Category Archives: Fantasy

Bunn, Christopher: The Wicked Day (The Tormay Trilogy) (2011)

2013-03-16 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

The Wicked Day is Christopher Bunn‘s conclusion to The Tormay Trilogy. As this trilogy is a serial it would be wise to read The Hawk and His Boy first, then The Shadow at the Gate and finally The Wicked Day.

There are times when I find myself wholeheartedly able to recommend books for children. There are a couple of criteria I feel they need to fulfill. Violence and love stories have to be within certain parameters. Morals and ethics should be discussed without the discussion being obvious. (I like that in adult novels as well) Preachy authors are a pain. The flow of the written language should be such that I like the feel of reading to a child. I realise not every person in the world understands what I mean by that, but I would assume that a fellow autistically traited person would. It is all about word-texture.

Bunn fulfills all of these criteria in his Tormay Trilogy. The plot itself is pretty basic – light battles darkness/light almost loses/light prevails. I guess when life is boiled down to its most basic ingredients, life for humans is pretty much about the battle between light and darkness. One of the things I liked about this trilogy is Bunn letting us see that a person can contain both light and dark. We are not wholly one or the other.

Bunn’s characters are likeable. The story of Jute and his companions is continued. Not everything that happens in the novel is happy but there is an ending that brings the story to a conclusion. I have enjoyed my experience with the world of Christopher Bunn.

Adventure, Fantasy

McMillin, Dean C.: Shadewright (Shadewright Cycle) (2012)

2013-03-15 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

What an excellent beginning Shadewright is to the Shadewright Cycle. I liked it enough to buy book two of the serial (Shadowslave). Shadewright is also my introduction to the writing of Dean McMillin.

I suspected I was reading steampunk as I got a ways into the novel. Machines that enabled lightning magic turned up. I could be wrong.

I loved McMillin’s writing. It has all the elements I like. Most of all it flows. I love it when that happens. Somehow the author manages to get through to me and we have fun together.

In the world of Phantist there are shadewrights (Phantist is one), arcwrights (Arick is one), flowmen, and bloodwrights.

Shadewrights manipulate shadows. Arcwrights manipulate the electricity in the air. Bloodwrights are flowmen who are able to affect the very nature of living species. Flowmen heal and kill with their power. There are probably other types of Wrights, but these were the only ones that were in Shadewright.

Phantist is a shadewright who is born an orphan. There are plenty of those in the world. He is a greyskin – which means that his skin, hair and eyes are grey. Greyskins are sensitive to light, but have an inborn ability to manipulate shadow (some better than others). Since Phantist is our protaganist, he is bound to end up being good at shadowmastering.

On his journey to fulfill his destiny Phantist is thrown into life-threatening situations. The action is well-written. Dean keeps his writing tight and does not fall for the temptation to embroider into infinity. I imagine he has had to edit quite a bit to get this feeling accross to me.

The people Phantist meets on his journey vary from helpers and goodies to side-kicks and baddies. Most of them are a bit insane but insane in an interesting way. Crazy is good.

I liked the world of the Shadewright. I hope I enjoy Shadowslave as much.

Dean Chalmers: Power of Shadow (Earth, Blood & Shadow I)

Adventure, Children, Fantasy

Bunn, Christopher: The Shadow at the Gate (The Tormay Trilogy) (2010)

2013-03-11 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover art by Alexey Aparin

Once again Christopher Bunn manages to catch my interest with his characters in The Tormay Trilogy. In The Shadow at the Gate the battle between dark and light continues. As this is a serial, you will have to read The Hawk and His Boy first to make sense of the story. Ronan and Jute had their incident during a break-in in The Hawk and His Boy. Unexpectedly, the robbery goes awry for both Ronan and Jute. The intention behind using Ronan (the Knife) was to prevent Jute from ever talking about the job. But both Ronan and Jute had their lives turned upside-down during that robbery.

In The Shadow at the Gate Ronan is commanded by the Silentman to get Jute back, or else. Ronan goes after Jute. But Jute is not easy to find. He has hidden well realising his precarious position. The kid wants to live, voice in his head notwithstanding.

Levoreth Callas arrives at the castle with her aunt and uncle. She is slowly waking to the necessity of battling the Shadow. But discovering where the Shadow resides, and in whom it is residing, is going to take all she has.

