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| 1101590211
| 9781101590218
| B007HU7L8K
| 4.19
| 4,083
| Nov 01, 2012
| Nov 06, 2012
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it was ok
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Fourth in the Dark Angels urban fantasy series featuring Risa Jones. This series carries on from Riley Jenson, Guardian, which was a much better serie
Fourth in the Dark Angels urban fantasy series featuring Risa Jones. This series carries on from Riley Jenson, Guardian, which was a much better series, in my opinion. My Take Oh, brother. Risa is getting so stupid. And I hate stupid characters when they're supposed to be the good guys. She gets mad because Azriel pulls back. To protect himself from harm. How can you claim to love someone and want to do things that will hurt them? Then, she almost purposely avoids eating or sleeping---I suspect it's Arthur's sloppy attempt at creating drama and tension. So, now that Risa's weak, she compounds things by refusing to let Azriel help her simply because he gave in to something she wanted. What is her issue?! Make up your mind! First she wants him to completely distance himself from her, and at the same time, she wants him up close and personal. I can sympathize with this catch-22 of wanting what you shouldn't, if only she didn't behave like a complete jerk about it. Oh, brother. Again. Okay, so Risa gets a note on matching stationery. Whoopie-ding-doo. She automatically assumes it's the bad guys when we actually haven't a clue who it is. Arthur is really being sloppy here by simply assuming we'll accept this...because that's what the current story is about. God forbid she should actually drop a clue that would make it a reasonable assumption. OR have to work it to make it a reasonable one. Arthur continues stringing us along, then she compounds it with that stupid trap. It's perfectly reasonable for Risa to sleep with Lucian when Azriel is behaving this way. So, he's irritating me a bit as well. Arthur needs to give the guy more dramatic license. As it is, he's simply looking wishy-washy. Yes, there are a couple of important side developments in this, but really, I'd consider this more of a bridge novel with Arthur dragging things out. And I'm getting bored... The Story While her father and the Raziq play cat-and-mouse with Risa to find the keys, another magical being is killing vampires. He claims it's his heritage. The Characters Risa Jones is a wolf shifter and an orphan since her mother's death, but she does have great roommates: Tao is another wolf shifter, who has been affected by a fire element (he's also Stane's cousin) and Ilianna is a gay horse shifter. Risa's sword is the bloodthirsty Amaya. The three of them own a successful restaurant, RYT (Rich Young Things). Stane is a computer geek friend of Risa's who can find anything. She's sleeping with Lucian Dupont, a wingless Aedh who is obsessed with revenge. Lauren McIntyre is a black practitioner who may have a way out for Risa. Jak Talbott is a reporter who betrayed Risa with a story he wrote about her mother. Hieu is Risa's father, and he is not content to simply be a renegade Raziq, but he's a renegade from them as well. James Larson is her father's courier. Carwyn is a stallion Ilianna's parents want her to hook up with; she hasn't come out to them yet. Mirri is Ilianna's girlfriend. Azriel is the Reaper in love with her, although, technically, he's a Mijai, a dark angel; his task, however, is to prod her into finding the Keys that too many beings want to use to close the gates between earth and heaven and hell. Valdis is his sword. Rhoan is her uncle, a wolf, and I think he's second-in-command at the Directorate and Riley is her aunt married to Quinn, a half-Aedh, half-vampire, and a former Cazador (their story is in the Riley Jenson, Guardian series). Harris West is a werewolf with the Directorate. Jack Parnell is the senior vice president of the Directorate and in charge of the entire guardian division. And Madeline Hunter's half-brother. Adeline Greenfield is a witch and a friend of her late mother's. Logan was John Nadler's attorney. Dorothy Hendricks and Vonda and Dani Belmore are targeted vampires. Madeline Hunter is a very powerful vampire and "the head of the Directorate of Other Races AND a high-ranking member of the high vampire council". Cross her if you want to die yesterday. Markel Sanchez is one of the Cazadors Hunt has assigned to follow Risa. Henry Mack has several aliases. Zane Taylor is working with Jason Bright, an IT specialist. Malin is the female Raziq leader who wants Risa's father. The priest who betrayed her. The Brindle is the witch depository in Melbourne. Aedh are energy beings who live on the gray fields. The Raziq are a group of renegade Aedh priests who forged the Keys. Razan are humans changed by the Raziq. Reapers are soul guides. Cazadors are the high vampire council's own personal hit squad. The Cover The cover is a wide range of oranges with a curious Risa crouching on a rail overlooking a fantastical building, holding her sword, Amaya, her wings closed behind her. The title refers to the faceless being hunting Risa through the gray fields— it's Darkness Hunts. Merged review: Fourth in the Dark Angels urban fantasy series featuring Risa Jones. This series carries on from Riley Jenson, Guardian, which was a much better series, in my opinion. My Take Oh, brother. Risa is getting so stupid. And I hate stupid characters when they're supposed to be the good guys. She gets mad because Azriel pulls back. To protect himself from harm. How can you claim to love someone and want to do things that will hurt them? Then, she almost purposely avoids eating or sleeping---I suspect it's Arthur's sloppy attempt at creating drama and tension. So, now that Risa's weak, she compounds things by refusing to let Azriel help her simply because he gave in to something she wanted. What is her issue?! Make up your mind! First she wants him to completely distance himself from her, and at the same time, she wants him up close and personal. I can sympathize with this catch-22 of wanting what you shouldn't, if only she didn't behave like a complete jerk about it. Oh, brother. Again. Okay, so Risa gets a note on matching stationery. Whoopie-ding-doo. She automatically assumes it's the bad guys when we actually haven't a clue who it is. Arthur is really being sloppy here by simply assuming we'll accept this...because that's what the current story is about. God forbid she should actually drop a clue that would make it a reasonable assumption. OR have to work it to make it a reasonable one. Arthur continues stringing us along, then she compounds it with that stupid trap. It's perfectly reasonable for Risa to sleep with Lucian when Azriel is behaving this way. So, he's irritating me a bit as well. Arthur needs to give the guy more dramatic license. As it is, he's simply looking wishy-washy. Yes, there are a couple of important side developments in this, but really, I'd consider this more of a bridge novel with Arthur dragging things out. And I'm getting bored... The Story While her father and the Raziq play cat-and-mouse with Risa to find the keys, another magical being is killing vampires. He claims it's his heritage. The Characters Risa Jones is a wolf shifter and an orphan since her mother's death, but she does have great roommates: Tao is another wolf shifter, who has been affected by a fire element (he's also Stane's cousin) and Ilianna is a gay horse shifter. Risa's sword is the bloodthirsty Amaya. The three of them own a successful restaurant, RYT (Rich Young Things). Stane is a computer geek friend of Risa's who can find anything. She's sleeping with Lucian Dupont, a wingless Aedh who is obsessed with revenge. Lauren McIntyre is a black practitioner who may have a way out for Risa. Jak Talbott is a reporter who betrayed Risa with a story he wrote about her mother. Hieu is Risa's father, and he is not content to simply be a renegade Raziq, but he's a renegade from them as well. James Larson is her father's courier. Carwyn is a stallion Ilianna's parents want her to hook up with; she hasn't come out to them yet. Mirri is Ilianna's girlfriend. Azriel is the Reaper in love with her, although, technically, he's a Mijai, a dark angel; his task, however, is to prod her into finding the Keys that too many beings want to use to close the gates between earth and heaven and hell. Valdis is his sword. Rhoan is her uncle, a wolf, and I think he's second-in-command at the Directorate and Riley is her aunt married to Quinn, a half-Aedh, half-vampire, and a former Cazador (their story is in the Riley Jenson, Guardian series). Harris West is a werewolf with the Directorate. Jack Parnell is the senior vice president of the Directorate and in charge of the entire guardian division. And Madeline Hunter's half-brother. Adeline Greenfield is a witch and a friend of her late mother's. Logan was John Nadler's attorney. Dorothy Hendricks and Vonda and Dani Belmore are targeted vampires. Madeline Hunter is a very powerful vampire and "the head of the Directorate of Other Races AND a high-ranking member of the high vampire council". Cross her if you want to die yesterday. Markel Sanchez is one of the Cazadors Hunt has assigned to follow Risa. Henry Mack has several aliases. Zane Taylor is working with Jason Bright, an IT specialist. Malin is the female Raziq leader who wants Risa's father. The priest who betrayed her. The Brindle is the witch depository in Melbourne. Aedh are energy beings who live on the gray fields. The Raziq are a group of renegade Aedh priests who forged the Keys. Razan are humans changed by the Raziq. Reapers are soul guides. Cazadors are the high vampire council's own personal hit squad. The Cover The cover is a wide range of oranges with a curious Risa crouching on a rail overlooking a fantastical building, holding her sword, Amaya, her wings closed behind her. The title refers to the faceless being hunting Risa through the gray fields— it's Darkness Hunts. ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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not set
Nov 29, 2012
not set
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Jul 22, 2020
Jan 22, 2013
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Sep 24, 2024
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ebook
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| 1419938967
| 9781419938962
| B00J2XAC7M
| 3.67
| 175
| May 13, 2014
| May 14, 2014
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did not like it
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This was so bad and mostly incomprehensible. Merged review: This was so bad and mostly incomprehensible. |
Notes are private!
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2
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not set
not set
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Aug 11, 2019
not set
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Sep 21, 2024
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| 145924284X
| 9781459242845
| B0095F24H8
| 3.60
| 847
| Nov 01, 2012
| Nov 01, 2012
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it was ok
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The prequel to The Keepers L.A. paranormal romance series. The couple focus is on Kirby Saxon and Calleigh McGowan with the story taking place in Las
The prequel to The Keepers L.A. paranormal romance series. The couple focus is on Kirby Saxon and Calleigh McGowan with the story taking place in Las Vegas. This copy was provided by the publisher, Harlequin. My Take Oh brother, this was a touch dorky and much too dramatic, always on highly revved. I don't know if Graham did this on purpose to keep readers reading, or if it's just how it turned out. She keeps the action flying so fast that I barely caught who was what. I'd like to see what Graham could do if she slowed down a mite and filled in with a softer pace. I swear I think Saxon solved the case in just hours as he rushed here, there, and everywhere. I want to like the characters, but, again, Graham rushed us through the story so fast, I didn't have a chance to get past the soap opera-ish dialog. Saxon has just come to Dirk's to meet Calleigh only to learn she's disappeared and he automatically thinks it's payback for his hassling Jimmy? He just had him arrested. WTF. We never do learn anything more about Joe Moore. Who is Marston Greenwood? Well, other than dead. He is supposedly the reason why the mayor is so upset and his name only appears twice. The Story A partially eaten corpse is found and sets off a frenzy of killing, resulting in the mayor demanding resolution. The pressure is on Saxon to solve this crime, but he's more concerned with a series of mysterious disappearances and deaths. And he knows who did it. We don't actually get handed any clues, so we can think alongside him. I reckon we'd be too slow for the pace Graham sets. The Characters Calleigh McGowan, a.k.a., Candy Laughton, half-elf and half-werewolf, is also hunting for vengeance for Angie Sanderson, her half-sister, a full elf, who disappeared after singing one night. They're both from San Francisco where the Keeper is Larry Miller. Their father is Theo McGowan, a former congressman, lawyer, and werewolf. Dirk is the man who loves Angie. Detective Saxon Kirby is an elf and Bailey hates him. Captain Clark Bower has three months before retirement; he's betrayed everyone for more money from Bailey. Lieutenant Keeghan McMurtree is a tall leprechaun and a cop, who takes Bower's place. Art Krill is the Las Vegas medical examiner. Monty Reilly is the owner and CEO of the Wolf and Crown casino as well as the Keeper of the Vegas werewolves, responsible for keeping order. Brad Thierson is Keeper of the NYC wolves. Eamon MacDonald is a leprechaun Keeper in Dublin. Carl Bailey, billionaire and werewolf, is trying to own all of Vegas. Jimmy Taylor, a tough werewolf, is new in town from Toronto. Reginald Holland, a New York City vampire, is a big investor in the Rock Candy Club. Joe Moore is the lynching victim while Marston Greenwood has been cannibalized. The Cover The cover is confusing. Sure he's a goodlooking guy, but what's with the hood? It feels more like a science-fiction tale than a cop drama in Vegas. The title, which doesn't appear on the cover, is The Gatekeeper. I'm gonna guess that its referring to the supernatural community's plans for Saxon Kirby at the very end of this novella. Merged review: The prequel to The Keepers L.A. paranormal romance series. The couple focus is on Kirby Saxon and Calleigh McGowan with the story taking place in Las Vegas. This copy was provided by the publisher, Harlequin. My Take Oh brother, this was a touch dorky and much too dramatic, always on highly revved. I don't know if Graham did this on purpose to keep readers reading, or if it's just how it turned out. She keeps the action flying so fast that I barely caught who was what. I'd like to see what Graham could do if she slowed down a mite and filled in with a softer pace. I swear I think Saxon solved the case in just hours as he rushed here, there, and everywhere. I want to like the characters, but, again, Graham rushed us through the story so fast, I didn't have a chance to get past the soap opera-ish dialog. Saxon has just come to Dirk's to meet Calleigh only to learn she's disappeared and he automatically thinks it's payback for his hassling Jimmy? He just had him arrested. WTF. We never do learn anything more about Joe Moore. Who is Marston Greenwood? Well, other than dead. He is supposedly the reason why the mayor is so upset and his name only appears twice. The Story A partially eaten corpse is found and sets off a frenzy of killing, resulting in the mayor demanding resolution. The pressure is on Saxon to solve this crime, but he's more concerned with a series of mysterious disappearances and deaths. And he knows who did it. We don't actually get handed any clues, so we can think alongside him. I reckon we'd be too slow for the pace Graham sets. The Characters Calleigh McGowan, a.k.a., Candy Laughton, half-elf and half-werewolf, is also hunting for vengeance for Angie Sanderson, her half-sister, a full elf, who disappeared after singing one night. They're both from San Francisco where the Keeper is Larry Miller. Their father is Theo McGowan, a former congressman, lawyer, and werewolf. Dirk is the man who loves Angie. Detective Saxon Kirby is an elf and Bailey hates him. Captain Clark Bower has three months before retirement; he's betrayed everyone for more money from Bailey. Lieutenant Keeghan McMurtree is a tall leprechaun and a cop, who takes Bower's place. Art Krill is the Las Vegas medical examiner. Monty Reilly is the owner and CEO of the Wolf and Crown casino as well as the Keeper of the Vegas werewolves, responsible for keeping order. Brad Thierson is Keeper of the NYC wolves. Eamon MacDonald is a leprechaun Keeper in Dublin. Carl Bailey, billionaire and werewolf, is trying to own all of Vegas. Jimmy Taylor, a tough werewolf, is new in town from Toronto. Reginald Holland, a New York City vampire, is a big investor in the Rock Candy Club. Joe Moore is the lynching victim while Marston Greenwood has been cannibalized. The Cover The cover is confusing. Sure he's a goodlooking guy, but what's with the hood? It feels more like a science-fiction tale than a cop drama in Vegas. The title, which doesn't appear on the cover, is The Gatekeeper. I'm gonna guess that its referring to the supernatural community's plans for Saxon Kirby at the very end of this novella. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Dec 02, 2012
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Jul 22, 2024
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ebook
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| B0BJ2S88P5
| 4.21
| 1,112
| Mar 07, 2023
| Mar 07, 2023
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it was amazing
