Category Archives: Fantasy

Tales from the ER

Emergency room cartoon
Cartoon artist Jeff Parker 2008

A man rushes into the ER and yells … «My wife’s going to have her baby in the cab.» I grabbed my stuff, rushed out to the cab, lifted the lady’s dress and began to take off her underwear. Suddenly, I noticed that there were several cabs … and I was in the wrong one.


At the beginning of my shift I placed a stethoscope of an elderly and slightly deaf female patient’s anterior chest wall.

«Big breaths,»… I instructed.

«Yes, they used to be,» … replied the patient.


One day I had to be the bearer of bad news when I told a wife that her husband had died of a massive myocardial infarct.

Not more than five minutes later, I heard her reporting to the rest of the family that he had died of a «massive internal fart.»


During a patient’s two week follow-up appointment with his cardiologist, he informed me, his doctor, that he was having trouble with one of his medications.

«Which one?» I asked.

«The patch … The nurse told me to put a new one on every six hours and now I’m running out of places to put it!»

I had him quickly undress and discovered what I hoped I wouldn’t see. Yes, the man had over fifty patches on his body! Now, the instructions include removal of the old patch before applying a new one.


While acquainting myself with a new elderly patient, I asked «How long have you been bedridden.»

After a look of complete confusion she answered, «Why not for about twenty years, when my husband was alive.»


I was performing rounds at the hospital one morning and while checking up on a man I asked … «So how’s your breakfast this morning?»

«It’s very good except for the Kentucky Jelly. I can’t seem to get used to the taste.» Bob replied.

I then asked to see the jelly. Bob produced a foil packet labelled «KY Jelly


A nurse was on duty in the Emergency room when a young woman with purple hair styled into a punk rocker mohawk, sporting a variety of tattoos, and wearing strange clothing, entered. It as quickly determined the patient had acute appendicitis, so she was scheduled for immediate surgery. When she was completely disrobed on the operating table, the staff noticed that her pubic hair had been dyed green and above it there was a tattoo that read «Keep off the grass.»

Once the surgery was completed, the surgeon wrote a short note on the patient’s dressing which said «Sorry, had to mow the lawn.»


As a new, young MD doing his residency in OB, I was quite embarrassed when performing female pelvic exams.

To cover my embarrassment I had unconsciously formed a habit of whistling softly. The middle-aged lady upon whom I was performing this exam suddenly burst out laughing, further embarrassing me. I looked up from my work and sheepishly said «I’m sorry. Was I tickling you?»

«No, doctor, but the song your were whistling was «I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener.»»

All of these are probably jokes or urban legends

Keller, Robert E.: The Eye of Divinity (Knights) (2011)

Knights
Cover art by Carolina Mylius

The Eye of Divinity is probably for 10-years and up. The story is a serial as there was no closure at the end of The Eye of Divinity.

You will see from the reviews below that readers had extremely mixed views on the quality of the novel. That is not without reason.

Lannon – our protagonist – is the kind of character that you either get or do not get in my opinion. His family exhibits passive aggressive behavior toward each other and Lannon carries that with him through the novel. Later on in The Eye of Divinity we discover the reason for their reactions toward each other.

In some ways this is a typical coming of age tale. Lannon shows growth and eventually realises that he is the only one who is able to change what he is into a different version of himself. Getting through the growing up years is in some ways a dreadful experience for all of us. Carrying the baggage of a dysfunctional family only makes it worse.

To say that Cordus, Taris and Furlus are disappointed at the quality of the potential Dark Watchman they are bringing back with them to the Tower would be no exaggeration. And, you know, I get why. There is nothing special about Lannon. His personality is wishy-washy and he has no unique talents. In fact, nothing at all points toward his potential knighthood. One reviewer called Lannon a noodle.

I liked The Eye of Divinity. Most of that has to do with Lannon. He was so hopeless, yet every once in a while a tiny glimmer of spine shone through.


Reviews:


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Amazingly simple home remedies (2005?)

ducttape
Tools for life

1. If you are choking on an ice-cube, don’t panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto, the blockage will be almost instantly removed.

  1. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
  2. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.
  3. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
  4. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
  5. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives. Then you will be afraid to cough.
  6. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.

