Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori are a series of books set in an imagined feudal society based on medieval Japan. They tell the story of Takeo, a young man caught between drastically different birthrights, and his struggle to reconcile his conflicting desires for revenge and peace.

Tomaso is a young man of The Hidden, a secret religious sect persecuted for their beliefs by the ruthless Lord Iida Sadamu. Tomaso is an innocent – when his mother threatens to tear him apart for misbehaving, he assumes it is just a euphemism. “Mino was a peaceful place, too isolated to be touched by the savage battles of the clans. I had never imagined men and women could actually be torn into eight pieces…Raised among The Hidden, with all their gentleness, I did not know men did such things to each other.”

So when he returns to his village from gathering mushrooms to see his home on fire, and his stepfather bleeding on the ground, his world is shattered. He runs from the scene, only to be confronted by Lord Iida himself on horseback. In order to save himself, Tomaso startles the horse, causing Lord Iida to be thrown, and Tomaso knows his fate is sealed. He will never be allowed to live now that he has unhorsed the Lord of Tohan. Running blindly through the forest, his path is suddenly blocked by another man. When it becomes clear this man is not going to kill him – in fact, he is going to save him from the others – Tomaso vows to serve him for the rest of his life. His savior renames him Takeo, and introduces himself as Lord Otori Shigeru. From that moment on, Takeo’s life will never be the same.
Once safely arrived at Shigeru’s home, Takeo learns his father was a member of The Tribe, a secretive group with a set of special abilities that make them highly sought after as assassins. Shigeru’s friend, Kenji, begins to train Takeo, and as he develops his new abilities – extremely sensitive hearing, becoming invisible, splitting his image into two – he begins to make plans for revenge against the man who killed his family. When Shigeru is informed that he has been betrothed to a young woman who is being held hostage by Lord Iida, the plan becomes solidified – Takeo will attempt to enter Iida’s home and kill him, exacting revenge for himself, and winning Shigeru’s realm back in the process.

Hearn tackles the idea of divided loyalties in this first novel about the Otori, and gives the reader an interesting examination of the meaning of betrayal. Takeo is constantly caught between his two identities – his blood ties to the Tribe, and his emotional ties to the Otori. He is also torn between his desire to avenge the death of his loved ones, and the beliefs of those loved ones, which expressly forbade taking another human life. Hearn allows Takeo to wrestle with these conflicting desires throughout the pages of the novel, and creates a fully believable character in the process.

Hearn’s writing style is not lyrical or showy – especially in the beginning, everything happens very quickly, and not much space is given to long, overdrawn descriptions. This style, however, seems to suit the novel very well, and makes for a quick, hard-to-put-down read. The Tales of the Otori is one of my favorite series, and this is a great first installment. Readers will certainly be eager to read the next chapter in Takeo’s fascinating story!

"Elephantmen: War Toys #3" is the final issue in a three-issue arc. It reads well as a single, stand-alone issue and, like all the other "Elephantmen" materi that I have read covers highly complex philosophical and ethical issues under the guise of a violent, pessimistic science-fiction odessy. While previous graphic novels have focused mainly on the difficulties the repurposed elephantmen face as they are forced to integrate with human society, "War Toys" focuses on what the Elephantmen were before, namely tools of a world war being waged by China and Africa.

Elephantmen are soldiers created through genetic manipulation to incorporate the DNA of both humans and animals. They are trained, from birth, to be ruthless, obediant, primal killers. They are larger than humans and stronger than humans and rely far more on their instincts. An elephantman (though this is a misnomer, as they not only resemble bipedal elephants, they also come in the forms of hippopautomi, crocodiles, and warthogs) given the order to kill the enemy does so without thought to whether the enemy is a man, woman, or child. They are effective, effecient, and brutal.

The horrors of war become magnified as elephantmen, ordered from the MAPPO corporation by Africa, invade Europe to enact genocide on a population already decimated by a virus. This issue takes place in France and Norway. A lone French woman named Yvette has decided to take on the elephantmen to avenge what has happened to her family, her friends, and her country. She becomes as brutal and every bit as accomplished as the elephantmen themselves. The issue culminates with a climactic confrontation between an elephantman and Yvette.

This is not a happy story. It was never intended to make the audience feel good. Instead, the goal seems to be to encourage people to think about what really happens in wars and in genocides and to assess whether they feel that the actual, human cost of war is really worth it. Elephantmen does not give concrete answers (though there is a fairly obvious slant towards a negative answer), nor does it offer a neatly wrapped package of proscribed ethics. Instead, the reader is offered a very compelling story with characters who truly seem to have no other choices than the paths that they have taken and no other logical endpoint than what is offered in the story. Elephantmen could disintegrate into a messy, didactic parpable that hammers a point home until the reader ends up angry, frustrated, and feeling more than a little gypped. Instead, the writers weave pathos, emotion, and moral dilemma into a skillful story that leaves the reader wishing that there was more. Fortunately, this is a comic book series, which allows for more story and character development.

Unlike previous volumes, this issue is printed in a lush grayscale with a hazy, pencil-shaded look that indicates (this is speculation on the part of the reviewer who only had this issue in the arc) a flashback. This is not to indicate that the artwork has less of a gritty feel or is less detailed. Rather, the quality of linework and shading in this issue is every bit as good as any other issue I've seen in the series. The simple removal of color simply indicates that this is a different type of story and visually draws the reader to the conclusion that these are memories, but they are very important memories.

