snugglekitty

Title: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank
Author: Phil and Kaja Foglio
Series: Girl Genius, volume 1
Genre: Comic book, webcomic.
Setting: A steampunk Europe that never was.
Reason for Reading: I read and enjoy the webcomic.
Finished In: Hours
Pages: 96
Copyright Date: 2010
Cover: A blond woman in a green vest and skirt holds a tiny dancing automaton.
First line: "This is a story about Science. Or Magic. Or possibly both."
Themes: Steampunk, machines, academia.
Best part: I enjoyed reading this in paper format.
Worst part: I didn't see much that seemed brand-new to me.
Imaginary Theme Song: The Wagnerian Ring Cycle seems appropriate somehow.
Grade: B+. It's good but not much new for dedicated readers of the web version.
Recommended for: ... those dedicated readers of the web version.
Related Reads: The comic itself.

Title: Heaven and Earth
Author: Nora Roberts
Series: Three sisters trilogy
Genre: Fantastic romance (NOT sexy pentacle tattoo!)
Setting: Three Sisters Island, off the coast of Massachusetts.
Reason for Reading: I liked the first book, Dance Upon the Air, a lot.
Finished In: Days
Pages: According to amazon.com, it's 368. Pagination doesn't seem to correspond terribly well on my ebook reader though.
Copyright Date: 2003
Cover: Just a picture of a capsized boat.
First line: "Sand, frosted with cold, crunched under her feet as she ran along the curving shore."
Epigraph: "Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; / Brief as the lightning in the collied night, / That in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth, / And ere a man hath power to say "Behold!" / The jaws of darkness do devour it up: / So quick bright things come to confusion."
Themes: Witches, magic, law enforcement, romance, islands, family, self-acceptance.
Best part: I liked the character of Mac, the paranormal investigator who is Ripley's love interest. (Though I can't help but notice a common theme in Nora's male leads - Zack, Mac, Jack, and Sam in the four books of hers I've read. One of these things is not like the other ones... )
Worst part: The "villain" in this didn't convince me much.
Imaginary Theme Song: "She Blinded Me With Science"
Grade: C+
Recommended for: Fans of the series and the author, who will read it anyway.
Related Reads: Dance Upon the Air, first book in the series, and Northern Light by the same author. Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. I know, same as I suggested for the last one in the series. Sorry about that.

Title: Keeping it Real
Author: Justina Robson
Series: Quantum Gravity #1 (Dumb series name, in my opinion.)
Genre: It's got cyborgs, demons, and elves. You tell me.
Setting: Mostly Otopia - that's the new name for Earth, but don't ask me why.
Reason for Reading: The cover made me giggle.
Finished In: Weeks
Pages: 333
Copyright Date: 2007
Cover: A fierce-looking woman in black latex with red hair. An elf stands behind her. It looks computer-generated and is odd on the white background.
First line: "The story of how The No Shows got signed was one of those legends that seem completely manufactured by the celebrity press." (Actually, the first chapter describing that may have been my favorite part of the book.)
Themes: Rock music, drugs, magic, fate, mental enslavement.
Best part: The main character is pretty badass.
Worst part: The story didn't go much of anywhere. All of this stuff was set up and not resolved. I mean, I realize there's a sequel... but that's actually not the approach that makes me want to read a sequel.
Grade: C+
Recommended for: Anyone who is entertained by elves and rock and roll mixing.
Related Reads: Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino, War for the Oaks by Emma Bull.

Title: Ash
Author: Malinda Lo
Series: There is a prequel out now (Huntress) but I don't know what the series is called collectively, if anything.
Genre: YA, fantasy, fairy tale retellings.
Setting: A kingdom where magic may be dying out.
Reason for Reading: This book was so critically acclaimed in YA circles that I couldn't NOT read it.
Finished In: Days.
Pages: 264
Copyright Date: 2009
Cover: Another beautiful cover. A girl in a petticoat and bodice lies curled up on the grassy earth, in lovely sepia tones. The word Ash covers her skirt in fuschia. Up top is the line "The fairy tale you remember."
First line: "Aisling's mother died at midsummer."
Themes: Cinderella, hunting, fey folk, abuse, royalty, dysfunctional stepfamilies.
Best part: I loved the small fairy tales inset into the larger text.
Worst part: In some ways the ending seemed too easy.
Imaginary Theme Song: "White Horse" by Taylor Swift is the obvious choice.
Grade: B+. A really wonderful book but I'm not sure it's a genre-changer.
Recommended for: Anyone interested in fairy tale retellings or LGBT young adult fiction.
Related Reads: Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner, Hero by Perry Moore, Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller.

