The Fantasy Vault

Back to Home * Romance * Paranormal * Mystery * Mainstream * Sci-Fi/Fantasy * E-Books

Wicked by Gregory Maquire

If you loved the musical, and just need more “Wicked” then please, please, don’t run out and buy the book.  There is a good chance that this book is not for you.   I, on the other hand, read the book long before I saw the musical…and I found the musical as enjoyable as a bowl of whip cream.  I kept looking for the substance, but the dark, political satire of Maquire’s book was sucked out.  I guess Broadway just can risk offending people.  After reading many of the reviews posted on Amazon, I got the impression that a lot of people were surprised and disgusted by the book after “loving” the musical.  I will admit the Maquire’s world of Oz is not a place for those scared of being challenged, whether on your concepts of sexuality, terrorism, or good vs. evil, you will be challenged or at least forced to think.  I’m not trying to say that this book is an instant classic, or that it will enlighten the masses.  I think it’s pure entertainment though from the first sentences to the last.  The wicked witch, Ephabra, is not an easy character to like and she always walks a fine line between heroine and villainous (in the book, anyway), but just like all of us, she is the hero of her own life.  The world of Oz isn’t all that’s it’s cracked up to be either, with prejudice and turmoil, and oh boy, the Wizard gaining control over the populace by using fear to manipulate the spoiled masses (um, no comment on how this relates to our current political situation).    I found this novel creative, occasionally brilliant, and sometimes uncomfortable…but I couldn’t put it down.   By C.C. Moore ****

 

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maquire

At the end of Wicked, Ephabra leaves behind Liir—who might, or might not be her son.  This book follows Liir as he grows of age, wandering without much of life, trying to differentiate himself from his infamous (possible) parent.  Meanwhile, the Wizard has disappeared but Oz still is facing tyranny and war.  I actually liked this book more than Wicked, though it doesn’t seem quite as original (and how could it be?).  Liir is at heart a good person, though like all of Maquire’s characters, he is more than he appears.  As Liir realizes that the strange killings in Oz are directly connected to the Emperor, he takes the witch’s broom and her cape and stages his own small rebellion.  But the mysterious Emperor is not without means…  With a strong plot and a more empathetic hero, Son of a Witch is a great sequel and perhaps even better than the original.  (I’m crossing my fingers that he’ll write a third.)

 
“ The Dark is Rising” by Susan Cooper (children and young adults)


Young Will Stanton is a normal English lad, or so he thinks before he finds himself drawn into an ancient war between the Light and the Dark with the fate of the world in the balance.

Will, a seventh son of a seventh son, is the last born of the Old Ones, a brotherhood of immortal, magical beings destined to preserve humanity and the natural order against the forces of evil. His first task is to locate six magical Signs that will serve in the coming battles.

Along the way he will meet human friends and allies, adult and child alike, along with legendary figures and a boy destined to become the Pendragon and heir to King Arthur.

Will’s adventures take him back in time and to key events in history and legend on his quest for the Signs and other magical artifacts. Along the way he is pursued relentlessly by the Rider – the Dark’s most menacing agent – and his diverse minions.

Cooper has created a landmark epic highly recommended for children and adults. Will and his friends are introduced to a fantastic world set practically next door to our own, populated with mythic and legendary creatures. The effect easily matches that style of the Narnia and Harry Potter books.
In addition, the heroes are called upon to face deep, often frightening questions and take on responsibilities and sacrifices to complete their missions. These adventures are exciting, but they’re no vacations for the characters.

By most accounts, the recent movie was a flop, but these books deserve to be read and read widely. By Bob DeFrank ****1/2
“Banewreaker,” by Jacqueline Carey

When reading a fantasy story, have you ever wept for a slain dragon? Thought an Orc was ‘cute?’ Groaned when Providence tossed answers and solutions in the naïve heroes’ laps just because they’re ‘good,’ while they blunder stupidly through the plot and ruin all the villain’s hard work and careful planning almost without realizing it? Thought the wise old wizard was a callous, manipulative jerk?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then Jacqueline Carey’s “Sundering” duology is the series for you.

The two novels, “Banewreaker” and “Godslayer,” tell a classic fantasy epic in the style of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” and “The Silmarillion.” In the face of a world at war, nations gather under the banner of an exiled king to see the long-prophesized union of man and Ellylon (Elves) in marriage and to march on the stronghold of the Dark Lord Satoris. Meanwhile, a small band of intrepid heroes under the guidance of Malthus (a wizard dispatched by Haomone, Satoris’ brother, who rules the paradise-like land of the
gods across the Sundered Sea) make their way slowly toward Satoris’ land of Darkhaven with a weapon that will guarantee the fulfillment of prophecy and the destruction of the Dark Lord’s realm.

However, key difference is that the story is told as a tragedy, from the POV of the losing side. More, through brilliant use of shifting, subjective viewpoints, the reader comes to understand (Carey is a master of showing, not telling) that story is not about the battle between evil and good, but between freedom and control. Haomone is the god of thought and intellect, while Satoris embodies passion and creativity. While the heroes (under Malthus’ adept and manipulative guidance) fight to bring about a perfect world,
Satoris and his followers struggle for free will.

