There is Life...

So, I am sitting here debating what to do about this blog! I kind of miss updating it, but it has been months since it saw any regular activity and as it stands right now, I don't think anyone that used to blog here is interested anymore. The amazing thing is that I just checked the email and authors are still offering books... Kind of crazy considering how dead this place has been. I haven't read as much fantasy/sci-fi this year as I normally do, but the more I have been thinking about, the more I would like to make it separate from my regular blog.

Are there still people out there that read it? I don't know if I have made any sort of choice, but feel free to comment if anyone actually reads this post. If I knew for sure that I was back on top of my game, I would be all for starting this up again, but I don't want to start it up just to die horribly.

some changes

Hey everyone,

You may not know, but Mailyn and Dance Chica are no longer blogging. Dance Chica has taken down her own blog and Mailyn is using her Imaginary Origin blog as a site for her fanlistings. Kelly, Nath and I are going to be working on things around here, cleaning it up and writing reviews. So hopefully you're still visiting!!

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she'll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life-whether she wants to or not.

The second book I read of 2008 was the latest book by Patricia Briggs. The third book in the Mercedes Thompson series, it was a book that I just had to have and I could not wait to read! In each book, Mercy is the main character, but the book revolves around a different paranormal group each time. This book centred on the Fae community. It makes for an interesting series because we continue to learn more about Mercy and her friends; but we also learn more about the different paranormal groups that may have had characters present in the previous books, but were not centred around. I have always been interested in the Fae community. Before paranormal books were the big industry that they are now, I was a big fan of this particular sub-group. So, now that this sort of literature is very popular, it is nice to see some of the lesser groups being explored.

I love this series, I think I might have mentioned before. The second book was a favourite read of last year and the first book was a favourite read of the year before, so we all know that this book will likely end up on the year end list. I just love Mercedes Thompson's character! She can annoy me, do not get me wrong, but Briggs has created a character that really interests me. I read other paranormal authors and the books do not always have characters that I have any sort of feelings about, but Mercy I do. I genuinely cannot wait until book four to see what happens next, and I will be very sad when this series reaches the end!

Mercy is a favourite stubborn person. This is a characteristic that really plays out in this book. The person that she is out to save, the fae that sold her the garage she is currently running, is in danger, but he does not want her help. She puts herself on the line for him, though, and it makes for an intriguing read. Bad things happen in this book, but good things come out of the bad. The love triangle that is a theme in the previous two books also makes an appearance in this one, so people will want to read it to see just what guy trouble Mercy gets herself into in this book! I was not really surprised, but others might be.

Anyways, the best way to sum this review up is by saying that Patricia Brigg's series is hands down the best series I have read in a while. Of the paranormal nature, anyways. I also love Kelley Armstrong and Colleen Gleason. Those are my top three. With those authors writing, I do not even need to attempt anymore paranormal authors (although, I will, of course), so you know I am in love! In February, I get to read Gleason's new book, I have several books to go to get caught up in Armstrong's series, and Briggs has a new book out in a new series later this year, so I am pretty set for a while.

I strongly recommend Patricia Briggs if you are looking for a new paranormal author to enjoy!

The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet

Prince Amir lives in a lavish and beautiful cage. He lives in a palace with hundreds of his brothers, all barred by law from ever leaving the palace until he, or one of his brothers, becomes the next Sultan. Living under constant threat of death at the hands of his scheming brothers, Amir has chosen a life of solitude and study. His scholarly and alchemical pursuits bring him under suspicion when his brothers begin to die from seemingly supernatural means. Amir finds himself thrown together with his brother Erik, the son of a barbarian princess. Together they must discover the dark secret that is stalking the halls of their golden cage.

This was my first read for 2008. One of the books that I had wanted to read in 2007, I just never found the time for it, so I am happy to start off the year with such a promising talent. The Princes of the Golden Cage was Nathalie Mallet's debut novel, and it was wonderfully written. It is an interesting mesh of fantasy, history, and the modern world that works very well for the novel. While there are supernatural elements to this novel, it could easily be historical fiction. At the core, it is a novel about a young man who, while born to noble blood, is a prisioner. All of his brothers are held in golden cages until their father dies and an heir ascends the throne as the next sultan. There is sword-play, a harem, a sultan who is allowed to take multiple wives, lots of off-spring, and a battle to be the one that is chosen as heir. When you look at it like that, it can almost be something occurred historically.

Amir, the main character, is a bit of a skeptic. When his brothers begin dying by unnatural means, it takes a great deal for him to believe that it might be supernatural. He has no desire to have the throne for himself, so he keeps a low profile so that his other brothers do not look upon him as a threat. He looks after his two 'sick' brothers, but otherwise leads a very solitary existence. Then, he meets Erik. Erik has kept a low profile as well, and until the killings begin and he shows himself to Amir, he was lost in the cages with very few people being aware of who he was. Amir is very untrusting and believes that Erik is a bit too trusting, so it makes for an interesting friendship. They are brothers, but as different as night and day. They really off-set each other in the novel.