"War Toys" is a book that I would recommend for adult readers who want a serious storyline that transends comic stereotypes. This, as with many war stories, is graphic and vicious, though not necessarily explicit. It is violent and frank which is in no way diminished by the black and white printing.

Unquiet Dreams takes fans of Urban Fantasy back to what the subgenre could and should be. Urban Fantasy has long been relegated to the slow simmering back burner reserved for the thick, sloppy cheese that is comforting, unsurprising, and coagulates into a lumpy mess far too easily. There are perfectly good Urban Fantasy books and perfectly horrible ones. Fortunately, "Unquiet Dreams" is one of the very good ones.

This is the second book in the series, after "Unshapely Things".This volume stands alone quite well, with enough recapping incorporated into the story to help new readers understand what Connor Grey is talking about without bogging down the pace. Connor Grey used to be part of the Guild, a magical police force that takes care of problems within the magical community, but after a nasty encounter with a powerful elf robbed him of his powers, he does freelance work with the human police. A teenaged human boy dies in the street and when Connor is called into the investigation, things spiral into a much larger and much more dangerous case. Clever readers will be able to figure out who the culprit is in advance, but the journey to the revelation is still well worth the read. Del Franco's Boston is a city that has been changed by the emergence of magical creatures but still retains most of its character. The city is populated with a variety of beings, many of whom are represented in any number of other fantasy novels. What sets this book apart is that no single class of characters is bad or good, rather they run a spectrum, though they've been subjected to stereotypes, much like their human counterparts.

The book keeps its crime scenes quite descriptive without delving too much into horrifically graphic tableaus. It's both more entertaining and far less stomach-turning than the average episode of "CSI." It's paced well, with little drag and little lacking in plot development. The characters could easily have disintegrated into a mush of stock and cardboard, but they rise to the story almost effortlessly without seeming contrived. The whole book carries an air of careful plotting without ham-handed manuevering. None of the breaks in the case seem contrived and there aren't any deus ex machina moments.

Connor Grey isn't a perfect character. He's a fallen hero who's still scraping himself together. The reader can feel sympathy for his struggles, but also see that he's one of those characters who most likely led himself to his plight. He's a very readable and compelling character.

This book was highly enjoyable, and I will definitely be seeking out the rest of the series. I'll also be buying copies of the first book for friends who enjoyed books like "War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull and Terri Windling's "Bordertown" series. I will also be holding out hope that more readers and publishers will take notice and start publishing more Urban Fantasy titles. The subgenre just faltered a little, like Connor Grey, and it doesn't deserve to be either forgotten or ignored.

Fans of Asimov will recognize the bare bones of later works in Pebble in the Sky, his first published fiction novel. This story takes place many years before the Foundation series and contains some hints of these stories yet to come. The Galactic Empire has spread and continues to grow in all directions. Trantor is the capital and central world of the Empire, operating a massive bureaucracy from its political hub. At this time, however, Earthlings are still living on the surface of the planet and are isolated from the rest of the human population. Planetary prejudice and political unrest have reinforced this separatist notion, making Earth a backwater assignment no imperial servant wants.

Life on Earth is hard. There are limited resources and the suspicion of radiation poisoning colors everything. Society is run by a quasi-religious order that enforces the life limitation of sixty years, ostensibly to make room for others who are being born. Many seem content to live only sixty years, but others are always on the lookout for ways to avoid the mandated euthanasia.

Into this world drops (literally) Joseph Schwartz. Due to an unfortunate accident in a nuclear lab in 1949, Mr. Schwartz is thrown forward in time by millennia and finds himself living in an ultra-modern Earth. Not as easy as it seems, as language has continued to evolve and he can’t understand anything. In addition, humanity itself has physically evolved which makes Schwartz an ancient version of unknown homo sapiens. Even worse, Schwartz is 62 - two years past the enforced Sixty rule and destined to die.

This is not a dark, dystopic story, however, and is infused with Asimov’s usual intelligent humor. Political maneuvering and scientific discoveries go hand-in-hand as Schwartz makes new friends and struggles to survive. The Empire is forced to recognize Earth as a power to be reckoned with, but this may or may not be good for the Earthlings in general and Schwartz in particular.

Asimov was truly a master, delineating the scope of science fiction as a genre. He breathed intelligence and real science into his fiction, making his writing one of the best examples of what true science fiction is. His characters are believable, some likeable and others not, and somehow he always works a twist into the plot where the reader least expects it. Even more, Asimov pushes the readers to examine both self and society. He seems to want readers to acknowledge the negatives of humanity and then celebrate the positives. That which makes us as humans great can also be that which causes us to destroy ourselves.

If you are a fan of Asimov, you should read his first scifi book Pebble in the Sky. If you have never dabbled into Asimov, or any science fiction for that matter, dip a toe into this book. I think you might find the water is just to your liking!

Brandon Mull ups the stakes in this third installment of the Fablehaven series. Things are looking bad for Fablehaven. The artifact protected there is gone and all over the world secret refuges for magical creatures are collapsing in disarray.

