Devil May Cry

Oct 222009
 

Devil May Cry tells the story of Sin and Katra.  Sin used to be a Sumerian god of fertility until Artemis and her usual thoughtless scheming ways, caused his powers to be removed and added to her own.  Cast out from his Pantheon he was helpless to intercede as their infighting destroyed them.  One small problem though.  The Sumerian Pantheon were responsible for the creation and control of the horrendous gallu demons and if that wasn’t bad enough, had entombed the Dimme, a vicious breed of demons and almost unstoppable.  The tomb has a clock and it’s running out of time.  Three Sumerians are needed to reset the clock and prevent them from escaping and Sin is the only one left free.  Artemis’ handmaiden Katra is sent to kill Sin because of his hatred, desire for vengeance and to see Artemis dead.  Expecting to find a monster, instead she finds an intriguing man, tortured and betrayed and trusting no-one, yet still doing what he can to protect humanity from the ravages of those that would prey on them.  Katra soon realises there is more to the battered but handsome Sin than meets the eye, and Sin fears this beautiful woman will betray him as all others have.

I’m not sure how I missed this in the series but I did!  I thought I’d read all of the current Dark-Hunter books and when a friend pointed out I was missing one I was very (and pleasantly) surprised.  It’s like finding something sweet and yummy in the back of the fridge when you were craving it and thought you had run out ;)

I’m always astounded by the world Sherrilyn Kenyon has created for her Dark-Hunter series.  How she keeps it all straight is mind-boggling and yet continues to slot in more history of characters and their place in her godverse.  I’d met Sin and Katra in other books and had wondered why they hadn’t had their story told.  Silly me!

The book is a good one, has Kenyon’s unique writing style and ability for bringing her characters to life and into your heart.  The story is engaging and the action only lets up for those brief, tender moments she writes so well.

Thoroughly enjoyable and a great addition to the series (even if it is book 13 of 18 and I missed it!)

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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The Naming of the Beasts

Oct 192009
 

Felix Castor, exorcist for hire although lately he’s been dealing with some personal issues.  Namely how to stay so drunk, he can’t sober up.  Reality comes calling though and he crawls out of the gutter, cleans himself up and starts answering some of the message that have been left for him.  Instantly he wishes he hadn’t but all is not right with the people he likes to be able to call friends.  Gary Coldwood wants him to read a crime scene, something is very wrong with Juliet, and Pen has been looking for Rafi on her own. The not so well loved Jenna-Jane Mulbridge is sniffing about with an agenda all of her own and then there is Asmodeus.  It’s enough to drive a man back to drink but Castor is nothing if not a masochist.

I enjoyed this book far more than I did the previous one.  Not only was it a little lighter in tone, getting back the feel of the first three books, but the subject matter wasn’t as close to home.  All the major players feature, some loved, some not so, one by one coming on to the scene to start building towards the crescendo.

I felt the first half dragged a little bit, as the scene was being set up and things were put in to place.  The second half however was a rush and I couldn’t put it down.  It grabbed me and ran full pelt towards an end I thought I saw as inevitable.

The whole thing was cleverly written and hints given very early on in the book came to fruition much later and you start to wonder how on earth Mike Carey managed to keep all the different threads straight, let alone come up with them in the first place.  There were a few OMG moments which blind-sided me and I had to re-read those sections in case I missed anything in the run up.  I think one of those moments was an especially bold and brave move on the author’s part and it will be interesting to see if it has any future impact on the character.  If you’ve read the book, you’ll know exactly the part I mean.

Felix Castor has to be my favourite character in the book, irreverent, sarcastic and determined, you have no doubts he will get the job done or die trying.  I liked that you learned more about the other major characters, some of them proving that leopards can’t change their spots and others surprising me with their growth and realisation that not everything is black and white.