  7. If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem

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p>Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn’t move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn’t move and does, use the duct tape.

I’m seeing the first appearances of this bunch of advice around 2005

Lindskold, Jane: Through Wolf’s Eyes (The Firekeeper Saga) (2001)

Through Wolf's Eyes
Cover by Julie Bell

My daughter and I have now started on the Firekeeper Saga. We had to try a few novels I have on my shelves before she found one that sounded right to her. Through Wolf’s Eyes by Jane Lindskold caught her ear. The deed is now done and I had to begin reading Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart right away.

As you probably understand, my daughter has given her wholehearted approval of the series thus far.

Rumours and stories of children raised by wolves have not been uncommon. In most of them the person found is wild and untamable. Firekeeper is certainly wild when she is discovered by Earl Norwood and his group of merry men. Not quite human, not quite wolf.

In the real world I imagine a child would not have survived living with wolves. To them we are prey and no wonder. But in Jane Lindskold’s world there are Royal Beasts. Royal Beasts are a step up from their cousins (the wolves we know). Several qualities differentiate the two. Royal Beasts are larger, more intelligent and even havea bit of magic. Nor is Firekeeper your regular human. She is able to understand the language of beasts, any beast. Her ability with human talk, however, has been lost to her – due to causes that become apparent as the series continues.

In this novel we get to see human society from the outside, Through Wolf’s Eyes. Human societies make little sense to me. There are strange rules and restrictions (written and unwritten). Sometimes it seems as if some person just said “let’s try this” one day and then that was the new tradition. To one who does not even consider herself a human, human society would seem even stranger. Yet Firekeeper slowly understands that similarities exist between her Royal Wolves and humans.

Lindskold writes pretty well. I felt at times that Through Wolf’s Eyes became a bit wordy and felt my daughter’s attention waver. Then Lindskold would get through the rough patch and off we went again. We struggled with Alistair’s recitation of monarchies – especially when it was impossible to spot a good reason for this. Although the novel is step shy of flowing it still reads well aloud.

Perhaps the reader should not be too young. The complexity of the novel is the only reason I say this. If you like political maneuvering, sub-plots and lots of threads to keep straight, this is the book for you.




Caine, Rachel: The Morganville Vampires (2006-2013) / Weather Warden (2003-2010) / The Revivalist (2011- )

Rachel Caine, or Roxanne Longstreet Conrad as she is known to her friends, is a prolific writer. From what I have read of her writing (Morganville series, one Weather Warden and one The Revivalist) her novels seem to target young adults (not the youngest).

Her books are fun to read and full of murder, mayhem and entertainment. We get all sorts of magic and supernatural creatures. Some of these supernaturals are the baddest baddies while some fight on the side of light and justice for all. There is something a bit soap operaish about the books at times, but for the most part they manage to stay out of that trap. The ones that I have read are from: Weather Warden, The Morganville Vampires and The Revivalist.

THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES (2006 – 2013)

morganville

The Morganville Vampires books are supposed to be appropriate for age 13 and up. My library has fourteen of them while fifteen have been published thus far. According to the Morganville website no. 15 (Daylighters) is supposed to be the last one of the series (for now). I believe I have read through no. 10 (Bite Club).

The Morganville series begins with Glass Houses.While it is an advantage to begin reading with book no. 1 of the series, I would have had no trouble starting at any point as all of the novels have some sort of resolution to their plot. There are threads that leave you somewhat hanging but they are more of the kind that you will find in most series out there. So NOT a serial.

Claire Danvers is our main character through the series. There are others that get to shine along with her, but she is the one we always meet.

What can I say about Claire Danvers? Claire is a brilliant girl. Her IQ gets her into Texas Prarie University at the age of 16. Choosing TPU was a result of having to be closer to her parents. I can understand her parents wanting her to be a close as possible. Being the parent of two boys who have been that age, I probably would have let them go to the offered spot at MIT. Whether my choice would have been different had they been girls is impossible to predict.

So off Claire goes to Morganville. TPU is apparently a typical university town. In it she meets both ends of the spectrum of niceness. Claire gets bullied by the town diva, Monica Morell, and makes friends with the much nicer Eva Rosser. Her friendship with Eva Rosser and the bullying by Morell and her crowd is what brings about Claire’s move into what is known as Glass House.

