Where I Worked Hard to Like It as Much as I Did

Kingmaker by Margaret Weis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(This was a gift--I didn't read the books that came before. Pretty sure I didn't need to.)

There is some fun to be had in this book. Those who care about the characters from previous stories probably care a lot more, and they likely enjoy it more. But even coming at it in the middle, I could see things to like. The setting is very cool. The ships and dragons and magic are lots of fun.

And, to be honest, there were about 80-100 pages that were exciting and fully entertaining. Five here, ten there. Genuinely good scenes. But most of it was not like that. SO MUCH TALKING. Everything rehashed. Plans gone over time and again. Discussions about how somebody else would feel about the thing they were going to do. You could cut probably half the book and not miss it.

Every great scene was followed by long stretches of cozy chatting. And we flipped from character to character so much I literally don't know who was meant to be the MC. And the main conflict was a moving target. The king is being blackmailed; the dragons are being hunted; there's a treasure that must be found; a ship is being sent into a trap; the capital is being invaded; a dangerous weapon is in the hands of the enemy. These were dealt with one at a time, making half the book feel anticlimactic.

So I didn't love it.

The cover is great, though. And the hardcover is just the size and weight and sturdiness I like when I handle books. Those things together earned it the third star.

It just should have been more fun.

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Where We Get the Last of Lord Darcy

A Study in Sorcery by Michael Kurland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Randall Garrett wrote one novel and a number of short stories about the investigator Lord Darcy. This is the second sequel written by Michael Kurland, the last of the Lord Darcy mysteries, and it's a bit thinner but still fun.

The setting remains the key component, with an original take on an alternate history with magic: England still controls France (never losing what Henry V gained) and has remained a real empire up to the sort-of present, including a tenuous hold on the Americas. (These stories mostly take place in the 70's, though the technology is more steampunk than modern. Much of society relies on magic instead.) This time, we're in North America, at a settlement I think is meant to be where New York should be. There's a murder involving an Aztec (here, Azteque) nobleman, a crime which needs to be solved before an important treaty is signed with Aztecque ambassadors, and Lord Darcy is called in to save the agreement. Altogether, this is an interesting society and world, with lots of fun what-if? answers, and the freshness of that setting all on its own makes the story fun to dip into.

The plot mostly works. It's a quick read, with decent pacing, and I have no real problem with any part of it--except I was expecting some more action at some point. It feels like we were hiking up a mountain and then were suddenly back at the bottom, as if a middle section was planned but abandoned, the story quickly wrapped up, to keep it at a tidy 75,000 words. There is pretty good rising action, but I can't really identify much of a major crisis, and I felt the lack of it.

That said, the conclusion makes sense and works fine. Maybe it's just a very long short story...

This may be the least successful (IMO) of the books and stories of Lord Darcy, but it's still fun, and if there were ten more I'd buy them today. Alas, this is it. Last one.

I wonder if Brandon Sanderson has a minute in his schedule.

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Where Lord Darcy Solves Mysteries for the King

Too Many Magicians by Randall Garrett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel. (Technically, it's in the middle of an omnibus edition, but it's novel length, so I'm reacting to it on its own.) There's so much to like--an interesting setting, capable and engaging characters, a tricky mystery, and plenty of action.

Set in a sort-of England and France in the 1960s, the story takes place in a timeline where the Plantagenant kings never lost the throne and continued to control France as well as Great Britain. The technology lags about a century behind ours, but they excel at magic instead. This empire includes all of North and South America, though it seems to be less colonized than our world. In addition to his detective skills, Darcy--the Sherlock-like figure who is the main investigator here--is tough and good with weapons, making him a decent action hero, and although he cannot himself do magic, his partner--a good Dr. Watson stand-in--can and does. They are an effective team.

Throw in a few mysterious deaths, spies and double agents from the rival Polish Empire, and some practitioners of black magic, and you can't miss.

Something about the whole vibe of this novel and related short stories just really works for me, and I enjoy it. (As a result, I scored it quite a bit higher than the average. Not sure why some others didn't like it as well, but that's how it works.) I wish there were a bunch more novels, but we are not so lucky. I'll have to be satisfied with the chunky omnibus which still contains 6 more short stories I haven't read yet.

This probably is best for those attracted to alternate timeline stories and/or steampunk novels, especially mysteries, though it straddles several categories.

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Where I Bought the Whole Thing, Airships and All

An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors by Curtis Craddock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great book. Super fun to read. I'm a new fan.

