Tag Archives: #Family

Weinberger, Michael Louis: Blood Harvest (The Hidden Amongst Us) (2010)

2013-03-25 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Michael Louis Weinberger’s website on Photium seems to have expired. I guess you might as well use Amazon or one of the other books-sites to find out a tiny bit about him. I did find him on Twitter

Cover art by ???

Blood Harvest sure is a leading title, wouldn’t you agree. The cover no less so. It would have to be about serial killers or vampires. Knowing me – vampires. From the cover you might guess there would be a lot of blood and gore. There is gore, but Blood Harvest is a far cry from gore-celebrating novels. There is about as much blood and gore as you would find in most action novels today.

Blood Harvest was fun. I know, I think that about a lot of novels and authors. But that is the way it is. A lot of books and authors out there are fun.

Tons and tons of action and mystery galore. A real who-dun-it. The answer is revealed to the reader pretty early on in the novel. Once I know I sometimes get annoyed at the characters for not realizing sooner what is going on. That is unfair of me. Yes I realize characters in novels are not really alive – but they are in my head while I am reading a book. Steve and Chris were fun characters. I loved the ending – too funny.

Part of the blurb reads: Respected by his fellow officers and enjoying a special bond with his Captain, whom he considers to be his mentor, Steve feels that he has finally found a place where the world makes sense and he can leave his dark past behind. So when his Captain calls in the middle of the night and instructs him to come to a highly unusual crime scene, Steve does so without question. Arriving on the scene Steve discovers that the entire staff and patronage of nearly one thousand people at a popular and hedonistic Los Angeles nightclub have suddenly and mysteriously collapsed where they stood and appear to be dead. Rumors of a biological or chemical terrorist attack are doubted by the large number of LAPD and emergency personnel on the scene, but there seems to be no other explanation for the unnerving occurrence. Then, before Steve can even fully begin his investigation, the case goes from unusual to absolutely bizarre with the appearance of an exotically beautiful and seductive woman in the company of a large, incredibly powerful white haired man.

Blood Harvest was a great first novel for Mr. Weinberger.

“Blood Harvest: Book 1, The Hidden Amongst Us” recently won a 2012 Next Generation Indie Publishers Award for Regional Fiction

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Wright, Melissa: Frey (Frey Saga) (2011)

2013-03-25 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

In the same manner Catherine M. Wilson writes in minor key, Melissa Wright writes in major. Initially I read Frey because it was a freebie on Kindle. That is not why I continued reading the rest of the trilogy. Some authors just seem to have fun thinking up their stories and writing about them.

Part of the story was rather obvious, but the rest worked out a whole lot better than expected. I think it was the cover that fooled me. The blurb of Frey reads: “Unaware she’s been bound from using magic, Frey leads a small, miserable life in the village where she’s sent after the death of her mother. But a tiny spark starts a fury of changes and she finds herself running from everything she’s ever known.

Hunted by council for practicing dark magic, she is certain she’s been wrongfully accused. She flees, and is forced to rely on strangers for protection. But the farther she strays from home, the more her magic and forgotten memories return and she begins to suspect all is not as it seems.”

The first sentence kind of sets the tone for the rest of the novel and kind of demonstrates what I mean by writing in major key: “Crap!” I complained as I stubbed my toe on a root, one of the pitfalls of living in a tree. It says quite a bit about an author that begins her story like that.

Frey is an interesting character. As she realizes just how lost she is she also reacts in a manner that I could sympathise with. Frey was a fun read and brought me on to the next two books of the trilogy.

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.

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.

Fiction, History, Humour

Flagg, Fannie: Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (1992)

2013-02-18 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Cover photo: Corbis

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man was first published as Coming Attractions in 1981. I just had to add the cover for Coming Attractions because it represents coming of age so perfectly. That is in part what Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man is about – coming of age. Daisy Fay gets a typewriter from her grandmother. For those of you who are too young to understand the concept, this is what a typewriter looks like:

I learned to type on one of these and I imagine Fannie Flagg did too. That was what we had to work with in 1981.