Glass House belongs to Michael Glass. Michael lives in the house himself and he is hesitant about letting Claire live there. The other tenant, Shane Collins, also worries about having an under-age student living with them. The constellation two boys and two girls might have something to do with that. I found that rather charming and wise of the two guys. I also approved of the choice of letting Claire live with them, especially considering Monica’s influence at TPU. Monica does not have many endearing qualities.

Moving into Glass House brings the reality of Morganville crashing in on Claire. Living in Morganville can be detrimental to one’s health.


WEATHER WARDEN (2003-2010)

Weather warden

The Weather Warden series begins with Ill Wind and ends with Total Eclipse. According to various reviews and Ms. Caine’s own website the Weather warden is meant for an adult audience. I have only read no. 1 (Ill Wind). It is difficult for me to know exactly what differentiates a novel meant for adults or older young adults, so I am going to trust the author on this one. On the link above you can read samples from each of the novels.

Ill Wind introduces Joanne Baldwin a Weather Warden. A Weather Warden is a person who has the power to control one of the elements. In Joanne’s case that is the wind. She is not considered an especially gifted Warden. When we meet her she is on the run from the other Weather Wardens and the Weather Council. The Weather Council wields a lot of influence in society due to its nature. Together with the UN they decide when to and when not to intervene in natural disasters (having to do with wind, fire, water and earth). So, not an organization to have chasing you.

Joanne is, of course, innocent of all charges and that is what Ill Wind is about – proving her innocence and finding the real culprit.

As a mystery, Ill Wind worked for me.


THE REVIVALIST (2011 – …)

The Revivalist

Once again you get to read sample chapters of the novels. The Revivalist is a different kind of zombie novel. As with Weather Warden, I have only read the first of the series, Working Stiff. Like the other two series in this post, The Revivalist is an urban fantasy series. Our main character is Bryn Davies. She is about to change careers – from being in a military supply unit in war to being a funeral director. An unusual choice but work is work.

At first Fairview Mortuary seems like an average funeral home. But there is one huge problem. Her bosses are experimenting on the corpses. Not all of them, but enough for Bryn to discover that there is a problem. It turns out that they are using a drug to resurrect the dead. Bryn enlists the help of the FBI and joins the take-down. During the charge, poor old Bryn ends up being one of the dead. Having no say in the matter herself (being dead and all that) Bryn ends up being one of the resurrected. At this point her options in “life” pretty much become nil. She has to do what she is told or she will not get the daily injection needed for a healthy look.

Basically, Working Stiff is an urban fantasy mystery with a zombie twist.

Graham, R.A.M.: Gwenmere (The House of Mere) (2013)

House of Mere
Cover design by R.A.M. Graham

Gwenmere is another of those gems that just turns up out of the great blue. I believe this is author R.A.M. Graham’s first novel and I hope not the last.

Gwenmere was full of the kind of humour that I love. No belly laughs, but dry, dry wit that tugs at the corners of my mouth again and again. I do not know where Graham is from but am tempted to infer that he/she is from the United Kingdom.

Gwen is an incredibly fun character. Her fracas on the floor with her brother comes to mind. The absolutely priceless image of Captain Faroe opening the door and seeing true sibling hate is delightful. She is the teen-age version of Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes.

Flow, flow, flow. There is nothing better in the world than reading a book that flows all the way through. Graham stirs secrets, fighting, deception and class issues all together into a wonderful stew of words. Beautifully done and something that few authors manage.

Gwenmere seems to attract the seethers. Why that is, no one seems to know. Whether no one actually does not know remains to be seen. Due to the attraction of the seethers to the Royals, Gwenmere’s Crimson Guard, Captain Faroe, seems to be wanted by all of the Royals. Apparently only he is immune to the attention of the incredibly dangerous creatures.

Should you read Gwenmere? Definitely. Especially if you are a fan of dry humour interspersed with action and sibling rivalry in a fantasy world of strange people and creatures.


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EMD Guy’s review


One Woman’s Tale of Woe (2005?)