Far from the domain of evil it is purported to be, Darkhaven is a sanctuary for the mad, the misbegotten, and all those who have no place in paradise, and if it appears a hellish realm, it is due in no small part to the cruelties and persecution inflicted on its inhabitants by the outside world.

In this conflict, neither side is perfect. In contrast to the uncompromising perfection of the heroes, Sartoris’ followers’ actions stem from extremes of passion and carry all the associated flaws. Most ironic of all, if the story was told entirely from the heroes’ POV then even the reader would have every reason to believe Satoris’ and his followers to be the evil monsters they have been painted to be.

In terms of narrative style, the books are flawless. With her background in myth and language, Carey has the credentials to take on the daunting challenge of writing a novel in the style of Tolkien. However, these books are short on surprises. Keep in mind that this series is a tragedy and should be read as such, and in a tragedy the ending is a foregone conclusion. At one point, I was able to predict how one plotline would be resolved fifty pages ahead, but I read on anyway, every bit as engrossed, knowing what
painful event would take place but helpless to stop it. That’s the magic Carey weaves: using the standard fantasy tropes to evoke the opposite emotion from her readers.

These books deserve to be read as companion pieces to standard fantasy. They challenge the reader to question unthinking assumptions about good and evil and reveal the dangers of absolutism. By Bob DeFrank ****


“The Hero and the Crown” (young adult)
By Robin McKinley


Aerin could not remember a time when she had not known the story; she had grown up knowing it.

It was the story of her mother, the witchwoman who enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir that would rule Damar; and it was told that she turned her face to the wall and died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son.
Aerin was that daughter

In this subtle, intricate novel McKinley invites readers to the land of Damar, to grow up alongside Aerin and join her in the struggle to discover who she is, the secret of her birth and what her destiny holds.

This was my first book-without-pictures and it showed me what a good novel could be. The reader will fall in love with both Aerin and Damar. I consider this and “The Blue Sword”
McKinley’s finest work.

In contrast to the expected fantasy epics of today, “Hero and the Crown” is short but it packs a punch and will appeal to boys and girls alike. Recommended for giving new readers
high standards. By Bob DeFrank *****
 

“Five Children and It” by Edith Nesbit (children)
 

Five children are playing on the beach when they discover a “sand fairy,” now bound to
grant them a wish every day with madcap consequences.

Day by day the children try their luck, but whether their wishes are careless or
well-thought-out, they invariable and spectacularly backfire, whether they wish for the
ability to fly like birds, for riches, beauty or a taste of adulthood.

Nesbit excels by being able to realistically describe children and their thoughts and
behavior to capture the feeling of the fantastic impacting the day-to-day world.

Each chapter is, for all intents and purposes, a story in itself as the children spend
the day dealing with the consequences of their wish.

“Five Children and It” is highly recommended family reading. by Bob DeFrank ****1/2

 


Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peak

Book one of the "Gormenghast Trilogy"
 

The massive castle of Gormenghast, which is so vast and varied that it is for all intents and purposes a world in itself, social class and unyielding tradition dominate every aspect of life. As the story opens, two momentous events occur which will shake the mighty edifice to its foundations.

A young kitchen boy named Steerpike escapes the confines of the kitchens where he and others of his class are assigned to live and die. Steerpike is passionate, cunning, ruthless and ambitious. His hatred for Gormenghast is rivaled only by his desire to dominate it. This way, he believes, lies freedom.

That day also marked the birth of Titus Groan, the seventy-seventh Earl of Gormenghast, heir to the castle and slave to the endless ceremonies, rituals and duties without meaning that drain the life from its denizens while instilling them with purpose.

And all the while he is haunted by the Wild Thing, a mysterious figure who haunts the forests of Gormenghast, the embodiment of freedom that beckons and terrifies at once.

The Gormenghast books are rich with a Gothic atmosphere. It includes a vast cast of characters whose quirky roles and relations stand like a funhouse mirror view of life and the roles we are all born into. It is a different story for everyone who reads it every time they read it.

Steerpike, however, remains the most vibrant character.

Gormenghast, Gormenghast, wonderful, terrible, undeniable Gormenghast. Home and shelter, monument to a glorious past, dust-coated irrelevant mauseleum of decay, a cruel taskmaster, a titanic corpse which feeds and houses innumerable maggots, a parent that spawns and devours its own children…all of these at once.

These are the types of books that you can write books analyzing. How can I begin to do it justice with a mere review? No, some things can only be experienced. Come then, and enter its mighty halls. Feel its power. Poor Steerpike, did he imagine he could set his will against the crushing weight of those ancient stones? Gormenghast devoured him from within long before the climax of his part of the tale.

But what of young Titus? What answer will he find? The world outside the sheltering walls is so vast, so uncertain, so unknown. Will he dare to leave the shadow of the timeless halls?