Title: In Fire Forged
Author: David Weber
Series: Worlds of Honor #5. These are the anthologies spun off from the Honor Harrington series, she is not always a major character in them.
Genre: Space opera, anthology.
Setting: The Manticoran Empire, the People's Republic of Haven, the Silesian Confederacy - made-up stellar empires.
Reason for Reading: Boredom.
Finished In: Days
Pages: 336
Copyright Date: 2011
Cover: A woman with a blaster leaping down the corridor of a spaceship.
Themes: Kidnapping, religious fanaticism, intrigue, spaceships, telepathic cats.
Best part: I loved the first story, "Ruthless" by Jane Lindskold.
Worst part: I am just not the type to appreciate essays on the design of imaginary spaceships, though I realize after a conversation with gentlescholar that such people do, in fact, exist.
Imaginary Theme Song: Let's Dance by David Bowie
Grade: C+
Recommended for: Actually, this wouldn't be a bad introduction to the Honor Harrington series, for those who are not yet sure they want to commit to reading 15 volumes.
Related Reads: On Basilisk Station by David Weber, Crown of Slaves by David Weber and Eric Flint.

Title: When the Tide Rises
Author: David Drake
Series: RCN (that's Republic of Cinnabar Navy to you wogs!*) book 6
Genre: Space opera
Setting: The Bagarian cluster, a troubled outpost of the Republic of Cinnabar.
Reason for Reading: These books are like reassuring candy to me. I'd like to collect the whole series.
Finished In: Days.
Pages: 486, plus an excerpt from In the Stormy Red Sky.
Copyright Date: 2008. Sadly, I am catching up to Drake - I can read them much faster than he can write them.
Cover: Adele and Daniel at the console. The tilt suggests the craft they are in is plummeting to earth.
First line: "Commander Daniel Leary sipped whiskey from a glass with the Quenzer monogram as he surveyed his fellow guests; he held his lips in a neutral smile."
Epigraph: "When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark / And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark / But when the tide rises and sharks are around / His voice has a timid and tremulous sound." - Lewis Carroll
Themes: Spaceships, space navy, alcohol, espionage, loyalty, love triangles.
Best part: I enjoyed the introduction of new character Rene Cazelet.
Worst part: The books are starting to blur together a bit, which is likely my fault for reading them too close together.
Imaginary Theme Song: A bawdy vaudeville tune.
Grade: C
Recommended for: Fans of the series, who would read it anyway.
Related Reads: With the Lightnings, first book in the series. Plan B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

*"Wogs" is a word that gets used a lot in the book for planetary colonials, non-citizens of any race. I'd never use it in real life.

Title: In Too Deep
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Looking Glass Trilogy, book one (part of the endless and decent Arcane Society series)
Genre: Romance with fantasy elements.
Setting: A secluded small town in Northern California.
Reason for Reading: I was stressed out by my move and needed some distraction.
Finished In: Hours
Pages: 339
Copyright Date: 2010
Cover: A manly chest bared to the breeze. Its face is cut off but probably not important - right? A house on a cliff, with a green sea in the background.
Favorite passage: "Isabella's effect on him could only be described in terms of alchemy, he thought. She was the fire that transmuted the cold iron inside him into gold. With her he could look into the heart of chaos and glimpse the ultimate goal of the ancient art, the Philosopher's Stone." (p 215) This quote made me laugh out loud. In another part of the book, during a difficult conversation Our Hero compares Isabella's effect on his brain to that of a "stealthy cyberattack." I think Ms. Krentz needs a new ghostwriter.
Themes: Cults, conspiracies, antique clocks, secret societies, psychic ability, romance.
Best part: Very diverting.
Worst part: The language. We either need a better ghostwriter or a new editor.
Imaginary Theme Song: "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis.
Grade: C-. It's in that "bad enough to be funny" sweet spot.
Recommended for: Fans of romantic suspense.
Related Reads: Second Sight and Running Hot by the same author.

This book further explores the relationship between Isabella Valdez and Fallon Jones introduced briefly in a previous AS novel. I am not sure which one because at this point there are eleven. I am glad they caught on because I really enjoy them, though they may lack literary merit.

I did notice a passage in this one about how sex must be controlled by society's rules, otherwise it's too dangerous. Did Krentz' husband have an affair?