Hair removal cartoon
Cartoon artist Ian Baker

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal – The epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now…the wax. My night began as any other normal week night. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: “Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet.”

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those “cold wax” kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I’m not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. (“Cold wax,” yeah…right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn’t the best feeling, but it wasn’t too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my vagina and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek  (Yes, it
was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself….RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I’m blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!….OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I’ve only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP!! Everything is swirly and spotted. I think I may pass out…must stay conscious…Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe…OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy – a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There’s no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. CRAP! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake…remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.

DAMN!!!!!!!! I hear the slamming of a cell door. Vagina? Sealed shut!  Butt?? Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself “Please don’t let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!” What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I’ll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

WRONG!!!!!!!

I get in the tub – the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment – I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub…in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn’t melt cold wax. So, now I’m stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cement-epoxied myself to the porcelain!!

God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It’s a very good conversation starter – “So, my butt and who-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!”  There is a slight pause. She doesn’t know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax
is located, “Are we talking cheeks or hole or who-ha?”

She’s laughing out loud by now…I can hear her. I give her the run down and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else’s night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counselling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace….the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!

The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It’s sooo painful, but I really don’t care. ” It works!! IT WORKS!! ” I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair….THE HAIR IS STILL THERE…….ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I’m numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I’m going to try hair color……

The story begins appearing on various blogs and sites around September 2005.

Hunter, S.A.: Scary Mary (2007)

Scary Mary
Cover design by S.A. Hunter

For once I feel as though a novella has been reviewed by its target audience. Scary Mary is intended for a YA readership and most of the links below reflect that. I am definitely nowhere near that age but still enjoyed the tale of young Mary.

Bullying sucks in a major way. There is something about the year after year grinding down of one’s self-image that makes life more challenging than it ought to be for a child/teen-ager. Sure, most children and young adults (well, even adults) experience bullying from time to time, but many years? Being different makes it easy to become a target. Having a disturbing ability would make it even simpler for people to leech on to you.

Including this element in Hunter’s novella about Mary was a plus for me. I also liked that Mary was wounded but not broken by the years of ostracism.

I see that Scary Mary is supposed to be a horror novel. Horror seems a strong word. Mystery with a ghost element seems like a better description. The ghost was mean but didn’t quite tilt over the horror wall. There is the history of the house. That is kind of horrorish.

My favorite part of Scary Mary was the dog. A wonderful twist. Absolutely adorable and an idea for people who struggle with allergies.

Anyways, I had fun reading Scary Mary.



Nilles, Melanie: A Turn of Curses (2008)

A Turn of Curses
Cover art by Melanie Nilles

A Turn of Curses is a novella about 66 pages long. You can get it in a PDF version on the author’s website. With only 66 (or 29 in PDF) pages A Turn of Curses is a short and easy read (unless you are dyslexic).

Selina is an incredibly dedicated healer. In spite of knowing that as soon as one end of her mark touches the other she will die, she keeps on healing all who need it. Would I have this kind of dedication? For the poor she is a gift. A healer willing to heal all regardless of class is unpopular with the priests. As they see it the healing gift should be reserved for the “deserving classes”.

For some reason Faldon, a feyquin (horse shapeshifter) has decided that he needs to stop Selina from reaching her next destination. What we get is a battle of wills.

What did this story give me? Well, as stated above it made me think about how dedicated I would have been myself to helping others? If I knew my life was on the line would I have kept on going? I hope I do not have to find out. Selina’s ability to accept life for what it was impressed me and the ending fit with the story. Sad is just part of life.

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Reviews:


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2008: Honorable mentions in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest

Weber, David: Oath of Swords (War God) (1995)

Oath of Swords
Cover art by Larry Elmore

I have long been a fan of David Weber. By the time I discovered Oath of Swords I had already read most of his science fiction stuff. Weber has a varied writing background of which the War God series is his only venture into the world of fantasy – a good choice for him in my opinion.

Some of the violence in the novel was disturbing to me. This was the part that dealt with Sharna – one of the dark gods. Why this specific kind of violence is especially disturbing to me is difficult to understand. Maybe it has something to do with my religious upbringing? Because, in fact, the violent parts are not worse that a whole lot of other violence that I have read and not been especially bothered by. Just saying.