A good, solid and entertaining read, I look forward to the next instalment!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Hunting Ground

Oct 152009
 

Following on from Cry Wolf, Anna is still coming to terms with her past and being married and mated to Charles.  She is now firmly established as Omega in the Pack and learning about her new status.  Bran as Marrok continues his plans of bringing the American Werewolves out into the public world.  He sends Charles and Anna to Seattle to meet with international Alphas to settle any concerns they might have and has the meeting arbitrated by one of the Fae.   The French Alpha, after provoking a fight ends up being murdered and all evidence seems to point to Charles.  Knowing he’s innocent, Anna sets out to discover who is responsible for both the murder and framing Charles.

I read this book straight after Cry Wolf and it was a very smooth transition, just sucked me right back in as if I hadn’t switched books.  The plot was a bit more complex this time but didn’t detract from the heart of the book, the characters of Anna and Charles.  Her growth from being a submissive victim to a more confident, loving and protective young woman has been really well done.  The development of her human side was well written, and the werewolf aspect almost secondary.  On the opposite side, seeing Charles becoming more relaxed, getting used to having a mate and having to be softer with Anna has been just as good.  Even with the bond they have as mates, communications still get mixed up and it can sometimes be amusing as they sort it out.

There are a lot more characters in this book than the last and it was interesting to see how Charles and Anna interacted with them all both as a couple and separately.  I didn’t predict the ending at all which surprised me, the clues I spotted led me in a completely different direction and I thought it was cleverly done.

It was a good second book, as easy to read as the first and I fell in love with Anna and Charles all over again.  I really hope there are more to follow!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Cry Wolf

Oct 152009
 

For Anna being a werewolf was about pain, torment and submission.  Even after she was rescued by Charles, the Marrok’s enforcer, and claimed as his mate, she expected more of the same.   Finding it hard to believe not all werewolves were as sick and brutal as the ones she left behind, she reluctantly journeys to Montana with the wounded Charles and learns she is a special type of wolf – an Omega.  Neither submissive nor Alpha, she has the power to soothe the savage beast within others and as such should have been a much valued member of the pack.  Her wolf side was all for the mating with Charles but the human side is too scared to let go and trust another person, even the one she was meant to be with.

Anna and Charles first appeared as minor characters in the Mercy Thompson books and then had their own short story told in the ‘On the Prowl’ Anthology.  I’d read those and thought they were interesting characters and was happy to hear they had been built on and now had their own book.  I didn’t really have many expectations as it doesn’t always work and sometimes it is best to leave well enough alone.

Having just finished the book my impression is of having read a very touching story of survival and cost, and learning to trust again.  Familiar themes within urban fantasy but as with the Mercy Thompson books, Patricia Briggs has a fluid and easy to read way of writing that drags you into the story.  I loved the characters of Anna and Charles, Anna being very sweet and likeable, Charles being an Alpha and dominant wolf but tempered with intelligence, his position within the pack and his obvious love for Anna.

From the start the empathy with them returned, pretty much picking up where the short story ended and I liked that.  The original tale was quite brutal and I needed to know that for Anna it was starting to work out – and this book delivers on that front.  The plot was good, not very complex but since the book is character driven, it didn’t need to be and by the end I was firmly in love with these characters.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Dark Curse

Oct 122009
 

As a child, trapped and tormented in a labyrinthe of ice caves, imprisoned and fed on by her father and grandfather, Lara Calladine saved her sanity by talking to her aunts, great dragons who were also imprisoned, encased in ice.  It was their sacrifice that allowed her to escape and find a life for herself away from those who tortured her so.  Now she returns, haunted by the memories that she isn’t quite convinced were real.  Half-Mage, half-Carpathian she wants to reclaim her heritage and her childhood.  Meeting the arrogant, dangerous and virile Nicolas De La Cruz was definitely not amongst her plans and especially not being his lifemate.

