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figure i'll buy myself one when I get my tooth (crown) paid off.
for my 6th read for RIP i've picked up Anna Dressed in Blood by Kedare Blake
this book is listed as a TOR Teen imprint and while i've seen some fussing in other reviews about it being published as a teen book, I had no problem with this placement. I'm a firm believer that older teens are doing/reading/experiencing things that their parents are in deep denial over. Lord knows I got away with a LOT of stuff when I was that age that my parents STILL don't know about 30 years later...
The dust jacket descriptor copy reads, "This city smells like smoke and things that rot in the summer. It's more haunted tahn I thought it would be, an entire layer of activity just under the dirt; whispers behind peoples' laughter or movement that you shouldn't see in the corner of your eye. Most of them are harmless - sad little cold spots or groans in the dark. Blurry patches of white that only show up in a Polaroid. I have no business with them.
But somewhere out there is one that matters. Somewhere out there is the one that I came for, one who is strong enough to squeeze the breath out of living throats.
I think of her again. Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. I wonder what tricks she'll try. I wonder if she'll be clever. Will she float? Will she laugh or scream?
How will she try to kill me?"
Theseus Cassio Lowood (he prefers Cas) kills ghosts. He follows in his fathers' footsteps and those of his father before. Using the athame that he inherited upon his fathers death. This is a family tradition. Cas' father was killed by a ghost and he fully believes he will die that way also, but, not before he destroys the spirit that killed his father in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. Cas and his mother move around, from town to town, relocating to where the spirits strong enough and angry enough to have a detrimental effect on the normal, waking world are located and staying there til the job is done. His mother is a skilled herbalist and white witch, selling candles and spell components online and their cat Tybalt is good at sniffing out and alerting to lingering spirits.
And now Cas and his mom have relocated to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada in search of the spirit of Anna Korlov, Anna Dressed in Blood in local lore. A teenage killed in 1958 when her throat was slit ear-to-ear in the white dress she had made to go to the school dance in. Anna is said to kill anyone who steps foot into the victorian rambler that was her home in life. Cas settles into the new community and zones in on the Queen Bee of his new high school Carmel, in hopes of getting in good with the clique and learning more about Anna. This works so well that within his first few days of school he's taken to Anna's house, knocked over the head by Carmel's jealous jock ex-boyfriend and tossed in to regain conciousness at the feet of the very spirit he's searching for. But for some reason Anna spares him and instead murders the jock. Carmel and the jocks best friends have fled in terror leaving Cas at Anna's mercy.
Cas now has to deal with the aftermath of civilians getting involved in a hunt. He can't keep Carmel and Mike's two friends out of it. Nor, Thomas, the psychic school outcast that pulled him from Anna's house. He's getting more and more involved with the people that he normally tries to avoid getting close to. And he's getting increasingly intrigued by Anna. She's remarkably powerful and aware for a ghost.
I really enjoyed this book, so much that it was pretty much read in one night. The dustcover artwork perfectly captures the tone and flavor of the story without giving much away. The book itself is printed in a dusty blood red ink that lends a nice touch. The story seemingly has HEAVY influences from the CW TV show Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but is original enough to keep one's attention. I'm hoping that she continues this storyline. While this book is neatly wrapped up and stands alone, she left enough wiggle room for further adventures to take place in Cas' world if she cares to revisit.
Beekeeping for Beginners goes back to the very beginning of Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series of novels The Beekeeper's Apprentice and shows those singular moments in Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell's early aquaintance from Holmes perspective.
The opening chapter begins, "Any reasonable man may reach a point in his life where self-destruction becomes a door worthy of consideration. A point at which it seems that the least a walking anachronism can do for the world is to remove himself from cluttering the landscape." So Holmes sets off from his Sussex cottage in search of a wild hive of bees to bolster his apiary with a rucksack containing two vials of paint for that purpose and one of poison with which to complete a nice tidy little suicide.