What Fannie Flagg does this time is take us into the life of Daisy Fay. Idyllic is not exactly the word I would use for it. Instead we are shown a resilient girl that grows up in a troubled family. Her way of coping with the realities of her life bring us hilarious and sad situations. She gets into trouble time and again. Sometimes with good cause and sometimes due to the idiocy of the adults around her.

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man is yet another example of the quality of Fannie Flagg’s writing. I think this is the one that my dad liked the most, probably because of the similarities to his own life. Reading Fannie Flag leaves me with hope for a better future and love for the characters I have just said goodbye to.

Fiction, History, Humour

Flagg, Fannie: Standing in the Rainbow (2002)

2013-02-18 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover photo: Corbis.

As a character in this book I can tell you that everything in it really did happen, so I can highly recommend it without any qualms whatsoever. With this quote from Mrs. Tot Whooten we are once again brought into the universe that one of my favorite authors has created for my and your pleasure.

Fannie Flagg has the gift, the gift I tend to on and on about without being able to define exactly what it is. Most of us have probably experienced the Author Gift at least once. You know those times when you are dragged into a piece of writing while struggling to keep yourself IRL at the same time. What a wonderful time to be a Reader.

Me, I love Aunt Dorothy, our radio-host, and source of information about the happenings in Southern Missouri. She is as complex and well-rounded as a written character can be. Finding her own way around her experiences has made her into the loving and straight-forward (Southern style) person that she is. There is something about the Southern style that is appealing even to this Viking-hearted Norwegian.

“The winner!” screamed Ward McIntire and the audience was on its feet applauding. What glory. What a triumph. Five minutes later Bobby ran into the Trolley Car Diner with gum still sticking to his eyelashes and ears, waving his free-pass book in the air, yelling, “JIMMY … I WON … I DIDN’T GET RATTLED. I WON!” But before Jimmy had a chance to congratulate him he had to run out the door, headed for the drugstore to tell his father. When he got home his mother had to use kerosene to get all the gum out of his hair, and he used up all twenty-five passes in less than a week taking everybody to the movies but he didn’t care. He had blown the biggest bubble in the history of the contest, people said. Maybe the biggest in the entire state. From that day on he felt special.

How can you not love characters like that. Tot, Bobby, Aunt Dorothy, the Oatman Family, Hamm, Charlie and Anna Lee are all characters that interact and add to the quality of Standing in the Rainbow. I hope you get as much pleasure out of reading Standing in the Rainbow as I did.

Fiction, History, Humour

Flagg, Fannie: Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (1998)

2013-02-18 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Fannie Flagg is four years younger than my mother and six years younger than my dad. As such, many of their experiences have been similar. Technological advances have followed the same tempo even though they are from different countries.

Cover photo: Elliot Erwitt/Magnum

The jump between the media world in the 1940’s, represented by Aunt Dorothy’s radio program, and the media world of the 1970’s, represented by Dena Nordstrøm’s television job, is immense yet non-existent. Gossip and social mores are often more important than politics and the “larger” issues.

Once again Fannie Flagg takes us to the lives of people living in the South of US. This time we visit Missouri and the phenomenon “passing”. Racial passing refers to a person classified as a member of one racial/social group attempting to be accepted as a member of a different racial/social group (Wikipedia).

It is one thing for me as a whiteish woman to sit here wondering at a world that makes so many of its citizens feel they need to hide their origins. To me it is an abstract exercise. For others it is not. People (probably myself included) attach shame to attributes that come with birth (whether these be physical or sociological). Imagine the fear of discovery of that “terrible/uncivilised/evil/…” quality. Sometimes these fears are founded and sometimes (fortunately) they are not.