A sundered world, made up of floating land masses reached by sailing ships, with royal families distinguished by their unusual family magic, make this an exciting place to explore even before we get to the plot. Such a setting is amazing, full of possibility, and though I've seen *similar* settings I've never found one that seemed so real or felt so possible as this one. The lands are reminiscent of France and Spain and the like, but only enough to suggest nationalities, giving the wild setting a slight grip on familiarity which I appreciated.

Princess Isabelle, born with a defect, is almost killed at birth, and is only saved by Jean-Claude, a musketeer who becomes her lifelong defender and ally. I found them easy to like and root for. Both of these characters are capable in their own way but also flawed, and they face a series of antagonists who are similarly round as well as morally gray. More so than in many novels, the characters here make sense to me; their reactions and their motivations, even speaking of the bad guys, seem to add up, and I credit the author for peopling his wildly imaginative fantasy with actual human beings. Some of them are really, really horrible, but even those characters are not wholly evil or incomprehensible.

The plot is centered around palace intrigue, with many factions working to place the prince of their choice on the throne of Aragoth. This leads to murders, assassinations, kidnappings, battles, ambushes, and all the action a reader could hope for. The airships and sky islands are handled better here than in any novel I can think of, and the unusual magic--blood shadows and mirror walking and the like--are convincing and well used. The same with the bits and pieces of ancient technology.

In fact, I don't really have any notes. It was both a refreshing book and a great read. The next book in the series is ordered.

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Where It Wasn't My Thing

Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There were certain things I liked about this book--thus 3 stars instead of DNF--but on the whole I didn't like it. I was disappointed in too much.

The things I liked include smooth prose, successful world building, and a couple of fine characters. Onna and Loga are sympathetic and interesting, and both would be fun to read about again.

However, I didn't like the parts with Jeck, the army officer, and Tsiri, the half-troll. Some of it was cool, but their main contribution to the novel was a certain sexy vibe emerging from the dynamics of their relationship. Their frank language and overtly sex-positive scenes start to feel weird, though, and gratuitous; almost none of their story leads anywhere in terms of the murder mystery plot. And in a novel that is largely Victorian in sensibility, it is jarring.

All would have been forgiven in an awesome story, but the plot went nowhere for 300+ pages before getting all tied up in about 20.

So--pretty good, especially in parts, but not a favorite. Maybe the next one. We'll see.

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Where the Regency Fantasy Series Ends Well

The Mislaid Magician; or, Ten Years After by Patricia C. Wrede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last of the series. It ends well.

This story takes place after the main characters--two couples--have been married for ten years, having a bunch of kids. Although they're minor characters, the kids add quite a lot to the story, a lot of interest and unique plot points, so I like it.

It's the same kind of story as the first two, a sort of genteel magical adventure, taking place in a magical version 19th Century England. Like the first two, there's a mystery that must be investigated, leading to some pretty real adventure, though much of the action and dialogue is still very Austen-like. (Which is cool.) If anything, I thought this was the most interesting of the three books, with the danger to the children providing additional emotional impact that paid off. (The kids' magical map and other magical shenanigans were fun.)

The only thing I didn't much care for is the format. The whole series is told in the form of letters, which is interesting at times, and was kinda fun in the first book, but I feel like it spoils the drama and tension too often. I got pretty weary of it, TBH. ("Your kids are fine, but let me tell you the crazy stuff that happened to them yesterday" kind of gives the action away.) I still liked it, but I was wishing I could read it with more straightforward kind of narration.

Despite that preference, I enjoyed the book and series enough to recommend it for all readers of Austen-flavored Regency fantasy, especially those that prefer them to lean toward the cozy end of the spectrum.

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A Frightening and Cool Magical World

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an enjoyable YA fantasy novel that's a pretty breezy read, but it also engages directly with a lot of timely themes--prejudice of many kinds, domestic violence, crime, feminism, personal responsibility, etc.--giving it deeper significance and more emotional heft. I thought it was a satisfying and fun read, and though it was disappointing in some bits, the novel and the magical world created there both work well overall.

Sunny is a US-raised Nigerian girl who is learning how to get along in a new place after her family moves back to Nigeria. What makes the change even harder is discovering that she belongs to a group of people--Leopard people--who are magic-wielders and live a secret double life. In some ways, Sunny's introduction and training in this world resembles Harry Potter and other magic school stories, and that's cool; it's a fun trope. They travel in strange ways to a hidden place that normal people can't reach, where they can buy books and knives and things they need for their magic, and they meet magic adepts who teach them how to use their abilities. (One of my pet peeves for all books of this sort is how they are given tasks that they aren't prepared for, as if the best way to learn is by muddling through without guidance. Everybody's glad they don't die. Wouldn't it be better to teach them a little more first?) As in HP, the magic is inherently dangerous, almost brutally so, and they must learn to respect the risk, though in the concluding scenes, we see that the worst danger is a criminal who is trained like them in magic.