Thankfully his plans are foibled by a rude village lad almost stepping on him walking the downs while immersed in the depths of a book. Imagine Holmes surprise when the "lad" turns out to be a young lady with a mind that shows promise to be as sharp as his own...with some training. Holmes decides his suicide can wait, there are more interesting things afoot now. Such as training an apprentice and the fact that young Ms. Russell's guardian Aunt and/or Nephew seems to be trying to murder Russell for her fortune before her will can be finalized.
I quite enjoyed this novella. I have always adored the Mary Russell series and was overjoyed to find that she was writing a prequel of sorts from Holmes point of view. This was an engaging look at the interior workings of the great detectives mind during this most crucial set of events. His dissatisfaction with his enforced retirement, and the grey days of tedium on his mind due to this, the beginnings of the Great War and the beginnings of his relationship with a most extraordinary young woman that would end up changing his life for the better. I highly recommend it to all and would cheerfully shell out the money if Ms. King decides to revisit yet more of the early novels from Holmes point of view.
5 out of 5 rating.
for my fourth R.I.P. read i've switched over to Sherlock Holmes.
"Rendezvous at the Populaire" by Kate Workman is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche where Holmes is called to Paris by the managers of the Opera Populaire to deal with a minor problem they're having that goes by the name of Opera Ghost. Yes, it is a Sherlock Holmes/Phantom of the Opera crossover.
In this 'verse The Final Problem seems to have never occurred. Moriarty is still at large and Holmes is critically injured while attempting to corner the good Professor. When he recovers he declares himself no longer fit to solve crimes in London, he will retire. Dr. Watson is worried that Holmes will relapse into drug use and is keeping a close eye on him, when they receive a letter from the managers André and Firman of the Opera Populaire in Paris entreating Holmes to come and solve their problem with the Phantom.
I had problems with this story from the start. When Holmes is injured in the first chapter I found it highly unlikely that Dr. Watson would have been toting around his medical bag on a stakeout and chase, i've got one of those old leather medical bags and they're not light... Then there was the fact that Watson seemingly abandons his wife for about 6 months or so to take care of Holmes and then follow him to Paris to assist him with the case. I know she's obviously well aware of Watson's fondness and admiration for Holmes but that seems a little much, maybe it's a Victorian thing. Also the statement that the Phantoms lair is 4 miles beneath the Paris Opera house.
My biggest complaint with the story is that it is like a giant compilation of House, M.D. (Holmes suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh and is now crippled amazingly similiarly to Gregory House), and practically verbatim, word for word Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the Phantom of the Opera, a compilation of the movie and the theatre production. Sherlock Holmes is just placed into the story. It's basically just a published fanfiction.
That said, there are moments when the story shines, Holmes is genuinely fascinated by Erik, and attempts to divert him from his obssession with Christine Daae. He feels that he and Erik are both misunderstood geniuses and seems to be able to relate to Erik. He admires both his musical genius and architectural accomplishments and the reasons that Erik has presented for his murders of the stagehand Buquet and the bumbling Piangi. Failing in his attempts to disuade Erik from his path he offers an alternative, to come with him to London and be his partner. They are kindred souls, both crippled, but in ways that they could compliment each other. Erik refuses and the rest of the story plays out as the opera, Christine and Raoul fleeing across the lake, Holmes and Watson exiting from a hidden pathway and Erik waiting for the mob to finish him.
Months later, Watson checks on Holmes at 221B Baker Street and is pleased to find his compatriot seemly throwing off the black depression that descended upon him after the fiasco in Paris. It seems that Holmes has received a missive from Erik, he hid from the mob and has decided to accept Holmes invitation to join him in London. He will arrive on the morrow...
Even with my problems with this story I am intrigued enough that I mean to pick up the sequel volume "I Will Find an Answer" due out in November. This story promises to introduce both Erik and Holmes to the small problem of one Dr. Henry Jeckyll.
Amazon.com Review
Just as 200,000 fans are pouring into town for Race Week, a body is found in a barrel of asphalt next to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The next day, a NASCAR crew member comes to Temperance Brennan’s office at the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner to share a devastating story. Twelve years earlier, Wayne Gamble’s sister, Cindi, then a high school senior and aspiring racer, disappeared along with her boyfriend, Cale Lovette. Lovette kept company with a group of right-wing extremists known as the Patriot Posse. Could the body be Cindi’s? Or Cale’s?