Grip of the Shadow Plague picks up right where Rise of the Evening Star, book two, left off. After defeating one enemy and unveiling a traitor, Kendra and Seth plunge into the international world of magic. As Kendra travels to another refuge to locate an artifact of incredible strength, Seth faces another attack at Fablehaven. The creatures there are turning, not falling into evil like the fairies previously but actually turning into shadow - evolving into powerful and more threatening forms never seen before. Even those creatures known to be resistant to falling are changing and infecting those around them.

This is by no means a capstone to Mull’s series, but a continuation of the adventures of Seth and Kendra that lives up to the high standards he set with his first two books. Brandon Mull takes it up another notch with this one. Seth and Kendra face decisions that have no clear cut answer, carrying more weight and responsibility than before. There is a sense of growth and maturity in both characters, of the two of them coming into their own in regards to their talents and abilities. This is one aspect I truly enjoy about these stories. Seth and Kendra are not static characters, but are growing and developing as people.

Mull’s gifts as an author are obvious as he develops this story, carrying the tale forwards as he both widens the scope of the magical world and fills in back story that satisfies our curiosity and piques our interest. Once again Mull highlights doing the right thing, but for both Kendra and Seth the right thing isn’t so obvious anymore. Much like real life, issues are no longer clearly marked black and white and the repercussions for making a wrong move are devastating.

This is a book for young readers, but it will do more for them than just entertain. They will be encouraged to think and examine the situations, challenge them to agree or disagree with what the characters choose. Well-crafted, there are no weak points or shaky aspects to this book. From cover to cover, readers will fall into the world of Fablehaven and never want to leave.

When Tommy Savage is threatened by someone he doesn’t know - a man who calls himself Smith and wears a ski mask – he turns to his brother for help to try to find out who’s blackmailing him for fifty grand. When Smith proves he’s capable of cold-blooded murder, Savage fears for the safety of his sons and is desperate to find out who Smith is and why he has a grudge against him.

And that isn’t even half the story. It isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, but I’m going to avoid specifics as much as possible to avoid spoilers. What will be of more interest to those considering this book is the nature of the content and the themes, particularly in comparison to Guthrie’s previous work.

When I reviewed HARD MAN last year I said:

I wondered how Guthrie was going to top his achievement with HARD MAN. I approached SAVAGE NIGHT with nervous anticipation, unsure of what would be in store for me.

From page one it was clear that Guthrie had grown as a writer. I do not mean to take anything away from this Theakston award-winning debut TWO-WAY SPLIT, his Edgar, Anthony and Gumshoe Nominated novel, KISS HER GOODBYE, or HARD MAN, which won the Spinetingler award for Best Novel-New Voice. However, every author faces the challenge of matching or bettering their prior works. Not content to just nudge the bar higher, with SAVAGE NIGHT Guthrie shows an ability to push himself and rise to the challenge.

Guthrie has moved away from the stream-of-consciousness narrative-intensive style that served HARD MAN so well and has drawn us into the center of the story from the opening lines. Why is a headless dead man in a tub in Fraser’s living room? And who is he? Many books start off grounding the reader with either a character or hooking them with action. In short order, Guthrie effortlessly does both. With an economy of words he skillfully develops character, setting and hooks the reader through the events unfolding on the page.

SAVAGE NIGHT is a layered story that is told from multiple perspectives, and moves back and forth over a short span of time. Time shifts can prove difficult for authors to pull off, but I never felt lost or disoriented with the transitions in SAVAGE NIGHT. Every writer who’s ever used the teaser, “If only I’d known what would happen” at the end of a chapter to tell readers something dramatic is about to happen that they should stick around for, or some variation of it, should read this book. The shifts managed to both leave questions answered and raise new questions. Through the use of the intersecting timelines Guthrie does not always conceal information. In fact, from the first pages we know who some of the characters who will die are, and we know they’re doomed. Instead of building suspense by always leaving readers to wonder what will happen, Guthrie makes us wonder why this is happening. As the story moved back in time a few weeks and began to reveal the background I found my sympathies shifting, and the process continued throughout the book. Ultimately, Guthrie succeeds in painting the characters as flawed and real. At times I loved and at other times I loathed almost all of them. No matter how I felt about them at any given point in the story I was fascinated by their behaviour, and wanted to see what choices they would make next.

The book grabbed my attention from the start and easily maintains the pace throughout, building to a boil by the end. By putting some of the critical events out in the open at the beginning Guthrie has not given us spoilers. Instead, SAVAGE NIGHT is a story that involves watching dominoes fall, but the intricate maze of blocks weaves around so many obstacles you can’t see where it will ultimately end. As a result, the reveals throughout the book have the impact of a punch in the stomach. Even some of the smallest details have significance later on. Guthrie shows his skill by not drawing unnecessary attention to those variables, and trusts in the reader to form the connections later.

The result is a stimulating read that demands your full attention, and it’s easy to give it because the book is packed with action, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end.

No analysis of a work by Guthrie would be complete without discussing violence. It should be noted that I’m actually pretty squeamish and have a low tolerance for pain. I said HARD MAN made me feel as though someone had ripped my heart out of my chest and shoved it down my throat: ultimately, parts of SAVAGE NIGHT had me feeling faint. It’s a good thing I was sitting down when I was reading (as opposed to being on an exercise bike for anyone wondering where else I might be) because there were places I had to close my eyes and put my head between my knees.