The most fun parts are when Sunny is experiencing the wonder of the hidden world, meeting strange people, attending secret events, finding success and acceptance, all while balancing her normal life with her family and regular school. That balancing is the main conflict for most of the novel, and it's appropriate and satisfying, but there is a confrontation with a serial killer at the end that seems kinda tacked on. Up to that point, Sunny and her friends seem like real young people learning how to deal with the strange hand life dealt them, and their conflicts make sense within the context of that story. The last part, though--without revealing spoilers--was disappointing. (The logic behind the final confrontation is unconvincing, and the resolution if offers feels unearned and rushed. IMO.)

Still, it was fun to read, and it's especially refreshing the way the folkloric and fantastic elements emerge in modern, middle class Nigeria, among cosmopolitan characters with an educated background. I found that contrast really worked, and I'm looking forward to grabbing the sequel.

Recommended.

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Cozy Fantasy of Manners on the Continent

The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the first book, and I think I liked this one a bit more.

Like the first, this is told through letters, but also through diary entries and some other writings. It works quite well; a few scenes are told through multiple points of view, and I liked seeing the action that way.

I like Cece and Kate, but I have to admit that, two books in, I still mix up their husbands. I almost need to draw myself some pictures or get action figures to help me differentiate the guys. They might almost be Man 1 and Man 2. But that's not too central to my enjoyment in reading this, as it's the female characters who are most interesting and narrate the story.

I like the mix of manners and action. The mystery and even violence have a gentler feel, more of a cozy mystery sensibility. There are real stakes (as there are in cozy mysteries), but I don't get too agitated. It's chill, a pleasant read, and suitable for just before bedtime. (Am I the only one who won't read some genres other than horror before going to sleep? Also, I don't want to work so hard...) I like the way characters sit down to breakfast to have toast and talk about the day and then go do magic and fight off highwaymen.

Jane Austen meets Sir Walter Scott, sorta.

Which is perfect for me.

Recommended if you like your action with ☕ and antiquities.

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A Cozy Regency Romance Fantasy Action Adventure. Epistolary.

Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've had the sequel to this novel for a long time and finally tracked down this first book so I could read them. Glad I did.

Set in a magical 19th Century England soon after the Napoleonic wars, this is a fun novel that came out of a really cool process--two authors writing letters back and forth in character. Apparently it started as a game that became a novel. :)

I don't usually have the patience for epistolary novels, but this worked for me. It tells an interesting story with plenty of pace (in the football sense), intrigue, and action, and I liked the main characters. Though it has the lightness of a Regency romance throughout most of the story (which I consider a good thing, to be clear), the mystery elements and magical awakenings of the main characters spice it up considerably, and the life-or-death stakes gives it enough weight that it feels quite substantial by the end. To me, anyway.

Nicely done and fair play to both authors.

I'll admit that there was one sticking point for me: I lost track of and confused several characters and their relationships right up to the end ("Wait--that's his aunt?" and "How did they meet again?"). I wish some of that had been clearer to me. The two pretty girls and the two clever boys remained a jumble in my head until near the end, though I just plowed ahead hoping it would become clearer. Probably my fault, of course, but I coulda used some more help from the story.

That said--overall, lots of fun, plenty to see, and I'm going straight on to the sequel. Recommended for fantasy readers who also like Jane Austen or the like. Marketed as YA, which is fine, but I feel that it has much broader appeal.

YMMV.



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Where I Liked It and Didn't, All at Once

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this a light, brisk read, and rather enjoyed it. Fun. Funny. Some good moments. But it seemed thin, in a way, though, and I cannot be more enthusiastic, even though I don't have any heavy criticism. (I sorta feel like I do when I drink diet soda--it's sorta good, and I kinda like it, but then I don't. Not really. Same here.)

The writing is clever and witty and sort of cracked, like Willy Wonka for adults, and the action feels like a cartoon in sensibility--serious events are treated as fodder for humor. Death and damnation for laughs. That kinda works, making it possible to read a story about a monster without throwing it across the room, but it makes me a little unhappy just the same.