At the time of their disappearance, the FBI joined the investigation, only to terminate it weeks later. Was there a cover-up? As Tempe juggles multiple theories, the discovery of a strange, deadly substance in the barrel alongside the body throws everything into question. Then an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes missing during Race Week. Tempe can’t overlook the coincidence. Was this man using his lab chemicals for murder? Or is the explanation even more sinister? What other secrets lurk behind the festive veneer of Race Week?
A turbocharged story of secrets and murder unfolds in this, the fourteenth thrilling novel in Reichs’s “cleverly plotted and expertly maintained series” (The New York Times Book Review). With the smash hit Bones about to enter its seventh season and in full syndication—and her most recent novel, Spider Bones,an instant New York Times bestseller—Kathy Reichs is at the top of her game.
Well what can I say? I picked this one up at the library thinking my Mom would read it. She passed on it and gave it to Dad, he read about 3 pages and gave it back to me. Personally, I enjoyed the heck out of it. Considering that I hit the middle of the book at about 8 o'clock last night and stayed up to finish it on a work night says a lot about Kathy Reich's ability to pile on the suspense once she hits her stride.
Factors in my enjoyment of this book. I'm a NASCAR enthusiast and have actually attended a Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and then got dragged around to all the surrounding towns and the individual race-teams shops. So, the setting was quite familiar and I could easily visualize the places and area and things Ms. Reichs was telling her story about, which added to my enjoyment. There was her usual level of detail with the scientific areas, (look ma! I learned about locally grown poisons! seeing as you've got a castor bean behind the barn) and there were enough red herrings and dead ends that I didn't figure out who dunnit til about 3/4's of the way thru the book. On the downside, I did figure out whodunnit pretty quickly after that characters introduction into the storyline.
All in all, while I enjoy the TV version of Tempe more, mainly because of her borderline-Asperger's and relationship with Booth and the squints, (which is a totally different universe & characters than the books Temperance Brennan). The literary Temperance is a more accessible character than the tv version. This Temperance has an ex-husband, a string of off-again, on-again suitors, a house, a cat and generally a life that is easier to relate to.
While not a novel that's going to set the world on fire or make a difference in anyone's life. Flash and Bones was a fun romp around a sport and landscape that I enjoy immensely and to make everything bright and shiny, at the end of the story Mark Martin wins the Coca-Cola 600!
what can I say? I'm an Arkansas girl and Mark Martin is my favorite driver! When I attended the Coca-Cola 600 Jimmy Johnson won. I prefer Tempe's race ending to the one I attended, even tho mine had MUCH better weather. :D
From Amazon: When two nineteenth-century Oxford students -- Victor Frankenstein, a serious researcher, and the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley -- form an unlikely friendship, the result is a tour de force that could only come from one of the world's most accomplished and prolific authors.
This haunting and atmospheric novel opens with a heated discussion, as Shelley challenges the conventionally religious Frankenstein to consider his atheistic notions of creation and life. Afterward, these concepts become an obsession for the young scientist. As Victor begins conducting anatomical experiments to reanimate the dead, he at first uses corpses supplied by the coroner. But these specimens prove imperfect for Victor's purposes. Moving his makeshift laboratory to a deserted pottery factory in Limehouse, he makes contact with the Doomsday men -- the resurrectionists -- whose grisly methods put Frankenstein in great danger as he works feverishly to bring life to the terrifying creature that will bear his name for eternity.
Filled with literary lights of the day such as Bysshe Shelley, Godwin, Lord Byron, and Mary Shelley herself, and penned in period-perfect prose, The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein is sure to become a classic of the twenty-first century.
For my second read of R.I.P. I continue with the Frankenstein theme, with "The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein" by Peter Ackroyd. This was a book filled with dense literary prose as befits the presence of both Percy Bysshe Shelly and later on Lord Byron. It is also densely populated with esoterica from the period, off-hand references to places, people and things that i'm sure upon closer perusal *and a generous use of Google* would add even greater depth to the story.