Title: Unshapely Things
Author: Mark Del Franco
Series: Connor Gray book one
Genre: Urban fantasy.
Setting: The Weird part of Boston - a modern Boston with fairies, wizards, and things that go bump in the night.
Reason for Reading: It was a suggestion from my friend and former sweetie trouble4hire.
Finished In: Days.
Pages: 305
Copyright Date: 2007
Cover: A man crouching in an alley. Lightning is striking behind him and some mystical graffiti is on the concrete.
Epigraph*: "The wrong of unshapely things is a wrong too great to be told." - WB Yeats
Trigger Warnings: Abdution, imprisonment, losing all your magical powers and having to go back to the beginning.
Best part: Somehow it manages to be original, which is amazing considering the subject matter.
Worst part: Well, the main character is kind of a recovered jerk, and many of the descriptions of his past jerkiness made me wince a little.
Imaginary Theme Song: "Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin.
Grade: C+. Quite good but not an instant re-read.
Recommended for: People who want to read actual urban fantasy, not just Sexy Pentacle Tattoo, with a male protagonist. You laugh, but it's not all that common!
Related Reads: Night Life by Rob Thurman (though actually this is much better than that). Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. The Painted Boy by Charles de Lint.

Connor Grey is a washout. Once the lead wizard in the Guild, the world's most powerful magical organization, he lost his superstar status in a magical battle. Where he used to lead the class, now he hangs on to his last few powers by a thread. But when fairy prostitutes turn up dead in a series of ritual killings and no one seems to care, Connor won't be able to help getting involved - even though the stakes are higher than he can imagine.

*The quote at the beginning of a book. Thanks to mgrasso for helping me remember the term.

Title: The Drowning City
Author: Amanda Downum
Series: Necromancer Chronicles, Book One
Genre: Fantasy.
Setting: The jungle city of Symir, under the yoke of imperialism. Magic, wealth, and swords rule the land.
Reason for Reading: I saw some really great reviews of the sequel.
Finished In: Days.
Pages: 370, including some extras.
Copyright Date: 2009
Cover: A veiled woman draped in black, carrying many weapons. Jungle trees are behind her. Cover blurbs from Jacqueline Carey and Elizabeth Bear - those would likely have sold me on the book if I wasn't already planning to read it.
First line: "Symir. The Drowning City. An exile, perhaps, but at least it was an interesting one."
Trigger Warnings: Some beatings, one intentional disabling, some controlling mom stuff, some cultural repression stuff.*
Best part: Wow, this is an original book. Diamonds trapping lost souls? A pariah caste of necromancers? I loved it.
Worst part: The ending was actually pretty bleak. Nobody really makes it out of the book unscathed.
Imaginary Theme Song: "Anja" by Karsh Kale captures a bit of the exotic feel of the book.
Grade: B-. I loved the book but don't have to read it again right now.
Recommended for: I suggest this for anyone interested in colonial resistance themes or necromancy.
Related Reads: Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce.

*I've been seeing this used as a category in other reviews recently and thought it was worth picking up. Now, many triggers are non-obvious to people who don't have them and this can't be exhaustive but I'm going to try to mention things that I think would be likely to upset some folks. If I decide I don't like that, I may switch to using a list of themes instead. What do you think of that? Sound off in the comments.

Title: The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunits
Editor: Mike Ashley
Series: "The Mammoth Book of...", including The Mammoth Book of Future Cops, The Mammoth Book of Groaners, The Mammoth Book of Tasteless Lists, and The Mammoth Book of Cheese Doodles. (Kidding. Only the middle book is truly in the series.)
Genre: Anthology, mystery, historical fiction.
Setting: The 20's, mostly in the US and Europe.
Reason for Reading: I found out this book existed and thought it would be awesome.
Finished In: Days.
Pages: 534
Copyright Date: 2004, but the stories were published anytime since the 20s.
Cover: A flapper in thigh highs and pearls raises her hands. Is she dancing, or is it a stickup? A man with a gun is behind her.
First line: "Are You a Free Thinker? Whether or not, Come to the Greenwich Village Feather Ball Costume Dance Given by Writers and Artists of Greenwich Village. Webster Hall, 11st St, near Third Avenue. Admission: In Costume $1, Without Costume $2."
Best part: This is a really well-edited anthology. In addition to the stories being well-chosen, the blurbs at the beginning of the stories are quite illuminating, saying why the editor chose each one and what other works the author has created.
Favorite Stories:"Timor Mortis" by Annette Meyers, "Thoroughly Modern Millinery" by Marilyn Todd, "The Day of Two Cars" by Gillian Linscott, "Putting Crime Over" by Hubert Footner, and "Without Fire" by Tom Holt.
Worst part: When the stories were bad, they were really bad. One tried to involve practically every celebrity of the time period, another was a parody of a detective I'd never heard of.
Imaginary Theme Song: The Charleston
Grade: B-, mostly because the stories have so much breadth and variation in tone and themes that I didn't like all of them. On the other hand, that suggests that this book will appeal to a wide audience. Many of the stories I didn't like just because they were bleak.
Recommended for: Mystery buffs should definitely give it a look.
Related Reads: Touchstone by Laurie R King, Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.