Archive for February, 2008
Harper Blaine is a Greywalker, someone that can pass through the human realm into the paranormal or “Grey” zone. The Grey contains dark and evil things - ghosts and poltergeists are regular occupants. Since Harper only recently learned to control her body’s tendency to shift into the Grey she’s reluctant to take on any projects that might force her to voluntarily enter that violent and volatile world.
But she’s got bills to pay.
The Main Plot:
Harper is approached by a college professor who’s conducting parapsychology experiments with students who have been tasked with “creating a poltergeist.” He wants Harper to observe the class sessions to determine whether they’ve really conjured a legitimate spirit. But his request isn’t totally above board: the professor has directed one of the students to fake the poltergeist phenomena because he doesn’t believe the group can really create a ghost on their own. As such he’s equipped the classroom with speakers and devices that cause objects to appear to move on their own.
But there’s one problem: it appears as if the students have actually summoned a real ghost. Strange things are happening in the classroom that the professor can’t explain.
Harper agrees to observe the group sessions in the class observation room, which is located adjacent to the classroom and is equipped with a 2-way mirror. It’s from this room, accompanied by a student assigned to videotape the experiment, that she realizes the poltergeist isn’t something the students have created in their minds. The spirit is real. And it’s violent.
When one of the students is brutally killed in his apartment under suspicious circumstances Harper realizes the poltergeist is somehow absorbing mass amounts of energy; that’s the only way a spirit could inflict such extensive damage to a human being.
Harper quickly finds herself thrust into the middle of a murder investigation, forced to deal with a detective that doesn’t believe in the supernatural. For that matter, neither does the professor. He thinks one of the students is responsible for the strange events in the classroom and believes this same person may have committed the murder. Thus Harper has to gather evidence to convince both the police and the professor that the spirit is real and the responsible party.
Kat Richardson superbly combines suspense, adventure, and a little macabre in Poltergeist, which represents the second book in the Greywalker fantasy series. The storyline is evenly paced but contains enough surprises to keep readers engaged. Although we learn more about Harper’s character in this installment (which helps explain some of her motives), there’s no requirement to read the first book in the series. Kat Richardson has written a solid standalone edition that will appeal to fantasy book readers and paranormal fans alike.
Add Poltergeist to your shopping list or risk hearing weird noises in your home. At night. While you’re alone. You decide.
It saddens me to see people with so much potential neglect their responsibilities. I look at Britney Spears and her senseless mishaps and wonder “what can be done for her?”
Remember when the Harry Potter books were first published and as a result, millions of kids who didn’t like to read suddenly developed an interest in doing just that? Those books, although criticized by some for the magical element in them, had a definite positive impact on countless kids, teenagers, and adults around the world.
I think I’ve found such a book for Britney Spears - actually it’s a book genre. In particular, urban and contemporary fantasy. These books have action, adventure, a little romance, intrigue, and drama - things Britney appears to want in her life.
The fantasy books that I read the most usually have a female main character or heroine. In many cases the heroine has some sort of power(s) that allow her to defend herself against others that seek to do her harm. I find a lot of the main characters to be (at times) headstrong and a little stubborn. Sound familiar? But here’s the thing: although they frequently get into trouble or are engaged in activities that have a potential to be life-threatening,
Their Support Base Is Always There to Help Them
The contemporary fantasy books that I review rarely have heroines that succeed by doing everything themselves. There’s always a supporting cast to help them “save the day.” And although the main character may be plenty stubborn they’re usually not too proud to accept help when needed.
Yes, I know we’re talking about fictional characters but isn’t Britney’s life like a chapter from a fantasy story?
Here are some main plot points from the Dead Witch Walking series by Kim Harrison. Tell me if Britney couldn’t learn a few things from these characters:
- The main character Rachel Morgan, lives with her friend Ivy, a female vampire. Ivy is estranged from her parents but regularly sets her feelings aside to visit them and check on their well being.
- Ivy’s young sister is headed down a wayward path. She’s hanging out with peers that Ivy believes are a bad influence on her. She’s afraid that her sister, who’s very young, impulsive, and impressionable, is headed for trouble. As such Ivy is always quick to provide guidance to her sister. She wants to ensure she doesn’t get into trouble. Three words: Jamie Lynn Spears.
