Archive for February, 2008
Touch the Dark by Karen Chance
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Imagine going out to lunch and then coming back, sitting at your computer, and discovering an obituary article splashed across your monitor. Imagine if it was your obituary stating that later that night you would be killed.
The Story
Cassandra “Cassie” Palmer is a clairvoyant: she can see events that will occur in the future. Unfortunately, she can’t control when these visions appear to her. On top of that, her visions have been combined with out-of-body episodes that transport her back to the 16th century.
If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s managed to piss off one of the most vengeful local vampires in Vegas. As a matter of fact he’s put a price on her head. The vampire in question, Tony, is dead set (no pun intended) on seeing her head on a platter.
So she’s not entirely surprised to see her own obituary on her monitor. Scared, but not surprised. Time to start running. Since Tony is likely to send several vampire hit men after her Cassie has a little time to spare before the sun goes down. She decides to make one stop before leaving town; she decides to warn her roommate and buddy Tomas who currently works at a local goth bar.
Almost as soon as she pulls Tomas aside in the bar’s storage room the vampire assassins launch their attack. Cassie’s clairvoyant powers are pretty strong but they provide no protection against murderous vampires. So she’s pleasantly surprised when the ward symbol tattooed on her back goes into combat mode and kills one of the 5 hit men sent by Tony. Even more surprising is Tomas’ ability to kill the remaining vampires. How could a mere mortal kill master level vampires that have superhuman strength and speed?
Therein lies one of several mysteries in the book.
Karen Chance has written a contemporary fantasy story that mixes suspense, adventure, and a little romance. The usual fantasy creatures are here of course, e.g., witches, vampires, and fae, but the story also contains some “were” characters. No, not werewolves, think “rats.” Yes, there are wererats in the book.
Although Touch the Dark contains a couple of scenes that depict the darker side of paranormal fantasy, the story has several humorous moments. In particular, Cassie’s sidekick, a wise-cracking ghost with a gambling habit, is hilarious and helps balance the storylines.
Karen Chance provides numerous surprises in this book that will keep you guessing. I recommend adding Touch the Dark to your fantasy book list. Check out the lowest prices on new and used copies of Touch the Dark. You can also read my review of the 1st book in this series Claimed By Shadow.
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
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Meet Mercy Thompson, a shapeshifting no-nonsense female mechanic. Mercy’s a “walker”, a term that dates back to the original Native American’s that occupied this country. A walker can shift into the form of a coyote at will; their power isn’t linked to full moon cycles. No, she’s not a werewolf and she’s not as strong as one, but in the form of a coyote she’s much stronger and faster than any human.
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Mercy is friends with Stefan, a hip, modern day vampire that’s a throwback to the 70’s. Stefan wants Mercy to renovate his VW van so it looks like the Scooby Doo vehicle. He also asks another favor of her: accompany him on a mission to deliver a message to a trespassing vampire. You see, before entering another vampire’s territory it’s proper etiquette to pay a visit to the local vampire leader to seek permission to “hunt” in the area. Apparently a vampire has ignored the rules and Stefan’s leader has ordered him to deliver the vampire a message of warning.
Mercy usually avoids getting involved in local vampire politics, primarily because a centuries old feud exists between vampires and werewolves. Although she’s not a werewolf, in the eyes of most vampires, her coyote-shifting status puts her in the same category.
Stefan wants Mercy to witness the delivery of the message. Why? Because he believe this particular vampire is very powerful and uses mind control over other vampires to make them do his bidding. Since Mercy, as a walker, is immune to the effects of magic she’s a good companion for a mission like this. Mercy reluctantly agrees to accompany Stefan.
Needless to say, the meeting with the vampire is a bloody disaster and Mercy and Stefan barely escape with their lives. They discover the source of this vampire’s power; he’s a hybrid – a vampire sorcerer. This presents a great concern for the other vampires in the area because it means even their strongest might not be able to defeat him.
The werewolves, who came “out of the closet” years ago and made their existence known to humans can’t afford to let this vampire’s work be blamed on them. The vampires, who aren’t known to humans yet, can’t afford to let this guy spoil their secrecy. Since the vampire in question is leaving a bloody path of dead bodies in the area and since the local police are now involved, the werewolves and the vampires decide to join forces to find and destroy the vampire. Let the fun begin!
As usual, Patricia Briggs weaves a captivating and engaging tale of adventure and romance. In this book she delves further into vampire society, their organizational structure, their rules, and their politics. She correctly makes no attempts to show empathy for their habits but instead emphasizes the fact that many of them have lost both their humanity and their emotional attachment to the human race.
Patricia Briggs also doesn’t glamorize the lifestyles of the werewolves. They may not be as calculating as the vampires but they’re equally as deadly if provoked. Note: this series contains male characters partly responsible for My Sexy Werewolf Obsession. Check it out.