Unravelling the mysteries of the past brings about surprises and feelings of betrayal, loss and love with the characters of Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! Fannie Flagg gives us an opportunity to face our own prejudices in a manner that brings us into the world of gossip and suspense that media is (whether it be new or old). As with Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is “utterly irresistible” (Time). You will miss something truly wonderful if you choose not to read this novel.

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, Short story/novella, Thriller

Anna, Vivi: Dawning (2011)

2013-02-07 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Dawning is my introduction to the Nini Decker universe. My appetite was whet and the novel presented quite a dilemma for the main character Dashrael.

In a blatant show of racism, the chancellor tells Dashrael to kill the spouse of the overseer’s daughter along with their half-breed child.

That is pretty much what this story is about. Dashrael coming face to face with his target and the choices he makes and sadly the consequences his choice has for him personally.

Granted, this is human/elven racism. But, you know, this is reality for quite a few people on this planet. If you dare fall for someone of another color/ethnicity/religion than yourself, lives are at risk. I have to say that it is one of the more confusing aspects of humanity.

A thought-provoking story – and well-written. As my first Vivi Anna experience, I was well-pleased.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Adina, Shelley: Lady of Devices (2011)

2013-02-06 humanitysdarkerside 3 Comments

Cover art by Ann Bui Ngyuen

Lady of Devices is Shelley Adina’s first novel in the Magnificent Devices’ series. This steampunk novel is set in an alternate Victorian era. As usual with steampunk novels, steam runs the world. Steam is the hot thing, the Power alternative that will last forever.

We meet Lady Trevalyan, a 17-year old with decidedly unconventional interests. No embroidery for this girl.

I’ve always liked spunky female characters. Women who dare defy whatever society deems as feminine behavior. Claire is one such lady.

When her father shoots himself because of bad investments, the family is left with a lot less money than they had hoped. Claire has to choose between waiting for her mother to find her a husband or try to make a living. She decides to make a living and sets out to explore her possibilities.

Claire soon discovers that the “real world” can be dangerous, especially if you are a woman. This is where her spunkiness comes in handy. This girl has grit. She just screams a bit in her head and gets on with whatever she has to do to survive.

What can I say, I am a sucker for these kinds of portrayals. There is no denying I want my female characters to be strong. I also want my authors to write in a manner that engages my interest and keeps it. Shelley Adina manages to do just that. Her sentences tie together wonderfully and her images are hilarious.

“Claire Trevelyan closed her eyes as a gobbet of reddish-brown foam dripped off the ceiling and landed squarely on the crown of her head. It dribbled past her ears and onto the pristine sailor collar of her middy blouse, and thence, gravity having its inevitable effect, down the blue seersucker of her uniform’s skirt to the floor.” It’s practically so I can feel the goo running down my head.

Adventure, Fantasy

Aaron, Rachel: Spirit’s End (Eli Monpress) (2013)

2013-01-29 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover art by Sam Weber

The final story about our reluctant hero, Eli Monpress, is here in the form of Spirit’s End.

I really cannot tell you why, but there is just something about this cover that doesn’t work for me. It fits with the story and everything, but I’m not really into it. Oh well, personal taste and all.

The story is another matter all together. Rachel Aaron has nailed the ending of the Eli Monpress saga in the novel Spirit’s End. Eli is everything we have gotten used to. Still playful, creative and fiercely desiring to be free of the Shepherdess, Eli takes us on a journey that lets us get to know the Lord of Storms better and the make-up of his world.

Miranda is thrown into the role of Rector for the Spirit Court and her work is challenging, to say the least. As usual she suspects Eli of having devious goals. Her suspicions are based on experience, so they could be correct. Banage is arrested by his ex. Eli is arrested by his mother. That Eli’s mom and Banage’s ex happen to be one and the same person is kind of funny and all part of a cunning plan on Sara’s part. Joseph is king and HATES it while Nico acts as his companion. Nico is an interesting character. Possessed by a demon seed, she is now more demon than human. All the same, her human side rules the relationship.