All three characters have allies/helpers that both hinder and aid them in their quests. Dunn keeps a nice pace in his story and manages to make the novel interesting for both young and old. I have forgotten what it is to be ten years old. It would be interesting to hear what a ten-year-old would take from the story of young Jute and the rest of the gang.

Adventure, Fantasy, Short story/novella

Carson, Rae: Dangerous Voices (2012)

2013-03-06 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover artist Jenn Reese

Freedom of Speech. How far are we willing to go to let our voices be heard? How far are others willing to go to stop our voices from being heard?

Dangerous Voices is a wonderfully terrible short story about the lengths people are willing to go to let their voices be heard and to stop those voices from reaching out. What would my choice have been? Hmmmm.

If it was not for the magic, this could be a story right out of Amnesty International‘s archives.

I am thankful I got to meet Rae Carson.

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Buroker, Lindsay: Flash Gold (2011)

2013-03-06 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover art by Glendon Haddix – a cover I find quite appealing

Flash Gold is a steampunk novella set in the Yukon. As bad as I am at being able to place my litterature in categories, even I am able to discern when something is steampunk. It is the steam that gives it away. Other than that, there seems to be some kind of mystic element involved (supernatural, magic, paranormal and so on).

In Moose Hollow, a small town of Yukon, a young orphan woman named Kali McAlister lives. She has taken over her father’s workshop in an attempt to stay independent. The citizens of Moose Hollow suspect Kali is something more than she seems. Perhaps she is using frowned upon magic??????

A stranger called Cedar drops into her life at the same time as she has entered a contest to win enough money to keep her doing what she loves most – tinker and invent. He applies for an Assistant position as musher for the Barton Race. Kali has no money to pay Cedar with but he is willing to take a cut of the winnings.

Forty Mile Creek, Yukon, Alaska

What Cedar ends up being is part assistant and part body-guard. It seems there are several parties who are interested in how Kali manages to get her machines to work so well. The two of them end up in a race for their life as much as a race for the money.

Flash Gold is filled with plenty of humor – humor that I actually get – and action. I like action filled books that have a humorous twist. Lindsay Buroker presents her steampunk in a manner that makes me want to read more of her stuff.

Adventure, Children, Fantasy

Bunn, Christopher: The Hawk and His Boy (Tormay I) (2010)

2013-03-02 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Christopher Bunn begins the Tormay Trilogy with the tale about Jute and his unknown protector. Just who/what this protector is becomes clear in the first chapter of The Hawk and His Boy.

I usually compare myself with the characters of the books that I read. Are we very dissimilar? Is there anything in the story that resonates with me?

Another thing I do is try to figure out how likely the scenario is. Not the whole magic/supernatural thing, but the interaction between various characters. Is there any chance of people acting the way they do in the particular piece of literature I am reading? The answer to those questions determine how I view the author’s passion for her/his work.

Another very important factor for me is words. Are there many mistakes? Do I feel a lot of editing has gone into the novel? Does the author know how to move from word to sentence to paragraph to chapter (or the flow as I call it)?

My mother and father grew up under harsh circumstances. They have both seen how life can force people to commit desperate acts. Jute’s life at the time we meet him is wholly believable. His circumstances have made him a thief and a very good one at that. Unfortunately, being good at something can be dangerous for the expert. Chances are you might be “asked” to do something dangerous.

Jute did that dangerous deed and things went about as one would expect in a fantasy novel – not very well for him. But surprising things can get you out of trouble and into boiling water. That is where Jute ends up – over a very hot fire in a bubbling cauldron.

For Ronan the Knife his job with Jute makes him want to leave his business and change his life around. Is that even possible when your adult life has been spent doing a job that is guaranteed to make you enemies? We shall see.

The third character I want to mention is Levoreth Callas. She is a strange one. As it turns out she is even stranger than one might think.

So. What exactly resonated with me in The Hawk and His Boy? Jute’s character in general. His life is terrible (according to my standards), yet he retains his curiosity and optimism.

In Chapter 6 Bunn writes a scene that could have ended up in overkill, yet he manages the balance needed to keep on writer’s tight edge. Not always an easy thing to achieve.

Christopher’s passion for his work is easy to see in the way he puts his words together so carefully.

Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

Bryan, J.L.: Jenny Pox (The Paranormals) (2010)

2013-03-02 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover artist Phatpuppy Art

It is difficult enough being a teen-ager as it is. Add in a curse and life gets even rougher. What if that curse happens to be that anything that touches your bare skin or that you touch dies? Well, I would say a person could get mighty depressed.