Read on…Read on…  By Bob DeFrank *****
 

The Last Legends of Earth by A.A. Attanasio


For uncounted millennia an incredibly advanced alien race with the power to manipulate time, space, matter and energy has waged a desperate war against the onslaught of the zotyl, a hoard of spider-like creatures that psychically feed on pain, misery and death.

The beleaguered aliens have hit on a new strategy: they will create a system of planets and populate them with a sentient life-form that has long ago become extinct. Remnants of this race’s fossilized DNA will be used to seed the artificial planets with clones. These will serve as bait for the zotyl, who will swarm and inflict untold agony upon this hapless species. When enough zotyl have infested, the planetary system will be destroyed in a single brilliant supernova.

The name of this hapless race, resurrected to act as a staked-goat, is humanity.

Chan-ti Beppu, a young woman living on one of these planets, travels through a lynk (a portal teleporting people to different planets) to a planet ruled by a race of clones from the Norse Vikings and meets Ned O'Tennis, a Viking fighter pilot. They fall in love, only to become separated in a surprise attack on the planet.

Chan-ti and Ned leap from planet to planet and era to era one step ahead of the murderous zotyl in a desperate attempt to find each other and build a life of peace. It is a simple quest, pointless in the grand scheme of things, but epic all the same. Their actions will touch more lives than they can know. In the end, even the godlike beings that revived the human race will take note of them

Like the foredoomed Vikings who continue to fight on in defiance of Ragnarok, humanity will forge its final legends.

Very few stories deserve the title of ‘Lovecraftian,’ but Attanasio’s offering demonstrates more than most the sense of humanity’s encounter with the cosmic. The characters’ quest also adds a valuable element of humanity to the foreboding background and feel of the mythic. Readers will fall in love with the characters and marvel with them as the whole human race is simply a small pawn in a game between vast forces and terrible powers they cannot begin to comprehend. Highly recommended for readers who want to see mind-boggling SF in full gear.  By Bob DeFrank *****

 
The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop 

Bishop made a name for herself with this dark masterpiece of witches, slaves, love, and hatred.  Not for the timid, these novels (here compiled into one volume but probably easy to order at your local library) have an epic scale.  They follow the birth, coming of age, and queenship of the girl Jaenelle who is born to prophesy and whose powers are beyond the understanding of most of those around her.  Her family thinks her mad, and institutionalizes her into a place where girls are tortured, but Jaenelle escapes to other realms, visiting three men in particular who will all have a major role to play in her coming into her own.   Saetan the High Lord of Hell becomes her adopted father, her adopted brother, Prince Lucivar Yaslana is a demon with wings, and Warlord Prince Daemon Sadi, will become the man who loves her enough to do anything for her. Also included in her inner circle are the demon-dead, unicorns, harpies, Healers and Black Widow Queens, Kindred, and many more.  Bishop creates a spellbinding work of dark fantasy, with terrors, heartache, and yet beauty and love for any reader daring to open the pages.  By C.C. Moore ****1/2

 
In "Making Money", Terry Pratchett's hero, Moist von Lipwig do for and to the monetary system exactly what they did for and to the post office in "Going Postal". The result is a romp through the strange and satirical world of Discworld.  Moist is bored with the post office and spends his time breaking into his own office just for entertainment.  Lord Vetinari, always brilliant and Machiavellian, recognizes an opportunity when he sees one, and offers Moist the job of running the royal mint. Pratchett does a fine job of combining satire with a real world lesson about money and how it works.  There are a lot of different plotlines in this one novel, and sometimes it feels a tad overwhelming to keep track of who is who, especially if this is your first Discworld novel.  Overall though this should be a treat for fans, and has been well-received by critics.  I thought it was a fun romp in general, if not a tad on the busy side. If you are interested in getting to know Discworld than I would recommend Going Postal.  By C.C. Moore **** Making Money ****1/2 Going Postal
 
The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story, Book one of the Gap sequence by Stephen R. Donaldson


Donaldson stretches his wings in this sci-fi epic that opens with Angus Thermopyle, a brutal space pirate and slaver who captures Morn Hyland, a beautiful a cop with the United Mining Companies, the corporation that dominates all space travel and regulates
the very lifeblood of Earth and her far-flung colonies.

From its earliest chapters, “The Real Story” explores power, victimization and the endurance of the human spirit. It is a short but intense book and the brutality is unrelenting. The tale is told mainly from the point of view of Thermopyle, a creature who holds the reader captive with his malice and cruelty, but most chilling of all is his humanity.

The book functions as an excellent stand-alone story, but also as the entry into an epic that is almost unique in the genre as Hyland and Thermopyle stumble on a conspiracy that extends from the highest levels of power to the outlaw scum on the fringes of civilization, from those who enforce the law and defend humanity to a monstrous alien race, the Amnion, who will not rest until the whole human race in consumed.

As an aside, the Amnion are one of the most incredible and realistically menacing alien race ever conceived.