I liked the ending and found it satisfying for the kind of make-a-bet-with-the-devil story we find ourselves in. And though I acquired some sympathy for the main character, I still don't like him, which makes it a harder sell for me to go on to the sequels.

I like the premise, at least--a necromancer making a bet with the devil to try to win back his soul--and if the thought of that contest in a humorous fantasy sounds good to you, you might be the exact audience for this. I'm close, but not quite it.

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I Shoulda Loved It but Didn't

Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorite authors. I've loved everything of his I've read. And this is a very good book. 4 stars.

But full disclosure: I didn't really enjoy it.

I wouldn't feel right rating it less than 4. It's clearly well written with a lot going for it. But I didn't have fun reading it, and I don't think I'll buy the sequel.

I'm trying to figure out why I didn't respond to it the way I did his previous books, why I had to work to push through it. On paper, it should be just my thing.

I guess, at the most basic level, I don't like having main characters on opposite sides. How can I root for both? We see the good and bad of either side; there's no black and white. That's fine. I think a lot of people would say that's ideal, and much more interesting. I get that. Some folks enjoy a morally gray MC, maybe even an antihero.

But It doesn't work for me. :(

So--good book. Not my cup of tea. You might love it. I dunno.

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Time is. Time was. Time is past.

Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay by Robert Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If only from brief references to it, as in Shakespeare in Love ("Is this the face that launched a thousand ships...") or in Tombstone (with Dana Delaney playing the devil in the theater scene), most of us know something about Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. (The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, in full.) And it's interesting in its own way. However, Friar Bacon, which is similar to it in many ways, is a more substantial and more satisfying play, even if it's by an author I have never heard of before.

Both plays can be understood to have been exciting special-effects plays for Elizabethan audiences, an excuse to show them something amazing on stage--characters performing magic, traveling through time and space, speaking with famous people, and so on. Seeing such marvels would be the main draw for the audience, and both supply plenty of it. But Friar Bacon, as I was promised, is a better play, boasting a more sophisticated plot, more interesting characters, and a more modern approach to conflict.

Dr. Faustus is an odd story, without a traditional plot structure; the story peters out in the end with a conclusion that was ordained from the beginning, like a train taking you from one station to the other, exactly as you expected from the start. Friar Bacon offers more than that, with numerous characters having their own conflicts which they try to resolve in ways more familiar to modern readers.

In short: the prince wants to attract a certain young woman, a commoner, and sends one of his men to woo her for him. (She also is being fought over by a couple of local squires.) Inevitably, his man falls in love and wants the young woman for himself. This plot includes disguises and sword fights and jealousy and revenge, already putting us in Shakespeare territory. But it also has a subplot, with Friar Bacon, a sorcerer, trying to complete some very difficult magic which will protect England from invasion. His subplot also includes marvels and magic, including a contest where he defeats foreign sorcerers. It almost seems that the two plots couldn't be connected in any way, but they come together in a way that I thought worked well. Also, the sorcerer's apprentice offers some pretty good comic relief, especially riding off to hell in the end. Well done.

More so than the Marlowe play (which I rather liked, actually) this story is interesting and satisfying enough that I'd like to see it performed someday. And I wonder why I never read it in school anywhere. Hmm.

A friend at Elizabethandrama.org recommended I take a look at this, and I am pleased I did. I was also informed it had the coolest stage prop ever, and I find I agree. A talking brazen head? Seriously? How awesome is that!

This is not a difficult read, especially if you get an annotated version like I did. Entertaining and recommended.

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It Was as Good as They Said It Was

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the most fun I've had reading a book in some time.

Excellent pacing throughout. With several complex POV characters, all flawed but sympathetic in different ways, I was entertained all the way through. I didn't find myself wishing we stayed with this one or that one. (Not much, anyway.) They're all fun, their stories engrossing, and when they start to draw together it only gets better.

Set in a sort of compact pseudo-Europe, medieval in feel, with numerous fantasy elements, it is a familiar environment, but the setting is uncommonly well done. It feels more real than most fantasy books in the same vein, with events that feel more likely to actually be happening. That gives the story more immediacy and impact than many other books of this sort.

From the start, I enjoyed the author's direct, engaging prose. It's not fancy or ornamented, exactly; just smooth and vivid. Usually I find that to be a bad sign; noticeably good prose usually (so it seems) leads to long boring stretches of beautiful description or lovingly detailed backstory. (Or, conversely, good story-telling is too often matched with dull language. IMO.) Nope. Neither problem. The story gallops along, engrossing and rewarding, making an excellent match for the language.

Anyway, everybody said this was a good book in a good series by a good author, and I find that, so far, they are entirely correct.