The actual interaction between Shelly & Frankenstein is not as dramatic as one would think from the summary. Yes, he is in or mentioned in much of the book, but he seems to drift in and out of Frankensteins life in a random way. He introduces Victor to high thoughts and morals and then loses interest in them himself and drifts on to something else that has caught his attention like a butterfly.
Victor himself is full of drive, ambition and fancy. He wishes to study the electrical force that he believes is shared by all living things and is the very driving force of life. Raised in the mountains of Switzerland by Lake Geneva he roams the mountain and exults in the lightning storms and the charged air left behind. He believes that this is the very essence of life and is determined to find a way to replicate it himself. Upon convincing his father that he 'has' to go to Oxford, England to continue his studies he meets Shelly and follows him encountering ways of atheistic thought alien to his deeply religious upbringing.
Upon the untimely death of his sister from consumption and then his father soon after from heartbreak. Victor finds himself sole heir to a rather extensive fortune and returns to London even more driven to replicate and reintroduce life to dead flesh. He believes that this creation will be the perfect human, enlightened of thought and character. But, upon the success of his ultimate experiment he is seized with dread and flees the seemingly unholy thing he has created. The creature dives into the Thames and swims towards the sea and Victor hopes that will be the last he sees of him. He is ultimately wrong as the creature begins to gain access to memories of his past being and seeks Victor out.
The books rolls along quite rapidly once the Creature is introduced about midway and the interplay between Victor and the Creature are well worth the read, touching upon responsiblility, religion, life and death and ultimately Victor's sanity.
The ending was shocking in that I never saw it coming.
I'd give it a 3 out of 5 rating. The premise is very good, somewhat rambling in the beginning but with a wealth of period detail and populated by people both famous and infamous. On the negative side it 'is' densely written and the early sections drag along with Shelly's whims. I'm going to make a list of people mentioned in the book and Google them just out of curiosity.
for my first read of the new
I've chosen the screenplay by Nick Dear of Frankenstein for the National Theatre in London. The play was first presented on February 5th, 2011, and had Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller trading off nightly playing both the creature and Victor on alternating nights. I've been told that they both brought a different slant to each, with Benedict's creature being more violent and hostile and his Victor being driven by his need to know how & why things are as they are; and Jonny's creature being more playful and childlike with his Victor being withdrawn and introspective. Hopefully the NT will release the broadcast on DVD one day so that everyone that wishes can experience it!
This is the first book i've read on Kindle for the Ipod and it was an amazingly easy thing to do. Seeing as how it's a play it's short only 96 pages, so that probably helped. I would have dearly loved to have been able to go to London and see this live. The next best thing would have been the NTLive broadcasts held in selected theatres, unfortunately the closest theatre showing the broadcast was in either Tulsa, OK or St. Louis, MO; both of which are at least 8-9 hours away. So, I settled for the screenplay.
From Amazon's Summary: "Urgent concerns of scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development and the nature of good and evil are embedded within this thrilling and deeply disturbing classic gothic tale. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", adapted for the stage by Nick Dear, premiered at the National Theatre, London, in February 2011."
It was a quick, mostly enjoyable read. There are certain flaws in the play itself that are excerbated in print. Frankenstein's father in particular and how he just pops up and bombasts around in unlikely places.
The pathos of the creature, born alone, confused, mishapen, fully formed but with the reflexes and mindset of an infant is fully realized in the first act. He's like a colt, staggering around learning how to handle his limbs and gawping in awe at the world around him. Then Victor Frankenstein appears, seemly unaware that his experiment has come to fruition. He is appalled at his creation and flees, leaving the creature alone naked and confused, to face the world with only one possession, Victor's journal.
Needless to say he's not well received by the inhabitants of Ingolsadt, which is the town where Victor conducted his great experiment. The creature flees into the wilderness, where he is driven away by the inhabitants of whatever town, croft or village he approaches before coming into contact with the blind old man De Lacey following the sound of his music to his home and befriending him. De Lacey teaches him how to speak, read and write over the course of a year, and promises him that he will be welcomed by his son & daughter-in-law when they return home. But, he is driven away when they return and in rage and anger he sets fire to the cottage killing all within.