There is no doubt that some readers will not be able to get past that part of the content. I will say that initially, I didn’t feel SAVAGE NIGHT was as violent as HARD MAN because in HARD MAN we get the worst content from the victim. Although some of the earlier scenes in SAVAGE NIGHT limit us to the perspective of the one inflicting the pain, that will enable readers with a lower tolerance for pain to get far into the book before they discover Guthrie doesn’t stop there.

One of the reasons it’s important that Guthrie doesn’t shy away from the graphic content is that it is tied to the characters and their development. In the wake of the release of HARD MAN Guthrie was criticized by some who labeled the book as torture porn, an assertion that baffled me. The violence is directly connected to the nature of the characters involved. Those who were content to criticize Guthrie for HARD MAN will probably want to lynch him for SAVAGE NIGHT. It may be a slight spoiler for me to say that as someone who partially severed their foot as a child, there are certain methods of inflicting pain that bother me more than others, and while no feet are severed in SAVAGE NIGHT I have no doubt that anyone who reads the book will understand why I had spasms in my foot while I was reading.

While I have abandoned other books where the violence felt gratuitous, there are multiple reasons why the violence not only works in Guthrie’s novels, but is essential.

Guthrie is not writing police procedurals, and is not writing about average people with average lives. His work tends to feature those on the edges of society, criminals who’ve managed to elude conviction but are no saints and those who are blowing their second or third chance at proving they can rejoin society. These are not the genteel streets of Edinburgh where we will spend our time with polite society. For the most part, these people are not angels, and it would be inappropriate to present them as non-violent and civilized. Most of them understand reasoning by force and the work they do requires demonstration. Steal from the boss, become an example so that nobody else tries to double-cross their employer. Expecting Guthrie to shy away from the use of violence by career criminals would be comparable to suggesting that Omar should never have to shoot the drug dealers he’s robbing on The Wire, and the results would be laughable and unrealistic.

The one thing that every person understands is pain. We may not all understand what it is to love a certain way, or to be prepared to murder someone, even if they’ve done horrific things to you. But is there one of us that can’t recall stubbing a toe in such a way we wondered if we’d broken it, or how it felt to slice your skin so deep you needed stitches or the feeling of slamming your fingers in a door? Guthrie shows the connection we can form to characters we otherwise wouldn’t necessarily sympathize with by sharing their pain with us. In the end, no matter what a person has done they’re still human. By showing us the cruelty that someone can willingly inflict on another person we come closer to understanding what drives some of the violence in our society.

It isn’t pretty, but I’m hard pressed to think of another author who exceeds his skill at depicting violence in such a way that the reader almost feels they’ve experienced what happened to the person in the story. While some authors touted as hardboiled take the label proudly, writers like Guthrie redefine the subgenre. Others allude to terrible events happening off the page that might motivate a character to behave a certain way, but in order for us to truly grasp the reasons behind the choices characters make in SAVAGE NIGHT, Guthrie shows us. It’s an unflinching look at the damage one person can do to another, confronting us with the physical and emotional pain that damage produces.

In SAVAGE NIGHT, an ability to appreciate that pain is required to understand the events that unfold. Ultimately, I felt every scene, every element included, had been carefully measured. There are many places within the story where Guthrie could have been more graphic than he was, but by pulling a few punches where they aren’t needed he makes the ones he includes count, and he shows discernment. He’s willing to step back from the violence by giving the reader some separation when it isn’t necessary to know or experience more first-hand.

In the same way that at times I loved and loathed some of the characters, readers will undoubtedly have mixed opinions about Guthrie’s latest, and I expect those opinions will be strong. This is not the type of story you feel indifferent about. For me, SAVAGE NIGHT was at times mesmerizing, horrifying, shocking, spellbinding and thought-provoking. The question of how far you would go to avenge a loved one is front and center, and there are no easy answers. True to form, Guthrie doesn’t shy away from the complexities of human reasoning, of how we justify horrendous choices and inhumane acts. He probes into the human psyche, showing us how guilt and fear as well as anger and hurt can drive us to do the unthinkable. My only disappointment with SAVAGE NIGHT was reaching the end, knowing that now begins the long wait for his next book.

Discuss this book or the review here.

The government of 2057 is regretting the deregulation of time travel as private companies deluge the past with tourists. As the delicate web of history flexes under the weight of interference from the future, Jacynda struggles to locate the man who made time travel a reality - Harter Defoe. Cynda’s friends Dr. Allistair and Detective Keats also continue their struggles with Victorian Transitives and a mysterious bloody murder. The stakes are high as Jacynda and her companions attempt to fulfill their duties. With Keat’s life on the line and Jacynda facing eternity in prison if they fail, the odds have never looked worse.

Jana C. Oliver has crafted a sequel that packs a whallop! Virtual Evil is a sensory overload of spine tingling adventure and mind-tickling wit. I absolutely love how she has deepened the characters in this second book. Dr. Allistair and Keats come alive here, standing aside Jacynda as they struggle to put the pieces together in this inventive mystery. Oliver splits her focus between these three characters, yet is able to maintain the momentum and tension in the tale. The action is non-stop as readers follow all three in their struggles to identify an invisible killer that can take on the image of anyone.