This story has been described as “Star Wars in Hell” and for good reason. Every single character is pushed to their limits, discover shocking and hideous truths about life and themselves, and many are destroyed by what they endure.

In addition, later editions of “The Real Story” closes with a short essay describing Donaldson’s inspiration for the story. It is a surprising and may prompt a second reading to examine the themes that he so deftly plays out. By Bob DeFrank ****
Sticks and Stones by Peter Kuper (for adults and children)


A stone giant emerges from a volcano and falls to earth. The smaller stone people worship the creature and build a kingdom. Their thoughts soon turn to conquest, however, and they look to the gentle stick people across the mountain.

A graphic novel from the artist who contributed to “Spy vs Spy” for MAD magazine and has produced several other excellent works, “Sticks and Stones” is an allegorical tale of greed, pride, the seductions of power, and its consequences.

And Kuper tells it all without writing a single word.

The images convey a powerful message, accentuated by a combination of detail and simplicity. The stark black and white scenes are nicely interspersed with startling color segments that add to the atmosphere.

“Sticks and Stones” is a simple, tragic, hopeful and moving story told through the medium of graphics. It may be appropriate for young children (though some scenes at the end are a bit scary) and a source of good family reading time and discussion. By Bob DeFrank *****
 
Sabriel, book one of the Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix and Leo And Diane Dillon

Young Adult

Four stars

“Yes,” said Abhorsen. “I am a necromancer, but not of the common kind. Where others of the art raise the dead, I lay them back to rest. And those that will not rest, I bind – or try to. I am Abhorsen…”

He looked at the baby again, and added, almost with a note of surprise, “Father of Sabriel.”

On the surface, it appears Sabriel is a normal girl growing up in Wyverley College on the far side of the Wall that divides the normal world from the Old Kingdom, where magic and monsters roam. The skills Sabriel is learning include her father’s trade of necromancy. When he dies, she is expected to take on his role as the guardian of the land who insures passage through the Gate of Death is only one way.

But she must take up the task sooner than she thought, when a magical creature arrives at the school with the message that her father has disappeared and one of her family’s ancient enemies has returned from death to prey on the living.

With only her family’s familiar – a spirit trapped in the form of a cat – to guide her, Sabriel must journey to a land in chaos where the living are slaves to the dead, there she will uncover secrets of the distant past and find other allies in a bid to restore the balance of all things.

This is the first book in a trilogy that will appeal to all ages, male and female. Experienced readers will notice some familiar plot devices, but the characters and the author’s skill and sense of humor will carry them through and the story will serve as a perfect way to introduce young readers to the genre.
 

The Wounded Land (The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 1)


“This you have to understand. There’s only one way to hurt a man who’s lost
everything. Give him back something broken.”

That quote sums up a driving theme of “The Wounded Land,” where Donaldson reacquaints us with both the Land and its antihero and savior, Thomas Covenant, and introduces his love and his match, Linden Avery, another strong but damaged soul who joins him in the
struggle to heal and be healed.

It has been ten years since the events of “The Power that Preserves,” in which Covenant and his allies won a costly victory and delivered the Land and its peoples from their ancient enemy, Lord Foul the Despiser.

Or so it appeared.

During the decade of Covenant’s absence, millennia have passed, during which time Lord Foul has returned. Now the Land has been ravaged by the Despiser’s latest assault, the Sunbane: a curse that distorts the very foundations of life.

He needs only one thing more: the power of wild magic contained in Covenant’s white gold ring. Covenant is once more drawn into the Land, and Linden with him, and the Land is broken.

This is my favorite single book of the series. In it, Donaldson revisits his world but tries a new formula: rather than three separate adventures over a span of generations (in the Land’s time) the characters engage in a single epic quest into new territories and far-off shores in a quest to restore the natural order.

“The Wounded Land” itself will touch fans of the first Chronicles by its tragic atmosphere. With every step on Covenant’s trek we see the full extent of the Despiser’s malice rained down upon the undefended Land and its inhabitants. One reviewer once commented that the setting would be Middle Earth if Sauron had won in “The Lord of the Rings.”

Nonetheless, hope blooms even in the wastelands. But will it be enough? Lord Foul has long prepared for this and has laid his traps well: the power of Covenant’s white gold ring is the hero’s greatest weapon, but any move he makes will trigger the destruction of
the Arch of Time and unravel the Land’s very existence. By Bob DeFrank *****

The Runes of the Earth, Book one of the third and final Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever


Stephen R. Donaldson is one of the living legends in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, and for good reason. “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever” has captured the imaginations of readers from generations with the breathtaking beauty and magic of the Land as encountered by Thomas Covenant, a man from our own world wounded in body from the crippling disease of leprosy and in spirit from the cruelties he has suffered in the course of trying to stay alive when all his reasons to live have been snatched away, dispatched to be the champion of a world he cannot make himself believe in.