He sets off to find his creator, Victor Frankenstein with the help of the journal which De Lacey taught him to read. The creature has questions that he wishes answered...
The play moves along quickly and drives home exactly how much Creature and Creator are bound in a never-ending loop. Alternately fascinated and despising each other they circle in orbit destroying everything that the other loves. Victor aspires to be a god and the creature only wishes to be loved and accepted by his creator. It's quite good at showing how driven Victor is: cold, calculating and scientific, observing the world only as something to be conquered...and the creature, emotional, intelligent, and desperately wanting to find a place or person where he will be accepted. Only to kill the one person that accepted him unreservedly for the miracle that he is, in order to spite Victor.
Makes me want to revisit the original novel by Mary Shelley and see what is the same, different, expanded upon and discarded.
Books I've actually read are Bold.
Books I own but haven't read yet are Italics.
The 10 Books/series I voted for are Bold/Underlined.
The Acts Of Caine Series, by Matthew Woodring Stover
The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks
Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers
Armor, by John Steakley
The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson
Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard
Beggars In Spain, by Nancy Kress
The Belgariad, by David Eddings
The Black Company Series, by Glen Cook
The Black Jewels Series, by Anne Bishop
The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Bridge Of Birds, by Barry Hughart
The Callahan’s Series, by Spider Robinson
A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
The Cat Who Walked Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein
Cat’s Cradle , by Kurt Vonnegut
The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
The Change Series, by S.M. Stirling
Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Children Of God, by Mary Doria Russell
The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The City And The City, by China Mieville
City And The Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
The Coldfire Trilogy, by C.S. Friedman
The Commonwealth Saga, by Peter F. Hamilton
The Company Wars, by C.J. Cherryh
The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard*
Contact, by Carl Sagan
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
The Day of Triffids, by John Wyndham
Deathbird Stories, by Harlan Ellison
The Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy, by Elizabeth Moon
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
The Deverry Cycle, by Katharine Kerr
Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany
The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
The Difference Engine, by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
Don’t Bite The Sun, by Tanith Lee
Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
Dreamsnake, by Vonda McIntyre
The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert*
Earth, by David Brin
Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart
The Eisenhorn Omnibus, by Dan Abnett
The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Eon, by Greg Bear
The Eyes Of The Dragon, by Stephen King
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
The Faded Sun Trilogy, by C.J. Cherryh
Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser Series, by Fritz Leiber*
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
The Female Man, by Joanna Russ
The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
The First Law Trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie
Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
The Foreigner Series, by C.J. Cherryh
The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
The Gaea Trilogy, by John Varley
The Gap Series, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The Gate To Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
The Gormenghast Triology, by Mervyn Peake
Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper
Gravity’s Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World, by Haruki Murakami
The Heechee Saga, by Frederik Pohl
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
The Hollows Series, by Kim Harrison
House Of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski
The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
The Incarnations Of Immortality Series, by Piers Anthony
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
Kindred, by Octavia Butler
The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss*
Kraken, by China Mieville
The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Last Call, by Tim Powers
The Last Coin, by James P. Blaylock
The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey
The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
The Lathe Of Heaven, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
The Lensman Series, by E.E. Smith
The Liaden Universe Series, by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
The Lies Of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
Lilith’s Brood, by Octavia Butler
Little, Big, by John Crowley
The Liveship Traders Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
Lord Of Light, by Roger Zelazny
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord Valentine’s Castle, by Robert Silverberg
Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
The Man In The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick
The Manifold Trilogy, by Stephen Baxter
The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Memory And Dream, by Charles de Lint
Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn Trilogy, by Tad Williams
Mindkiller, by Spider Robinson
The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
Mordant’s Need, by Stephen Donaldson
More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon
The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov
The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy, by Robert J. Sawyer
Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
The Newsflesh Triology, by Mira Grant
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton
Novels Of The Company, by Kage Baker