If anything, Virtual Evil is even more complex than the first book in the Time Rovers series, Sojourn. Oliver builds the suspense and intrigue, causing readers to doubt the integrity of just about everyone. Not knowing who to trust is one of my favorite aspects of this story. I am also impressed with her concept of time travel as she fills in even more details for readers. In fact, the only weakness I see in the story is the role of government as the Big Bad Brother looking over Jacynda’s shoulder. I feel the writing on that aspect is a bit clichéd and is the only predictable part of this book. However, this did not interrupt my enjoyment of a thoroughly rolicking tale.

Readers, please prepare for this book by reading the first in the series and then jump into this second story. Hopefully, we will not have long to wait to find out just what befalls our heroine and her two companions after the cliffhanger ending of Virtual Evil. I promise you will be breathless waiting for the third book, Madman’s Dance, to arrive sometime in the fall of 2008.

Jacynda is a Time Rover from the year 2057, escorting academic tourists back and forth in the river of Time to engage in historical research. Called upon to recover a reluctant tourist who is enjoying the past a little too much, she finds herself in one of the most terrifying times and places during the Victorian Era - East End London, 1888, the playground of Jack the Ripper. As if a tourist refusing to return isn’t enough, Jacynda finds out a Rover has also gone missing. Woven throughout her escapade is the presence of the Transitives, a group of people with the mysterious talent to alter their appearance by shifting their shape completely. Jacynda must decide who to trust as she finds she is running out of the very commodity she has always controlled - Time.

Winner of the Daphne du Maurier award, Sojourn is an exquisitely crafted tale that takes readers back to the very bowels of the East End. Squalid, derelict, and desperate, the people there are simply trying to survive another day. Jacynda can’t help but compare her life in 2057 with the existence of those in 1888. The author lays the stark and sterile society of the future next to the teeming life of the Victorian Era. Jacynda begins to realize filth and struggle serve to heighten the pleasures of the simple things in life, such as fresh hot scones and a quiet bath.

Jana G. Oliver has performed a masterful feat, balancing the multiple threads in the storyline to culminate in an ending that both satisfies and leaves questions unanswered. The only threadbare aspect to the plot was the relationship between Jacynda and her employer in 2057, but this pales in comparison to the rest of the story. Readers will find non-stop action from the beginning as they tumble from 1888 to 2057 and back again. Ms. Oliver introduces characters and creates personalities, capturing the Victorian fussiness and the “ladies of the night” with finesse. Her addition of the Transitives, shape shifters, serves to add a different twist on the activities of Jack the Ripper. Ripperologists, fear not, this is not an attempt to lay to rest the identity of that cruel fiend. Jack does, however, have a place in the plot (as readers will find out for themselves).

Sojourn was a wonderful adventure, full of unexpected twists and turns. I encourage you, Reader, to experience this time trip for yourself.

A little boy with a gift for leadership and a desire for the good of his people runs afoul of those with a hunger for power. His skills in strategy and inspiration unwittingly threaten the position of the crown prince, who is himself incapable of the type of loyal following that Inda inspires. Inda’s downfall from grace marks a turning point in the story, and he must leave the life he knows and create a new existence at sea. Here the story widens its scope and readers begin to see that the fate of this one boy has affected his country on every level.

This is fantasy written in both broad sweeps of the pen and behind-the-scene details, bringing this world into three dimensional relief. Full of swashbuckling flourishes, mysterious spies, political machinations, and believable characters, this is a well-told story that has adroitly worked its way into my list of favorites. Although the main character is Indevan, the boy of the title, the book is truly about politics and powersharing among cultures sustained by war and trade.

Sherwood Smith has excelled at her craft, creating a society where men have granted women power within limits and women have quietly worked behind the scenes to control and ameliorate what men might do. The complex social structure, the assumption that small magics are a part of life, the slang of the characters all combine to convince the reader that the lives defined by this book are reality. What captivates me the most are the hints that Inda’s people may have come from some other world, dropped comments here and there that imply a larger scope to the story than just the pages in this book.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I like books that look at the bigger picture and authors who take the time to create the small details and flesh out their stories. Sherwood Smith has accomplished this with flair. She includes a short list of definitions in the back of the book to help with terms, but I could also have used a list of characters or a family tree.* I found myself backtracking a bit to remind myself who was who. She also ended the book with a whopping cliffhanger (blast her hide)! This means I need to run out and find The Fox, the next book in the series.

*Readers who would like more information about the Inda universe should check out Sherwood Smith’s website at www.sherwoodsmith.net

Elizabeth Moon’s collection of short stories called Moon Flights is a wonderful combination of stories. Moon exemplifies her grasp of science fiction, fantasy and military fiction with this collection of fifteen delightful short stories gathered in this one volume. Each one of these stories has something to tell you, the reader. And each one does so with such subtlety and skill that often you don’t realize what you’ve just been told until you have had time to digest it for a while. Some of them are funny, some are poignant and some are brutal, but all are well-written and engaging.

All but one of these stories has been published before. The first, originally published in 1988 in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, is called “If Nudity Offends You”. She starts off the collection with this mysterious story of an average girl who encounters something completely out of the ordinary and yet still doesn’t consider it important enough to remember.