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An anthology of seventeen stories of fantasy and science fiction revolving around animals. The Series AJ Hartley’s “The Gold Standard” (Hawthorne Saga) An anthology of seventeen stories of fantasy and science fiction revolving around animals. The Series AJ Hartley’s “The Gold Standard” (Hawthorne Saga) Alex Erickson’s “Howl-O-Ween“ (Furever Pets) DJ Butler’s “Dog” (Abbott in Darkness, 1.5??) Eliza Eveland’s “Safe Place” (Talons and Tethers) Faith Hunter’s "George and KitKit Save the Witches” (Jane Yellowrock) Haley Edwards’ "Keeting It Real” (The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy, 8.5??) Jennifer Blackstream’s “Helpful” (Blood Trails) Jim Butcher’s “Fugitive" (The Dresden Files, 17.5) John G Hartness’ “The Unlikeliest Places” (Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter, 8.75) Kelley Armstrong’s "Forever and a Day” (Cainsville, 5.5) LE Modesitt, Jr’s "The Unexpected Dachshund” (Archform: Beauty and Flash) LJ Hachmeister’s “The Kitcoon” (Triorion universe, 0.5) Lucienne Diver’s “A Cry in the Night” (The Latter Day Olympians,) RR Virdi’s “The Kindness of Cats” (Tales of Tremaine, 1.5) Sam Knight’s “Junkyard Rex” (The Abandoned Lands, 9.5) Patricia Briggs’ “A Memory of Witches” (during Mercy Thompson 11) The Stories AJ Hartley’s “The Gold Standard" It’s their fifth job for Raines . . . but their first dog, Durnok. And it’s Durnok who gets the gang thinking and making their own plans. This was too funny. Hartley did a great job of keeping me wondering as Will kept despising the dog and the rest of them — Renthrette, Lisah, Mithos, Garnet, and Orgos — put all their faith in Durnok. Alex Erickson’s “Howl-O-Ween“ Liz Denton is hoping to up her profile for her rescue organization and intends to talk to the arrogant Jon Luckett at his annual Howl-O-Ween party on his farm. Only, everything goes wrong. A complicated plot for revenge that goes amazingly wrong but ends up right with one dog doing plenty of rescuing. DJ Butler’s “Dog” A very ill daughter is making the Abbots hurt and worry, yet it doesn’t keep John Abbott from rescuing an injured dog. Cute with LOTS of detail with an ending that pays it forward. Eliza Eveland’s “Safe Place” A royal’s life is never easy, especially when you’re gay and have magic. A sad tale about a boy with a secret and an old Molossus war hound companion, Brick. Told from Brick’s perspective who doesn’t understand why he no longer has as much attention from his Boy. ”It’s like a hunger in my chest, and it hurts.”Faith Hunter’s "George and KitKit Save the Witches” There’’s a threat out back of the Everheart-Truebloods’ house but the alphas aren’t paying any attention to KitKit's warnings. You know things are really bad when KitKit warns George that the danger witch wants all the tuna! It’s a different kind of animal rescue, as it’s the animals who do the rescuing. Hunter says this short story is based on “My Dark Knight” from KitKit’s and George’s third person point-of-view. And it’s too funny as George thinks all about the smells he’s encountering, including those lies. As for poor EJ and his need to pee, oh, I do sympathize, lol. It’s a nasty attack focused on witches. The Characters KitKit was given to the Truebloods via Jane from Aggie One Feather’s mother in Black Arts , 7, to be Molly’s familiar. Angelina, a.k.a. Angie or “Sissy”, is the human-witch-kitten, the daughter of the pride alphas, Mama and Daddy, i.e., Molly Meagan Everheart Trueblood and Big Evan, both of whom are witches. EJ is the smaller-male-human-witch-kit, i.e., Angie’s brother. The pet dog is George the Stupid-Dog, a bassett hound gifted to Angie by Shaddock, who refers to Mama and Daddy as the biggers. Cia and Liz Everheart, twins, and Elizabeth are sisters to Molly. Uncle RickyBo used to date Jane Yellowrock. Now he’s with PsyLED. Edmund is Angelina’s Dark Knight. Lincoln Shaddock is the Master of the City of Asheville. Melodie Joy Custer-Luckett, a paramedic, is from the Custer witch clan. Ant Jane is a Cherokee skinwalker and friends with Molly. Death to Paranormals (DTP) is a hate group. Haley Edwards’ "Keeting It Real” It’s a babysitting job for Eva with Keet and Oscar to the Clarice Lawson Oceanic Research Institute (named for Uncle Linus’ mother). A stupid choice for a challenge ambush. And it’s Eva’s cockiness that leaves it too late to realize Bastian’s strategy. But not to worry as Keet comes to the rescue . . . just keeting it real. This was too funny, and i want to read it all over again. I just love Keet! In fact, I think I must go check out Edwards’ The Beginner's Guide to Necromancy series. The Characters Keet Richards, a.k.a. Pumba, is a banana yellow parakeet and familiar who loves The Lion King. Woolly is short for Woolworth House where Aunt Grier, a necromancer who created the psychopomp, and Uncle Linus live. Oscar is their six-year-old poltergeist. Eva “Eva-Diva” Kinase is a babysitter as well as the eldest daughter of the alpha pair of the gwyllgi pack as well as its gamma, a.k.a. third. Rollo and Marly are pack enforcers. Bastian, Mathieu, Ormand, and Thaddeus Crowley are brothers and fellow gwyllgi. Corbin Theroux, Eva’s childhood crush, is a sentinel and a Deathless vampire. Last Seeds are made vampires. Paula is a warg from the Iglesias pack in Florida. Miss Lacy, a vampire, works at the aquarium. Jennifer Blackstream’s “Helpful" Oh, the trials and tribulations of being a cat. All those children who want to pick you up. The distrustful pixies. Still, it must be borne if Majesty is to help the witch with her magic to find the missing amulet. There are attacks and supports from various helpers. It’s from Majesty’s point-of-view with interjections from Bas, the dog mummy. I had to laugh at how the cat interpreted human facial expressions and tones. It was so very cat. Rayaan is a powerful djinn. Jim Butcher’s “Fugitive” A monster has escaped Hades and is threatening Maggie. Cerberus is tasked with its retrieval. It’s but one reason that Cerberus asks Mouse for help. But when Mouse learns he’ll have to attack the used Mister, oh no. It is essential to remain a Good Boy. I love the Dresden Files, but I gotta confess this story was written too simply and its premise is too convoluted. The Characters Mouse, Dresden’s monster of a dog ( Blood Rites , 6) and is Harry’s little girl’s, Maggie’s, bodyguard. My Friend is Harry Dresden. Mister is Harry’s monster of a cat. Will Borden is a werewolf. Michael Carpenter is was a Knight of the Sword until events in Small Favor , 10. Cerberus is the three-headed dog. Hades is the god of the Underworld. The Castle is the building Harry took from Marcone. My Shadow, a.k.a. Ash, is a Bad Dog. Cowl is one of Harry’s enemies. The Nemean Lion has escaped Hades. John G Hartness’ “The Unlikeliest Places” It’s an assignment. There’s a vampire flouting the king of the vampires’ rules, and making a right mess of it, so law enforcement sends in Quincy who gets a very little help from a cat. Cute with some funny bits. The Characters Quincy “the Reaper” Harker is a part-vampire, magic-using demon hunter — his parents are Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray Harker. Lucas Card, a.k.a. Mr Alucard, is his grief-stricken, legendary uncle, who also happens to be king of the vampires. Graybeard the Furry Nutjob is a cat who decided he’s going to help Quincy. Deputy Director Rebecca “Becks” Gail Flynn heads up the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Department of Homeland Security’s Paranormal Division — and she’s Quincy’s fiancée. Lugosi Light reckons he’s a Master vampire. Kelley Armstrong’s "Forever and a Day” Something’s wrong, especially with that earlier omen and then the doppelgänger. A set-up. A betrayal revealed even as TC redeems himself. A sad tale of redemption. The Characters Olivia is part Fae and Wild Hunt who sees omens. She’s also Gabriel’s investigator and the reincarnation of Matilda. Gabriel Walsh is a defense lawyer and a reincarnated half-fae. Gwynn ap Nudd, a Welsh king of the fae. Patrick, a bàcan, is Gabriel’s father. TC, a.k.a. The Cat, is a matagot, a magical cat of French legend. Matilda of the Hunt was betrayed by Arawn, the prince of the Cŵn Annwn. Ricky, a biker with an MBA, is the reincarnation of Arawn. Enid was a maid back in the day; Derog was her cat. Cainsville is a Tylwyth Teg town in Illinois. Thiten is a very old fae who tricked humans. LE Modesitt, Jr’s "The Unexpected Dachshund” Per their contract, they’d never be able to have children, but maybe this dachshund can fill that gap, as they build the domes on Nieuwhuis. An interesting dip into a restricted life in this science fiction tale The Characters Keryleyn, a meteorologist, and Dom are on Nieuwhuis and can’t afford much. Rudolfo is a miniature dachshund puppy zygote. Arlena and Pietro are friends. LJ Hachmeister’s "The Kitcoon” Trying to escape the Dominion soldiers who are intent on capturing any telepaths, the smuggler’s ship is forced down. And the Dominion is hot on her heels . . . or are they after the kitcoon? It’s an interesting story of a prejudiced universe and a cute animal that helps change Rex’s ways. The Characters Rex is a telepathic refugee and a data-hustler on an illegal transport. Kio is a kitcoon, a pest, traveling with an old woman. Chezzie had been Rex’s sponsor. Remy is a traumatized USC specialist. The United Starways Coalition is the enemy of the Dominion. Lucienne Diver’s “A Cry in the Night” It was Spirit’s trials that led to the origin of the Wolf Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. A gift and a rescue for him and his mate. And a gift that pays Lacey and Thompson back when they’re attacked by a mythical beast. Interesting. I did enjoy Diver’s setting with an animal rescue center. The Characters Luke is Lacey Guerrera’s son. Spirit is a wolf-dog. Frost is his mate. Thompson is a biologist. Beau is their German shepherd. Jenny is a volunteer. Sarah is Lacey’s best friend. Joe is her deceased husband. Gavin had been Spirit’s vicious owner. The krokotta comes from Ethiopia, an apex predator. Sergeant Cami Martinez. Tori Karacis is a PI and Apollo Demas is an actor. RR Virdi’s “The Kindness of Cats” A starving girl and an ill mother catch the attention of Shola. Virdi captures the arrogance of a cat well even as he promotes kindness. The Characters Shola is a cat, also a nuisance and a thief. Ari appears to be Shola’s boy, his charge. Nitham. Aram, Radi. Clanks is either a person or the kitchen. Sarika is a starving girl caring for her ill mother. Ali is a server where Maanvi is the cook at the soup-shop. Mender Katar seems to be a doctor and Sneha, an inkeeper’s daughter, are customers. I think Brahm is a god. The Rookery is an ashram?? in the city of Ghal. Sam Knight’s “Junkyard Rex” There’s no hope of help and the United States is no more. Now monsters roam the Abandoned Lands with bounties on tyrannosaurs and press gangs conscripting men. This was so ghastly, depressing, and so sweet with Hugh caring more for the beast than the money. The Characters Hugh Sanchez runs a junkyard in the Abandoned Lands. Junker had been his dog. Papi had been his father. Mr Williams provides livestock. Roger is his son. The guards include Ty-man and Sunflower, a.k.a. Mr Happy. Seanan McGuire’s “Nine” This one was an interesting philosophy of why cats have nine lives. The relationships they seek from Humans and the hearts and years of life. Patricia Briggs’ “A Memory of Witches” It’s a crime scene at Elizaveta’s house, and someone must go in to assess it. Whew, Sherwood’s memory loss is getting weaker with Sherwood realizing that even though his wolf didn’t want to go in, his human self knew he had to go, to protect Mercy. It’s a creepy tale of an arrogant Sherwood determined on rescue who screwed up, fears that he remembers now. It’s quite the interesting perspective since Coyote shows up with some home truths for Sherwood. The Characters Sherwood Post is a one-legged/three-legged werewolf. Zack is their submissive wolf. Carlos works for Adam Hauptman, the alpha, in his security business. Darryl is Adam’s second. Mercy is Adam’s coyote shapeshifter mate. The Marrok is the alpha for all of North America. Elizaveta Arkadyevna Vyshnevetskya is the witch to whom Adam and his pack pay a monthly retainer. Coyote is an avatar of the First People. The Lord of Night is the ruing vampire in Europe. The Singer is evil. The Cover and Title The cover is stark with a soft blue and pink sky overshadowed by a giant black wolf standing on a gray to black ground. In front of him and to the left is a fuchsia-haired woman crouching in a black tank top and blue jeans with, I’m guessing, a fuchsia flame rising up from her left hand. At the top is the title in a orange-tinged yellow with an info blurb about it in white directly below the title. Starting at the woman’s upper thigh is two columns of author's names in white. The title refers to that Instinct held by animals everywhere. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Apr 25, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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| 0756414695
| 9780756414696
| B07BD23YJ1
| 4.09
| 637
| Nov 27, 2018
| Nov 27, 2018
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really liked it
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The twelfth anthology of eighteen stories in the Tales of Valdemar fantasy series and revolving around Heralds, Companions, Healers, and regular peopl
The twelfth anthology of eighteen stories in the Tales of Valdemar fantasy series and revolving around Heralds, Companions, Healers, and regular people. The Series "Feathers in Deed" (Hadara and Kitha, 3) "Who We'll Become" (Herald Syrriah, 5) "Unceasing Consequences" (Lady Cera of Sandbriar, 5) "Beyond Common Sense, She Persisted" (Kaysa of Ropewynd, 3) "Moving On" (Deira the Weaver, 3) "The Right Place" (Petril, 2) "A Siege of Cranes" (Lena, 6) "Letters From Home" (Marli of Fairbend, 3) "Friendship's Gift" (Healer Tarek Strand, 2) "Confounding, Enduring, Perfect, and Strong" (Nwah the Kyree, 5) "The Once and Future Box" (Dann Family of Haven, 9) "Acceptable Losses" (Wil & Leila, 9) "Woman's Need Calls Me" (Need / Vows & Honor, pre-Kerowyn) Each short story has a lists of characters and can be found on my KD Did It review. The Stories Phaedra Weldon's "With Sorrow and Joy" The Norton family's wood and woodcraft is famous throughout Valdemar. That is, until the Nortons couldn't fulfill their orders. Now Uli has just learned that his father has been dead a year and his family needs him. They need him as a Herald to sort out the murders and thefts. Definitely a tale of Sorrow and Joy, as Uli learns so many truths about his family. Kristin Schwengel's "Of Crows and Karsites" Rinton is on his first Circuit near Karse and enlists birds to aid him in discovering the source of all the panic swelling throughout the land. A sweet tale of hope and escape! Jennifer Brozek's "Feathers in Deed" Both Hadara of K'lLeysha Vale and Kitha shena Tale'sedrin battle their hopes and fears, wanting to be free of the magic that changed them, but fearing the loss of their bond. Angela Penrose's "The Letter of the Law" The land's ruler has died and his heir wants everything that's the best, no matter how cruel. This made me so sick to my heart. Even Joss can't do much since it is the strict law. But he's quite creative in finding loopholes, lol. Joss also makes an excellent point that there should be room for human judgment and mercy. Oh, man, Joss has still another one to pull over the new baron! Dayle A Dermatis' "Who We'll Become" It's a bittersweet Midwinter holiday with Syrriah's sister implementing so many changes. Not even her old gowns fit her after her training at the Collegium. But there's a problem at the Fair with the question one of upholding a legacy or making changes. It is a story of changes for everyone, and very nicely done. Elizabeth Vaughan's "Unceasing Consequences" As pleased as she is to be awarded Sandbriar, it's been a struggle for Cera restoring the estate and helping its people survive. Cera is constantly exploring ideas and ways to make this happen. And Cera's mourning period is about over. I do love reading about Cera's efforts to help her people. Poor Emerson gets caught out! And gets let off with Cera's help, lol. Janny Wurts' "Beyond Common Sense, She Persisted" Kaysa finally arrived, bedraggled, in Haven, after a harrowing journey from Ropewynd, with a reward of a student's place in the Collegium. Until the way is safe for Kaysa to go home. It's not what Kaysa dreamed of when she dreamt of escaping her overprotected world of Ropewynd. She is determined to prove that she has worth. This is too sweet of a tale with its bittersweet happy ending. Diana L Paxson's "Moving On" A unique and dangerous flu came from a family fleeing Valdemar's borderlands. A sickness Deira refuses to allow her daughter to treat. It's a flashback to the village of Everleigh that Selaine and then Deira left in Pathways: "Patterns", 2 (11). Ooh, mother-daughter issues! It's the anger Selaine has with that con man that forces her Gift, one that she then applies to other ills. And the best argument she'll have against her mother! Louisa Swann's "The Right Place" Poor Petril. No one is singing his praises or swathing him in ermine in recognition of that rescue. Now he's alone in Haven trying to protect Bella and her foal. I'm not quite sure what Petril is talking about, about the man he was working for. The story does pick up once Lord Fancy Pants shows up, and Petril is quite clever with the story revealing Petril's Gifts and the rewards for such a young hero. Very sweet and it made me laugh in appreciation. Elisabeth Waters' "A Siege of Cranes" Poor Lena. She's old enough to have her first season at Court — and find a husband. The king insists. Only, Lena has sorted all her suitors into three categories: annoying, obnoxious, and repulsive. I do like the story, but Waters is much too quick to marry Lena off. And I wanna read the fallout, dang it! Michele Lang's "Cloud Born" Cloudbrother's