Covenant is an anti-hero in a world of heroes. A fallible man surrounded by archetypes in a saga that explores the dynamic interplay of hope and cynicism, healing and pain, growth
and sacrifice, guilt and power, trust and betrayal, faith and unbelief, heroes and victims and villains, each helping and hurting and rising from and even creating the other, for all actions have their consequences.

In the prior chronicles, Covenant and his love, Linden Avery, have risked and lost all to heal the wounded land and buy a future for its many denizens. But now the Land’s great enemy Lord Foul the Despiser has reached into our world and has never been closer to his goal of utter ruin.

Donaldson is always a treat to read, and never more so than now, that he has retuned to his most enduring creation to bring the story to a close. The very nature of reality will shift. The past and future will collide, friends will become enemies, enemies allies, and nothing will ever be the same.

For fans and newcomers to Donaldson, now is the time to start reading since Book Two, Fatal Revenant, will be out October 9. By Bob DeFrank ****
 
The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson 

Terisa Morgan lives alone in New York City in a sort of mad state of isolation and fear.  She looks to mirrors for comfort until one day a man comes crashing through and pulls her into a medieval fantasy world.  Finding herself in the middle of dense, secret-filled castle, Terisa must make her way through lies and truth.  Mordant is a land beset by enemies, both inside and out, and who exactly can be trusted is a question Terisa struggles with in the first book. This is a two book series that I found enjoyable, especially the imagery and grand setting the Donaldson wove into his fantasy.   Terisa is sometimes a disappointing heroine, but the the various stories woven together are interesting and pull the reader along. Many readers complained that this books started slow, but I have to admit I enjoyed the build up.  I also have to admit that once through these books I haven't been back to them in several years. 

 

 

The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Baker

Look out George R.R. Martin, another contender is gunning for the top spot in the genre of modern epic fantasy. "The Darkness that Comes Before," the first book of "The Prince of Nothing" series by R. Scott Bakker, shines like a polished gem. On the surface, a retelling of the Crusades, set in an alternate, fantasy world, this series explores humanity and the forces that move us, both as a race and as individuals, as it traces a web of religion, philosophy and politics. The first book hurls the reader face-first into the middle of this alternate world with all its thousands of years of history and leaves the reader to fit the pieces into place s Bakker propels you forward in his increasingly complex plot.

 Fortunately, the story remains accessible. An attentive reader will quickly pick up the threads. Bakker provides no shortage of anchors for the plot and the characters are so vibrant they seem ready to step out of the pages (a frightening thought, considering many of them). Bakker knows his history, and history - especially medieval history - wasn't pretty. Bakker doesn't spare his readers this brutality, but the violence has less to do with the physical than the emotional damage it inflicts, and more often than not from the point of view of the victims. Far from desensitizing the reader, the violence is designed to increase empathy, to the point where every character is sympathetic, with the exception of the central character, Anasurimbor Kellhus the Prince of Nothing.

Kellhus evokes fascination, not sympathy. He is a heartless manipulator, a creature of pure intelligence as alien and monstrous in his own way as the dark creatures he fights, and yet he is a necessary evil: the only one capable of defeating the dark forces at work in the world. These are demanding books, but they are rewarding as well. If you're not bothered by blood and death, read this book and you will be. If you dislike explicit violence and don't like to have your views and preconceptions challenged, read it. It'll do you good. However, these books should be kept out of reach of children and the emotionally immature. By Bob DeFrank *****
 

R. Scott Baker's May 2008 release "Neuropath" is generating big talk-a book aimed for the Da Vinci Code audience but by an author who can actually write. Set in the near future, this one is already getting great press.

 

Heroes die" by Matthew Woodring Stover


Hari Michaelson is an Actor. More than that, he is the Studio's most popular Actor. Millions of viewers tune in when Hari dons the persona of his trademark character, Caine, and is teleported to Overworld, an alternate medieval universe of Elves, Dwarves, wizards, ogres, dragons and all the other creatures that have occasionally wandered into Earth and became our creatures of 'myth.'

In Overworld Caine is an assassin, a cold killer who will end any life for the right price.  Human or nonhuman, wizard, monk or the emperor himself, start shaking when Caine sets his sights on you.

He and the Studio's other Actors engage in death-defying adventures from one end of Overworld to the other for the entertainment of the jaded billions that compose the audience of industrial Earth, who cheer on these brutal adventures with all the relish of a Roman stadium during a gladiatorial game, a Medieval crowd watching an execution, or the viewers of an average TV news program.

The Actor's creed is simple: They risk their lives in entertaining ways. But Caine's life is about to turn upside down. In Overworld another Actor, Caine's ex-wife Shanna (Pallas Ril in character), has vanished after becoming too attached to her character's plot-arc: rescuing heretics and undesirables marked for death by the god king Ma'el Koth. But all for 'the greater good.'

The Studio is likewise worried: Ma'el Koth is growing more powerful. His reign could bring peace to Overworld, and peace is bad for business. No one is going to tune in to watch farmers tilling their fields or Elves dancing around trees. Caine wants Shanna safe and the Studio will let him go after her. All he has to do is kill a living god on prime time and make it look good for the audience.

