Review: White Night

White Night by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy

My Thoughts: Shit is really hitting the fan now, Dresden followers. The war is heating up, the vampires are attacking and killing children, and someone is tracking down and murdering women who are magic-users, while making it look like suicide. Darkness... and Harry is, as always, right in the middle of it.

However, you can’t go wrong with a little Bohemia Polka, which Butters has playing upon his first appearance. This is always a great thing, my friends... I wish there had been more Butters in this book, but you take what you can get.

This book takes a curve and runs with it. I have forgotten how the next one goes, but I have a feeling it’s a bit lighter. We shall see...

Disclosure: I purchased this book in hardcover for myself, and backup e-book copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Professional wizard Harry Dresden is investigating a series of deaths in Chicago. Someone is killing practitioners of magic, those incapable of becoming full-fledged wizards. Shockingly, all the evidence points to Harry's half-brother, Thomas, as the murderer. Determined to clear his sibling's name, Harry uncovers a conspiracy within the White Council of Wizards that threatens not only him, but his nearest and dearest, too...



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Review: Proven Guilty

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy

My Thoughts: Harry is in quite a mess in this book. More so than usual? To a certain degree, since he’s dealing with the sidhe, the White Council, and black magic in Chicago. Horror-movie monsters coming to life? Check. Mysterious and spooky people coming into town? Check. Harry frequently beaten to within an inch of his life? Check. Harry has no idea what is going on. Check. It’s not exactly formulaic, because there is just so much going on, but it’s a fairly set pattern at this point.

We learn a lot about Charity Carpenter in this book, a great many insights into her character. On the one hand, she is a very, very strong woman. On the other hand, she had allowed her fear to rule her life and destroy any chance she might have had to make a significant difference in the right against Darkness. I think this goes a long way toward explaining her overwhelming and constant hostility toward Harry. Butcher had to have had this planned out from the very beginning, and reading all these books in a group makes me even more impressed with his skills at weaving this huge and complex web that is the Dresden Files. So, onward!

Disclosure: I purchased this book in hardcover for myself, and backup e-book copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: There's no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted Harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City.

As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend is the only suspect in what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob.... (not to mention his enormous and awesome cat! *tsk* Synopsis writers... they always forget the cat...)



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Review: Chosen

Chosen by Jolea M. Harrison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Please note: I originally read August 2011, and then re-read a year later. I originally received the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My Synopsis: Dynan and his twin brother Dain don’t know it, but they are born in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, and if they can’t live up to their destiny, it could mean the end of the world, brought about by the demon Belial. It all beings when Dynan finds a dangerous talisman while taking part in an archeological dig, and it ends up with him needing to find the originator of his line while in the spirit world.

My Thoughts: It is really hard to describe the basic plot of this book without ending up giving spoilers, so I’ll have to leave it there. What I will say is that this is an amazing work of science fantasy (a fantasy story set in a science fiction world, I guess is the way to describe it) – the characters are developed wonderfully, the history is outlined enough to help the reader understand what is happening, and there is a perfect blend of character development and action to keep fans of both schools of writing happy. Anyone who enjoys a good story, especially in a science fantasy vein, should absolutely love this book - I highly recommend it and suggest you take the time to track it down and read it as soon as possible.

Series Information: This is the first book in the Guardians of the Word series. I have read all of the books in the series so far, and I think there are a couple more planned. The other books are:
Book 2: Myth
Book 3: Telepath
Book 4: Legend
Book 5: Union
I have linked to my review on each book title above for your convenience. A few of the reviews have spoilers in the synopsis, but I have tried to keep them under tags.



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"Ripple in Space-Time" giveaway winner

The giveaway for The Ripple in Space-Time has now ended.  If you still haven't seen the guest post by the author, be sure to head over there and read it!  Also, watch this space on Monday, February 25, for a couple new giveaways--another from JKS, and a giveaway for my blogversary!

Meanwhile, the winner of the e-book copy of the book is...



Drumroll please...