oath to return to Lake Evandim and heal it is forsworn. Instead he's being sent on a relief mission to Iftel as an ambassador. Ivinchi is certainly an odd duck. And so much fun to "listen" to. Brigid Collins' "Letters From Home" Taren is needling away at Marli to do better, and she's still so depressed about leaving home. It'll take someone else's need for her to wake. It's a contrast between Marli who gets so many letters and Simen who gets none. Then there's Taren who refuses to help, unless . . . It's sweet and short with an insufficient ending. Anthea Sharp's "Friendship's Gift" It's a sad end of friendship for Tarek when he's no longer invited to join with Lyssa or Shandara. It is a good reminder for any of us that there's always another side to a story. Ron Collins' "Confounding, Enduring, Perfect, and Strong" It's exhausting and overwhelming for Nwah. The lack of learning about her magic. Winnie's "intrusion" into her relationship with Kade, as well as Nwah's own interest in Maakdal. Love cannot be commanded and yet it can be many things. This takes place shortly after Pathways: "Out of the Pelagiris", 4 (11). Fiona Patton's "The Once and Future Box" The roof of the Watch House has been bad for way too long, and it takes a river of water running into the captain's office to find money for the repairs. It's so bad that most everyone, including the animals, are deserting the Watch House. Lol, it's an old tale, that one can't see the damage till the "tiles are off". Then the lockpicking and the complaints of how a cop's family is ruining the thieves . . . oh, well, lol. Morag sure knows her business, even if she does forget who she's talking to. Stephanie Shaver's "Acceptable Losses" Since Highjorune (Crucible: "The Highjorune Masque", 9), the Queen knows that even the Guards cannot be trusted. What arrives as Herald Wil's backup is not what he'd been expecting. It's another step forward in Wil's mission to shut Madra and Lord Dark down. And I'm beginning to wonder if it'll ever be accomplished. "The Quarry" Shaver keeps mentioning is part of Wil's dreams. Dylan Birtolo's "Weight of a Hundred Eyes" Paxia cares for everyone and yet feels the need to hide herself behind her anvil. Too often, she has felt watchers at her back. Whoof, this was rather nasty. You do have to know something about Valdemar and what protects its people to really grasp the significance of this story. I do not think the Heralds handled this well at all, which means Birtolo was missing what the Heralds are supposed to be about. Adouin certainly left things badly, and I'm curious as to how Birtolo intends for Paxia to get her revenge. Mercedes Lackey's "Woman's Need Calls Me" Melysatra is tired and wants only to settle down and start a nice little inn. Experiment with some of the beer and wine recipes she's collected. Do some healing and hedge wizardry. If only she could find someone she could hand Need onto. It's a small village that draws Need and the problem they're having with Change Circles. They've also lost the village inn. Hmmm . . . It's a fun story that is oh-so-convenient and plays to those of a transgender. I am curious, however, why Harl, Kerd, and Pol are described as young, if Mel has been wandering for over 40 years since Urtho's tower was destroyed. The Characters Mage Melysatra of Silence Tower, formerly in Urtho's army, has carried Need , a Mage-forged blade seeking justice for women, for the past 40 years. Sam is Mel's old warhorse. Harl, Kerd, and Pol are of Warrik's Wolves, a mercenary company, and had been with Urtho's army as well. Lemuel is a middle-aged, fit hunter. Agnetha is a goddess to whom Mel prays. The Beast is terrorizing the area — he ate Waybrook! Ma'ar was the evil mage who was an enemy of Urtho’s. The Cover and Title The cover has a black background with deep gray swords slanting across it. The middle graphic is a semi-transparent heater shield with a medium gray border and rivets. Inside the shield are two somewhat hidden blue-turquoise scenes behind the right-facing profile of a white horse wearing a blue bridle. There are two additional (and smaller) shields at the top and bottom of the primary shield. The top has a royal blue background with white rivets and a white pegasus in its center. The bottom has a black background and a pinkish-red gryphon with its wings spread against an old gold circle. At the top is a young-rust rectangular border with a black background enclosing the title in its gothic orange with white for the remaining text of the series and story info. At the bottom is another rectangular outline in young-rust (and a black background) with the editor info in white. The title is what each story is about, the Choices that must be made. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Oct 19, 2022
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Oct 21, 2022
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Oct 19, 2022
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ebook
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| 0698188454
| 9780698188457
| B00UGG90PE
| 4.03
| 859
| Dec 01, 2015
| Dec 01, 2015
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really liked it
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An anthology that is ninth in the Tales of Valdemar with eighteen short stories in the Valdemar fantasy series and revolving around the inhabitants of
An anthology that is ninth in the Tales of Valdemar with eighteen short stories in the Valdemar fantasy series and revolving around the inhabitants of the lands. The Series "The Highjorune Masque" (Wil and Lelia, 6; It takes place after Exile’s Honor , 1355 AF, and I think it's the first mention of Lord Dark) "Unresolved Consequences" (Lady Cera of Sandbriar, 2) "A Bellowing of Bullfinches" (Lena, 3) "She Chooses" (Sparrow and Brock, 2) "Before a River Runs Through It" (Dann Family of Haven, 6) "Never Alone" (Herald Syrriah, 1) "Vexed Vixen" (during the time of Vanyel) For the character lists for each story, read the review on KD Did It.com. The Stories Jennifer Brozek's "Feathers in Need" "Feathers in Need" takes place just after the Mage Storms have changed magic ( Storm Breaking , Mage Storms-3 (Valdemar 1376-5 AF). One of the protagonists was changed due to her curiosity while the other was changed through pure accident. It comes down to Kitha's sense of duty and the twinning of two souls who become one — and of countering others' perception of them as disabled. I love Hadara's comment about being blind doesn't mean she's stupid! Hullo!!! It's interesting that Brozek has Tayledras helping the Shin'a'in to evacuate when they've been so against each other for so long. Then again, maybe we aren't so deep into this world yet. I sure couldn't tell. Stephanie D Shaver's "The Highjorune Masque" There's trouble in Valdemar and a mention of Lord Dark. With Ferrin to stir up trouble with his seditious talk and manipulative Gift, one which gives Ferrin his high. The masque is simply a word for meeting. I'm not sure why the Bardic Circle would simply toss the guy out. Not with his "gift". Ferrin is a nightmare who thinks it's okay to rape women. After all, others do. Dylan Birtolo's "Lost Song" "Lost Song" is a very short and very sad story about a bard who no longer cares. Who tries to drink away his memories. Who would welcome death. Only, there are good people out there. More than the bad. There are also those out there who have suffered in similar ways. Elizabeth A Vaughan's "Unresolved Consequences" Lady Cerartha is hoping to make it through her first winter. Hoping to find a product that will help her people do more than survive. It provides a back history on the chirras and how they were brought to Sandbriar and survived. It also provides insight into Cera's distant and near past. It seems that even Companions can suffer from PTSD. I do like those Heralds. They consider people and their individual needs. Yeah, not like our politicians who think they're best suited to decide what we [women] do with our bodies. Ron Collins' "Gifts of Rage and Despair" Its a partnership of Healer and kyree with the powers of one fading and the other's being enhanced. A failing that leads to Kade's eager acceptance of a "promise". It was rather whiny with each questioning how the other "knows" they'll never leave and will always be there. We all know how much we want to learn more, to be better. And it's funny how we believe that having the Internet means we have a better chance of learning the truth when all the Internet is, is a way to spread people's own version of things. Just because it's in the cloud doesn't mean it's accurate. Okay, okay, that whine over, Collins' story is something of a mish-mash that didn't hold together for me. Elisabeth Waters' "A Bellowing of Bullfinches" It's a sad commentary about fashion, and the lengths to which people will stoop. Fortunately, there are also loyal friends, those who see the truth, and those who want only the best for others. It's rather funny how Lena and Maia play on her ladyship's prejudices. When it comes to animals (or children), shameless bribery is an excellent training technique, lol. Michele Lang's "She Chooses" There's been change in Longfall; it has been three years since Sparrow and Brock left the village after all. Only it's not a change either of them would ever suspect. Doing the right thing is sometimes very hard. Ehh. Another mish-mash that was sometimes hard to follow. Kristin Schwengel's "The Harvest" It's a tricky situation with one faction blackmailing others, which means Del and Jenny need to use care in moving this message to its intended recipient. Fiona Patton's "Before a River Runs Through It" I wasn't expecting a battle over dung between seven- and ten-year-olds. Ol' Jez might reconsider how badly he wants that cool cell and free breakfast, lol. The ranking on who collects what was unexpected but it does make sense. The heavier the dung, the older you are. HAH! Lolol, and kids think they haven't any power, *more laughter* Louisa Swann's "Hertasi and Wyrsa and Magpies, Oh My!" I like that Medran is into the "teaching opportunities". Something I need. It seems that Roli needs a different sort of training now, for his out-of-control psychokinesis. He also needs to find his own people and Swann keeps it close to the vest as to what species Roli is. Michael Z Williamson and Jessica Schlenker's "A Fire in the Grass" It's bittersweet as it's a partial coming-home for Keth' while Yssanda hopes it will come to feel like home. It's been a long trip from Haven to this potential new embassy, and Heralds have been dropping off along the way to arrange Waystations to make future journeys easier. It's Keth's idea to set up the embassy, for he knows people who have magic need training, and no Shin'a'in will do magic. They have it, but they don't have control of it nor do they know when to use it. Of course, it turns out that Keth' has his own learning to accomplish too, for there is no one true way. It is necessary to change with the world, if we are to survive. Dayle A Dermatis' "Never Alone" Poor Syrriah. Her life upended a year ago when she and her beloved husband had planned to retire(!), and now she's thrust in amongst a bunch of kids. Luckily, her past life experience makes her perfect when she learns about the challenge. Not only is she good with a bow, but she's had twenty years of experience in overseeing a manor. They do say that the Companions Choose their person to fill a need they see coming up. That's certainly the case with Syrriah. Dermatis does need to pay attention to his storyline, as various "facts" here don't agree with the "facts" in "Old Loom, New Tapestry". Brigid Collins' "Down the Line" Grandfather is insisting that Torec marry. He hasn't any magic, so he must do his duty by the family. It's a betrayal so great, so hideous . . . If only she'd looked. The Companion makes an excellent point that no Gift is evil. Evil comes from how someone uses their Gift — and a Companion never Chooses wrong. Angela Penrose's "Ghosts of the Past" People are going missing. And Arvil and Graya discover it's a trip down bad memories lane. Crack me up. Arvil and Graya don't have Mindspeech, so they communicate via hoof count and a stylus. Anthea Sharp's "The Quiet Gift" "Valor" was one of her best . . . and it's still not enough. The Master Bard is not feeling her Gift. Her talent? Yes. But not the Gift Shandara has. And the harder she works, the less reliable her Gift. In a few weeks she'll have to perform in front of everyone. And then it happens. How will she play? And then that cold hits her throat. And she still has to perform. She'll be a laughingstock! I gotta say, the girl is a bit dim about events at the concert. Kerrie L Hughes' "Healing Home" Her father gave her a chance five years ago. And Jorie took it. Now she's back for his funeral. And in time to note how many people are sick. Jeez, that sister of hers is a piece of work! With such a filthy mind. How does Alphon reckon he'll get away with hurting a Herald? Oh, I love it, I love it. That rescue was brilliant even if it was too abrupt. It's a story with good bones, but Hughes needs to work on it some more. Too much tell. Phaedra Weldon's "The Note" Elfyn gave birth to Lynal. Now, she'll bury her. The Healers couldn't save her but a Herald was sent to tell Elfyn and get her back for her last sight of her daughter. Whew, it's a story of loss after loss after loss. With a good bucketful of jealousy thrown in. I gotta wonder about Elfyn's husband, if the men he trusted were thieves. Hullo. Then a different sort of loss is caused by pride. Hmm, I guess not everyone in Valdemar knows about Companions. Oh, it's a sad tale and I cried. But Weldon could have really wrung this one. Instead, it's another mish-mash. Mercedes Lackey's "Vexed Vixen" They need a Healer, and they take her. Little do they know she has some special talents, some especially quick wits as well. How dumb are these guys? Yep, the road is dangerous, and if a town misses its traveling Healer, the bandits think they'll just ignore it? The Cover and Title The cover has a black background with a dull gold border all the way around. Part of the border races across the top to form the bottom line of a box to display the title in gold with the info on it being all new tales in white. Beneath that is an epigraph in white. Immediately below that on the sides are pastel color blocks stacked with a thicker dull gold border around them to frame in the heater shield that takes up most of the cover. It has a purple and blue drapery-style background with a lilac-covered Companion's head in profile, looking right. The head of a young Herald with reddish-brown hair swirling in the wind is under the Companion's chin. Another, smaller heater shield with a deep blue-gray background with a scattering of silver rivets overlaps the bottom line of the top rectangle and points to the Companion's eye. The shield contains a white pegasus. Another heater shield is at the bottom of the large one and has a black background with a flattened red gryphon, its wings spread wide. At the bottom is another rectangle formed by thin, dull gold lines noting the editor of this anthology. The title refers to the general theme for the stories, of characters going through a Crucible. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Oct 06, 2022
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Oct 06, 2022
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Oct 06, 2022
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ebook
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| 1101524375
| 9781101524374
| B004P1JDJE
| 3.90
| 3,420
| Dec 06, 2005
| Dec 06, 2005
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really liked it