- Zac isn’t without his own faults but one thing he’s steadfast in is his dedication to his children. He puts them before everything else in his life. I look at Britney’s life and I don’t see her parents in this role but she definitely needs someone to provide this level of loyalty and trust.
- Rachel doesn’t surround herself with “yes” people that tell her what she wants to hear. Quite the contrary, her friends can be brutally honest at times and as such, they help keep Rachel focused and on track. They have no qualms about point out her failings if warranted.
All in all it’s because of Rachel’s support network that she’s even alive.
Achieving quick wealth and fame at an early age without having a solid support base can be a recipe for disaster. It’s in times of chaos and turmoil that the support is needed most.
Here’s hoping Britney receives the care and assistance needed to return some balance and stability to her life.
There are several books on the market that include werewolves as either the central character or as supporting cast. What’s unusual is when the central werewolf character is a female.
I just recently stumbled upon books in this genre and I’m glad I did. Below are books that fit the bill for “female werewolf fantasy.”
The Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn
The female heroine, Kitty Norville, is a female werewolf that comes out of the closet in the first book in the series. She’s a late night DJ who gets bored simply playing music so she decides to open the phone lines and talk about creatures that only come out at night. To her surprise, some of them answer back!
Books in the Series
- Kitty and the Midnight Hour
- Kitty Goes to Washington
- Kitty Takes a Holiday
- Kitty and the Silver Bullet
The Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
In this series we’re introduced to Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in existence. It seems that other female humans that are bitten by werewolves always die. Not Elena, who was bitten by her boyfriend when she was younger. This fantasy series contains not only werewolves but witches, vampires, and one particularly plucky necromancer.
Books in the Series
- Bitten, Book 1
- Stolen, Book 2
- Broken, Book 6
Note: there are other books in the Women of the Otherworld series (all good by the way) but only the ones above contain Elena Michaels.
The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs
Okay, I know Mercy Thompson isn’t technically a werewolf but she’s close enough. She’s a shifter that can take the form of a coyote. She’s not tied to any moon cycles like werewolves nor is she as strong as werewolves once she’s shifted, but she’s almost as deadly.
In this series Mercy works as a mechanic who’s friends with the local werewolf clan members and one of the local vampires. She’s loyal to her friends which sometimes gets her into trouble. Patricia Briggs has written a top notch fantasy series that I highly recommend.
Books in the Series
Know of any other fantasy books with female werewolf heroines? If so, list them in the comments section and I’ll include them in the post.
In this, the second book in the series, Karen Chance continues the story of Cassandra “Cassie” Palmer, the reluctant clairvoyant who seems to have a penchant for getting mixed up in vampire politics. This time, she takes a couple of war mages and a few ghosts along for the ride. Does she get in over her head? Of course!
The Story
Cassie is still refusing to complete the ritual that will make her the new Pythia, the top magical power in the supernatural world. It’s been a struggle for her to hold out for so long but if you’ve read this book you know that Cassie has good reasons for delaying this transformation:
- once she becomes Pythia she’s certain her rival, Myra, will step up her attempts on her life;
- the council of mages will attempt to control her actions (she’s pretty stubborn);
- she’ll be eternally bound to Mircea, a powerful vampire.
She’s most concerned about the last issue. You see, Mircea hired someone to place a geis, or love spell, on Cassie. The spell is extremely powerful and prevents Cassie from “gettin’ busy” with anyone except Mircea. If Cassie shows any signs of being attracted to another man the spell kicks in a causes Cassie (and the object of her desire) excruciating pain.
Additionally, the spell causes Cassie and Mircea to crave one another (like, let’s take our clothes off right now) if they’re in close proximity to one another.
All of this is important because if Cassie has sex with Mircea she’ll be bound to him and the spell will make it almost impossible to be away from him for any period of time. Also, in order to complete the Pythia ritual she has to, guess what - have sex with someone. Yes, Cassie is a virgin. And the spell won’t let her have sex with anyone but Mircea. Quite the dilemna, huh?