I would not say that the book dragged, but it did have a bit of a slow beginning, so I was very surprised when I hit the last hundred pages and found that I was too engrossed in the book to put it down. Other novels that I read have much more action in them, but there was something compelling about this story. There was an air of mystery to it, and I found that I wanted to get to the end to see how it was all going to play out. Some of the surprises I had figured out, but other things that happened at the end surprised me. There were also a few moments where the author almost tricked me into thinking my assumptions were false, before verifying them as the truth. I like that about a novel, as I tend to at least have an idea where a novel is going.

While this book follows mostly male characters, it does have very intriguing women in supporting roles. To be anything else would not have worked for the overall idea of the novel, so it worked well. I think the sequel could very well have the female characters develop more, so I will be interested to see where the story goes next. I was not even aware this was the first book to anything until I got near the end, the book says nothing about being a series or anything, so that was a nice surprise. In the summer, I will be able to see what is going to happen next. I have already added it to my wish list.

I recommend this novel. This also completes book one for the Themed Reading Challenge, as the author is from Canada. I also want to thank Remy for sending me this book! Fatherhood has taken him away from blogland a lot lately, but she is so cute, so who can blame him!

Playing Catch-Up

There will be a few posts covering several books in each post for the next little bit as I try and catch up on all the reviews I did not complete this year!

Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede
Book One in the Cecy and Kate Series

A great deal is happening in London and the country this season.

For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at the Royal College of Wizards. There's also the man who seems to be spying on Cecelia. (Though he's not doing a very good job of it--so just what are his intentions?) And then there's Oliver. Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is.

Clearly, magic is a deadly and dangerous business. And the girls might be in fear for their lives . . . if only they weren't having so much fun!

I had this book on my wish list for quite some time. I usually really like books that are told in diary or letter format, provided I am a bit picky with what I choose. Lots of people said that this was a good book, and it received great reviews on Amazon, but I just did not like it. I could not get involved with the characters and I actually found them annoying at times. The story did not capture me in at all. It was torture to finish this book. I am not sure if maybe it was my mood at the time, or I just am not a fan of this series. It made me sad, though, because it was a book I had looked forward to reading, and it just left me disappointed.

Mirror Universe: Glass Empires by David Mack, Greg Cox, Mike Sussman, and Dayton Ward

There are moments glimpsed only in shadow, where darkness rules and evil incarnate thrives. You hope against hope that in your lifetime, evil is relegated to the shadows. But what if it wasn't?

What if you lived in a universe where your life was measured only by what you could do for the Empire? What would you do to survive? Would you sell your soul to free yourself? If you were offered the chance to rule, would you seize it? If you could free your universe from the darkness but only at the cost of your life, would you pay that price?

Star Trek: Enterprise® She seized power in a heartbeat, daring to place herself against all the overlords of the Empire. Empress Hoshi Sato knows the future that could be; now all she has to do is make sure it never happens. For her to rule, she must hold sway not only over the starship from the future but also over her warlords, the resistance, and her Andorian husband. As quickly and brutally as Hoshi seized power, imperial rule is taken from her. Her only chance to rule again is to ally herself with a lifelong foe, and an alien.

Star Trek® One man can change the future, but does he dare? Spock, intrigued by the vision of another universe's Federation, does what no Vulcan, no emperor, has ever done: seize power in one blinding stroke of mass murder. And at the same instant he gains imperial power, Spock sows the seeds for the Empire's downfall. Is this a form of Vulcan madness, or is it the coolly logical plan of a man who knows the price his universe must pay for its freedom?

Star Trek: The Next Generation® Humanity is a pitiful collection of enslaved, indentured, and abused peoples. No one dares to question the order, except at peril of their lives. One man survives by blinding himself to the misery around him. However, Jean-Luc Picard resists, just once. And in that one instant he unlocks a horror beyond the tyranny of the Alliance. Can a man so beaten down by a lifetime of oppression stop the destruction?