Recommended.

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Excellent Violence

Knights of the Empire by Dan Abnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This omnibus was my introduction to Warhammer novels. I hoped to like it (discussed in my review of the first novel in the omnibus) but didn't expect to. My experience with this sort of tie-in novel has been mostly negative. However, I kept seeing them in book stores, thinking they might be good, so I took a chance.

Who knew? They are good. Better than expected. There's some unevenness here and there, but I was surprisingly connected to the characters; I cared about what happened to them and found myself engaged in their stories.

The setting is elaborate and bigger than I could get a grip on, but I don't blame the series for that. You have to start somewhere. And yes, there's a lot of action here, a lot of fighting, but it makes sense within the context of the stories and the overall setting. Besides, I expected pretty continuous action. What surprised me most was how complete the novels and short stories were, how much other stuff was included. The novels and stories were unique and varied, each one its own bit of creativity, with complex characters who have comprehensible motivations.

In short, good stories, well-written.

Others may see it differently, of course, but I found this collection well worth looking into and will certainly try some others.

Recommended especially for lovers of sword-and-sorcery style fantasy.

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Character-Driven Fantasy Murder Mystery

A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. Interesting characters, engaging murder mystery, cool setting--all good.

This is a brisk read with lots of action, though we also get to know the characters quite a bit. Satrine cons her way into an inspector job because she has to take care of her kids after her husband is disable and needs constant care. Part of her story is the tension between her and her oldest daughter as they try to struggle through hard times. Satrine's partner is Minox, an inspector from a big family of constables. He has the characteristics of someone on the spectrum, and though he's unorthodox he is a focused inspector. He isn't well understood at work, though, and it's only a bit better for him at home. Besides that, he's a mage unallied with any of the normal circles, which makes certain people not trust him. His relationships at work and at home--including a brother who appears to be descending into schizophrenia--are complex and interesting.

The plot involves the murder of mages--obvious from the title--and though this is a fantasy, the mystery is effective and satisfying. The story is grounded in personalities which carries it, IMO.

I found the novel fun and engaging, easy to pick up and get into again (as I rotate between a handful of books) and I'm eager to read others in the series.

Recommended.

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Where the Sidekick Steals the Show

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, yes, I'm an easy touch when it comes to Sherlock Holmes stories. I like just about every incarnation. Hard for me not to pick up a new take on it. So I'm already leaning toward ranting about this book before I've even read it.

Read it--loved it--a couple quibbles--nah, loved it.

This is one of those blue-skies approaches to world-building in the sense that anything is possible here, and that is both a strength and weakness. The amount of crazy inventiveness in this novel is staggering, amazing, entertaining, and a little off-putting but ultimately super fun. The kaleidoscope of possibility was entertaining until somewhere near the end when it veered (for me) so far from reality toward the cartoonish that I couldn't connect with it very well (I mean, seriously, the setting is nuts), but then it pulled back and made sense to me once more. Still, even with that speed bump, it was enough fun overall and at the end that I couldn't give it less than all the stars.

This was also funnier than many supposedly funny books I've read lately. The sort-of Watson character (John Wyndham) is very proper and polite, and his narration of the story, filled as it is with improper behavior and language, is awkward and hilarious. (Reporting their client's statement: "Forgive the informality of my appearance,' she said with a sigh, 'but I appear to be utterly ruined.' She did not say 'ruined.'") I also enjoyed Shaharazad Haas, the sort-of Sherlock character, who is incorrigibly out of control and badly behaved but touchingly loyal to John no matter how much she disapproves of him and mocks him.

The Victorian-era language and tone is handled well here, consistent from beginning to end, and is another source of humor. John's narration is dry to the point of dead-pan, which works well: "Over the entire course of our acquaintance I can recall two and a half occasions on which Ms. Haas allowed another person to have the last word in an argument. This was not one of them and I conceded the point as gracefully as I was able."

The plot is strange but makes sense and is internally consistent, and the action does not flag at any point. This is an excellent book for short attention spans... in a good way...

So, lots of fun. Recommended for those who can mix their Sherlock with sorcery and humor. Works for me.

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Where I Find the Series Is Still on Solid Ground after Two Books

Imager's Challenge by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy books by this author, in general. He writes in a very glib way, with a rolling plot that just keeps moving. I especially like the characters (here and elsewhere) and like to see them figure things out and attack problems with the help of allies.