Norstrilia, by Cordwainer Smith
The Number Of The Beast, by Robert Heinlein
Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
On Basilisk Station, by David Weber
The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
Oryx And Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Otherland Tetralogy, by Tad Williams
The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
Parable Of The Sower, by Octavia Butler
The Passage, by Justin Cronin
Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson
Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
The Pride Of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh
The Prince Of Nothing Trilogy, by R. Scott Bakker
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
Rainbows End, by Vernor Vinge
Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Replay, by Ken Grimwood
Revelation Space, by Alistair Reynolds
Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban
The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
Ringworld, by Larry Niven
The Riverworld Series, by Philip Jose Farmer
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
The Saga Of Pliocene Exile, by Julian May
The Saga Of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
The Sarantine Mosaic Series, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
The Scar, by China Mieville
The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
The Shattered Chain Trilogy, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Sirens Of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem
Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
Song for the Basilisk, by Patricia McKillip
A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin*
The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
The Stainless Steel Rat Books, by Harry Harrison
Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner
The Stand, by Stephen King
Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Stations Of The Tide, by Michael Swanwick
Steel Beach, by John Varley
Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
The Swordspoint Trilogy, by Ellen Kushner
The Tales of Alvin Maker, by Orson Scott Card
The Temeraire Series, by Naomi Novik
The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
Tigana , by Guy Gavriel Kay
Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein
The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
To Say Nothing Of The Dog, by Connie Willis
The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell
Ubik, by Philip K. Dick
The Uplift Saga, by David Brin
The Valdemar Series, by Mercedes Lackey
VALIS, by Philip K. Dick
Venus On The Half-Shell, by Kilgore Trout/Philip Jose Farmer
The Vlad Taltos Series, by Steven Brust
The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Vurt Trilogy, by Jeff Noon
The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson*
Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan+
When Gravity Fails, by George Alec Effinger
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi
World War Z, by Max Brooks
The Worm Ouroboros, by E.R. Edison
The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon
1632, by Eric Flint
1984, by George Orwell
2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
and that's my damage on this list, there are probably several others that I own that i've forgotten about. :D
Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht.
This is a first novel for Stina Leicht and i'm looking forward to more from this aspiring young novelist. From the flyleaf:
Fallen angels and The Fey clash against the backdrop of Irish/English conflicts of the 1970's in this stunning debut novel by Stina Leicht.
Liam never knew who his father was. The town of Derry had always assumed that Liam was the bastard of a Protestant. Liam's mother never spoke of the man, so Liam had assumed him dead.
When the war between the Fey and the Fallen begins to heat up, Liam and the woman he loves are pulled into a conflict invisible to most humans - a conflict in which Liam's father fights on the front lines. This centuries-old batle between supernatural forces seems to mirror the political divisions in 1970's-era Ireland, and Liam is thrown headlong into both conflicts.
Only the direct intervention of Liam's father and a secret Catholic order dedicated to fighting the Fallen can save Liam from the mundane and supernatural forces around him, and from the darkness that lurks within.
I vaguely remember the goings on in Ireland in the 70's. Being a world away, in my early teens, and not particularly religious it was a distant and sad thing that I really didn't understand. Now many years later this novel brings some of the terrible things that were going on into a much sharper focus. Liam has been brought up Catholic and tries his best to stay out of the rivalries and disputes going on all around him, but, is inexorably drawn into the fray between the IRA and the BA's (British Army). He knows he's always been looked at askance by the people he grew up with... he's an outcast within his own family. But, it's not until he's thrown into the prison of Long Kesh after being picked up as a dissident that just 'how' different he really is begins to come to light.
The early portions of the novel focus more on the dissent between the religious factions of Northern Ireland and it is only as the book progresses that the supernatural elements are brought in. I found it fascinating that the native Fey of the Irish isles were warring against the interlopers (in their eyes) the Fallen angels brought to their island by the Catholics and the Protestants. While the novel is quite good at laying the groundwork for this shared universe it doesn't actually let you know 'why' the war is ongoing, or what caused it, (other than just an assumption of natives fighting of invaders into thier lands.) The role of the Catholic church in this war is also quite interesting. Father Michael, Liam's priest is quite an interesting character in his own right and waging his own battles.
Would like to see more from this author, expanding upon the ideas and pasts hinted at in the book. It seems to be very extensively researched and captures the feeling of helplessness that i'm sure the Irish common folk felt for what was taking place around them during the conflicts.