When I decided that it was time I restarted buying Star Trek books, this is one of the first that I picked up. I am not a big fan of short story collections. I read them from time to time, but they are not my favourite thing in the world. That may have affected my response to this book, because while I liked it, I did not love it. One of the minor problems is that I was never a big fan of either The Original Series or Enterprise, so to read books set in those worlds left me trying to remember who was who. I really like books set in the Mirror Universe, though. Those were always some of my favourite episodes because they take everything you know and play around with it. It sorts of makes you wonder if there is a Mirror Universe really and someone sort of like you is leading a very different life. It is interesting to think about. I look forward to reading the next book in the New Year.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Winer of the Hugo and Nebula AwardsIn order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut-young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

It was probably not the best timing when I read this book. I had started it right before Sandy got really sick, so I was finishing it up right around the time she died. This is when my really good reading year sort of slowed down, and I even almost lost interest in reading in the first place. The period in which I read this book does not leave a great impression behind, though. I think it will always be the period that I read it in more than the book that will stick with me. That being said, I was not a huge fan of this book. I have to be frank, I have been noticing a pattern this year. I am just not a big fan of books narrated by children. Sometimes they work for me, but many of the books that I really did not like this year, that was why. Does that mean this was a bad book? Nope. I still intend to read more from Card in the New Year. Will I be able to reread this book in the future and get a different impression of it is anyones guess, but for right now, this book did not capture me like it did so many others.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

What is Un Lun Dun?

It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too–including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. Un Lun Dun is a place where words are alive, a jungle lurks behind the door of an ordinary house, carnivorous giraffes stalk the streets, and a dark cloud dreams of burning the world. It is a city awaiting its hero, whose coming was prophesied long ago, set down for all time in the pages of a talking book.

When twelve-year-old Zanna and her friend Deeba find a secret entrance leading out of London and into this strange city, it seems that the ancient prophecy is coming true at last. But then things begin to go shockingly wrong.

China Mieville has been a fantasy/science fiction author that I have been interested in for quite some time, but this was my first attempt to read him. I liked the cover for this book, and the illustrations were very appealing for the simplistic nature. They added to the story. I received this book when it first came out, but when I tried it the first time it did not interest me. I put it aside for a few months to go back to when the mood was right. When I reattempted a couple months ago, I found that it was actually a fun book.

Un Lun Dun is sort of like the mirror universe to London. When people in London try to get rid of things, Un Lun Dun is where they go. They are in trouble, though, and they are waiting for their saviour to come and make things right. They have a book that has outlined everything that will happen when their saviour arrives, but when Deeba and Zanna find their way over there and appear to be the prophecy coming true, the citizens of Un Lun Dun soon learn that things do not always go the way they are supposed to. These are their adventures to save Un Lun Dun from those that wish to bring about its destruction.

This book is a magical adventure for young readers everywhere. It has its awkward moments where I found that I just wanted to skip ahead, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I think it was a promising first look at China Mieville, and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. The paperback is coming out in January, so it is just in time to purchase it with your Christmas money. I recommend this book for a fun read with illustrations.

To read more about it, head over to Random House, where it is published.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente

A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up Readers

Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us–to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time–a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page….

Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars–each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered “mermaid” to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales–even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente’s enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you’ve come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun….

I was drawn to this book from the first time I saw it. It has a wonderful cover that you cannot help paying attention to. They say not to judge a book by the cover, but sometimes covers are so eye-appealing you want the book just so it can grace your shelf and add some colour. Couple that with the fact that the recycled paper look gives the book a bit more of an older feel, it makes for a wonderful first impression of an author that I have never read before. So, of course, now the true test is whether the book is a decent read or not.

On to the premise. When I read the back of the book I was interested simply by the fact that they are marketing it as "A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up Readers". I am quite fond of novels of the fairy tale variety, so I was interested to see what this book had in store for me. Normally to read a really good fairy tale novel, I tend to have to read young adult books, but this one was marketed for an older audience. And, the style that it was written in is perfect for the type of novel it is. Fairy tales got there beginning as oral tales, with someone remembering all the stories and either passing them on through the family or traveling around and telling tales at towns. It was not until people like the Grimm Brothers that fairy tales were transformed from oral tales to written ones. This novel is written, of course, but one of the main characters is telling the stories to a young prince. Her tales are not written down in a conventional manner, but she was born to know them.

This is the story of a lonely girl who has found herself on the outskirts of civilization. People fear her and generally avoid her, so she spends her childhood being raised by nature in the garden. It is a young boy that befriends her. He believes that since he is a prince he needs to prove his bravery, so he seeks her out. His family is not supportive of his sneaking away, and his sister will do most anything to see him not be able to slip from her sight. He is addicted to the stories, though, and finds many ways to have them continue. She transports him, and thus the reader, to amazing worlds of fantastic creatures and wonderful adventures. It is really two novels in one, so you get the chance to read two novels for the price of one. The best thing about the second book is when pieces left unfinished in the first story found their way into the second.

I loved this book! Catherynne is a fantastic world creator and I cannot wait to read the next book! I ordered it today, actually, as it came out on October 30th. If anyone is looking for a book for Carl's Once Upon a Time challenge next year, I recommend this one!

To learn more about this book head on over to Random House.