But the role quickly becomes even more complicated than he imagines. Caine faces betrayal on all sides as he is pitted against thieves, assassins and an army of fanatics on Overworld and the most powerful bureaucracy in existence on Earth. Before the final scene, a merciless assassin will be forced to become a hero.

There's a problem with being a hero though. Heroes die. Stover is one of my favorite authors and a master of storytelling through conflict. In this book, he uses all the tropes of fantasy to tell a story of startling realism. Everything he writes, he makes plausible. Imagine explaining to Frodo that his life has
been destroyed and all Middle Earth's civilization has been put through hell just to sell books and you'll begin to understand the effect he achieves.

His greatest accomplishment, however, is Caine himself. The character is so vibrant he shocks the pages. You love and hate him at the same time, and he couldn’t care less. Highly recommended for readers of adult fantasy. By Bob DeFrank ****1/2

 

Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer (Young Adult)

Young Jack is a poor boy growing up in Saxon England during the Middle Ages. His life is dull and disappointing until the village bard, a mysterious and well-traveled man with stories from far-off shores, takes him as apprentice and begins teaching him about the wider world.

The skills he learns come in handy when a party of Viking raiders attack Jack's village and carry off Jack and his little sister Lucy. Caught up in the savage yet honorable and - in some respects even admirable - Viking culture, Jack must use all his wits, courage and bardic skill to save himself and his sister. The danger mounts and soon he and his captors will be forced to embark on a quest into the world beside our world, where they will face all the wonders of Norse mythology from awe-inspiring Trolls, malicious half-Trolls, on a journey that will take Jack to the very foot of Yggdrisil the Tree of Life.

No matter the ending, before the final page is turned Jack will have seen more than any bard living.

Farmer has put extensive historical research into her story and incorporated a wealth of historic figures and events seamlessly within the adventure. Children and adults alike will find the the details of Mediaeval life fascinating, whether set in a Saxon village or a ship of raiding berserkers, and the realism makes the fantastic elements more believable. The rich humor and the shining delight in life also stands out.

However, the harshness of life in this period is not ignored, though neither is it dwelt on with gruesome detail. "Sea of Trolls" qualifies as an epic worthy of the Norse sagas that inspired it. The size of the book (400-plus pages) may intimidate some new readers at first, but the tale is absorbing and moves quickly once started. Recommended for young adults. By Bob DeFrank ****

 

 

Buyer Beware!!


 Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman


Taken from the dust jacket:

Doctor Impossible—evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator—languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his girlfriend, and his hidden island fortress.

Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it’s going to be different...


Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, we watch as Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, having to come together in the face of unthinkable evil.

The above proved a great introduction to an unfortunately lackluster offering from Austin Grossman. “Soon I will be Invincible” has an excellent premise, but poorly executed and suffers from a lack of interesting characters and a plot that was neither original nor
presented with originality. To all appearances, Grossman did not know what he wanted his book to be. If he was trying for a satire, he succeeds in part. If he was going for serious realism, he fails.

The strongest point of the story is the character of Dr. Impossible, one of the two POV narrators. He has the best ‘voice’ in the story and his observations about the daily life of a supervillain were both funny and insightful. It ain’t all death rays and tying girls to train tracks.

The superhero segments narrated by the character Fatale, however, are dull and best skimmed through.

Grossman shows some promise and may be worth picking up again when he has another book under his belt, but the best portions of this novel are the dust jacket description and the first two pages. By Bob DeFrank  **1/2

 

 

Melusine by Sarah Monette

A first novel from a talented writer of literary SFF. Set in the fantastic city of Melusine. The author deftly combines elements of fantasy and horror to create a novel belonging to both genres and neither. This book follows the adventures of Felix
Harrowgate, a young court sorcerer reminiscent of Lord Byron, and Mildemay the Fox, veteran cat burglar. The plot kicks off when Felix's former master captures and violates him, physically and magically, in order to shatter the Virtu, a talisman that protects the city from attack. The assault leaves Felix broken of mind and spirit, insane and unable to explain his actions. It remains for these two characters with nothing in common and yet more than they realize, to put the pieces of this puzzle together in a quest to restore sanity and self to both.

The books alternates a first-person POV for each of the two main characters, showing two decidedly different modes of thought. The world itself is highly detailed, with a varied, rich and sordid history, complete with slang terms
(wizards are 'hocuses'). Recommended for fans of high fantasy, horror and erotically-charged pieces. The author has style of describing everything, even the grotesque, beautifully. Felix's descent into madness is perfectly portrayed. Perhaps most
fascinating, however, is the two distinct 'voices' of the alternating POV characters. However, “Melusine” contains several graphic and explicit scenes and Monette doesn't hesitate to put her readers through emotional as well as physical torture. Not for children or the emotionally immature.  By Bob DeFrank ****

 