Children sense when something is different about you. If there is anything to pounce upon, they will. Life is a jungle when you are little. Even if there is nothing strange about you, you will be picked on if the top dog is bored.

Jenny’s difference has made her the favorite kicking ball of her school. “Jenny Pox” has evolved into “Jenny Mittens” (due to the gloves she has to wear). All Jenny wants for herself is to get through her senior year and be finished with her fellow students. But her main bullyer is determined to make Jenny’s last year miserable. Ashley is Miss Popularity at their high school and she HATES Jenny with a passion.

I enjoyed Bryan’s characterisation of Jenny. He caught the desperation brought on by years of bullying. Very good job there. The Paranormals concept was interesting as well. As it would be a spoiler to tell, well, you will just have read Jenny Pox yourself.

Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella

Bertauski, Tony: Drayton (The Taker) (2010)

2013-02-27 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Tony Bertauski writes a poignant tale of loss and love with his novella Drayton. Drayton is The Taker of the last breath/spirit/soul that leaves a person when they die. Of some people that is. He has to get to them first.

Drayton is lost. He is older than he remembers and has no idea of what he is. All alone he wanders upon the Earth trying to mingle with people so he can feed. Bertauski writes Drayton’s loneliness so well. The long life he has lived has brought him around from a monster without control to someone who helps out when he can. I got a sense of quietness even in the scenes that were violent.

I loved the contrast between Young and Hal at the end of the novella. How perfectly it illustrates the complexity of Drayton’s character.

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour

Parkhurst, Bodie: Redeeming Stanley (2009)

2013-02-21 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Cover art by Sherry Wachter

Redeeming Stanley is a treat of a novel. It is lighthearted, raunchy and adventurous. Most of all Redeeming Stanley is well written and thought out.

Meet Weldon Frame, self-diagnosed shrewd businessman, babe magnet, and mail room clerk extraordinaire. Meet Annie, Weldon’s ex-girlfriend, mother of his unexpected child, and recently-identified gold-digging stone-cold bitch. Meet Stan and Babe, Prince of Demons and Whore of Babylon. Meet Angela, born-again Christian with a jones for Stan. Meet Grandma, a ghost who liked the family dog a little too well. Meet the Freak…well, maybe not. Meet the Coppess, a gum-snapping state trooper who has Weldon’s sterling piece of American automotive engineering towed, leaving him afoot and furious in the middle of the Southern California desert night.

Clearly, Payback is in order. The rest is inevitable.

You can tell Redeeming Stanley is meant to be humorous. But there is a serious side to it – kind of. There are plenty of guys out there like Weldon and plenty of gals like Annie. Sometimes accepting responsibility for our choices can be difficult. We can’t do anything about what has gone but our choices for the future can be different from the ones we have gotten into the habit of making. Redeeming Stanley illustrates how difficult that is, but it also shows us that it is doable.

I loved it. There were enough crazy moments in Redeeming Stanley to make me happy for having read it. I left it with a smile on my face.

First-place winner, Best of the Best E-books Award, 2009

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Bevill, C.L.: Veiled Eyes (Lake People) (2010)

2013-02-21 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Cover art by C.L. Bevill

C.L. Bevill describes Veiled Eyes as a paranormal romance/suspense novel. This time I agree completely with the label.

Veiled Eyes is the first novel in the Lake People series. It is a stand-alone novel.

In Veiled Eyes we get to meet Anna St. Thais hitchhiking her way to her friend in New Orleans. You know the advice not to hitchhike? Well, Anna should have listened.

So, Anna gets kidnapped by a man with sadistic intentions and Anna is desperate to get away. Mr. Bad keeps Anna sedated in his semi. When she starts hearing someone calling her name she figures it is the result of the sedative she has been given.

Since this is a paranormal romance/suspense story, you know Anna is going to live. But her way from her kidnapper to there is a bit more uncertain seeing she ends up with a really closed group that does not like outsiders.

It is in this closed group that Anne meets Mr. Right. Of course, her relationship with Gabriel (mr right) is going to be rocky to begin with. Meeting Mr. Right does not mean that Anna’s mystery is solved/over. Weird things come her way adding to the suspense.

Bevill writes a really good mystery with plenty of crazy and questions that need answering. A good light read.