My favorites of this book are the fantasy shorts that deal with the Ladies’ Aid & Armor Society; of which there are four. The first of these is, And Ladies of the Club where a jealous Queen’s attempt to rid the military of women is turned around on her by some clever financial and magical maneuvering. Then you have No Pain, No Gain which tells a story where schemes of laziness and jealousy which are once again thwarted by the clever ladies of the Aid & Armor Society. The third of these tales is a little different detailing the downfall of a miserly man and a hungry dragon, which is aptly named Fool’s Gold. The last of the Aid & Armor Society stories is called Sweet Charity and hits on several themes like generosity, cheating, thievery and kicking butt while still looking good.

Two of the hardest hitting stories are Hand to Hand and Politics. In Hand to Hand Moon sets up the reader for a thoughtful fall on the nature and meaning of, and reasons for, war. She explores similar topics in the military science fiction of Politics.

The one story that has not been previously published in an anthology or magazine is Say Cheese, an enjoyable story of family pride, growing up and utilizing what you have at hand to make lemonade out of lemons.

Thoughtful and poignant, humorous and silly or just mysterious – Elizabeth Moon seems to enjoy exploring our baser natures and twisting us about to point out some of our most egregious foibles. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys short stories and even those who generally do not read the short stuff. These tales have something for everyone.

Oh Me oh My Oh!

Ambrose and Dorcus Lowell, Witch and Wizard matchmakers, ticked off the High Council. As punishment, they are sent to the non-magical hamlet of Big Knob, Indiana. They are sentenced to make sure an ADD suffering dragon does his job and earns his golden scales. But the two lovebirds can't help but do a little covert meddling magic in the love department for the mortals.

Sean is a stud muffin in his small town. He can't escape the sexual advances and overt propositions from any female age 16 to 60. Longing for peace and quiet in which to buy and restore his childhood home, he encounters Ambrose and Dorcus. They grant him his wish, kinda. They reduce his sex appeal as well as his, uhm, manhood size. All his problems are solved, right? Except for that side affect of bad vision that comes and goes.

Maggie Grady needs a miracle. As a scout for Save-A-Lot big box store, she thinks she has found a way to save her job. A prime location magically fell into her lap and she needs to close this deal. The fact that the property happens to be Sean's old Homestead can not get in her way. She can not understand why the whole town thinks he is some sort of Adonis. He is cute enough, but nothing special. Until he kisses her. Then she feels the magic and the sizzle. But she is determined to have the land. Trouble is, so is Sean.

Wishing he could fall back on his old charming ways to get what he wants, he has to work to prove to Maggie that he loves her despite their common goal of depriving the other of a sale.

Ambrose and Dorcus do their best to convince George, the belligerent dragon, to do his job and end their exile in this backwards non-magical town. They are failing miserable. Not even a coveted iPod can make the dragon behave.

This book is packed full of laughs, snickers and innuendo. I zipped through it in a single evening and was sorry when it ended. Ambrose and Dorcus are hilarious in their sexuality and quirky magical practices. George gets my vote as the most unique character in a romance novel this year! Poor Sean got his wish a little too much and then had to deal with the consequences. And Maggie gives up her job to prove that Magic doesn't rule her heart, love does. And the hinting of a sequel was icing on the cake!! I can't wait!

Laini Taylor’s Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer is a true fairy tale. Only it isn’t, it is a faerie tale. What is the difference? The difference is that while fairy tales tell us of glorious deeds and wondrous or horrible things that happen because of love or hate or greed. This is a faerie story because it does the same thing but from a different perspective – from the character inside that fairy tale. Imagine Snow White as told by Doc. It would still have the feel of that familiar fairy tale but would have a new and exciting flavor, the flavor of perspective. The perspective we as the reader get from this book is that of an actual faerie. This faerie is a little different from the norm but extremely likeable, relatable, and most of all interesting, her name is Magpie. Magpie is an unusual faerie in that she travels the world outside of Dreamdark, the home of faeries, hunting devils let loose by men. Magpie travels with a group of crows, who have become her family through all of their years of hunting.

Inside Dreamdark, faeries do not even believe in devils. Their most feared foe, the Blackbringer is only a tale told to frighten children. It’s the bogeyman. It isn’t real. Oh but it is, and Magpie is the only one who can help. With aid from her friends the crows, a stranger with gifts he’s unaware of, old and new friends, she has to convince the faeries of their folly, unscramble ancient recipes, ask dead legends for answers and follow a strange quest to the beginning and end of it all.

I read this book, front to back on a quiet evening after work. It was a smooth and delightful read. The faeries depicted within are both extraordinary and fascinatingly familiar. Laini Taylor’s use of language to differentiate parts of faerie society, and descriptions of specific differences between the faeries themselves gives the book such depth that it all feels real. However, it is a reality that could have been imagined by Disney. Softer edged, but with that hint of steel beneath, her characters evoke both reality and fantasy and the mixture blends well to create a story that dances over your senses as lightly as a dragonfly would. The reader is even blessed by the bonus of several illustrations throughout the book that echo the feeling of the text.

