books, Fiction, News/Misc., Urban Fantasy, Writing

I want this blog to be about more than just my reviews, like many readers, I’m interested in the process of writing and the people who do it. So I thought I’d try to look at what various authors are up to. One of the best side-effects of one of your favorite authors coming out with a new book in this social media-heavy age, is them being interviewed and/or writing guest posts for various and sundry blogs.

To promote his new book, Stonecast (which I’ll be reviewing here tomorrow), Anton Strout‘s been just about everywhere over the last couple of weeks, talking about Stonecast as well as sharing his thoughts about Urban Fantasy and writing in general. Thought I’d share a sample, there’s a lot to chew on and enjoy here:

Hopefully that gives you a decent flavor of both the author and the book/series. Check out both The Spellmason Chronicles as well as his Simon Canderous books.

Indexing, Episode 10: Not Sincere by Seanan McGuire

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On October 1, 2013

In Fantasy, Fiction, Indexing, Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy

—-

IndexingIndexing by Seanan McGuire
Series: Indexing, #1.10

Episode 10: Not Sincere
Huh. I’d expected something different for this episode, but I shouldn’t have. I’d expected Henry and her team to go for the Big Bad like gangbusters, that this would be the beginning of a big 2.5 episode face-off. But stories don’t work that way (even when the Narratives have a power unto themselves like in this world), McGuire needed to move some pieces around here and get things set up for the upcoming showdown.

That’s not to say there wasn’t plenty of movement forward in this episode, it just happened while she was moving pieces around — which makes it much more palatable.

I’ve gotta say, The Little Mermaid manifestations described here are pretty bad in general. But this one in particular was pretty disturbing. That poor guy. And I don’t even want to know what’s going to become of his victim (okay, that’s nonsense, that’s Priority One for me next episode).

Watching Henry deal with a. the way Jeff and the others are treating her now as she deals with her new status is pretty interesting, although I have to wonder why she seems to not understand why they think she’d change — she has been in this field for awhile, no? and b. the way the Narrative can possibly affect her now, how she has to retreat from a situation, leaving the others to handle it so she doesn’t succumb to its power was a nice twist.

The conversation between her and Jeff afterwards was just icing on the cake.

I’m digging this series more and more, and will be sad to see the end here in a couple of episodes.

—–

3 Stars

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