One reviewer wished Bazhell would have kept on fighting Tormak until the end. I kind of agree with that assessment. Bazhell is a stubborn old hradani and his fighting what the war-god wanted was fun. What the ending would have been like if he had resisted until the end is something only David Weber could know.

Oath of Swords is very much about being the outsider. Bahzell is a hradani hostage at the human court. He is extremely easy to spot – size and all. Like any outsider he is treated as less. But he does have friends at court and also support from some of the gods.

I enjoyed Oath of Swords a lot and have actually read it two or three times.



  • Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Baen; later printing edition (January 1, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671876422
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671876425

Wolfe, Anna: Bitten (The One Rises) (2013)

Bitten
Cover by Jonathan Burkhardt

Anna Wolfe understands the flow. I love it when authors drag me in and I am unable to let go. I finished Bitten and immediately bought Addicted. Upon finishing that I felt annoyed that Wolfe had no more to sell me. Authors should consider doing something about that. Needing to be patient is a bummer.

Callie is a fascinating character. In the prologue we get our first taste of her right after she has gotten her first and last taste of Owen. It is obvious that the girl is struggling with her demon-infection because killing Owen felt soooo much better than Callie wants it to.

Quite literally we are off to a killer start. While the first scene was violent, the rest is not about violence, far from it.

Imagine the relief and terror it must have inspired in Callie to discover that she was not the only demon-bitten person running around in the world. Here you are living life with parents and a brother you love and then – kaboom – you get bitten by a demonridden best friend, watch your brother have his head torn off by that same friend and end up killing that friend yourself. All in a day’s work. In Callie’s case it got her thrown into a psychiatric institution from which she ended up running away from.

Then some other crazies find her and claim they too are infected and somehow those crazies become her family – a slightly dysfunctional family, but Callie is used to dysfunction.

Silas is the one who is in charge. He has the most experience with the demon/witch world. Edie and Mark are his students. All of them have great respect for Callie’s powers but are prepared to kill her if she becomes a danger (their definition of danger). Callie is greatly relieved knowing that. Edie seems afraid of her and Mark cannot decide whether he lusts after Callie.


  • File Size: 355 KB
  • Print Length: 170 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services,  Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00CH2X88A

 

Litteral, Heather: Bite (2011)

Bite
Cover art by Amelia Halgas

Bite seems to be the only novel Heather Litteral has written thus far. It was weird not having a copyright page. Does that mean that Heather Litteral does not have copyright? Perhaps this is a stupid question, but I felt it needed to be addressed – if nothing but for the sake of Litteral’s authorship.

I used to think that having “strange powers” would be cool. It didn’t really matter which, as long as I could be different. Reading fantasy and science fiction has completely changed my mind on that subject. In the case of Skye, she can read minds. I would imagine reading minds could be advantageous at times. If some person is out to get you, wouldn’t it be nice to have warning? But otherwise??? Not so much. Reading minds has saved Skye’s life, but it was the ability to read minds that got her into trouble in the first place. We all think things in our heads that we do not want people to hear. Some people want to hide more than others. When what you are trying to hide is betrayal, then it becomes all the more important to silence the one you fear is a threat.

Skye gets chased from the first page of Bite. She has to try to keep one step ahead of the assassins, but that isn’t an easy matter. Early on she gains the help of a guy she bites, Ryan. Biting him was not something she would normally do as her preferred prey is the scummier sort of citizen.

When Skye decides to stop running and stay in Louisiana where she has finally begun to build a life for herself, she finds herself happy to have Ryan’s assistance. Ryan, too, is glad that Skye is on his side. For some reason his own sister (turned vampire) was murdered and now the murderers are after him.

What happens when you stop running? Well, one thing is that you have to face whatever you are running from. Often people think they have to fight these battles alone, but like Skye sometimes we find that others want to help us. At times that help comes with a price, as in the case of Gabriel, but not always.

Heather Litteral has written a fun novel. There are some vampire cliches but those are difficult to get away from. Litteral has focused more on action and less on romance and that is what I prefer. For a first novel, Bite was excellent.