This is the second installment in Sagara’s fantasy detective series featuring Kaylin, a woman marked for destiny yet determined to take her own path to get there. I wasn’t blown away by the first book, Cast in Shadow, feeling frustrated by the limited information Sagara dribbled out to her readers. But with Cast in Courtlight, I begin to see the overarching design she has created by developing one large plot and hanging smaller stories beneath it like ornaments on the branch of a Christmas tree. Not only do we as readers see more of Kaylin’s abilities, but we are able to delve into the most opaque of the cultures she has created - the Barranyi. Her relationships, or lack thereof, with Nightshade and Severn are also focal points. Because she builds on the knowledge gained from the first book, readers should really take the time to read both books in order.

I found this second book better written than the first. This may be because I am seeing the big picture more, but I felt I could understand why Kaylin does what she does. Once again, Sagara’s clever wit and minimalist prose deliver an enjoyable read. The story is held together with colorful characters who do and say the unexpected, reminding the reader that this is not the world in which we grew up. The protagonists are very much hidden, making Kaylin’s understanding of herself the driving force of the story. I would still like to be able to settle Elantra in a time and place, but Sagara’s lack of description in that matter merely serves to zero in on the characters themselves. Not only that, but she is stoking a hunger in her readers for more. I give in, Ms. Sagara, give me more!

Do you have what it takes to create your own world?

I came across this gem of a program while doing some research work on the web, sometimes it pays to be lucky.  After talking to the fine folks over at ProFantasy Software LTD I was able to obtain a review copy of Campaign Cartographer 3 (CC3).  After many days filled with map making (and I curse you for making me so unproductive CC3), I felt I needed to share my thoughts on a program that is not only fun, but helpful for many different professions as well as hobbies.  It is a software that draws out your imagination, no matter what your original intention was.  Lets tackle the program itself, then delve into some of its uses.

Campaign Cartographer 3 seems to be a rather large improvement in ease of use from version 2 of the software, from looking at the website.  I cannot comment on that as this is my first look at the program, but I was up and designing maps in a matter of minutes.  The caveat that I do have is that the program is built around a CAD platform, which I am a bit familiar with.  I think for the novice though the program will be just as easy to use, due to the good documentation, the help file, and the overall setup of creating maps that ProFantasy has come up with.  They also have created a guided tour for you to get started. It is wonderfully done, teaching you the nuances of CC3 while catering to all level of designers.  This program will probably not turn me of little art talent into one of the top notch artists, Keith Parkinson (R.I.P.), but it does give me the tools with some time and effort to make some really good maps.

We can create two different types of maps with CC3, the overland map and the dungeon map.  I have some examples below but lets discuss the differences briefly.  The overland map is what we first see in the beginning pages of every epic fantasy novel.  It shows you the mountain ranges, the water bodies, forests, etc...  Usually what you see at the beginning of a book though does not look as good as something that CC3 can create.  The tools are available for you to create many types of vegetation and landscape, with a few button clicks.  I really was impressed by what types of things can be created, from mountains, deserts, chasms, forests, decayed forests, rivers, cities, ruins, coves, etc.. you name it and they probably have included it.  There are also symbols to mark any number of events or special areas that may exist in your world, including battles, sea monsters, lairs, and the like.  Please note that I have only included a small taste of what CC3 can do.  One of my favorite features  is the ability to create text on a curve, so it flows with your landscape.  A good example would be marking a road with a name and have it follow the contour of the road itself, very nice indeed.  There was nothing I imagined that I wanted to do in CC3 that I could not do.  I would constantly learn something new and then have to add it to my map immediately.  If I am correct, they will also be adding symbols to CC3 in the future as well, you know the saying, the more the merrier.

(right click and save to your desktop to see full non resized
image)

Ah, to delve into the wonderful world of dungeon map creating.  You have the same tools at your disposal as you have in the overland creation, but a lot of graphics and symbols that pertain to dungeon creation.  This part of the software seems to cater more to the RPG crowd running a campaign, but other people, including authors, would find uses as well.  This is the part of the program that I spent the least amount of time with, so my observations are shorter.  What I did see though was the same careful and expansive amount of symbols and graphics to make the dungeon builder and evil overlord in everyone happy.  I would guess that this could also be used to do castle layout and even some rudimentary town or village design.  ProFantasy has a more expanded town and dungeon creation in their City Designer Pro and Dungeon Designer 3 software as well as some other very interesting programs for you to check out at their website.

(right click and save to your desktop to see
full non resized image)

 

For the RPGer's CC3 is a very inexpensive way to facilitate creation of worlds and/or dungeons with a few mouse clicks.  What this lends to the DM's ability to create robust worlds and dungeons can not be measured by a simple price tag.  This is A MUST for anyone running their own gaming sessions.  I think even in the current shared worlds there are always corners of the lands that can be supplemented by a DM with a little imagination.  For DMs working in custom worlds this software helps create everything you need from the ground up to get the world populated and on paper.