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An anthology of sixteen stories in the Tales of Valdemar fantasy series by a variety of authors. The Series "Transmutation" (After The Owl Mage Trilogy An anthology of sixteen stories in the Tales of Valdemar fantasy series by a variety of authors. The Series "Transmutation" (After The Owl Mage Trilogy) "Death in Keenspur House" (Master Selden, 2) "Dawn of Sorrows" (Concurrent with Owlflight , 1?) "A Change of Heart" (Heart, 1) "War Cry" (concurrent with the Exile Duology, aka Alberich's Tale, 1) "Strength and Honor" (Solaris, 2) "Safe and Sound" (Wil & Leila, 1) "Landscape of the Imagination" (Vows and Honor, 1.xx) The Stories Larry Dixon's "Transmutation" Mortally wounded in battle, helping Valdemar, Kelvren is abandoned, treated as less than who he is, having expended his remaining energy in saving a fellow patient. It's all about bigotry. Two "soldiers" who are wounded but treated differently because of their race. Housed together as dying patients, each pushes forth effort to help the other in their own ways. The frustrated Stavern and the dying Kelvren who both manage to lift the soldiers' morale. Oh, lordy, I do like how Kelvren got back at that cheap mayor! "Pain shared is pain halved. I shared half of my pain with the mayor . . . and I feel much better now." Characters Silver Gryphon Kelvren Skothkar is a wingleader from k'Valdemar. Hallock Stavern of the Sixteenth Regiment was mortally wounded and is now a captain. Jeft, a.k.a. Boy, is considered expendable by his village. His mother, Ammari, a seamstress and artisan, has discovered an amazing product. Treyvan, an Adept, is one of the gryphon ambassadors to Haven. Pena is Treyvan's senior hertasi and a great cook. Whitebird is a trondi'irn . Rivenstone is Whitebird's assistant. Based at Deedun, Farragur Elm is a trade baron who has formed a coalition and seized resources. Nancy Asire's "The Feast of the Children" It's the time of year when the priests tour from village to village, searching for eligible children — and not so eligible. Those will go into the Cleansing Fires. Geez, I hate religions like this, especially when they're so corrupt! But any religion that forces people to do what they tell them is bad, in my book. The religion insists that magic is bad, evil. Unless the priesthood can use anyone who is capable of magic. The Characters Pyotr has been a priest in Two Trees for fifteen years. Selenna is Pyotr's sister. His cats include Tom, Puss, Patches, and Sunshine. Najan is their cousin, a trader who has moved freely about. Vikandis Sunlord is the god the people of Karse worship. The Son of the Sun is the head of the religion. The current Sunlord is Hanovar who surrounds himself with yes-men. Chardan, Pyotr's childhood friend, is the power-hungry priest. Durban had been Two Trees' regular tester. Richard Lee Byers' "Death in Keenspur House" It's a critical wedding in Mordealth, intended to lay the feuds to rest. Only a theft and murder have set the Blues against the Greens. Again. Only the truth can set them free. Whew, this one is full of tension and magics. The Characters Master Selden is a retired mercenary who teaches weaponry to the Blue faction. Marissa is the principal sword-teacher to the Green faction and Selden's friend and sparring partner. The Keenspurs (Greens) include Lord Baltes, a widower about to be the groom. Tregan is Baltes' brother and the house mage; Yshan had been the previous house mage. Pivar is the leader of the Blues. Lukinda is Pivar's youngest daughter and the bride. Brenda Cooper's "Dawn of Sorrows" A look back in near history of the story of a lone bard and her experience of the negative side of a Choosing that inspired "Dawn of Sorrows". It's a pip and Cooper slowly leads us to Jocelyn's remembrances. And the changes made to help parents left behind. The Characters Bard Dennis has assigned Bard Dawn "Silver" to Bard Jocelyn for their journey. "Dawn of Sorrows" was Jocelyn's only song and a result of a desperate journey to warn Valdemarans living on the border with Hardorn. Dawn had lived in Johnson's Ford near Hardorn. Drake had been Dawn's husband. Their eight-year-old daughter, Lisle, was chosen by a Companion, Tamay. Ancar had been the evil ruler of Hardorn. Rosemary Edghill's "Horse of Air" There is a witch in the Armor Hills who must be stopped. A sad tale of anger and why even Heralds need spies and where, how, they acquire them. Edghill also provides "Paynim's" back history and why Shavanne's soul has lingered. "A wise man never needs to borrow trouble since fools give it away for free."The Characters Sendar was king when "Paynim the tinkerer" became a Herald — the voice and hands of the ruler of Valdemar; now Selenay is queen. Shavanne had been "Paynim's" Companion. The Moonwoman is extorting people and goods from those of the Armor Hills. Meramay is a young widow. Garan had been her husband, taken. The Midsummer Meeting is a mustering of clans, to do business, exchange information, and search for mates. Liah had been born nineteen years ago. Her parents were Andren and Colmye with little knowledge of the world. Sarah A Hoyt and Kate Paulk "A Change of Heart" A Changeling, Ree is more human than most when he saves a brutalized boy. A sad life of a child forced to hide, steal, and squat. Hoyt/Paulk introduce us to Ree's hideous life and his humanity. The Characters Ree is a Changeling, turned in the Mage Storms from human to a blend of human, rat, and cat who lives in Jacona. The pretty Jem is too vulnerable. Tanya Huff's "All the Ages of Man" Herald Jors feels too young for this. Too young for teaching, yet Gervais reassures him that he can teach what he knows to this new green Herald, who is quite forward. And she finally confronts Jors. It's a frustrating tale at first and only really gets interesting when Alyise makes her first judgment. It's a good one, pointing to what can be celebrated. I do love how Companions enjoy plotting, lol. "If you don't celebrate your victories, all you remember are your defeats."The Characters Herald Jors and his Companion, Gervais. Herald Jennet's mother is ill; Inar is Jennet's Companion. Herald Alyise is green and being mentored by Jennet. Donnel is Alyise's Companion. Michael Longcor's "War Cry" It's said this will be the last battle between Valdemar and the Tedrels. And it's a bad time for Rury Tellar to learn about his Gift. It's a tale that'll make you cry. The Characters Rury Tellar is facing his first big battle. Aed Karlan is their self-appointed jester, Milo, and Snipe are his fellow Guards. Twenty-eight-year Guard veteran, Sergeant Mit Krandal, a.k.a. Iron Mit, is in command of their unit. King Sendar and Princess Selenay will take part in the battle. Herald Erek Ranwellen, who has a mild touch of Empathy with a good bit of Mindspeech, and his Companion, Deanara. The Tedrels are the enemy, hungry for their own homeland. Ben Ohlander's "Strength and Honor" A tortured, dead Herald and Companion are found, one more instance of the corruption within the Karse priesthood. Their lies more and more obvious. Their corruption more evil. You can't help but hate the corruption of the Karsite religion and be proud of the men who battle it. Then there's the ending, and I'm still crying. The Characters The wounded Colonel Tregaran is preparing for war with his own. A firecat is keeping Tregaran company. Cogern, Warmaster of the Nineteenth Foot, Hero of the Regiment and Beloved of Vkandis, is a trusted comrade. Delrimmon of the Thirteenth and Hergram of the Thirty-first are with the Nineteenth. Solaris is the priest who believes in the old ways. Laskaris is the current Son of the Sun. Fiona Patton's "The Blue Coat" It's but a pitiful remnant of the Goshon Clan and only getting worse. Vulshin and Shersi have dreamed of a blue coat. A garment they'll find if they head to Valdemar. It's a story that starts out sad and yet has hope at the end. The Characters What remains of the Goshon Clan of trappers. Treyill k'Goshon has shaman potential and Kellison, another cousin with a good mind, are hunting while Dierna, their cousin, is giving birth. The strong Bayne is Trey's brother. Shersi is their midwife. Vulshin is the family shaman. Aivar had been Vulshin's grandson and Dierna's husband. Kith Arkarus of Waymeet is the quarry master. Gabrielle Post is Kith's niece and an apprentice of Haven's Master Builder, Gabrielle's father. Captain Danel is of the Valdemar Guard. Stephanie D Shaver's "Safe and Sound" Leila has her own personal horror, writing a song that will encourage the Bardic College to make her a full bard. Musicians are writers too, as we see while Leila and Malesa argue over "events without a discernible plot, antagonist, or resolution". I liked Leila's counterargument about the "untold stuff between the lines". The main plot is Leila composing her graduation song with Wils' closure part of it. A subplot is the bard-to-be who knows nothing about tact and diplomacy. Surely there are songs that include those topics. Another subplot is Leila's worry about her brother who has a good answer for her. Oh, lordy, there's that Companion humor again when Vehs is "kidnapped", lol. It's a good story that reinforces the need to talk your problems out. The Characters Bardic-trainee Lelia is desperate for inspiration for her master song. Lyle is her twin who just got his whites; Rivan is Lyle's Companion. Malesa is a friend of Lelia's working on her own piece. Herald Daryann had written a journal. Herald Wil is Daryann's brother who was also Chosen with his Companion, Vehs. Janni Lee Simner's "Song for Two Voices" Holderkin may have as many wives as they wish but it's the Firstwife who rules those wives. When Latya notices Garen's unexpected preference for his newest wife, she does her best to make Nara's life miserable. It's a Herald, a woman, who unexpectedly fights for Holderkin, but it's Nara who saves Garen, provides Latya with a lesson, and pays the Herald with story. Heralds and other Valdemarans believe Holderkin men only care about themselves. I'm too much of a feminist to enjoy stories about the Holderkin, but "Song for Two Voices" ended on a positive note. The Characters Holderkin are isolationists who practice polygamy and despise magic. Garen Aranson inherited his Steading from his father. He has three wives — Latya is the strict Firstwife who gave him another son, Isa is his second underwife who bore a daughter; two brothers, and an oldest son, Ari, who works the fields. He even cares for those littles too small to work. Gracious of him. Jeth is a cousin and Nara, his daughter, who is not content in her life although song gives her happiness. Mickey Zucker Reichert's "Finding Elvida" It's a terrible battle with such loss, such that Elvida's emotions unleash her Gift until she loses it again. It's about self-doubt holding one back, and Elvida wallows in it. The Characters Herald Elvida and her Companion, Raynor. Other Heralds include Sharylle and her Companion Tabnar; her partner is Anthea and her Companion, Leahleh. Judith Tarr's "Darkwall's Lady" An alliance is proposed from one Lady to a Lord in exchange for the Lady gaining an heir. Their child, Merris, will be raised in her home keep until she comes of age. Merris learns much of her keep-to-be, but has never visited. She hears praise from the tutors Darkwall provides but she also hears nervous rumors from others. Luckily for the independent Merris, Herald Coryn and Selena insist on going with her. The stories she's heard and those tutors of Merris' are dang creepy. I gotta say, Merris' conclusion as to why the Lady of Darkwall ranged so far to find her makes a lot of sense. It is an interesting story, but after all the build-up, I was disappointed with the ending. Oh, it was a good one, but too easy. The Characters Lord Bertrand of Forgotten Keep has a wife, the Lady Beatrice, who became pregnant after they already had a full grown son and a married daughter. The Lady of Darkwall Keep has no heir and has a bad reputation. The Lady-provided tutors. Herald Isak is old and accompanied by Herald-Intern Coryn. Selena is Coryn's Companion and brimming with warnings. Michael Z Williamson's "Naught But Duty" It's the aftermath of battle for an employer Arden has come to despise. It's sensible that Arden wants to keep his men employed, interested, and retain a good reputation. His current employer? Well, Arden takes care to count their payment in front of their employer. And he follows the contract to the letter. It's a hard line to walk and remain honorable. I had to laugh at the nitpicky choices Arden makes to avoid slaughtering innocents. The Characters Arden is the High Rider of the Toughs, who have been employed by Lord Miklamar. Balyat is a scout. Ty'kara is Shin'a'in; Bukli is skilled with signals and good with a sword; and, Mirke appears to be a good cook. Miklamar allows his troops any license after a battle. Shakis is Miklamar's regional deputy. Count Namhar is with the Anasauk Confederacy. The grief-stricken Chal is part of Namhar's entourage. Mercedes Lackey's "Landscape of the Imagination" Tarma and Kethry have delivered their charge to her niece in the Duchy of Silverthorn. It's a bad place to be if you're low on money, as the duchy is very peace-abiding with high taxes. Yet the ladies are determined to get out even if they are in need of money. A need that leads to a mistake when they encounter a lone woman in need of bodyguards. It's a weird story that turns out to be fun, especially for Tarma who see it as the perfect training scenario. The Characters Tarma, a Shin'a'in Swordsworn, and Kethry, a sorceress of the White Winds school, are a low-level mercenary pair without a reputation. Need is the magic sword that commands Kethry. Warrl is a kyree who has decided to be Tarma's familiar. The warsteeds are Hellsbane and Ironheart. The Duchy of Silverthorn taxes hell out of everyone. Nanca Jente is a sorceress whose temporary bodyguards were taken out. Jendran is the colleague she intends to meet. The Cover and Title The cover is a split complement of oranges and dusky purple. The purple forms a border with a thin aged gold border with a dark blue background inside. Overlapping the inset is a flaming orange heater shield with a deep brown distressed border with rivets. Emerging from inside the shield is the head of a wild-eyed Companion in profile. Across the bottom of the inner background are three more heater shields: the leftmost with a purple background and silver rivets like stars and a white pegasus in profile, the center is a dull orange with a coiled black and orange zigzagged snake while the rightmost has a black background and a deep orange gryphon with its feathers detailed in black against a black background. At the very top is a rectangle with an aged background for the title in a combination of deep red and black and a short notice of the book's contents. At the bottom, just under the three small shields is another rectangle with an aged background informing us of the identity of the editor, in black. The title is the various Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar encountered in these short stories. ...more |
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| 1101118636
| 9781101118634
| B002IPZJ6U
| 4.21
| 12,770
| 2003
| Oct 05, 2004
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it was amazing
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Second in the Exile Duology subseries and seventh in the Heralds of Valdemar subseries all in the Valdemar universe, in 1376 AF (After Founding), and
Second in the Exile Duology subseries and seventh in the Heralds of Valdemar subseries all in the Valdemar universe, in 1376 AF (After Founding), and revolving around the Heralds of Valdemar. The focus switches back and forth between Queen Selenay and Weaponsmaster Alberich. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website. My Take I like it. You don't need a special building or a religieux to honor God; it's what in your heart that matters. Lackey uses a third person global subjective point-of-view from a variety of perspectives including Alberich and his massacre of the language — it certainly sets him apart, Selenay, and Myste. I love how Alberich solved his privacy issue — and that the Companions enjoy it too, lol. Everyone also seems to enjoy Hurlee. It is a practical solution for too-active students and is a useful addition at the end. Poor Selenay has lucked out with Myste and her knowledge, shooting down her pushy Councilors, lol. She is proving to be a thoughtful queen; it's too bad our own politicians can't be as considerate. On the negative side, Selenay is feeling caged, overworked, and misses her father. It does not help that her Council is trying to control her and insist she do what they say. I suspect it's why she succumbs to Karath. Karath is . . . hoo boy, something else, a real idiot. He seems the answer to a maiden's prayer, but Lackey is cruel to her readers, as she slowly lays out the critical conflict. It gets really "good" after the wedding! I found myself cheering with almost every event! It does help how the Heralds conspire to get some time off for Selenay — and protect her. The Collegia in Haven (for trainee Bards, Heralds, and Healers) are what our schools should aspire to. How they handled that disaster of the mirrors was admirable and really pounded the lesson in. I adored how Alberich responded to that uppity Blue! YES! As for his response to that Blue's partner? Another yes. Lackey had an issue with her continuity. At first Adain is a Bardic Trainee, but he later has a Companion while Mical is said to be an Heraldic Trainee, but he's assigned a horse from the stables. Should be the other way around. It is amazing how much Lackey manages to pack into Exile's Valor, from Selenay's having been on the throne for six months to getting courted and married, and then having a baby! While Selenay is the main story with several plotlines revolving around her, Lackey also inserts other tangents with students, Hurlee, and Alberich's "excursions". I must confess that I did find it slow-going in some places, but these niggles aside, Exile's Valor is both character- and action-driven. It's one of my favorites in the Valdemar series. The Story It's a betrayal of sorts, Queen Selenay's Councilors are insisting she marry — their choice. Then there are those who are betting on whether she can last six months before they congratulate her on ascending the throne. It's lucky for Selenay that Alberich is her suspicious Weaponsmaster with his ear to the ground.There are too many anomalies that begin to add up to a danger to the queen's heart. The Characters Herald Alberich, a.k.a. Great Rider, a former Karsite with a Gift for ForeSight, is the new Weaponsmaster. One of Alberich's aliases is Bret Carter. Kantor is his Companion and the disciplinarian of the Companion herd. Herald Dethor is the former Weaponsmaster. The Kingdom of Valdemar is . . . . . . ruled over by Queen Selenay. Caryo is Selenay's Companion. Sendar had been Selenay's father and the previous king. Elspeth is the stomach with a warhorn . . . and heir. Melidy had been Selenay's nurse. Some of Selenay's lady's maids include Lady Jenice and Lady Betrice. Selenay's Councilors include Lord Garthese and Lord Orthallen. Heralds uphold the laws throughout the land. The Provost Marshal is in charge of discipline. Kyril is the Seneschal's Herald. Herald Elcarth, who suggested the stained glass, is the Acting Dean of Herald's Collegium; Bard Arissa is the Dean of Bardic Collegium. Talamir is the Queen's Own Herald . . . and not entirely in the here and now; Rolan is his Grove-Born Companion. Taver had been Talamir's original Companion until events in Exile’s Honor , Exile 1. Myste Willenger, formerly an accountant and clerk, is Herald-Chronicler-Second with esoteric knowledge of the laws and the strongest Truth-sensing ability. Aleirian is her Companion. Mirilin and Jadus, after losing his leg in Exile’s Honor , are the Heralds permanently assigned to dispense justice in Haven. Herald Ravinia (her Gift is Mindspeech and Animal Mindspeech) is usually out riding circuit and has a relationship, ahem, with Mirilin. Sheiteny is Ravinia's Companion. Keren (Talamir is her grandfather), permanently stationed in Haven as the riding instructor