Skye35 = Heather

Porter, Ronnell: The Pocket Watch (The Trinity Saga) (2009)

The Pocket Watch
Cover art by Ronnell D. Porter

In addition to being an author, Ronnell D. Porter designs covers. Which is why I assume that he is the cover artist for the cover of The Pocket Watch.

The Pocket Watch is definitely a young adult novel. I think I might be getting the hang of what a young adult novel is – maybe.

Imogen Stromholdt is a US teen-ager who like a lot of teenagers thinks that her life is boring, she is boring and her dad is boring. She would really like something exciting to happen in her life. Exciting is overrated. Believe me, it really is!

Eden, Oregon is a regular small town with regular small-town people living in it. In Eden people know each other. When a pallid, eerie boy turns up wherever Imogen goes she feels creeped out, especially when people start turning up dead.

Then Imogen gets what she wishes. Her life becomes exciting. Extremely exciting. A stranger comes to live with Imogen and her father, Lucius Knight takes an interest in her. Fantastical creatures turn out to be real and they aren’t all that fantastic. Then you have Imogen, herself, who turns out to be some other person than she had thought and so does her father. Exciting really isn’t all it is made out to be.

The Pocket Watch is a fun novel. I agree that there are editing problems. It seems editing has become an art that quite a few authors and whoever they use as editors struggle with. Spellers are great, but spellers are not substitutes for a good slicer and dicer. In spite of that, there was plenty of drive to the story. As usual the romantic angle didn’t do much for me, but I imagine there will be quite a lot of readers who enjoy that part.

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Sullivan, Michael J.: The Viscount and the Witch (Riyria Chronicles) (2012)

The Viscount and the Witch
Cover art by

The Viscount and the Witch is a short story set 11 years before the events in The Crown Conspiracy. I have the other novels in the Riyria Chronicles already and enjoyed reading them.

Hadrian and Royce are great characters. Royce is a reluctant good guy while Hadrian is a reluctant bad guy. The whole barn scene with the viscount was hilarious.

Michael J. Sullivan has a fairly laid back style of writing that appeals to my funny-bone. He also keeps up the pace and throws in actions scenes where they are appropriate. Excellent writing and a great world for my taste.



My review of the Riyria Revelations

Rain, J.R.: Moon Dance (A Vampire for Hire) (2009)

Moon Dance
Cover design by Bren at bren@gotchacoveredbydesign.com
Cover credit by: busangane@stock.xchng

Moon Dance is the first novel in the Vampire for Hire series. Vampire for Hire is about Samantha Moon – a PI who used to be an FBI agent. Her career with the FBI ended when she contracted a “rare skin disease” otherwise known as vampirism.

Vampirism in A Vampire for Hire means that you are supersensitive to the sun but you can stay awake during the day. But it is at night that Sam really comes alive. Samantha seems to have good hunches, does not become ill any longer and is able to take on endure more pain than before. Longevity also seems to be one of the qualities Samantha has acquired along with extra strength and speed – if she keeps herself fed. Feeding isn’t Samantha’s favorite time and keeping her kids from finding out that the freezer in the garage contains bags of animal blood is a high priority for her.

In spite of being a PI, Samantha seems kind of clueless about the possibility of a super-natural community at large. Her case concerning the murder attempt on Kingsley Fulcrum opens Samantha’s eyes to just how blind she has been. 

I liked Samantha. She showed an extreme talent for denial, one that I fear is all too common. People’s denial abilities never cease to amaze me, my own included. Like a lot of people she has stuck it out in a marriage she is unhappy in. Understandably, her husband has had issues with the whole “wife becoming a vampire” thing. Sam is afraid of losing her children if they divorce.

The people around Samantha are generally a little (or a lot) afraid of her without knowing exactly why. The few who do know what is going on in her life want to be there for her, but – you know – Vampires. Huge life-changes can do that to the people around us. Just ask any one who has contracted cancer.

Moon Dance is the kind of novel that leaves me undecided as to how I feel about it. I liked it. I mean, it was free – what’s not to like about that? It’s just that every once in a while I would shake my head at the sillyness (or maybe clicheness works better) of the story. On the other hand there were some really great scenes – like Samantha’s evening jog. So, good but not great.

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