For the Author/Publisher CC3 is a tool that can be the middle ground on getting the authors vision of their world to the publisher, or it can be used by the author for general world building.  I am sure many authors have scraps of poorly drawn maps on the back of napkins and kids cereal boxes, well no longer.  By using CC3 you can have a nice simple map to keep your thoughts together and make sure that your party of adventures in that epic fantasy book you are writing do not walk right over the Deadly Peak Mountains because you got a coffee stain on that piece of napkin where you drew them.  Really though, all kidding aside, this is a very powerful tool for the author to create their worlds.  I can see authors creating their worlds with CC3 then handing it off to the publisher to make sure that the map in the beginning of the book comes out exactly as they envisioned it.  Also, for many authors that have created huge worlds, the maps that they create can be used as reference pieces as they write their story, so they do not contradict something in an earlier book.  As many fantasy reviewers will tell you, without a good world, why even bother to start writing.  Ok maybe that is just me.

For fun, ah, this is where I get to step in with my experience, as I am not really a full time Pen and Paper RPGer and I am sure not an author if you couldn't tell already.  Campaign Cartographer 3 is a blank canvas where you imagination can creat worlds with little effort over and over again.  Even though my map making skills were not up to that of others, I created map after map after map for fun.  Hey, maybe I will put a cave up there next to those snow capped mountains.  Maybe I could make this plain where a big orc vs human battle was held.  A lot of "maybes" later I had worlds and worlds of stories, and I was probably talking to myself by that point as well.

Gallery:

Here are some samples of maps created in CC3.  The first one being one that I created.  I want to give you an idea of my art background, so we all know what we are dealing with.  I am the kid in high school that made pottery that always ended up being an ashtray and whenever I drew anything it looked like Pablo Picasso's cat got a hold of it.  While using CC3, even I could create maps that looked good.  Here is an example of Fantasybookspot Land:

(right click and save to your desktop to see full non resized
image)

 

Now that was done in a fairly short time (else I fall behind on my reading and reviewing) and it still came out good.   Now let us see what can really be created by people with a little more time on their hands and probably a tad bit more skill.

(right click and save to your desktop to see full non resized
image)

 

I can not really write too much more as it is taking me away from creating new worlds in CC3.  This is the bad part of CC3, where you waste away an afternoon creating a dungeon to go along with your new world of super coolness, and you realize that you are not an author or a RPGer.  It really is that fun.  Fantasybookspotworld continues to grow at the borders with uncharted land being discovered every afternoon in front of my computer!

Update Note:  Pro Fantasy has released the Fantasy Overland Symbol Set 1.  This adds even more wonderful symbols for your maps.  Just go to the main ProFantasy page to be assaulted with the amount of programs that they have, that once you see you will not realized how you lived without.

http://www.profantasy.com/

http://www.profantasy.com/products/cc3.asp

Now on to the story I created to match my map, or maybe the other way around!

Gibbons sighed, it had been nearly 10 years since the great battle between the Water Orcs and the Elves up north.  Those slimely bastards thought they could get to the Kingdom of Dal through the elves town up north and surprise the troops.  Obviously, it didn't work, but that was a thought for another day.  The uneasy truce between the Kingdom of Dal and the Kingdom of Keel was holding, even if it was more due to the weather then anything else.  Neither could gain the upper hand anyway as it was like a chess match where one of the spectators stole pieces between turns.  That is where the town of BlueBeerd, the vagrant pirate town, came into play.  The pirates constant raiding of any trade ships and port skirmishes were more then just a thorn in the side of each king. The Kingdom of Dal had to deal with all that came out of the forest as well as the border cities of Kere and Wiul having to deal with those crazy madmen from the Yual Tribes.  It was tough for the King to keep his people happy and at war on a few different fronts at a time.  Now the Kingdom of Keel had problems of its own with the ancient, senile wizard Sir Teak and keeping the Pine Barrens from the south from coming to life and putting the castle to ruins.  The king had 3 towers built and manned every hour of the day to make sure that did not happen.  The Keel family had an army divided as well, so they would not gain the upper hand.  Gibbons did not care, he would fight for whoever, but one place he would not venture, no matter how much money or magic treasures he would find, is the Ruined City of Jal.  It was said the people all went mad and destroyed the city themselves, and no cause was ever found.  Not a place you would find at the end of a rainbow for sure...

Rabbit is a horse soldier in a very human army of a very human kingdom that has developed in the middle of a very magical world populated by beings such as tree sprites, dragons, sentient beasts, and elves. In the first war, humans attempted to take control of more land and the magicals soundly trounced them. A delicate balance ensued.

“It was like a bull dancing on a thin rope strung between two high poles. With no net.”

Now someone is trying to knock the bull of the rope by murdering magicals and selling their hides and wood. Rabbit gets caught up in the investigation and in doing so discovers he cannot hide from himself any longer.

This is a wonderfully told tale in a believable world. Ms. Freeman has created magic with rules and structure in a land that tweaks the usual stereotypes seen in fantasy novels. I easily bought into the story and had no difficulty picturing the characters as they spoke. I love how Ms. Freeman took the concept of a fantasy novel and has made it her own.

I have few complaints about this book. At times, I felt I was reaching to keep up with what was happening. Perhaps sometimes the direction of the story seemed a bit too fantastical, but this is a fantasy novel. I appreciated the intelligent humor and have never read such creative ways to swear!

Ms. Freeman has accomplished a necessary skill in storytelling - give your reader only bits and pieces, leaving them hungry for more. While I was satisfied with the story, I find myself even hungrier for more. Well done!