with Dantris as her Companion, and Ylsa, a Special Messenger, are Heralds and partners; they'll become Selenay's bodyguards. Heralds Alton and Shanate are alternate bodyguards. Teren is Keren's twin brother who married and begot children; he was later Chosen. Herald Peled teaches law?? Jandal is a Companion. Captain Lekar is with the City Guard, who meets with Alberich. Rusken and Kimel are a couple of the Guardsmen training with Alberich. Students in the Herald's Collegium include Korten, Ledale, Aldo, Triana, Kadhael Corbie is an uppity Blue, Osberic, and Telbrenm who will have to take charge of a weapons session. Companion Cheric brought in a "Tedrel Orphan", Theodren; Trainee Rotherven will be Theodren's mentor. Some of those involved in Hurlee include Harrow (and I think Lekaron is his Companion), Shanda, and Brion. Adain, a Bardic Trainee, is tight with Mical, an Heraldic Trainee whose Gift is Touchreading with Eloran as his Companion, and they're notorious for their pranks. Anelie is a sympathetic Healer. Healer Crathach is Mical's second cousin. Marriage candidates include Rannulf, who is Gartheser's nephew. His mother is Lady Elena of Penderkeep. Orthallen's nephew Kris is a bit young. Devlin Gereton, a budding expert in drama, is the third son of Lord Stevel Gereton, a family which has not distinguished itself. Cuelin is the Master of the Glassworkers Guild. Elkin is a glassworker favored by Cuelin. Norris Lettyn is the primary actor in his troupe, and they're operating from the Three Sheaves Inn in the Cattle Market area. He's quite the man with the ladies and appears to be living beyond his means. Laric had been a butler and knows Myste. Hardorn is . . . . . . a country allied with Valdemar. Alessandr is king. Ambassador Werenton will be replaced by Isadere. Rethwellan is . . . . . . also an ally of Valdemar. Ambassador Brenthalarian requests that Selenay receive King Megrarthon's second son, the attentive, handsome Prince Karathanelan "Karath". The king's heir, Faramentha, has a young son. The Temple of the Lord of Light is how Valdemarans refer to the Temple of Vkandis Sunlord, the Karsite religion. Priest Gerichen is a true man of the Sunlord. The Broken Arms is a tavern — try not to eat or drink here. The Companion's Bell is a tavern popular with Heralds with a secret room for Alberich. The Compass Rose seems to be popular with the students. Hurlee started as a war training exercise and quickly evolved. It was the disastrous Tedrel Wars in Exile’s Honor that changed so much of Valdemar. Swordmistress Tarma shena Tale'sedrin was a famed Shin'a'in with a training school in the Vows and Honors subseries. The Maidens of the Moon is a legend of Rethwellan. The Silver Horn is a brothel for the rich with Kassie as one of the "ladies". The Cover and Title Two-thirds of the left side of the cover is a dreamy purple with swirls of a pale lilac forming the background for the author's name at the top in a black-shadowed gold. Below this is a gold-framed heater shield with a background of birch trees. Thrusting from the left edge of the shield is the head of a white Companion wearing a brown bridle, his mane streaming behind him. Below this is a black-shadowed white for the title and below this is a series blurb in black. On the right side of the cover is the mêlée at the end with more birch trees in the background. The title refers to Alberich and this Exile’s Valor. ...more |
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| 0593099192
| 9780593099193
| B09BTT339T
| 4.16
| 3,601
| May 03, 2022
| May 03, 2022
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it was amazing
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An anthology of twelve short stories in the fantasy genre and revolving around everydayish heroes, full of hope, courage, and bravery. The Series “Littl An anthology of twelve short stories in the fantasy genre and revolving around everydayish heroes, full of hope, courage, and bravery. The Series “Little Things” (The Dresden Files, 17.1) “The Dark Ship” (The Others, 5.1) “Comfort Zone” (Darkest Powers, 3.7, with a touch of Women of the Otherworld) “Fire Hazard” (The Iron Druid Chronicles, 9.4) “Silverspell” (Heirs of Chicagoland, 1.5) “The Return of the Mage” (Sookie Stackhouse: Britlingen) “The Necessity of Pragmatic Magic” (Karen Wilson Chronicles) “Dating Terrors” (Alpha & Omega, 6.5; Mercy Thompson World, 18.5) The Stories Jim Butcher’s "Little Things” It’s Toot-Toot’s first person perspective in this, as he bemoans the blindness of the humans as he and his fellow Guard defend the Castle from invading gremlins. As usual, Toot-Toot is too funny for words. In this case, it’s what is most important in his world — and pizza deliveries are way up there. That danged conomee is getting in the way of pizza! You know it’s really important when Toot-Toot’s first reaction to invaders is that the pizza must be guarded. He’s not too impressed with the quality of the Castle’s tapestries . . . hmm. As for his reaction to “boom” . . . eek. The depressing Lacuna is still feeling the humiliation of captivity, *laughing*. Harry too is depressed after events in Battle Ground , 17. I do wish Butcher would hurry up with Twelve Months . Characters Major General Toot-Toot Minimus is a pixie in service to Sir Harry Dresden, Knight of the Winter Court and Wizard of Chicago. Toot-Toot is also the captain of the Za-Lord’s guard. Lacuna, one of the Little People, is Toot-Toot’s “love” and a hostage. More of the guard include Loo-Tender Bluenose, Wobbleshanks, and Redcullen. Lol, “someone must protect him from threats too small to readily discern. That is my place: not at my lord’s side, but at his ankles.” Mister, Harry’s monster of a tomcat, is absorbing a lot of petting. Sir William is Harry’s castellan. Michael Carpenter visited the Velasquezes’ little girl. Bob the Castle is in charge of security. Scar Eye is the leader of the invading gremlins. Anne Bishop's "The Dark Ship” There’s an olde worlde feel to “The Dark Ship”, and I’m feeling the need to explore this The Others series. A tale of myths come true, an unexpected heroine, and salvation, all told in first person protagonist point-of-view from Dette’s perspective. Bishop provides a quick synopsis to ground us in her world, yet “The Dark Ship” easily stands on its own. Characters It’s in Pyetra, a small fishing village on the coast of the Mediterran, where a people are terrorized by the dread Captain Starr, a.k.a. Jonathan Brogan. Dett, a.k.a. Vedette, is an Intuit who can sense things about ships and the sea. Mara is her stepmother who eagerly assists Ennzo, Dett’s father, in torturing her. He owns a dockside tavern. Lucy had been Dett’s friend. Hilda was a child who had transgressed when she tried to free a trapped human orphan. Captain Crow, a.k.a. Corvo Sanguinati, poked the “beast”. Alano is the ship’s medic. The terra Indigene are earth natives and Others. Tethys is an Elemental, the voice, heart, and fury of the Mediterran Sea. Niklaus, an Intuit, sails with Corvo. Kelley Armstrong’s “Comfort Zone” Oh, I liked this. It’s a side story that’s mostly Darkest Powers and a touch of Women of the Otherworld with that mention of Sean, and finds Chloe torn between her desire to help and her need to stay safe. It’s about heroes, trust, and taking that next step. Part of being safe is sleeping in the same bed as Derek — and no, it’s not about sex! I started with sympathy for Justin, lost it, and gained part of it back by the end. Chloe does a great job of taking Justin’s story apart. Characters Chloe Saunders, a poor little rich girl, a necromancer who sees ghosts, is living with the scary Derek Souza, a werewolf. Both are attending college. Both are genetically modified. May and Daniel are friends who juggle post-grad studies with helping supernaturals. Sean Nash helps people. Justin was killed. Now he’s a ghost trying to save his thirteen-year-old half-sister Gina. Annie Bellett’s "Train to Last Hope” This so reminded me of Seanan McGuire’s Ghost Roads with its fateful train and tale of broken hearts and a hopeless hunt for a loved one. Of memories of a happier past. Of memories of conflict. And yes, of heroes. Heroes who protect and love. Characters Cassidy is a hearth witch, estranged from her mate, Raina, who made a bargain with Death. Mairi, a.k.a. May, is their daughter who ran away from home to join the circus (shades of McGuire’s InCryptid!). "Nightmare" is Raina’s horse. Last Hope is where the train of the dead stops. Blythe is the daughter of the hotel owner. Alice had been May’s friend in the circus who had married a man in White Water. Paulie had been the circus owner’s brother. Kevin Hearne’s "Fire Hazard” This was fun! I do so enjoy Oberon’s perspective on the world. In this one, from first person protagonist point-of-view, it’s all about the sausage and courage. Both dogs share a mental link with Atticus, which makes the story even more fun. It’s part of Oberon’s character arc that he comes to realize the difference between sausage and courage. He sums it all up at the end, and you will be ROFL. Characters Atticus, a.k.a. Siodhachan, is tasked with protecting the world. Oberon is the Irish wolfhound who’s been with Atticus forever. Starbuck is a snorty Boston terrier. Inspector Rose Badgley is Atticus’ current love interest. Gwyneth is an entrepreneurial poodle who’s got s business model with her ass candles. No, no, I do not even want to think of this one, although Oberon is quite taken with the idea. Coriander is a Herald Extraordinary of the Fae Court. Brighid is the goddess of fire, and First among the Fae. Xaphan is a fallen angel. R.R. Virdi’s "Grave Gambles” Well, this was quite different! A “private investigator” who wakes up in the bodies of the murdered. On the plus side, he gains all the memories and skills of those he inhabits. On the negative side, he’s losing his own. It seems he has quite the reputation as well. It’s another first person protagonist point-of-view from Vincent/Curt’s perspective, and it’s all about the luck. Characters Vincent Graves is a body-hopping soul who investigates murder cases. Church, the blondie, seems to be Vincent’s contact. Curtis “Curt” Brown is an HVAC technician and former locksmith who helps out as a handyman at a daycare where Jeanine is a receptionist. Tyler is one of the attendees. Miss Chaudry, a Yaksha and the local luck spirit, is a teacher. Andy is one of a number of missing children. Chloe Neill’s “Silverspell" Aww, Elisa is all grown-up. Neill fills us in on the various characters nicely, but she leaves us hanging as to the real why of the perpetrator. Nor do I understand what Jonathan’s purpose is here. Characters Elisa “Lis” Sullivan is the vampire daughter of Ethan, the Master of Cadogan House, and Merit, its Sentinel. Lulu, a non-practicing sorceress, is Elisa’s housemate. Lulu’s parents are Mallory and Catcher Bell. Eleanor of Aquitaine is their temperamental black cat. Roger Yuen is Chicago’s supernatural ombudsman. Petra, an aeromancer, and Theo Martin are associate ombudsmen with Elisa. Detective Gwen Robinson is the Chicago PD’s supernatural expert. The North American Central Pack is based in Chicago and is led by Gabriel Keene. Connor Keene is Gabriel’s son, the heir apparent, and Elisa’s boyfriend. Consolidated Atlantic is the shapeshifter Pack on the Eastern Seaboard. Jason Maguire is their Apex; Bryce had been a member of his Pack. The Raucous Wolf is an artisanal bar run by Lucy Dalton. Ariel Shaw, a necromancer and witch, is a waitress Annabelle Shaw, her mother, has been of help to the Sullivans now and again. Jonathan Black is part elf with his own agenda. Kerrie L. Hughes’ "Troll Life” Cute, although it was a bit ham-handed. The idea of sentient trains is fun. Hughes hasn’t done much to describe the world in this story. As for the interactions between Harzl and the “bad guys” . . . that was danged confusing. Harzl has his conflicts. His dad is pressuring him to become a station manager, but Harzl can’t stay away from the vending machine sweets, his TV programs, and bringing Snori to work. Characters Harzl Hellirverja is a troll temporarily posted to the Northern Transfer Station, a stop on the Liminal Subway System of sentient trains and a form of elemental shifters — who like to gossip. Snori is the barghest Harzl rescued. The station inspector, a banshee, is Gwyn Ivershae. Alex is a child; Nancy, a.k.a. Cortney, is the woman he’s with. Spencer Beaumont was a lawyer working for a powerful wizard family. Jana is a wolfen shifter working for Spencer. The Vertasoturi Clan are vampires in Chicago. Charlaine Harris’ "The Return of the Mage" I do enjoy the Britlingens, and this short story finds them in danger and a danger, for a Britlingen team doesn’t get dead. A fact that really ticks Batanya off. I gotta say, this story feels like it was thrown together in a hurry. I sure ain’t buying Perro’s excuse about the hunting party. Characters The Britlingen Collective is the most expensive, efficient, and well-known bodyguard, mercenary, and extraction group in many a'world. First Officer Batanya leads a klaven, and Clovache is Batanya’s second officer, who’s having a relationship with Geit, who leads a team that includes Therryl and Simone. Vandler is a sending mage Coturigo is a primitive jungle planet with rich lodes. Hannuman is a stranded metals mage, who married Marla. They had three sons: Bertol, Perro, and Ronoldo. Nancy Holder’s "The Vampires Karamazov" The Karamazovs have had it all their way for too long, and their father is not known for his restraint. I am so confused about all this talk of murdering their father. As for the meandering story Ivan and Dmitri indulge in . . . I was still confused. I have an idea of parts of it, but Holder is so vague and throws so many bits and pieces together that only have the Karamozovs in common. As for the ending . . . oy. Characters It’s a vampire family with Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov the arrogant father who had turned them all. Pavel is the oldest and an illegitimate son; Dmitri is Pavel’s half-brother, furious about his inheritance; Ivan;and, Alexei, who had been a monk, fears being cut off from the Church. Jennifer Brozek "The Necessity of Pragmatic Magic” Pragmatism. Hmm, John Sandford’s The Investigator had a bit on pragmatism that I enjoyed. Characters Maureen is a paid docent at the Stewart Historic Museum with her own fears. Felicia Care is the pragmatic witch with whom Maureen has tea on Wednesdays. Harold Sperling is the curator at the museum; Raven is his secretary. Ethan is the barista in the museum’s café. Jack is the maintenance man. Joe Lolen and Adam are night security guards. ]Karen Wilson, a mundane with powerful allies, is the representative of the Master of the City. Patricia Briggs’ "Dating Terrors” Ruby wants to play it safe, so she plans to meet her online date at a ghost hunt. And I hadn’t realized Asil had his own set of short stories about online dating! "Dating Terrors" is the third one, and I gotta give him credit to going through with these online dates — that drive from Montana to Seattle has got to be a pain. ”During the required two hours of your date, no one ran screaming into the night. All deaths happened after the required time . . .” Now if that doesn’t get you to wondering . . . Then, oh yeah, then Asil uses the word “woke”. Hmmm. Briggs is brilliant, as ever, at her storytelling. We get Asil’s background, a sense of his power (and craziness) with a quick look in at the Emerald City Pack, Ruby’s issues, and the purpose behind “Dating Terrors”. Terrors that are on both sides, lol, as we discover through third person dual protagonist point-of-view. I do have to agree with Ruby. This is a nasty trick to play on Asil. That assessment Asil makes of Ruby and her group of weak misfits was cute and very protective. As for Asil’s enjoyment of the setting, well, I enjoyed it too. Lol, Ruby does get a sense of how old Asil is when he waxes on about the initial appearance of the corset and court fashions in the Renaissance. It’s a definite turning point for Asil and his wolf, and I’m looking forward to his next short story. I suspect those [email protected] are curious too, lol. Characters Ruby Kowalczyk — with her price beyond — is a half-fae bookstore clerk on the run from her captor. Ghost hunting is her hobby. Asil the Moor, a.k.a. Asil Moreno, is a crazy werewolf who keeps hoping the Marrok will kill him before his wolf lets loose. Sarai is the mate Asil lost to murder so long ago ( Cry Wolf , 2). Ruby’s fellow ghost hunters include the very pregnant Miranda, a white witch married to Alan. Terry is the grumpy old guy and a white witch; Becky never gets ruffled; Max has some lesser fae blood; Peg is the shy computer geek and a white witch; and, Dusty is her twin brother, a ghost. Tom Franklin is the second to Angus Hopper, the Alpha of the Emerald City Pack in Seattle. Alan Choo is one of Angus’ submissives. Ivory Jim “Smith” had been some sort of goblin, wendigo-ish. Evan Mercanter Benson had built a beautiful, artful Victorian mansion. The Cover and Title It’s a colorful cover in muted oranges and blues with a kick of deep yellow. The background is a’slant in the front of an orange wall, its shadowed blue side, and the pale blue of a night sky with a full moon in the upper right corner. It’s an anthology with many fae characters as we can tell from the female and male characters dressed in black with their dark hair, wings, and swords. They appear to be standing on a stage with an audience below, reaching for them. At the very top is an info blurb in yellow with the author/editors’ names below in white above their heads. Starting at about their knees is the title with a black badge bordered in white with yet another info blurb inside it in yellow and white. At the bottom is yet another info blurb in yellow and white with a partial list of the participating authors. And more. The title is accurate, for this is of Heroic Hearts with everyday heroes. ...more |
Notes are private!