I’ve reviewed The Legend of Eli Monpress and The Spirit War. Spirit’s End fits nicely with the other two books and carries with it the same carefree, yet serious character of the other two novels. Rachel Aaron has done a good job in portraying the world of Eli Monpress.

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour

Evans, Erin: The Rhine Maiden (2010)

2013-01-22 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

Cover art by Katie White

You know how sailors were supposed to tie themselves to something so they would not be lured by the beautiful voices of the sirens, well, Piper Cavenaugh is one. A human siren. Not bad.

Making people do what she wants by using the “Voice” is terribly tempting to Piper. However, experience has taught her that she will eventually get into trouble by doing so. Its duration is only 10 minutes and that really puts limitations on what it can be used for.

One evening Piper gets into trouble. She was seen using her Voice by the supernatural community. A community Piper had never heard of, seen or wanted to know about. Now she is about to be tried for her crimes. The Voice is considered extremely dangerous and desirable by various species of the supernatural community and Piper is thrown into trouble like never before.

The Rhine Maiden is a fun read. It has a couple of preachy moments and not very subtle ones. But Erin Evans is a fun author with a fun protagonist in the rather stressed character of Piper Cavenaugh. Piper is not your laid-back kind of person. Oh, no! Definitely not! But she is fun.

You will find plenty of action and humor in The Rhine Maiden.

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Ee, Susan: Angelfall (2012)

2013-01-22 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover art by Silverlute

Angelfall is Susan Ee’s debut novel and the first book in the Penryn & The End of Days series. Wow. That woman has talent. The story of Penryn’s hunt for her sister is moving and exciting. It shows how low people can stoop and high they can rise once they are thrown into chaos through war. The angels have decided to destroy civilisation as we know it and Penryn and her family are one of the many victims. The situation is not made any simpler by Penryn’s mother being schizophrenic paranoid or her little-sister Paige having to use a wheel-chair.

Penryn’s mother is nuts. She is a frightening person that comes around every once in a while. But Penryn manages to communicate with her and is the parent in their little family. She has to make all of the tough decisions.

Then they are torn apart when the angels decide to take Penryn’s little sister – all because Penryn happened to throw a sword. Now Penryn ends up saving an angel (Rafe), making a deal with him and traipsing through dangers in her search for Paige. It isn’t easy being 17 years old and stuck with this kind of life.

There is plenty of action and the author manages to get whatever messages she has across without preaching. I loved it.

Fantasy, Romance, Thriller

Alexander, Cassie: Nightshifted (Edie Spence) (2012)

2013-01-17 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cassie Alexander’s debut into the world of urban fantasy comes in the form of her Edie Spence trilogy. Her real-life job as a registered nurse serves as inspiration for her novels about registered nurse Edie Spence. I am pretty certain these books are targeted at an adult readership

Choosing Edie Spence as her protagonist is probably the best move Ms. Alexander could have done. Edie isn’t afraid of a little/or a lot of blood and gore and finds that her nursing skills come in handy in her new night job. She had previously worked as a regular nurse working with regular people. To protect her drug-addict brother, Edie made the choice to sign up for hush-hush work at a hush-hush facility at County General. Remember that the next time you go to your own County General. Somewhere below-ground there just might be a secret facility catering to the health needs of the super-natural/para-normal community.

Being on the nursing staff taking care of the rather unusual clientele of zombies, vampires, shape-shifters, weres, etc. can be a bit dangerous to your health. Ms. Spence discovers this when she is present at the death of Mr. November. Because of her nature, Edie ends up looking after a vampire, being chased by a vampire and falling for a zombie. One might just say that her life became a little more challenging after her introduction to the “Other” side of reality.

Nightshifted is a fun and dark novel. Edie is a wonderful character and someone I would have liked to have met. Sometimes authors manage to make their characters seem so real and believable, the way Cassie has managed with Edie. Good job.