The main storyline revolves around Cassie’s attempts to locate Tony, the vampire that raised her since childhood. She wants to find Tony because she discovered that he’s responsible for ordering someone to kill her parents; she wants to exact a little revenge. Turns out Tony’s on the run from the vampire senate and has partnered with Myra, Cassie’s nemesis. Additionally, they’ve hooked up with Rasputin (yes, the real Rasputin from history), an evil and deadly vampire that’s dead set on taking over the vampire senate. So, not only does Cassie need to find Tony, but she also needs to take care of Myra.
All of this is complicated by the fact that Myra has learned how to travel back in time and alter history. Cassie’s biggest fear of all is that Myra will travel back in time and kill Cassie’s childhood protector, which means that she’ll alter the course of events and cause Cassie’s death. Or even worse, Myra could travel back in time and kill Cassie’s parents before Cassie was conceived. Bottom line: she’s got to find and stop Myra.
Pritkin, the renegade mage that was against Cassie in Karen Chance’s first book Touch the Dark, is back and he and Cassie team up to find Myra and Tony. Karen Chance throws in a little sexual tension between them which is both interesting and a little funny.
Karen Chance has once again written a great fantasy story that puts a magnifying glass on the world of vampires, mages, and fae. Although Cassie’s personality quirks are fairly consistent, the beauty of the story lies in the character development of Pritkin and his relationship with Cassie. Throughout the story Cassie develops a better appreciation for Pritkin’s knowledge of magic and magical creatures.
This book gets put in the contemporary fantasy/action-adventure category. And although it contains a good bit of vampire lore and vampire fantasy but it’s nicely balanced. I wouldn’t classify this as a vampire romance story, but the scenes between Cassie and Mircea are fairly hot.
Karen Chance does a great job in describing the world of magic, magic users, and faerie politics. The trip through the Dark Fey’s woods is as vivid as Dorothy’s trip through the Dark Forest in the Wizard of Oz. The culmination of forces that converge during the climax makes everything leading up to that point well worth the journey. This book gets a “buy” recommendation.
Note: the next book in the series is titled Embrace the Night and has a release date of April 1, 2008.
As a reader, I love Amazon.com. In particular, I like the fact that I can read about upcoming fantasy books and add them to the “Save for Later” shopping cart. This way I’m able to keep on top of fantasy books that haven’t been published yet. It also lets you pre-order books so they’re shipped the very day they’re published.
If you’re a lover of urban science fiction and contemporary fantasy take a moment to browse this list of upcoming books. If a summary of the book is available I’ve included it below:
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison. Release date February 26, 2008. This is Book 6 from the Rachel Morgan series.
Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong. Release date March 25, 2008. This is Book 8 from the Women of the Otherworld Series.
Small Favor by Jim Butcher. Release date April 1, 2008. This is Book 10 from the Dresden Files series. In this book we’re introduced to tabloid reporter Hope Adams, a “journalist” with a penchant for chaos. No surprise there - she’s half human, half chaos demon. When a group of spoiled supernaturals in Miami start getting into trouble the Cortez Cabal, an organized crime group that makes the Sopranos look like the Salvation Army, calls her in to put things right.
Embrace the Night by Karen Chance. Release date April 1, 2008. This is Book 3 from the Cassandra “Cassie” Palmer series. In this book Cassie continues to fight the “geis”, the magical spell that bounds her to Mircea, a suave male vampire. While seeking ways to break the spell she comes upon a book called the Codex Merlini. The good news is that this book contains the counter-spell that will break the geis. The bad news is that the book has the power to unleash evil onto the world. Choices, choices. To get started, read a review of Karen Chance’s first book in the series, Touch the Dark and the second book Claimed by Shadow. If you’re already caught up with the books, you can read the first chapter of the new Embrace the Night book at Karen Chance’s website. Then read a great review of Embrace the Night written by Scooper who authors the Scooper Speaks site.
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews. Release date April 1, 2008. This is Book 2 from the Kate Daniels series. In this book Kate Daniels, a renegade “cleaner” who puts things right after magic as gone wrong, is on a mission: find and return a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s largest shape shifter organization. Turns out the Pack isn’t just interested in the maps for navigational purposes though. No, the maps are part of a bigger problem that’s brewing: a supernatural war between two gods. If Kate can’t settle this battle more than just the werewolves will be destroyed; the entire city might be annihilated.
A more complete list of new and upcoming urban fantasy books can be found here at Best Selling Urban Fantasy Books (April 2008).