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| 1101118644
| 9781101118641
| B002IPZC26
| 4.23
| 12,569
| 2002
| Oct 07, 2003
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it was amazing
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First in the Exile Duology subseries within the Valdemar fantasy universe (and taking place in 1355 AF) revolving around Alberich, a captain in the Ka
First in the Exile Duology subseries within the Valdemar fantasy universe (and taking place in 1355 AF) revolving around Alberich, a captain in the Karsite army. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website. My Take "That was the way of things, in the armies of Karse. You rose by watching your back, and (if the occasion arose) sticking careful knives into the backs of your less-cautious fellow . . ."Poor Alberich. His whole life he's been told how demon-ridden Valdemar is, and yet his predicament is mostly the fault of his own people. He's caught between a rock and a hard place, well, to be honest, so are Kantor and Talamir. The first for their condemnation and the second for riding roughshod over Alberich's choices. Exile's Honor is primarily a tug of war between Alberich's loyalty to his homeland versus its corruption. He must determine if Valdemar is speaking the truth, about so many, many things. It's a hard case, as Alberich's whole life has been the condemnation of those Demon-Riders and their Hellhorses. Alberich has revelation after revelation, not least of which is his realizing that even honor needs a solid base on which to stand. Ooh, I do like that solution Kantor comes up with to keep Alberich's honor and yet help Valdemar. A very clever idea. Lackey uses third person global subjective point-of-view primarily from the perspective of Alberich with some few perspectives provided by others such as Selenay, Talamir, and Dethor. Still the great majority of what we learn is through Alberich. There's also the prejudice Alberich as a Karsite faces in Valdemar with a variety of people stepping in to help. The audacious Selenay has some interesting suggestions, lol. Father Henrick and Gerichen take the more humane approach to the concept of "witch-powers". Thank god. As for the Heralds' thoughts on settling Alberich in, they're not caught up in red tape! They're quite realistic and intent on reassuring Alberich that his choices will not be taken from him. Again. More Valdemaran practicality shows in those long internships where a particular Herald-trainee's circumstances require something different from the usual. More practicality was explained when Selenay spoke of the fountains and statues that have additional requirements. It's all hypocrisy in Karse. If a child is found with useful powers, he's yanked into the Temple for training; if the child has no useful powers or is too old, he's put in the Fire to be Cleansed. It's a horrid country, and at the end, Karse is hoist by its own petard, lol. I'm rather confused about Alberich thinking his father was mad and others saying it might have been a conspiracy amongst his wife's people and yet Lackey states that Alberich's mother is a tavern wench and Alberich is a bastard. More confusion arises with that back history of Jasker having a family. Outside of Valdemar?? I thought Companions were only born in Valdemar? I love Lackey's description of Alberich's physicality as a warrior. It adds such a gleeful tone for those older trainees Dethor is concerned about, who are about to get their comeuppance with this weaponsmaster-trainee! Fun, fun, fun! The true issue between Valdemar and Karse is freedom to choose with a busy set of stories within the story that will keep you turning those pages. That will set your heart afire, your lips to laughing, and your eyes to weeping. Be sure to have a box of tissues for the end, although your heart will sing with the children rescued and Alberich's realization that friends can become family. The Story Loyal to Karse, Alberich must still hide his gifts until caught out by a Voice. Thanks to Silver, Alberich survives only to waken in Haven. In enemy hands. Hands that need a good spy to insert into Karse. If only Alberich's honor would allow him to go, unless . . . Unless a MindHealer can get into someone's head . . . There is so much that Alberich can do, and he does love a good fight. The Characters Captain Alberich, a bastard son of a tavern wench, was chosen by a Voice at age 13. A dangerous choice for Alberich has a witch-power. "Aarak Benshane" is one of Alberich's many alter egos. "Silver", a.k.a. Kantor, is a stallion gifted to Alberich by the Voice of Vkandis Sunlord as replacement for Alberich's faithful old Smoke. Captain Anberg is the man Alberich replaces. Leftenants Herdahl and Klaus hate Alberich (for being promoted ahead of them). Karse is . . . . . . the enemy of Valdemar with Ortrech as king. Karsites worship Vkandis Sunlord with the Son of the Sun the leader of their religion. The Sunpriests are their priests with the Voices the highest ranking and usually possessing mage-gifts. Other religious levels include Red Robes, Archpriests, and Hierophants. Karsite priests refer to the Valdemaran Heralds as Demon-Riders. Berthold had been the Weaponsmaster to the youngest boys. Aksel Tarselein had been one of Berthold's students and is now the Weaponsmaster to the Sunsguard Cadets. Alberich's mentor in childhood, Father Kentroch, is a teacher and protector. Valdemar Sendar is the king (he is slaughtered at the end in battle); Lorenil is Sendar's Companion. Selenay is his daughter and heir with a touch of empathy with Caryo as her Companion. Crance is Selenay's secretary. Haven is the capital. The Home Farms supply the Collegium while the Royal Farm supplies the Palace. The Guard is Valdemar's own standing army of full-time soldiers. The Heralds are . . . . . . the ultimate law enforcement in Valdemar. They are Chosen by a Companion, a supernatural gift of a white horse-like being with a conscience, in a life-long bond and communicate telepathically. The King’s Own is the king’s confidante and sounding board. Rolan is a new Grove-Born Companion (he'll replace Taver with Talamir). King's Own Herald Talamir and his Companion, Taver, Herald Aren, and the Lord Marshal's Herald Joyeaus were Alberich's rescuers. Selenay's Six will include Heralds Karen and Ylsa; City Guards Locasti Perken, Berda Lunge, and Haydee Dellas; and, Palace Guardswoman Lotte. The King's Guard will include Healer Crathach has a MindHealing gift and is good with knives, Talamir, and Jadus. Herald Laika disguised herself as a washerwoman to spy in Karse. Herald Kulen. Dethor is the Weaponsmaster for the Collegium; before he was Chosen, he'd spied for the Lord Marshal. Pashen is his Companion. Bard-turned-Herald Jadus, a deadly swordsman, is chosen to introduce Alberich around. Herald Elcarth is quite sharp and standing in for the Dean of the Collegium; he teaches history. Kimel, the head of His Majesty's Guard, wants a challenging opponent. Jasker is a hate-filled Companion who led others. Volunteers include Orven, a herdsman; a tinker; Herald Laika disguised as a washerwoman; and, the young Herald Wethes. Herald Mirilin has sessions in the Court of Justice. Estan is her Companion. Bard Lellian is in charge of the funeral procession. Tammas and Jahan (their Companions are Trevor and Mik) are Herald-trainees who think they're all that. Theela is a girl Herald-trainee. The middle-aged Trainee Myste, a former sedentary law clerk, is hopeless at weaponry but does know when someone is telling the truth. Aleirian is her Companion. Students are distinguished by the color of their uniforms: regular students are in pale blue, Bardic-trainees wear brick, and Healer-trainees are in pale green. Lieutenant Chorran, Koan, and Nort Halfden are with the Valdemaran army on the border. Ashkevron Manor has sent what fighting horses they can (The Last Herald mage subseries). Father Henrick and his assistant, Acolyte "Geri" Gerichen, serve the Sunlord in Haven, calling their building the Temple of the Lord of Light. Patriarch Pellion d'Genrayes will represent all the religions of Haven. Lord Wordercan wants to put in a tannery. The Blue Boar is a tavern. The Companion's Bell is a tavern where Heralds tend to hang out (it's also where Alberich can change into one of his personas). Lord Realard was delivered back to his father. Lord Gartheser is on the Council and quite nasty about Alberich. Lord Orthallen, an old playfellow of Sendar's, is part of Gartheser's group and has an eye to the main chance. Lord Tholinar and Lady Donrevy also have Council seats. Tedrel mercenaries are . . . . . . a people who lost their war and went into exile. They're not part of any Guild and are unreliable and cruel. Kantis is the young boy who takes charge of the children. The King of Rethwellan is rumored to have a connection with the Shin'a'in. Menmellith had once been part of Karse, long, long, long ago. Baron Valdemar had founded the country. Elspeth the Peace-maker ruled in the past and had a very good notion about statues being practical, lol. The Holderkin are a group, primarily located along the Valdemaran border, with singular beliefs who take care to protect themselves with fortresses and supplies. Herald Pol had been Lavan Firestorm's mentor ( Brightly Burning ) while Theran had been king. The Cover and Title The cover is a contrast with the cheery soft yellow textured wall of the first vertical two-thirds on the left with a heater shield in a striated gradation of orange and brown with a dark brown border with the all-white Kantor rearing up through the shield "window". The author's name in burgundy is above the shield. The title, in black, is below the shield. Below that, in dark brown, is the overall series information. The right third of the cover is an interior shot of a stone wall with a Sunlord stained glass window and the dark-haired Alberich standing in front of it, wearing a short-sleeved gray tunic with a black vest and holding a sword in his right hand. A rack of swords is in front of him. The title is what Alberich holds most dear, his Exile's Honor. ...more |
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| 0756412196
| 9780756412197
| B091GC85KJ
| 3.98
| 1,293
| Jan 11, 2022
| Jan 11, 2022
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liked it
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Seventeenth in the Elemental Masters historical fantasy series set in an alternate history and revolving around the sharpshootin' Annie Oakley on tour
Seventeenth in the Elemental Masters historical fantasy series set in an alternate history and revolving around the sharpshootin' Annie Oakley on tour in Germany My Take I think Lackey cranked this out without paying much attention . . . She is using a third person global subjective point-of-view which allows a number of perspectives from various characters. Naturally, Annie's is the prime perspective. This story reminded me very much of From a High Tower , 11, and I have to wonder why Lackey never referenced Giselle, considering how much Annie and Giselle had in common with the two Wild West shows — in Germany, no less. Then there are the German audience expectations Lackey had laid out in From a High Tower. Why wouldn't Frida have told Buffalo Bill, Annie, and Frank? I gave The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley a 3 mostly because there wasn't any real conflict in this. Oh, sure there were minor battles as Annie and Frank helped in a few hunts, but it was primarily a story of Annie and Frank learning how to use their magic. It didn't help that I kept expecting to read of Giselle. I am confused about the 14,000 people that can be seated. I'm thinking it must be the number of people the show can accommodate . . . or it's the number of people in the show, which would be a ridiculous number. Except it's in context with the cost to move the show. And then there's Lackey mentioning that "all eight thousand seats were sold out for both shows", so, wow. Fourteen thousand people! The "Wolf" couple are so nasty, and stupid. What would it harm them to treat Annie well and pull them into their trap? They're the cause of Annie's internal issues about her childhood encounters. That whine over, it is a fun story with all of Lackey's skill in showing the comforts and chills of the show wintering over in Strasburg and other cities. I did have to laugh at Annie's "description" of how much the English like their cold, lol. Annie also makes a point about how wrong people are in thinking the poor are poor because they are lazy. There's an interesting story on how a cowboy like Jack came to Germany. It also underscores how supportive the good guys are of each other. Annie also learns the benefits of allowing a maid to help her and why masters and magicians prefer a happy household of family AND staff. A practical consideration from ALL angles. Most of the "conflicts" are about the learning process, what being a master or magician entails in responsibilities which makes Annie consider whether it's worth it It's fun to read of all the behind-the-scenes work that goes on as well as their efficiency in packing up and traveling and the marketing tricks. That efficiency allows Lackey to bring in some politicking about the kaiser with his spies. As I said, it's a fun read, and you might want to keep a pot of coffee nearby . . . The Story Desperate to survive, Annie's mother needs her to earn money for the family, despite Annie hunting for all their meat. Her travails, and practice, lead to her starring in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. It's a fortuitous run when Annie and Frank encounter Frida, an Air Master, who has been tracking the couple for her own purpose, and Annie discovers that she and her husband, Frank, are not simply master marksman, but also Masters of rare ability. As they travel and perform, Annie must use her newfound knowledge and rare skill to combat creatures of the night scattered across the countryside, who threaten both the performers and the locals. The Characters Ten-year-old Phoebe "Annie" Moss, a.k.a. Annie Oakley, Annie Butler, "Little Sure Shot" who was adopted by Sitting Bull, was bonded out to a couple in order to earn money for her family. Brownie is Annie's horse in the show. Baby Hulda is Annie's little sister, who is now a talented seamstress, and John is their jealous brother. Their father had died; their mother is a Quaker. Frank Butler is Annie's husband. Frank is also a representative for the Union Metallic Cartridge Company, the Remington Arms Company, and endorses others along with Annie. George, a poodle, had been part of Frank's original act. The Wild West Show of . . . . . . Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Cody is touring Germany. Charlie is Buffalo Bill's parade horse. The Rough Riders of the World is a new act consisting of Frida, a top shootist for the Brotherhood (and an Air Master), and Cap'n "Jack" Jackson Cate, an American genuine cowboy who is a top roper and trick shootist as well as Frida's assistant (Fire). They also do a German horse act (Hoch Schule), that sounds amazing with ten-year-old Lippizans: Maestoso Eidelweisse, a.k.a. Dell, and Pluto Astarte, a.k.a. Arte. Johnny "The Cowboy Kid" Baker is a crack shot and trick rider. Jule Keen is the girl Johnny's been courting; her father is the show treasurer and paymaster. The cowboys include Fred Gibbs. Tony Esquival is a good singer. Black Elk is one of the Indians. Frank Richmond is the show's announcer. Ricardo, one of the vaqueros, and Esmeralda Sanchez, who helps with costumes, have a small child and Frida and Jake loan them their vardo for the winter. Animals include Jerry the Moose. Lillian "Princess Wenona" Smith had been a jealous sharpshooter. Strasburg Graf Theodor von Hirschberg, a Water Master, is the Lodge Leader and Grand Hunt Master. Sofi is his wife with no magic but who comes from a family that produces some. Wolfgang, Ludwig, and Anneliese (Earth) are Theodor and Sofi's children. Frau Schnee is Sofi's powerful mother, a Spirit Master. Matilde is one of the graf's servants. Karl Mittelsman, a tavernkeeper, is the city host for the Strasburg Hunting Lodge, a magician, not a master. Gaspard is in the china trade. Thor Anzig is a professor of English and American Literature at the university. Pierre Lyon will teach Frank about his magic. Lydia Martin, Cecilia Lavin, and Frau Schnee have a naughty story about their past. Antwerp Mathijs De Witt is good at summoning Greater Elementals. The Bruderschaft von Jaegermeistern, a.k.a., the Brotherhood of the Foresters . . . . . . are the arcane guardians, huntsmen who protect the populace from evil ( Blood Red , 10). Hunt Masters lead the hunt for monsters. England Lord Whitlesford recognized her aura of power. Lord Kelson provides aid to Frida. She-Wolf and He-Wolf, a.k.a. Ernst, are the couple who "hired" Annie through the Darke County Infirmary, the county poorhouse in Mr and Mrs Edington's charge. Sarah and Meg had been fellow "inmates". This "Wolf" couple are a lazy and brutal pair you'll never want to meet. The Shaws had been neighbors of the Mosses. Oakley is the man who helped Annie escape. Redhorse was a member of the initial show Jake was with. Frida's parents are a gamekeeper and a craftswoman who specializes in embroidery and laces. King Ludwig had been the ruler of Bavaria until forced from his throne. Kaiser Wilhelm and Chancellor Bismarck are a wicked, greedy pair. Sylphs are the smallest and most helpful of the Air Elementals. The Greater Elementals are nearly gods in power and include dragons. Nehallenia is a Great Water Power. Telwaz is a Greater Elemental who renders justice. More elementals include pixies, Winds, zephyrs, Storms, and Tempests. A Krampus is an Earth Elemental and punishes wicked children. Ernst Kauflber had definitely been an attractor. A nachtkrapp is a Raven-creature that preys on children. A buschgrossmutter and a hexe are more rubbish. The Cover and Title The cover is dark with its black-on-gray background of monsters. Off-center is a rectangular insert framed in black and cream with a golden sky and the front of a black locomotive emerging through the frame, steam wreathing the bottom with a be-hatted Annie, her long brown hair flowing down her back, a rifle propped over her shoulder, and wearing a belted "buckskin" dress. At the top is the author's name in white. To the left of the insert is the series info in white. The title begins to the left of the insert and continues below it in a gradated white to yellow. The title is more a metaphor for what Annie discovers about herself and The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley. ...more |