Michael F.! Congrats, Big Mike! I've sent you an e-mail and notified Samantha at JKS to send you the e-book.



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Review: Dead Beat

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy

My Thoughts: Things become really ugly in this book. Not to say life has been all roses for Harry up to this point, but... things are really becoming ugly now. Admittedly he has some help now, between Thomas and Mouse. On the other hand, there’s a lot of funny, like always. I always love anything Butters is involved in.

Part of the thing is that Harry has become harsher and harsher as time has gone on, between all that has happened to him and the Denarian influence (although Lasciel isn’t really that bad as far as Denarians go). But Butters provides a bit of comedy relief, and insinuates himself into the “Scooby Gang” through his actions.

And then there’s Sue... A friend of mine was discussing Sue in her review, and how Sue made this book one of the best in the series, but I had managed, in the course of the 8 or 9 years since I first read this book, to mostly forget about Sue. I remembered vaguely the Tyrannosaurus Rex incident, but I had forgotten the name and the details. When I reached that point, and started to remember, I just starting laughing wildly. Wonderful stuff. There are definite problems with having memory problems, like I have, but on the other hand, it makes rediscovering these things so wonderfully fun.

A wonderful addition to the series.

Disclosure: I purchased this book in hardcover for myself, and backup e-book copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: There's an entire world that exists alongside the everyday life of mankind. There are powers, nations, monsters, wars, feuds, alliances—everything. Wizards are part of it. So are a lot of other things you've heard about in stories, and even more you've never heard of... Vampires. Werewolves. Faeries. Demons. Monsters. It's all real.

Harry Dresden knows full well that such creatures exist. Paranormal investigations are his stock-in-trade, and Chicago is his beat as he tries to bring law and order to a world that exists on the edges of imagination. Luckily Harry's not alone in this struggle. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don't believe in magic, there's a department that's been set up within the Chicago PD to deal with "strange" cases: the Special Investigations department.

Karrin Murphy is the head of SI and a good friend of Harry's. So when a deadly vampire threatens to destroy Murphy's reputation unless Harry helps her, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler and all the power that comes with it—but first Harry has to determine what the Word of Kemmler is. Now Harry is in a race against time—and six necromancers—to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead.



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Review: Blood Rites

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy

My Thoughts: This is the book that introduces Mouse. Not to mention what we learn about Thomas! So, lots of shockers in this one. By this point, almost everyone is introduced, at the least, and we’re just moving the plot of the series forward. I know a lot of people started to dislike the series about this point, because Harry has finally wised up and become ruthless (or at least that’s the reason with which I can come up), but I still love these books.

I really love the scene where Harry meets Murphy’s family. Really, the book is a lot about family, and what constitutes family, such as Ebenezer to Harry—heck, even Murphy to Harry. Family is as much about who you choose to have around you as it is about blood, but I imagine blood makes a huge difference. I wouldn’t actually know.

There are some huge changes by the end of this book. Can’t wait to start the next!

Disclosure: This is my book, I purchased it in hardcover and picked up a backup copy in ebook format. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey-poo for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there's something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film's producer believes he's the target of a sinister entropy curse-but it's the women around him who are dying, in increasingly spectacular ways.

Harry's even more frustrated because he only got involved with this bizarre mystery as a favor to Thomas, his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't quite figure out, until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas's oversexed vampire family. Harry is about to discover that Thomas's family tree has been hiding a shocking secret: a revelation that will change Harry's life forever.



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Curiosity Quills New Book Feature: "The Prince of Earth" by Mike Robinson

Check out this interesting-looking new book by Mike Robinson, The Prince of Earth. I have this in my review queue, but you all know how crazy busy I am, so it could be awhile before I read it. But it looks good!

Synopsis:

In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.

The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life – phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.

As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived temporality or reality of each period.

You can read an excerpt of the novel by following this link to Curiosity Quills.