Adventure, Fantasy, Short story/novella

Bellet, Annie: Winter’s Bite (2011)

2013-02-21 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover designed by Greg Jensen (with images from Jabney Hastings and Albion Europe ApS)

Annie Bellet describes Winter’s Bite:

Many years ago, Ysabon made her living by the sword as a skilled mercenary. Now she lives in Westedge with her brother’s children, tending to the animals and afraid of dying old and useless. Then a horrible winter storm drives monsters down from the mountains and Ysabon can save her family and her village only if she finds the strength to take up the sword for a final battle.

Winter’s Bite is a lovely story 25 pages long. I am often amazed at how much an author manages to pack into a short story. Annie Bellet is no exception. I love Ysabon. She is the kind of fierce that I would like to be. Female warriors have always been a favorite of mine especially when they have the courage and love that Ysabon shows.

Adventure, Fantasy, Reading together, Romance, Young Adult

Britain, Kristen: First Rider’s Call (Green Rider) (2003)

2013-02-19 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Behind the Wall by Special-Sari

Deviant Art has tons of fan-art for Kristen Britain. I found this gem depicting Alton’s struggle.

I just finished reading First Rider’s Call out loud to my son. Like Green Rider, First Rider’s Call is audio-friendly. Kristen Britain writes in a manner that makes it a delight to read aloud.

First Rider’s Call begins with the Journal of Hadriax el Fex. My son felt it would be more appropriate for him to save that story until its natural place in the book. It worked out well for him.

Leaving Hadriax el Fex’s journal for later had us starting the tale at chapter two. Karigan gets her call to return to the Green Riders, a call she has been resisting for a year. The manner in which she responds is well-thought out by Ms. Britain. From there on Karigan is thrown into one life-threatening situation after the other. I am so glad I am not Karigan. Along the way she is helped by Lil Ambriodhe – the First Rider. In Green Rider we saw Karigan interacting with ghosts and matters have not changed much in First Rider’s Call.

Blackveil wakes and sends its tendrils of magic into Sacoridia through the breach waking creatures better left sleeping. With this awakening we find the abilities of the Green Riders becoming unreliable. In Captain Mapstone’s case that causes trouble for the whole of the Green Riders. What will they do????

Like Green Rider, First Rider’s Call deals with a lot of loss and grief, but also with hope and friendship. Having to face their fears makes a difference in who various characters become. Realizing how far loved ones will go and deciding how to deal with them leads to difficult choices.

Life is like that. Yet, like many of the characters in First Rider’s Call, all we have to do is dare see ourselves for who we are. We might not be pleased with the result, but it does open up doors to new worlds.

My reviews of books 1 (Green Rider), 2 (First Rider’s Call), 3 (The High King’s Tomb) and 4 (Blackveil)

Adventure, Fantasy

Ballantine, Philippa: Chasing The Bard (2005)

2013-02-12 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Cover Art by Alex White of the Gearheart

Wow, what a touching novel Chasing The Bard turned out to be. Philippa Ballantine of New Zealand has done an excellent job in portraying that sense of superiority that sometimes comes with privilege in her portrayal of the fey and humans.

William Shakespeare and the Goddess of Battle Sive are both changed in this meeting between fey and human. Shakespeare is born with the Art of the Bard, and the fey need his help in saving them. But enlisting the help of one stubborn male might not be as simple as Sive had thought. For not all in the universe believe that the fey world is the world one should prefer.

There is a dark undertone to this novel that is lightened by Puck, the trickster. One would expect the god of pranks to hold such a role. But as the novel moves along, Puck takes on another dimension, one brought about by disappointment and grief.

Sive’s feelings of superiority remain, yet deteriorate as her own circumstances become more and more dire, while William’s excuses in life will be faced before he can fulfill his “Destiny”.

Well worth the read. I believe Ballantine has gotten another fan.

2006: Sir Julius Vogel Awards: Nominated for the best novel
2009: Sir Julius Vogel Awards: Fan production

Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Anderson, Lorraine J.: Red Truck (2011)

2013-02-12 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Here is another delightful short-story by Lorraine J. Anderson.

This time two small-time crooks “borrow” a “Red Truck” – a 4×4 – that is much more than it appears at the outset. Red Truck is an entertaining story that brings a modern dimension to Santa’s story. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Anderson, Lorraine J.: The Curious Case of A. Fly, Esquire (2011)

2013-02-12 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

The Curious Case of A. Fly, Esquire is a delightful short-story by Lorraine J. Anderson. A. Fly is taken to court as one of the accused in the case of the accidental death of a witch. Its defense is well worth the read.