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| 1101153474
| 9781101153475
| B002WPFHAE
| 4.07
| 11,195
| Apr 01, 1998
| Apr 01, 1998
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it was amazing
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Technically the third installment in the Vows & Honor fantasy series for Young Adults (and a subseries of Lackey's Valdemar universe) that is actually
Technically the third installment in the Vows & Honor fantasy series for Young Adults (and a subseries of Lackey's Valdemar universe) that is actually an omnibus of ten assorted short stories and one novella revolving around Tarma and Kethry and spanning when Tarma first became Sword-Sworn to after the two are settled at the Keep. I'm really annoyed that Lackey pushes Oathblood as the third in the Vows & Honor series, filled as it is with all sorts of stories that are mostly in between The Oathbound , 1, and Oathbreakers , 2. The Series "Sword-Sworn", 0.05 "The Talisman", (Takes place just after Kethry deals with her former spouse and finds Tarma and Kethry still riding Kessira and Rodi.) "Wings of Fire", #3.1 "Spring Plowing at Forst Reach", #3.2 "Oathblood", #3.3 The Stories A pair of freelance mercenaries, Tarma shena Tale'sedrin is a Shin'a'in swordswoman and Kethry, a.k.a. Greeneyes, is a White Winds sorceress soul-bonded to Need, an enchanted sword that can heal anything short of death and giving its wielder a master's ability to use it. Hellsbane and Ironheart are their Shin'a'in battlemares. "Sword-Sworn" It's a night of celebration for the Clan, and the night of ambush. A horror story that finds Tarma dedicating herself to the Sword of the Shin'a'in Goddess of the South Wind, a.k.a. the Warrior or the Star-Eyed, seeking vengeance. The tale of how Tarma and Kathry first met and why they become blood sisters. The Characters In the Clan of the Stooping Hawk / Deer's Son / the Hawk's Children?? of the Shin'a'in of the Dhorisha Plains, Dharin is Tarma's fiancé. Tarma is a beautiful singer. Kessira is her horse. Kefta, Tarma's brother-uncle, is a sword-dancer. Kethry is a sorceress bound to help women in need. Need is the sword. The Liha'irden is another Shin'a'in clan. One hundred and four years after a Shin'a'in Swordsworn died, he appears to train Tarma. The Moonpaths are a meditative trance. The House of Scarlet Joys is a brothel run by Madam Isa. "Turnabout" The merchant trains of the town are under constant attack by bandits, no matter what tricks the traders attempt. In desperate hope, they hire Tarma and Kethry. It's a fun story with some interesting challenges for the two. That Grumio is a truly practical man: "I do not instruct the weaver in her trade . . . nor do I dictate the setting of a horseshoe to a smith. There is no reason why I should presume to instruct you in your trade either." It's that ending that will have you ROFLYAO when Kethry does a turnabout on the bandit chief. I loved it! Only . . . it's not good to leave your enemies alive. The Characters Warrl is a wolf-like creature, a kyree from the Pelagir Hills, with a psychic bond to Tarma. Grumio is a merchant. Tedric is a guard using mind-magic. Bard Leslac wrote songs about Tarma and Kethry and always getting the facts wrong. "The Maning of a Legend" Oops, it's bad enough Tarma and Kethry stop in Viden, but a drunken Lord Gorley upends everything. It's an unexpected twist that will keep you undecided between laughter and amazement. The Characters Warrl is here. Viden is a town ruled by a petty despot, Kendrick, Lord Gorley. Lady Gorley is the true force. Rory Halfaxe is a loudmouth in Lyavor. "Keys" Need has pulled Kethry and Tarma to Felwether where its lady is about to hang. It's a locked-room mystery which Kethry and Warrl must solve while Tarma battles the town's challengers. The Characters Lady Myria is accused of murdering her husband, Lord Corbie of Felwether and sentenced to hang. Katran is Myria's companion. The seneschal is half-brother to Corbie. Warrl is here. "A Woman's Weapon" Tarma, Warrl, and Kethry are on their way to an interview with Idra of the Sunhawks. It's an environmental tale of how shortcuts can poison the earth. I do have one niggle about the speed at which Lenne is being got at and how much faster it was to reverse. Still a good tale. The Characters Warrl is present. Justin warned Kethry. Master Karden runs a new-style tannery that harms the earth. Captain Idra commands an elite troop of mercenaries, the Sunhawks. Old Man Murfee used to run the inn, but died two weeks ago. Master Lenne is with the Tanner's Guild. "The Talisman" On their way to the Dhorisha Plains, Tarma and Kethry encounter a lone village plagued by a bear. In Lackey's foreword, she notes complaints about magic getting Kethry and Tarma out of all their troubles, so she writes of different ways in which these two save the day. It's a sad tale of a woman caught up in her own anger and envy. The Characters Tarma is still riding Kessira; Kethry is riding Rodi, a mule. Potter is a tiny village with a public well, which produces exquisite pottery. Egon Potter is the Guildmaster. Mara Yveda is an old schoolmate of Kethry's. "A Tale of Heroes" It's Need pulling Kethry and Tarma off their planned track to a town plagued by a monster. And then another monster! We discover that Tarma adores children! We also discover it takes Tarma and Kethry forever to figure out what to do with Fallan! The Characters Landric is a Wheel-bound farmer who has traveled. He has five children. Lord Havirn has taken the "dragon solution". He has a spoiled daughter. Fallan is an unfortunate chambermaid. "Friendly Fire" After resupplying themselves, Tarma and Kethry find ill luck following them everywhere. It's strictly a fun and sad tale with everything going wrong that possibly could. The Characters Ikan and Justin are mercenary friends of Tarma and Kethry who work as guards. Kata'shin'a'in is a town where the caravan routes start. A sect of Lurchan makes cursed coins. Ponjee is a village. "Wings of Fire" An evil sorceress obsessed with power is torturing a Hawkbrother into helping her. It's a tale of good intentions and pride that lead to death. Poor Kethry has obviously gotten older as she's moaning about getting older. Poor baby. The Characters Kethry, who is now an Adept-class mage, and Jadrek ( Oathbreakers ) have children! Jedri, Lyan and Laryn are twins, and Jadrek. The Liha'irden Clan. The murdered man, a lad'ele'ruvon (knowleddge-seeker), is a shaman from For'a'hier (Firefalcon Clan). Stormwing k'Sheyna is a Hawkbrother who protects firebirds. The owl-eagle is his bond-bird. The sneering Keyjon stole all her magics. Gervase was a wizard-lizard who wrote of the mage wars. "Spring Plowing at Forst Reach" It's a tease Lord Kemoc lays on his bard, warning him of the excitement of spring plowing. It's a behavioral nightmare that culminates in Bard Lauren bringing Tarma, Warrl, and two former Sunhawks back to Ashkevron Manor to fix a centuries-old problem. Lackey makes an excellent point about family: "It is easy for parents to pull the strings that make one dance . . . After all they are the ones who tied those strings in place." This is such a funny story about horses and that ending sentence about peer pressure . . . oh, YES, lol. The Characters At Ashkevron Manor, Vanyel's home back in the day, Lord Kemoc is its master. And old friend of Kemoc's, Bard Lauren is trying to ease his pains. The Gray Stud was the foundation stallion for Ashkevron-bred warhorses. Supposedly a Shin'a'in warsteed ( Magic's Promise , 2), his temper and intelligence have bred true throughout the centuries. The Keep is the combined school established by Kethry (for mages) and Tarma (for warriors). Jadrie, a seven-year-old, is Kethry's eldest and old enough for a horse of her own. Unless she changes her mind, ,she'll be the first of the renewed Clan of Tale'sedrin. Jadrek is Kethry's husband. Kessira was Tarma's first horse. Jodi n'Aiker had been one of Tarma's scouts in the Sunhawks. Beaker Bowman, another former Sunhawk, is Jodi's partner and mate. Both are trained as Shin'a'in horsetalkers. Graceless and Hopeless are Jodi's and Beaker's trained mounts. Roald is king of Valdemar and Stefanson's friend. King Stefansen ( Oathbreakers ) rules Rethwellan. Stef was the brother of Captain Idra. Oathblood It's a tale of students whose parents are determined they'll learn to survive. This is the novella and another fun tale with Tarma and Kethry expounding on how they set up rules and how they teach their respective students. It includes short tales about the students as well as a quick back story on how the Shin'a'in split from their original group. Lackey also includes an interesting bit about revenge and justice, before segueing into a kidnapping. At the very end, there's a useful statement about parents underestimating the maturity of their children. The Characters Jadrie is twelve years old and the first born of Kethry and Jadrek and Tarma's student. Another child is Jadrek Minor who is one of Kethry's pupils. Jendar is their latest baby. Devid is the cook. Justin Twoblade and Ikan Dryvale had been mercenaries then guards and are friends with Kethry and Tarma as well as teachers at their school. Estrel is Justin's wife and they have a baby, Kethren. Larsh, Hesten, and Belton are more students. Father Mayhew. Tresti is a Healing Priestess. Ah'kela shena Liha'irden is a young shaman. Kira and Merili, students, are the twin daughters of Archduke Tilden, King Stefan's former Horsemaster ( Oathbreakers ). Their mother, Diona, is a former assassin with her own interesting training background. The duke and duchess have a total of six children who are all gifted. Arboli is their eldest daughter — thirteen — and quite the scholar. Prince Albayah is the eldest son of Queen Sursha of Jkatha. King Stefansen, Char's and Indra's brother, rules Rethwellan. Char had been king of Rethwellan. Triune Goddess Priests are annoyed because there is no longer a state religion in Rethwellan. The Cover and Title The cover is quite fanciful with its deep teal background and deep golden firebirds flying across it. In front of them are the blonde Kethry wearing a hood and chain across her forehead and a low-cut purple dress, and her right hand raised holding a smoking copper bowl. Below her, on the right, is Tarma with her long black hair under a purple banded-hood, her left arm bent at the elbow and holding a jagged dagger while her right arm is extended behind the wolf-like Warrl and holding an elaborate Need. All the text is in white. At the very top is an info blurb with the author's name immediately below it and the title immediately beneath that and above Kethry's head. The title is about the blood oath sworn between Tarma and Kethry, one of Oathblood, a tradition that continues. ...more |
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| 0756413257
| 9780756413255
| B07YJYDBRR
| 4.36
| 2,451
| Jun 09, 2020
| Jun 09, 2020
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it was amazing
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Third in the Family Spies fantasy series for Young Adult readers (and eighth in The Collegium Chronicles within the Valdemar universe in supposedly 86
Third in the Family Spies fantasy series for Young Adult readers (and eighth in The Collegium Chronicles within the Valdemar universe in supposedly 864 AF) and revolving around Mags and his family. The focus is on Prince Kyril and his best friend Tory, Mags' son and on Sira, Bey's daughter. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website. My Take There's a bit of catching up with past stories in The Collegium Chronicles even as Lackey introduces us to Kyril and Tory. They're boys with imaginations. And an unexpected genetic inheritance in Kee's case! Lord knows how he'll survive going back to Valdemar! The boys also have a revelation as to why the Herald-Mages died out. Tory, well, he has his own sad revelation. There's a bit of back, back-history in this about that war with the great Wizard, Urtho, and what happened to the people who became the Sleepgivers. It seems that Beshat has ideas to clean up the Sleepgivers. I sure hope we get more stories about them. I certainly do like the Sleepgiver economy and their stance on slavery. A bit more back history is on those Talismans, providing proof that power can corrupt anyone. The Sleepgivers also serve as a vehicle for Lackey's message on recycling and simplicity of living. "Waste nothing, and do nothing wastefully." It's also creates an interesting use of magic. Harvest Fair provides insight into how Mags trains his children in spycraft. That Sira is amazing. I loved reading about her imprisonment — I know, how does one love that? — but she's so clever and resourceful. She certainly gives those priests of Vkandis grief, lol. Then there are her interactions with the afrinn! Oh man, have they got a story to tell! Especially about those older Talismans. I'd love those language talismans! Wear 'em long enough and you absorb the language. In Tory and Kee's case, five of 'em!! LOL, the afrinn call the Karsites god-botherers. Oh, then there's that mansion of a barn. Wow. I'm gonna say that Lackey is using third person quadruple protagonist point-of-view from the perspectives of Tory, Kee, Sari, and Ahkhan. A good message to take from Spy, Spy Again is that one can be friends and allies with any living being. It's exciting, entertaining, and filled with action — tracking, meeting other cultures, imprisonment, escape . . . and more escape with a quirky romance — with some fascinating characters. The Story Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily's son Tory "share" Gifts, which become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey calling in the debt Mags owes him. Bey's eldest daughter has been kidnapped, and he's desperate to find Sira before it's too late. The Characters Valdemar is . . . . . .a nation ruled by a Herald monarch, equality of men and women, trustworthy Mind-Magic Heralds, and full of air spirits who scare off magic users. Herald Mikel is the man who meets Tory, Kee, and company. Fourteen year old Tory, with a Gift of Farseer, and thirteen year old Prince Kyril, a.k.a. Kee, with a minor Empathy Gift, are best friends. Neither has been Chosen, but when working together, they have a unique Gift, a Farseeing that allows them to look in on any family member. Tariday and Elissa are Companions who have not Chosen, and they will bear Tory and Kee to the border of Valdemar. The horses Ahkhan provides them are Aly and Vesa. Herald Amily is Tory's mother and the King's Own; Rolan is her Companion. Herald Mags is his father with Dallen as his Companion ( Foundation , 1; Intrigues , 2; Changes , 3; Redoubt , 4; and, Bastion , 5). Pawn shop owner, Willie the Weasel, is Mags' persona in Haven. (Mags' grandfather had been the previous Banner of the People — and a real jerk.) Tory's siblings include Abi, a Master Artificer ( Eye Spy , 2); Perry, and he has a kyree, Larral ( The Hills Have Spies , 1 (6)); and, Niko. Kee is one of six royal siblings. The oldest is Crown Prince Trey who is married; Niko is on a mission to Duke Farleigh; Herald-Princess Kat is the king's problem solver; and, Rafi and Sofia are Kee's younger siblings. Rutolf is the owner and proprietor of a furs stall at the Harvest Fair. Bourde the Goldsmith acts as a bank for successful mercenaries. The Sleepgivers are . . . . . . a nation of assassins located in mountains in Ruvan. Siratai "Sira" is the daughter of Beshat, the leader of their nation. She is also half-Mage. Aku is her horse, like and unlike the Shin'a'in horses. Beshat, the Banner of the People, is also Mags' cousin ( Bastion , 5); Anhita is their mother. Sira's siblings include Hakal, the Healer; Jeshan, who specializes in poisons and antidotes; Nalad is in training; Rayakh trains tracking and attack dogs; Teychik is the Heir to the Banner and skilled at sniping from cover; and, Ahkhan who loves Natya, his horse. Lalanash is in training. Servants include Lharosh and Seteen who share household duties and Nilda is the cook. The Sleepgivers wear Talismans which hold the memories of prior assassins. Although there had been two other types of Talismans in the past. Lammergeyers, scavenger birds, are the emblem of the people. One of them, Windhover, is the special pet of the family. The afrinns (I think of them as genies) seem to be elementals of air, fire, water, and earth. Borkase, a.k.a. the Stone Man, an earth afrinn is very dangerous. Eakkashet is a fire afrinn who is quite chatty. Atheser and Vela are water ifrinns and mates. Halina and Merirat are air ifrinns. Lyasho. All of 'em come with some fascinating abilities. Hakshen Tiron is leading a merchant caravan into Karse. Ismal is his son. The guards include Kerk, Birk, and the enthusiastic Derdan who wants to open a wine shop when he retires. The Southern and Northern Mage Schools of Amber Moon are . . . . . . one of the many schools that teach magic with each having its own philosophy on the use of magic. Amber Moon has a mutually beneficial treaty with the Sleepgivers. Bertolome is the Chief Mage of the Northern School, which is just over the border from Valdemar; the Southern School is in Rethwellan. May outfits travelers at Southern. The Karsites are . . . . . . a strict theocracy, which worships Vkandis Sunlord. They're so incredibly evil! High Priests Durchloss, Entschmitt, and Guerether are expecting a shipment. Remp had been a spoiled merchant boy with no honor ( Eye Spy , 2). The Cover and Title The cover is in the desert with a blue sky with a white Companion superimposed on it. To the upper left is a red-brown overhanging cliff with Tory and Kee standing guard amongst rocks and overlooking two men in the distance. At the very top is the author's name in gold with black shadowing. Just under the cliff to the left of the boy who's standing and wearing a lilac head scarf and navy jerkin and carrying a cudgel is the basic series info in black. The title is white and is below the second boy, wearing a blue striped jerkin and golden shirt, holding a knife in his right hand. Below the title is the more detailed series info in gold. I'm not sure about the title. It could be referencing Mags' spying days and indicating that Tory and Kee are carrying on, to Spy, Spy Again. ...more |