Also by Mike Robinson:
The Green-Eyed Monster
SkunkApe Semester
Blog: Cryptopia

The Prince of the Earth trailer

Review: Forward the Mage

Forward the Mage by Eric Flint

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Please Note: Read in January 2008 immediately after The Philosophical Strangler. Just copying over my review.

Thoughts: Combining prequel and aspects of similarity with The Philosophical Strangler, Forward the Mage is full of Rabelaisian nonsense that is certain to confuse and befuddle the average reader, who will likely then put down the book and exclaim, "What nonsense! This is a terrible book! What is it even ABOUT!?!" and that is where their problem arises! The book really isn't ABOUT anything, outside of a loosely held overall plot about the Rap Sheet, that winds its way through the book like a single glinting thread of gold through a cliff of limestone being washed by the ocean. Why do books always have to be "about" something? Why not just sit back and enjoy the lunacy?

A Type of Synopsis: The focus bounces back and forth between Zulkeh, sorcerer and pedant, and his apprentice, the dwarf Sheylid; and Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini, an artist, as he meets, travels with and falls in love with Gwendolyn Greyboar - THE Greyboar's sister, of whom we hear in The Philosophical Strangler and even meet there toward the end of that book. And, to make matters yet more entertaining, the book is purportedly written by a louse - yes, a humble louse! Living upon none other than Sheylid himself.

My Appreciation: As is obvious from the above, I rather liked the book. I think it will appeal to anyone with a good sense of nonsensical humour (those who enjoy Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, etc.) and who are willing to suspend reality to a fine breaking point and just have fun. Don't miss it, if I have just described you!



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Review: The Philosophical Strangler

The Philosophical Strangler by Eric Flint

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Please note: I read and reviewed this book in January 2008. Just copying over my review.

My Synopsis: Greyboar is the world's greatest strangler ("Have Thumb, Will Travel") and Ignace is his manager. During the course of this hilariously chaotic book they have such adventures as: visiting Abbess Hildegaard, who regularly corresponds with God (he insists on using the postal service); helping steal a Rap Sheet (a Joe relic) in Prygg; breaking into a high-level cleric's house (after setting him up to be kidnapped) and breaking into The Pile (high-level-security prison) to break out Schrodinger's Cat, who is Greyboar's girlfriend; and descending into the Place Worse than Hell and facing Hands Worse Than (the CEO of Hell's) to rescue Benvenuti, who is Greyboar's sister's ex-boyfriend. Along the way, in the various courses of their adventures, they meet such characters as: a fallen angel (and learn the differences between a fallen angel and a devil); a troll (and learn the differences between a troll and an ogre); and various types of snarls.

My Thoughts: It is almost impossible to define the plot of this book; it wanders, it rambles, it carries on. But it is WONDERFULLY fun! Eric Flint is one of the best at writing humorous fantasy/science fiction/military science fiction (and if you don't believe me, check out Rats, Bats & Vats and/or The Rats, the Bats & the Ugly (The Rbv Series)) and is sure to keep you coming back for more. I can heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good laugh!



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Review: Death Masks

Death Masks by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy

My Thoughts: This is the first of the books in this series in which I’ve seen any significant editing errors, such as a car’s “breaks” and Larry Fowler being called “Jerry” at one point. The formatting is a bit screwed up in my copy, too, but nothing too distracting; mostly it is that almost every use of “Red Court” is italicized and put upon its own line. This is an e-book edition (my backup copy), though, and a fairly old one, but take that with a bucket of salt. Or a pillar, depending upon your proclivities.

This book introduces some of my favorite characters. Butters. Shiro. Sanya. Ivy (the Archive). Kincaid. The Denarians. Yeah, I really like the Denarians, because they are just such wonderful villains. And if you’ve been following my reviews, you know how I feel about villains!

At any rate, this is an important and pivotal book in the series, so be sure not to miss it. The train keeps chugging along...

Disclosure: This is my book, I purchased it for myself in hardcover. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for. 

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards... 

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice... 

The missing Shroud of Turin... 

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semivampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life. 

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.



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