I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.
It's very atmospheric and captures the stresses of the times in Ireland. The supernatural elements are well thought out, (but) I felt some things are never adequately explained, and the ending seemed rushed. The ultimate confrontation between Liam's father and the fallen was unsatisfying and I would have liked to have known more of what was actually going on, on the supernatural side of the book.
oh, I see that the challenge is ongoing until June 20th, NOT ending June 1st like I had in my head for some reason, so... I've got no excuse not to attempt to tackle a few more of the books still on my list! :D
and straying from my posted list yet again here I present Books One and Two of the Nightside series from Simon R. Green. (I totally blame this on the library where I checked out the latest book of the series and then remembered that i'm about 6 behind. What to do? start re-reading!)
In this first volume we're introduced to John Taylor a somewhat seedy, down at his heels private eye fallen on hard times. He's approached by a rich woman to find her run-away, yet-again daughter. He discovers that she's made her way to The Nightside; a one square mile hidden heart of London where it's always 3 a.m. and the denizens of dream & nightmare make their home. Taylor had fled to our world five years previously and had no intention of returning. But, in true P.I. Noir style he's flat broke and can't resist a beautiful woman.
In his own words: "My name is John Taylor. I've made that a name to be respected and feared, but it's also made me a target my whole life.
I operate as a private eye, in a world where gods and monsters are real. The Nightside: the sick, secret magical heart of London. A place where dreams come true, whether you want them to or not. It's not easy to find a way in, and it can be even harder to find a way out.
I can find anything, solve any mystery. Except the answers to the dark and deadly secrets of my own past.
My name is John Taylor. And if you've come looking for me, either you're in trouble, or you're about to be."
Turns out Taylor is more than he appears. He has an inborn gift, a capacity to find anything, small or large, no matter how well it's hidden and he's not that bad a detective either on those occassions where it's too dangerous to use his gift.
All books are narrated by Taylor and most contain an ever-shifting array of characters that populate the Nightside: Walker, The Voice of the Authorities, the shadowy group that run the Nightside. Razor Eddie, Punk God of the Straight Razor and very, very bad man that had an epiphany and an encounter with beings that have made him immortal and now he's atoning for his sins by dispatching those that he feels deserve it enthusiastically with a pearl-handled straight razor. Suzie Shooter or Shot-gun Suzie; a leather-clad amazon with a dark past and an affinity for guns and mayhem. Strangefellows Pub the oldest bar in existence who's bartender Alex Morrisey is bound by a blood geas to the bar until he can find another blood relative willing to take it over. Unfortunately he's the last of his line, descended from Merlin Satanspawn who's buried somewhere in-under the wine cellar but still manifests occasionally and scares the crap out of everybody. These are just a few of the characters, they are various and sundry and all damaged in some way.
Taylor himself is something of an enigma. His father drank himself to death and he has no idea who his mother was or what happened to her. All he knows is that shadowy forces have been trying to kill him his entire life.
He strikes me very much like John Constantine from the DC/Vertigo imprint Hellblazer. You never know if he's actually as powerful as everyone thinks or if he's just a very good conman.
Simon Green loves a good description and he describes the Nightside down to the nitty-gritty details...repeatedly... The books are all fairly quick reads, usually all taking place in one night, however long that my be in a world where it's always 3 a.m.
In book two; Agents of Light and Darkness, John has decided to stay in the Nightside and try to find out just what or who his mother was. Walker throws him jobs occasionally that can use Taylor's special gift to solve, and if he fails he can't be connected back to Walker. While working one of these jobs, along the way he's approached by an undercover agent for the Vatican, Jude to recover the Unholy Grail, the cup that Judas drank from at the last supper. It has the ultimate power to corrupt and Angels from Above and Below have invaded the Nightside looking for it. Everybody wants the grail and it's up to John to locate it and get it out of the Nightside before all the warring factions destroy everyone and everything and bring about the Apocalypse early
As usual no-one is what they seem, friends are also enemies and things are gonna get ugly before it's all said and done.
