New reviews this week...
Monday, February 02, 2004Urgh. I've been fighting the frumpies for the past week (that sort of not feeling really great, drained of energy, but not actually sick ploppy state) and doing yet another round of Blue Moon edits, so I've not had anything fun or witty to say recently.
Then it occured to me that nearly every week, I have reviews going up somewhere on the net. The only place I know when things are going up for sure is Fantastica Daily, because of the genius system Mervius has in place...so often even I don't know when my reviews are live. I sort of forget to look. So let's see...
I neglected FD this week, because I'm still struggling through the Legends Two anthology. I ate the cream center immediately, and now I'm eating the cake part. And then I had to stop reading it because a book with a deadline came through. Grr.
SfSite -- Went live last night with my reviews of:
The Thief of Lives, by Barb and J.C. Hendee
It is a mystery that only begins to unfold in this sequel to Dhampir. Here, the real concern is a murder that has taken place in the land's capital city, Bela. A councilman's daughter has been left murdered on her doorstep, the savagery looking like a vampire murder. Her father, Lanjov, like many people, has heard about the village of Miiska and how the village was freed from the grip of a trio of vampires, even though the price, including a burned warehouse, was great. He has sent to Miiska for the vampire hunter with an offer she can't refuse.
Wizard's Holiday by Diane Duane
Nita's little sister Dairine has decided that they both need a break from Earth. She signs them up for a student exchange program without asking anyone for permission. When she's found out, her father grounds her, but after some thought decides that Nita should still go, with her friend and partner in wizardry, Kit. Dairine can stay home and tend to the students, fellow wizards from other worlds, while Kit and Nita enjoy a vacation on a planet that seems like paradise. Under the surface of this paradise, though, Nita can sense something is wrong.
Mostly Fiction went live last week with:
The Bromeliad Triology (Truckers, Diggers, Wings) By Terry Pratchett
“I think all we really want is to go home and be safe,” said Masklin.
“Go home.” the Thing said.
“That’s right.”
“And be safe.”
“Yes.”
Later on, those five words became one of the most famous quotations in nome history. They got taught in schools. They got carved in stone. And it’s sad, therefore, that at the tome no one thought they were particularly important.”
In this omnibus edition of The Bromeliad Trilogy (which includes Truckers, Diggers and Wings) we find ourselves in the world of the nome...it is a world where pretty much everything is bigger than you, where one year lives like ten. It is a world where a department store can seem like a universe, the store’s founder, a god.
The Lady, The Chef and the Courtesan, by Marisol
To become “a lady, a chef and a courtesan,” you must apply yourself diligently to the acquisition of knowledge and observe the rules of etiquette; learn how to work with the right ingredients in the kitchen; and acquire the discipline to keep your lust in check until the right moment.
Pilar is a young woman struggling between two worlds...the spine-straight formality of Venezuela, where her ex-fiancee, the darkly handsome Rafael, waits for her; and the causal, bustling Chicago, where she has a job as a reporter and a romance with the free spirited Patrick. She already knows who her mother wants her to marry...her mother would be very happy if she decided to follow tradition, dump her job, and live the good life with lawyer Rafael. Pilar doesn’t know where her heart truly lies. She has returned to Venezuela for the funeral of her grandmother, who she loved very much...and the inheritance that her grandmother, Gabriela, left her will be the key to her finally choosing the path of her life.
The Big Bounce, by Elmore Leonard (Which looks nothing, nothing like the movie)
Hearing about your protagonist beating up on some gent with a baseball bat is not the best way to meet the man you’re about to spend the next several hundred pages with, but that’s how we meet Jack Ryan, a man who once dreamed of being a Major League baseball player, who now one who makes his living through a combination of migrant work and thievery. Nancy is the big boss’s mistress, a bored, spoiled woman looking for “the big bounce,” that one be all end all thrill that will make her feel alive. So far throwing rocks and shooting through windows...without regard to whether people are behind them or not...is just not cutting it. Her crazy idea, as mentioned in the quote above, will take a lot of nerve, as Jack tries to figure out why he’s with this absolutely mad woman.
And a couple that have been up for a little longer:
Burning Garbo, by Robert Eversz
Nina Zero is not your typical mystery serial heroine. She’s recently gotten out of prison after serving time for voluntary manslaughter, a crime she admits to, though she feels she should have gotten off. She has no contact with her family, can’t get a regular job, so she uses her talents the only way she knows how...as a paparazzi. She’s changed her name, her hair color, everything in an attempt to leave the past well behind her. Her latest assignment for The Scandal Times is sure to hurt her more than help.
The Talon of the Silver Hawk, by Raymond Feist
A young Orosini, Kieli, goes up to the mountains on his naming day to gain the sacred vision that will give him his adult name. As he waits, he realizes that there is a fight going on in his village, and so he runs to help. It is then he gains his name, as his attack fails and he is left for dead, and a silver hawk tells him to become his instrument of revenge, for now Talon of the Silver Hawk is the only Orosini left alive. He is discovered by Robert and his man Pasko, who happened to find his nearly dead body by accident. Now Kieli, who has adopted the name Talon of the Silver Hawk, owes his life to the enigmatic stranger...a price that will not be easily paid. Robert takes the young man under his wing and, with the help of Magnus, a wizard of incredible power, Caleb, a hunter of nearly preternatural skill and many others, teaches him everything from swordsmanship to painting. But why? What plans does Robert have for his charge? And will they gain what Talon desires the most...revenge for his people?
Permalink Cindy scribed this at 11:08 AM
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