This is the first book by Christine Feehan I have read and I have to say my initial impressions were not good.  I found it hard to get past how incredibly mysogynistic and chauvenistic the male characters were.  I found it offputting and felt it was just an excuse for them to finally meet their soulmates after centuries of loneliness and then suddenly after being that way for hundreds of years would be a changed man, loving and giving and treat the female character as an equal.  I’m not sure what the underlying message was supposed to be, and it bugged me.

Having got that out of the way, the story was engaging, the characters interesting and the whole Carpathian society and ‘world’ is rich and diverse.  The plot was quite intricate leading to greater empathy with the major characters and a better understanding of their way of life and perhaps why the male Carpathians are the chauvenists they are.

There are quite a few steamy scenes which I felt were modern in setting but quite old fashioned in description and that does make it a change from your average paranormal romance.  It’s not a bad thing, just different and succeeded in creating an emotive experience for me as the reader.

The pace was good in general although there were a few parts where it felt slow.   I found myself wanting it to move along which it invariably did and I was swept up into the story again.

All in all it was well written and engaging, just the chauvenism I found hard to get past and while that won’t stop me reading more by Christine Feehan (this being the 17th in the series so I have a way to go once I read Book 1!), I will be expecting it next time.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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Covet

Oct 112009
 

With Heaven and Hell tired of the game of stealing or saving souls, they come to the agreement of one final act to decide whether good, or evil will prevail.  The rules are simple – One man, seven souls to save from the seven deadly sins.  Jim Heron’s life gets very complicated the day he dies and becomes a fallen angel.

While the premise might sound simple, the plot is not.  This is the first book by J.R. Ward I’ve experienced and having read a lot of urban fantasy and supernatural romance,  I expected it to be a bit same old same old but I was pleasantly surprised.   Ward has her own unique style of writing and I would say it’s actually more of a blend of urban fantasy and romance with a bit of a thriller thrown in.

The reluctant hero, Jim Heron is very likeable but still manages to maintain an air of ‘don’t get too close’ which was good,  and while you know there is something a bit unusual about his friends, it’s very subtly done.  The characters of Vin and Marie-Terese were also well written and Vin especially is not at all as you would expect.  I thought the evil side were particularly nasty and again their introduction was very subtle.  As the book progresses, and certain things get revealed, you gain more empathy with the main characters and that just continues growing, right to the end.  I really enjoyed the twist at the end which kept me strung along til the last moment and was very emotional, gripping and well written.  I can’t say more than that without spoilers.

My advice is read this book.  It’s a good one!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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The Ghost Brigades

Oct 102009
 

The Ghost Brigades is the second book from John Scalzi, set in the same world as Old Man’s War.  There are couple of cross-over characters but the main protagonist from Old Man’s War is not present (although he is mentioned).  The story revolves around a few characters (including Jane Sagan) which sets it immediately apart from it’s predecessor and indeed The Ghost Brigades is a better book.

Three intelligent races appear to be ganging up against the humans backed with knowledge from a human traitor, and it’s up to the CDF’s Special Forces unit to find out what’s going on and shut it down before it turns into a disaster.  But to achieve it, they have to recreate the traitor to learn exactly what their enemy is up to.

The Ghost Brigades reads more smoothly than Old Man’s War and the increased number of viewpoints throughout the story give it more depth.  On one level this is a less personal story, more a story of humanity’s attempt to survive in the great Universe; and yet it retains a very personal core in the form of Jared Dirac and his struggle to work out who he really is or might become.  We learn more about the CDF’s technology, get a hint at some greater machine turning in the background behind all the action and experience some thrilling and tense combat action.  Character interaction is excellent and while the nature of the CDF special forces might seem to prevent much character growth, Scalzi manages to do it anyway in a satisfying way.

The science / sci-fi element is interesting although I’m not a fan enough of sci-fi to tell you if it’s credible or crazy.  Sclazi also manages to provide some truly interesting aliens races to think about who are more than just humanoids with head prosthetics.

I’m a sucker for all the emotional triggers in this book (I’ll say no more in case I give too much away) so was very moved and touched by the latter few chapters.  That results in me almost forgiving the initially slow and slightly clumsy start, but not enough to give it 5 stars.