I don't love his long descriptions of the inconsequential (what Rhenn did on almost every day from the start of the book to the end, or the menu of almost every meal in the story) or strange dialog (random meetings turning into long paragraphs of conversation about politics or philosophy). It pads a story that would be plenty long, but that's how he likes it, so that's what you get. If you want the story, you get the quirks.

I like the story, so I'll take the quirks.

Rhenn is a good character. He's a young man with a lot of nerve and imaging skill and a strong ethical sense. He's navigating a world where you can count on some people and not others, which he's figuring out, and he makes unlikely friends because he is fair and reliable. I like his girlfriend, Seliora, and her family a lot, too. They are a business family and members of an ethnic minority, people somewhat oppressed by the majority, and while Seliora and the others are very loving, they also have a very tough mentality that I admire. From the start, they embrace Rhenn in a do-anything-for-you kind of way, which included fighting behind the scenes for him, and become central to the plot. This dynamic between Rhenn and her family is my favorite part of the book.

Imager's Challenge is the second book in the series. The more the world-building gets taken care of, which is a big part of the first two books, the more the action comes to the fore, which I find more fun to read. So after I see to a few other books waiting on my TBR pile, I'm eager to get to book 3 and seeing how Rhenn is doing.

Book and series--recommended.

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Dresden Versus Werewolves. And Loup Garous. And... Look, It's Complicated

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 2 cranks along just like book 1. Lots of action, lots of characters that the reader cares about, lots of fun.

This is the book you read when you want to enjoy turning pages, when you're ready to root for your team. You could mine the novel for thematically interesting points--Is ignorance better than well guided knowledge? When is it morally acceptable to take the law in your hands?--but you don't need to do that unless you want to. You don't need to justify reading a book that is fun. (My word. You might call it exciting; thrilling; a nail-biter. Whatever means reads like an awesome action movie to you.)

Fool Moon is written well, with excellent pacing and effective use of language. There are no gut checks, nowhere when you have to push through to get back to the good stuff. It's all good stuff. Dresden fights werewolves. Gets beat up a lot. Pisses off friends and enemies, sometimes without even trying. Wears a cool leather duster. Magic and mayhem.

All good stuff.

Recommended.


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Where I Finally Read the Second Book, Remembering How Good the First Was

Hexed by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's a fast read because it's good. (Gripping action + sympathetic characters + great language + amusing banter + entertaining plot + cool magic = "good." It's just math, really.)

I've been reading a lot of first books lately, and gave myself permission to get going on second books. Finally. This is one of those second books that picks up where the first left off, in terms both of plot and momentum, and only improves on the first if anything.

Atticus O'Sullivan, the last druid, is a compelling, sympathetic character who is fun to watch. Kevin Hearne does an amazing job making him both modern and ancient, kind and brutal, funny and serious. He stays true to his motivations, as do the other characters he encounters--witches, werewolves, Coyote the trickster, Lady Madonna (ISYN--and sorry, ~spoiler) and others. I love how his supernatural characters wear their nice clothes and enjoy their local entertainments and drive their fancy cars around the East Valley and still party like it's 999.

Lots going on. Atticus is trying to train a new druid, watch out for the nice old neighbor lady, take care of his dog (love his dog!), make a truce with a bunch of witches, repair his relationships with a few friends, and survive a slew of enemies. And fix a stretch of dead, charred ground from the previous novel, because that's what druids do.

Well written. No sour notes. Lots of fun. And, by me, highly recommended.

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Where I Share an Uninformed Opinion on Marlowe's Dr. Faustus

Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So, this is kinda cool. Marlowe's Dr. Faustus turns out to be quite readable and entertaining, with a straightforward story and not too many characters, though it helps to have notes to explain the more obscure bits. I like the pdf version available at ElizabethanDrama.org. Tell them I sent you. (They won't care. Don't bother.)

I can see, as I read this play, why it would appeal to an audience of his time. There is a lot of spectacle possible here that would surprise and entertain, a lot of magic and shocking detail. To a modern audience--me, in this case--there's a lack of conflict that makes it feel like a story without a plot. Sure, Faustus has internal conflict, arguing with himself about continuing down the path to hell, but the play is only partly about that; his internal debate is not central to the action. Seeing all the cool sights and pulling up spirits of the dead (like Helen of Troy) is really what the play is about.

IMO--this is more pageant than play, but fun for all that, and remarkable for Marlowe's language. I wanted to read it just for the "Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, / And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?" line. It was fun finding it in its natural habitat. Others might have better reasons.

Anyway, this is surely worth spending an hour or two on, particularly if you are interested in Elizabethan drama. :)

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