The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes

The third book in a fascinating series (Throne and Blood), the Blood Knight suffers from some mid-novel blues.  Anne flees north to elude her mad uncle, Robert Dare, who has taken control of the kingdom and holds her mother prisoner.  Circling the central plot, all the main characters are likable, but don’t seem to be doing much in this book that they haven’t done before.  Aspar, Stephen, Casio all make their appearances, fighting monsters, reading books, and using their swords.  Though the beginning went by rather slowly, without a lot of character development, the ending perked up and Anne finally makes a move toward becoming the future queen.  The last installment of this series is due Jan 2008 and titled The Born Queen and will hopefully wrap up all the lose threads. By Staff ****

First books in this series:

 The Briar King (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1)

 The Charnel Prince (the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 2)

Acacia by David Anthony Durham

Historical Writer David Durham has turned his hands to fantasy and a dark, adult tale about conflicted and multilayered characters.  King Akaran's four children have no idea that their massive and rich empire (Acacia) is held together by drug-dealing and slave-trading.  The subjugated people of the Mein, who have been forced to the north, send an assassin to kill the king and the Mein declare war.  As Acacia falls, the children are scattered into hiding, but the new regime is even worse than the first one--and a new rebellion rises with the king's grown-up children leading the call to arms. By Staff ****1/2

 

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (fantasy)

By using wit and skill, Locke has avoided both death and slavery in the wondrous city of Camorr, until he falls into the hands of an eyeless priest named Chains—who is neither blind nor a priest.  Chains is a con man extraordinaire and is passing his skills onto the orphans he’s gathered and calls his “family”.  Locke grows to lead this band, pulling off one dazzling con after another until he is known as the Thorn of Camorr.  With an absolutely fantastic and fascinating setting, this book is an original and a keeper.  Locke is a great hero in the tradition of the Gray Mouser and Robin Hood.  **** by Staff (paperback coming on June 26)

 
 Touched By Venom : Book One of the Dragon Temple Saga (Dragon Temple Saga) by Janine Cross

This gripping first novel by Janine Cross takes readers into a harsh jungle worldwhere dragons are worshipped as the embodiments of divinity, yet enslaved by a corrupt priest caste. The nobility, the Emperor and the Temple wield absolute power, life for the bulk of the populace is grueling and short and women are barely regarded as humans.

Young Zarq, her mother and older sister live in grinding poverty among the lowest of the serf caste and scratch out a living from their sweat and blood. But Zarq and her family never quite learned the proper attitude of the subjugated, and they suffer for it. A misspoken word, a moment’s casual cruelty from the feudal overlord, and their lives are utterly destroyed. Alone and friendless, subject to crushing abuse and ritualized mutilation, Zarq stumbles across the priesthood’s great secret: the power of the dragons’ venom and with it, the hope of affecting change and defying the Emperor, the Temple and the degrading, tradition-dominated society that holds humanity in bondage. To fulfill this goal, Zarq must break every tabboo, cross every line and engage in rites condemned as the greatest heresy and deviance.

Zarq’s enemies are many and numbered among them are many she is fighting to help. More, the venom itself carries a deadly addiction that threatens Zarq’s sanity and her very life. Cross’ novel stands out for both its realistic, detailed environment and the unique main character. The reader is put into Zarq's skin and made to live and breathe, struggle and suffer alongside her through trials that would break many a person. Lovers of intense and realistic fantasy are welcome to try this, the first book of the Dragon Temple Saga. By Bob DeFrank ****

Covenants: A Borderlands Novel (Borderland (Roc)) by Lorna Freeman (epic fantasy)

A hidden mage, a soldier, a nobleman…Rabbit is a lot of things but at the moment this self-proclaimed farmer’s son is just trying to survive in the borderlands between the human kingdom and the lands controlled by the Faena.  The borderlands are filled with magical creatures of all imagining, and Rabbit thinks he’s seen it all, but when he meets a Faena on a routine patrol he finds himself thrust into a political landscape—where only war and death can await him. On this grand, epic journey, Rabbit will travel from the scruffy hills outside a lone fort, to the inner court of the King of Iversterre.  Don’t be intimidated by the size of this book—it’s a journey worth taking with a hero you can’t help but like. **** by Staff

 

Archangel by Sharon Shinn (more fantasy than science fiction)

A heart, this is a love story.  Gabriel, the soon to be archangel in the land of Samaria, must find a wife before he can lead the next chorale praising the god Jovah—and he must do it fast or Samaria will be smited by the god’s power.  He is lead by the Oracle  to Rachel, an Edori slave girl. Though he releases her from slavery, Rachel does not swoon into his arms—she is filled with anger and a need to revenge her people’s enslavement.  The clash of these two strong-willed characters is the crux of this interesting novel set in a world that is both original and fascinating. **** by Staff

 

  

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novak (fantasy/alternative history)