The Ghost Brigades is a worthy successor to Old Man’s War, and in many ways surpasses it.  Strongly recommended.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Book Information

The Naming of the Beasts

Oct 092009
 

The Naming of the Beasts, the fifth book in Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series starts to gather together threads laid down in the previous tales and still manages to set the scene for something even more epic.  If one were to lay any charges against Mike it would be that the books are somewhat formulaic.  Essentially Castor is trying to free his friend from demonic possession that he feels responsible for, while around him the world is gradually going to shit in a hand-basket.  He screws up a couple of times per book, underestimates both the demon and whatever evil force is also abroad and causing trouble, and then works through to some kind of conclusion at the end usually in a bitter-sweet moment of muted victory.

Like all generalisations, the previous description is both true but also inadequate because it is the detail and nuance that Mike brings to each tale that delivers the meat, the conflict; screw-up; screw-up; resolution is just the sauce.

The end of Thicker than Water left some serious threads hanging and The Naming of the Beasts picks up straight where it left off.  Castor has to work quickly to track down Asmodeus before he completes his grand escape or seeks his complete revenge, it’s not clear which is on his mind.  In order to succeed he needs to pick allies from a whole collection of lesser evils, and he needs to do it all without getting himself or any more of his friends killed.  Meanwhile, in the background is the ever growing realisation that Something Is Not Right with the world, a fact that Felix Castor can no longer ignore despite his best efforts.

Mike brings together just about everyone from the previous books that are still alive (and some that have been dead a long time) and through them drives this totally engaging and page turning story.  The pace is excellent with the whole book crammed into only a few high-strung days without it feeling crowded or rushed.  The characters are great as ever and despite being five books in they continue to develop and change.  The book is no-where near as bleak as Thicker than Water without actually being full of sunshine and the story resolves some major threads.  Despite all the praise and the page-turning nature of the story, I felt somehow underwhelmed with only muted joy at the end.  Not because it hadn’t been a good story or good ending, but because it’s clearly not The End and Castor knows it, and Mike wants us to know it.

I laughed a few times, I exclaimed in shock a few times and I was sad, but I was never moved to sitting on the edge of my seat, somehow the end of the last book meant pretty much anything that happened here couldn’t be as bad?  Castor’s insistence that he is the cause of all the trouble his friends suffer is sometimes overwhelming and it gets between me and him, I wish he’d just let go of some of the guilt at least some of the time.

In short, it’s an excellent book with a few minor issues which hardly deserve a mention except if I didn’t, it would be a short review saying nothing but good – and then you’d want to know why it didn’t get 5 stars.  If you’ve not read the first 4, go read them (make sure you have someone in the house with you when you read #4), then read this one, it’s worth it and in an ever increasingly crowded space, Mike’s prose, skill and characters stand out well above the crowd.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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Twitter

Oct 072009
 

twitter-webtreatsIf you’re a fan of twitter and don’t do RSS feeds, you can now follow the site there @bookthing_uk.  Of course, if you prefer RSS you can always track the latest content with the regular rss feed.

Freebies?

Oct 072009
 

Some of you may have seen the American organisation known as the The Federal Trade Commission has updated their guidelines affecting bloggers.  You can read the information here, via Google.

When myself and Grete started working on this site, all of the books were ones we had bought or already owned.  Grete has slowly made contacts with several publishers and now receives some books in advance of their publication or free after their publication.  We’d like to say that all reviews are honest and independent regardless of where the books originated, but we’d also like you to know that some of them were provided by their publishers.

I’m not sure what, if any, regulations exist in the UK, and I’m pretty sure the US FTC doesn’t hold any sway here, but I think it’s worth being open and honest about the source of some of the books.  However, I also agree with a lot of the content of this post, and it’s worth remembering that many paid for publications (magazines, newspapers, tv programmes) receive the material they review for free.

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