As for Blood Bound, I can’t recommend this book enough. Patricia Briggs has developed a believable modern day world that just happens to be inhabited by witches, werewolves, vampires, and fae. This is the first Mercy Thompson series and I predict that after reading this book you’ll want to read Moon Called, the second book in the series.
Keeping It Real by Justina Robson
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This book’s heroine, Special Agent Lila Black, is unlike the heroines you find in most paranormal fantasy stories: she’s not a witch, she’s not a werewolf, she’s not a vampire.
She’s human. Well, sort of.
She’s actually part human but has metal pieces fused to her arms and legs. She also has a computer chip in her brain. Technically, that makes her a cyborg but don’t be fooled: she’s quite a bit more than that.
The Story
The main storyline centers around a special assignment given to Lila: protect Zal, an elf rock superstar that deliberately traveled to one of the demon realms and is now part elf/part demon/part something else. Lila was given this assignment because there’s a death squad after Zal who are dead set on killing him. Why? Because they believe his new powers are strong enough to bring about the downfall of elf realm. They’re also uncomfortable with his new hybrid status and see him as a threat to the elven way of life.
Unfortunately, Zal doesn’t think he needs anyone looking after him so Lila has a challenge on her hands. Not only must she keep Zal in her sights, she’s also got to fend off a death squad that’s notoriously difficult to stop – they always get their man.
After a rocky start, Lila and Zal come to respect one another. Lila soon confirms that Zal’s powers are indeed greater than other elves. Additionally, she’s ill-equipped to deal with the magical powers of the death squad: her bionic abilities can protect Zal physically but they’re no match against magic. She and Zal are hard pressed to stay one step ahead of the death squad.
This is a futuristic action-adventure fantasy story. It’s amazing to read Justina Robson’s view of “new” world. The technological advances described in the book are fantastic but even better are the stories about the other realms. The characters split most of their time between the human realm and the elf realm, which are both wonderfully described in the book.
Justina Robson does a great job of presenting the fantasy worlds in this story. Her writing style makes the characters and technology entirely believable. As sci-fi fantasy stories go, this one ranks near the top.
This is the first in a sci-fi fantasy trilogy series. You should give Keeping It Real a spin. It’s a unique story with enough action to keep you interested to the very end.
Gotta have it? Operators are standing by to take your order.
Ashes to Ashes by Jennifer Armintrout
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Carrie, a newly-turned female vampire and Nathan, her new sire, continue their mission to thwart the actions of the Soul Eater, the centuries old maniacal vampire that gains power by consuming the souls of other vampires. Unfortunately the Soul Eater has found a new BFF, an evil and deadly female vamire called the Oracle.
The Story
Carrie and Nathan first met in the 1st book in the series, The Turning, in which Nathan took Carrie under his wing after she was brutally attacked by a male vampire. Although their relationship is tenuous at times, they put their differences aside to track down the Soul Eater and his new followers. Along the way some of their old wounds are reopened causing them to question whether trust still exists in their relationship.
Carrie and Nathan team up with Max, a member of the Vampire Extinction Movement. His group’s mission is to exterminate rogue vampires that prey on humans (instead of consuming synthetic blood like most vampires). Max reluctantly partners with Bella, a female werewolf and witch and a former lover of his. They set out to kill the Oracle who plans to unleash a “sword” of evil on mankind. Unfortunately, the Oracle proves to be the most powerful vampire they’ve ever experienced; she possesses Bella’s body and brutalizes her as she and Max attempt to find her secret location.
Jennifer Armintrout structures this fantasy story like a wonderful road trip, with all of the good guys eventually congregating at the place of the showdown. The best part of the book lies in the adventures that occur along the way.
Jennifer Armintrout does an excellent job of keeping our interest piqued as the climax approaches. The book is well written and the characters are fully developed.
As with previous books in this fantasy series, Jennifer Armintrout weaves a tale of interspecies love interlaced with the standard good vs. evil storyline, but she does it in a fast paced, tooth biting manner that keeps the story interesting. There are romantic subplots in the story but they don’t overshadow the action-adventure segments of the book.
Jennifer Armintrout creates characters that are complex and not without their flaws. This adds to the believability of the story and keeps the entertainment level high.
Although the climax isn’t as detailed as I’d expected, it gets the job done nicely. There’s even a surprise thrown in that will leave your head spinning. Not in a Linda Blair sort of way mind you – in a good way!
Start with Book 1, The Turning, because it provides excellent backstory. However, to be honest, Ashes to Ashes works well as a stand-alone volume. Check out the latest prices for all of the books in the series:
The Turning (Blood Ties, Book 1)
Possession (Blood Ties, Book 2)
Ashes to Ashes (Blood Ties, Book 3)
All Souls’ Night (Blood Ties, Book 4) (Bk. 4)
Remember, with six you get eggroll.
See also: Dante’s Girl by Natasha Rhodes