Take a touch of Horatio Hornblower, mix well with AnneMcCaffrey, and then of course add a liberal dose of originality and good writing…and you’ll get Naomi Novak’s Hugo nominated book.   Our hero, Captain Lawrence commands the H.M.S. Reliant during the Napoleonic War—and is a bit surprised when his crew takes on a rare Chinese dragon egg.  In this alternative world, dragons are part of the Air Corps, but Chinese dragons are the rarest, most protected kind.  Of course, Lawrence is picked by the hatching and names the black creature Temeraire.  Soon dragon and man bond, the dragon like an eager, curious child, and Lawrence is off to train in Scotland so that they can join in the war effort.  With gripping combat scenes, and well paced action, this is a good opening novel to what we hope will be an exciting series. by Staff **** 
Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones (epic fantasy)

A pregnant woman stumbles through the snow, collapses and breathes her last, even as she gives birth, and a sinister figure appears over her to take the child for his own. So opens "A Cavern of Black Ice" by J.V. Jones. The book picks up years later and follows two main characters. Ash March is the child born in the snow. A girl possessed of growing, sorcerous power that she is unable to control, and which her sinister stepfather Penthero Iss, ruler of the city of Spire Vanis, intends to use for his own terrible purposes. Raif Sevrance is a young, untried warrior of the northern barbarians with his own strange gifts. He will soon find himself unwittingly drawn into a web of intrigue he cannot hope to comprehend and made an exile from his own people.  Though they begin the tale unknown to one another, together these two will face challenges both otherworldly and from their fellow humans on a quest to save the world from ruin. The first book in a trilogy, Jones crafts an epic fantasy far above average. Two things especially stand out: firstly, the climate. The story is set in the frozen north, and Jones has done her research well concerning the survival mechanisms of a primitive culture in such an environment. The cold is like a living thing, ever present and apt to steal your breath away if you're careless. It's hard to read without shivering at times.
Second, the names. Jones has a rare gift for stringing syllables together in a way that catches the imagination. 'Ash March' suggests the tragedy of this character's past and the long and difficult quest ahead of her. 'Raif Sevrance,' his fist name eerily similar to 'waif' reinforces his status as an outcast. 'Penthero Iss' is as suave, cunning and ruthless as his name hints. Other names include Mace Blackhail, Marafice Eye, Angus Lok, Vaylo Bludd and Sarga Veys. These sounds quickly come to embody the characters and I often found myself saying them to myself while I read. In addition, Jones' secondary characters are also engaging, especially Effie Sevrance, Raif's young sister and probably the most endearing character in the book. Recommended for all lovers of good fiction, though I must caution that Jones doesn't flinch from describing the brutality of her medieval world. By Bob DeFrank ****1/2

 

   Kushiel's Dart:Bk 1 of first series

In the land of Terre d’Ange there is only one commandment: Love as thou wilt.  Courtiers, spies, and courtesans all come together under this rule in the Night Court where nothing that pleasures is taboo, and everyone is playing one kind of game or another. Phedra Delaunay, sold by her mother into indentured servitude at a young age, is marked for destiny.  The small, red mote in her eye denotes Kushiel’s Dart—a mark from the angel of punishment that she will feel pleasure with pain. Phedra is trained to not only be a courtesan without equal, especially among those who like to use whips and chains, but she is tutored in the arts of observation and analysis by the greatest spy of her age, Anafiel Delaunay. Phedra is a surprisingly strong heroine, especially considering her enjoyment of being submissive, and the writing keeps the erotica titillating instead of demeaning—for the most part.  Midway through the book, Phedra and her guard are sold into slavery and then the story really takes off, out of the bedroom and into an exciting escape and adventure.  This book only mildly bogs down when Ms. Carrey indulges in too much political talk, with her tendency to write difficult names, the political scenes did drag occasionally.  Fortunately, the fantasy world she creates is interesting enough to be worth any *mature* audiences time. By Staff ****

 

Kushiel's Scion Bk 1 of second series

Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel is the narrator of this new magnificent trilogy set in the same renaissance world as Phedra's stories.  Though all the beloved characters make significant appearances--this is primarily a tale of the next generation.  Imriel is a fascinating character; a son of treasonous parents, abused horribly as a slave, and yet still a prince of the blood- Imriel struggles to resolve just who he is.  On this search, he journeys to University, lives as a poor student and embarks on a torrid affair with a married woman.  Politics follow Imriel though, and soon he finds himself embroiled in a siege that no reader will forget. Though I enjoyed Imriel's journey, I found the second half of this tale absolutely riveting.  I loved the siege and the ghost-commander!  This is epic fantasy at its best. By C.C. Moore ****

 

 Kushiel's Justice (Kushiel's Legacy)

The second installment of Imriel's sees the young man engrossed in a frantic, hopeless affair with the Daulphine of Terre D'Ange.  Knowing that their love is impossible, he follows through on his commitment to marry an Alban Princess.  In Alba, though his wife is murdered and Kushiel's scion will travel to the frigid north on his search for justice.  Imriel is really growing up in this novel, becoming a man both healed from his past, and wounded once more by his present.  I love traveling in Carey's world, strands of history and legend weave together flawlessly.  The only sad thing is that now we must wait for the third book.  ****1/2