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Oct 03, 2021
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Dec 11, 2021
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ebook
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| 0756417376
| 9780756417376
| B09GVZTGXV
| 4.32
| 3,198
| Dec 13, 2022
| Dec 13, 2022
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it was amazing
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Second in the Founding of Valdemar fantasy subseries for Young Adult readers revolving around the beginning of the country. It’s but a part of Lackey’
Second in the Founding of Valdemar fantasy subseries for Young Adult readers revolving around the beginning of the country. It’s but a part of Lackey’s overall Valdemar universe. The focus is on the caravan’s journey through a strange land. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website. My Take It’s a Plan that went back several generations, which doesn’t say much for the government’s awareness of the damage they were doing. I love that the Dolls were self-aware enough to help Kordas back in Beyond , 1. Their “becoming” is even more encouraging and goes toward enhancing Kordas’ character as a compassionate man. It was fascinating to read of how the Dolls are made, their abilities, and their self-awareness. It does explain the vrondi that appear much later in the series. Kordas’ concern about immediate needs rather than palliative aid for the mentally ill reminds me of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover, particularly as the characters assess their immediate needs in Darkover Landfall . Then again, Kordas does prove he’s a politician with some of his actions and talk. Yes, we learn this through Lackey’s use of third person global subjective point-of-view. Kordas’ perspective is the primary POV, but there are other characters whose thoughts, feelings, and actions we experience through their perspectives. For the first time in their lives, Kordas and Isla can openly claim their children, whom they had been passing off as Hakkon’s bastards. Another freedom in their escape from the Empire is what the mages reveal to Kordas. There’s such a beautiful sharing and exchange of aid and information. Including that nicely done info dump related by the Tayledras about their past. This includes a summary of the Mage Wars, and we learn of the creation of Lake Evendim. I love the Tayledras emphasis on education and the importance of general knowledge! ”A monarch’s sweetest crop is the quality of his people.”There are character arcs everywhere, from Kordas to Delia who questions her inhibitions, her Gift, and her insecurities; I had to laugh. It’s true that we think adventure is a wonder, when it’s actually “cold, mud, or bugs. Usually all three.” It’s definitely an adventure with traps, encounters with angry villagers, internal strifes, striving through unfamiliar, uncivilized lands, unnatural creatures, unexpected reveals of manipulation, Then again, the aid the Valdemarans get from Pebble only goes to show why befriending different beings is beneficial, lol. Lackey’s depiction of Pebble’s reactions was a crack-up. Okay, so I’m laughing a lot. Into the West is such a blend of drama, action, tension, inner examination, and fun as it reveals the creation of the Valdemar I love through its characters and their responses to both trouble and those unexpected encounters.. It’s so amazing to see the beginnings of how Valdemar will evolve, and I could wish our own system paid such attention to our own societies. Staying mindful of what’s going badly and then taking care of them. That action reinforcing talk is truth. Presenting the “very best, significant, and understandable examples”, which, I guess, means eliminating most of the news media which promotes its own preferences rather than true truth. Now isn’t that a scary thought, that one has to define “truth”. Despite the weird words, Into the West is an easy and exciting read. I think I need to re-read it. The baron’s mission statement is one we should all take to heart: “There is no one, true way.” The Story Although many had turned back, Kordas still leads some 15,000 people onward into the unknown West as they float down the Ter’i’le’e. The Characters Duke, I mean, Baron Valdemar, Kordas, is not a soft man, but he is a compassionate one. Isla is his supportive wife. Their “nephews” include Little Jon, Restil, and Hakkon. Delia is Isla’s sister with a Fetching Gift and in love with Kordas. Arial is a Valdemaran Gold who has given birth. Delia rides a False Gold. Hakkon, Kordas’ gay cousin and seneschal, has Skydancer, a Valdemar Gold. Herald Beltran is good with a knife. Ivar and Alberdina Endicrag — she's a healer with knowledge of herbs and more. Bay is Ivar’s black mastiff. Manta is Ivar’s horse, a Charger out of the Grimjack line of Valdemaran horses. Alberdina rides Dandylion, a False Gold. The Page Army is created to give the young ones purpose and is organized by Sol Adrescu, a retired Imperial Army lieutenant. Others in the convoy include Pig, a truffle pig that belongs to Cass Pommery from Coldspring; I think Howler is a herding dog; Hale Lorant is a mayor; Wymat Rai is on the Council; Lord Ashbern; Mrs Gully; Goosecatcher Phobro; Hoggee Ferbrow; and, Grim, who is the horsemaster. The middle-aged Lord Portrain thinks he should have more than those peasants. Lord Hayworth is considering his options. The Tow-Beasts have all been trained in harness to pull their barges and include Tight Squeeze; Dasha, a False Gold; Sunshine; and, Buttercup. Hoggees are human barge-towing specialists. Valdemar’s Guard . . . . . . arose from the caravan’s need for a policing group. Petrof is the oldest Guard. Belkenny is a town in the Duchy of Penrake where former Imperial Master Sergeant Briada Fairweather had been in the Penrake Guard and has two idiot cousins, Bret and Bart, who want to be part of the baron’s scouting party. Rose is a Doll, named Truthseekers by the Tayledras. Dolls are constructs, intelligent, aware with all knowing what one knows, and enslaved to serve as the backbone of the Imperial Palace’s servant-structure. Part of their construction includes vrondi , Air-spirits. More of the Dolls are naming themselves and include Trout, Cobweb, Ivy, Dern, Amethyst (she’d been a gift to Lady Meriposa from the Emperor), Pansy, Dagger, Panacea, and Peridot. The Six Old Men are . . . . . . the primary mages and include the cheerful Dole, Ponu, Wis, Koto, and the twins Ceri and Sai. Jonaton is a very powerful mage, and Sydney is his enormous black cat. Carrot is the mule he rides. The Mender is a young protege of Sai’s who is good with Doll repair; Venidel is Sai’s new apprentice. Endas has trained in things useful for a scout. Pelias is Timon's apprentice. Angia is said to have a knack with plant magic. The mages have all chosen to stay with Kordas and the unknown future — they know how the Empire treats magicians. Pebble is the baby Earth Elemental the Emperor had imprisoned in Beyond . Those who left the caravan, for whatever reason include . . . . . . The Squire with his prize sow, the Empress, has settled in a new village. Donat Benin is the criminal who is exiled. Siman is a mage who will stay with the new village at Crescent Lake. The Tayledras are . . . . . . also known as the Hawk brothers who bond with birds. Silvermoon k’Vesla is the leader of his clan. With him are Leafdance; Steelstrike; Cloudcaller, who is one of their mages; Steelrain; Calmwaters, who is a healer; and, Wildwolf, who had been known as Moonmoon. Jelavan, a hertasi, will help guide the Valdemarans. The Star-Eyed is their goddess. A vale is their protected home-place powered by a Heartstone. The tervardi are humanoid birds while the dyheli are a larger version of goats; Akayla is their King Stag. These dyheli are pretty clever at herd management. Ekeles are Tayledras dwellings. Back in the Empire Duke Merrin, formerly Lord Merrin, has taken over Kordas’ former home and estate. Another “conspirator” had been the Earth Elemental seeking vengeance against the Emperor ( Beyond ). Poomers and Spitters are weapons. Change-circles are a trap for living beings, a result of the Mage Wars. The wyrsa are a nasty sort of beast while the maka’ar are flying horrors. The Red Forest, a.k.a. Blood Forest, is almost worse. The Pelagirs is a system of evolving entities that could take over the world. A telcaster is a device that can ensure everyone gets a good view; an illusionarium is a bigger, fancier version. The Ter’i’le’e is the river on which their caravan floats. Magic Storms marked the end of the Great War five hundred years ago. Ma’ar’s evolution as an evil mage is recounted. How he singled out small portions of a population and villainized them, made these people sound as if they were “out to get” the majority population. A Hitler, a Putin of their times. Urtho was an Archmage who simply wanted to create wonderful things. The co-existence of Ma’ar and Urtho that led to the Valdemar: Mage Wars. The Cover and Title The cover has a rugged prettiness with the baron riding into the wind, his black hair flowing behind him. Dressed in a green embroidered vest and pants and a white shirt, he’s astride one of his Valdemar Golds, carrying a highly decorated crossbow in his gauntleted hands. The background is mostly grays of a dismal journey with orange dragonflies flitting about, a lazy river twining behind him. The author’s name is at the top in white while the title, also in white, is at the bottom. To the right of Kordas’ head is the series info in a deep orange. The title reflects the escape of the duke and his people, Into the West. ...more |
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Mar 03, 2023
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Nov 23, 2021
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| 1101127937
| 9781101127933
| B002J05GK8
| 3.95
| 12,431
| Apr 01, 1995
| Mar 02, 2004
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really liked it
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Second in the Mage Wars subseries and taking place in BF 990 (Before Founding) in the Valdemar universe, ten years after
The Black Gryphon
, Mage W
Second in the Mage Wars subseries and taking place in BF 990 (Before Founding) in the Valdemar universe, ten years after
The Black Gryphon
, Mage Wars 1. It revolves around Skandranon and Amberdrake as envoys to the Haighlei. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website. My Take I love that the magical creatures and people of White Gryphon planned their city against an unknown future. How very practical! I gotta wonder if the kestra'chern who went through the Gate in The Black Gryphon with human noncombatants OR if the other Kaled'a'in Clans who split off to different refuges became the Shin'a'in. It's certain, at least, that all those who fled the plain were scattered far and wide. Lackey does note that Kaled’a’in scouts use bondbirds who can Mindspeak with their human companions. So maybe they evolved into the Hawkbrothers? The k’Leshya Clan is happy that they might have found a market for their horses . . . so may be they became the Shin'a'in. I have got to know! Talk about confusing . . . Silver Veil tells Drake and Winterhart that the Haighlei abhor and adore change. Oy, how do you work with that? And everything about Skan and Drake is change. "Even murder has a certain protocol . . ."Change that would be anathema is social class. You will do what your parents do. You may not rise above it. Even a kestra'chern can't serve above or below an authorized rank. Even how much money you have is proscribed. Magic is scary and strictly controlled. That's gotta be sweet for Winterhart, being seen as a Power. It's only part of the king's interest. I do love Skan. He's realistic about what he's capable of. He gets the jokes about his vanity . . . and has his own too-funny responses to them. He's also compassionate and understanding as to why he needs to be the leader of the White Gryphons. "We . . . count what is in someone's heart far more important that what caste one is born into."Lackey uses third person global subjective point-of-view from the perspectives of so many characters, so we know how a number of individuals perceive, feel, think, and experience. There are so many conflicts in The Silver Gryphon: banishment, change, and this unexpected courtship. Wait'll you get to the murders! It's a clever bit of planning and twisting and betrayal that kept me reading all night. And that ending . . . oh yeah! The Story Magic cannot be relied upon any more, and the peoples of White Gryphon have managed to build their city in spite of that handicap. Proud of their achievements, they are stunned when the Haighlei demand they leave their territory. An embassy is hastily assembled to negotiate an alliance with the Haighlei, a people resistant to change with a hatred and fear of magic. There are many who oppose the idea of a treaty with such a strange culture of magical creatures. It's an opportunity for the king's enemies to manipulate a betrayal of these intruders with murders. The Characters Skandranon "Skan" Rashkae is now the White Gryphon, for he no longer has to hide behind the black dye as they are no longer at war. Zhaneel, a gryfalcon, is Skan's mate. Kechara is their daughter and considered a misborn like her mother, with a very long-range Mindspeaking ability. Tadrith and Keenath are their twin sons. Cafri, a hertasi, is Kechara's best friend, playmate, and caretaker. The hertasi, Jewel and Corvi, will join Skan and his family on their journey to Khimbata. Healer Tamsin and his lover/co-worker, Lady Cinnabar, Skan's assigned healers, are a lifebonded pair. "Hawkwind" will become Skan's bodyguard. White Gryphon is . . . . . . the city of light, carved as it is from the white cliffs above the Western Sea. General Judeth, a commander of the Fifth, one of Urtho's companies, and a stonemason's daughter, insisted on the city being built on terraces carved out of the cliff face. Aubri (a gryphon), Tylar (a human), Rethan, and Vetch are members of the Silvers, the city's policing organization, formed from the remnants of the fighters and soldiers. Snowstar, a Kaled'a'in mage who had been trusted by Urtho, is on the council. Chief Kestra'chern Amberdrake "Drake" is handling most of the common concerns for the city; he had been Skan's Trondi’irn and his best friend. Winterhart is his mate, and they have a two-year-old, Windsong. Gesten is Drake's snarky companion hertasi and the leader of all the hertasi. Lionwind is the leader of the k’Leshya Clan, a.k.a. the Spirit Clan, of the Kaled’a’in who adopted Amberdrake. They followed Drake and Skan in their escape in The Black Gryphon . Summerhawk is a Kaled'a'in Trondi'irn and a strong Mindspeaker. Jessamine is a a highly qualified kesta'chern. Handanelith is pretending to be a kestra'chern, yet he considers women tainted. His patients include Telica, Danielle, Suriya, Gaerazena, Bethtia, and Yonisse. The Haighlei Emperors are . . . . . . known as the Black Kings, of a land in the farthest south. Khimbata is the capital city. Shalaman is their king. The Silver Veil, a.k.a. Ke Arigat Osorna, is the king's Royal Companion . . . and Drake's former kestra'chern teacher. The king's other advisors include Truthsayer Leyuet and Speaker to the Gods Palisar. It is only during an Eclipse Ceremony that anything may change. Spears of the Law are a kind of Imperial Bodyguard, which appears to include two sons of King Sulemeth, the Emperor of Ghandai. Makke is an old, stooped human assigned to clean and do laundry for Skan and his family. Kanshin is a master thief, who had apprenticed with Jacony. Lakshe and Poldarn were other master thieves. Noyoki is a mage who works blood magic. Lady Fanshane is a vulture. Lady Sherisse had been driven mad. Lady Linnay is another victim. Gryphons, tervardi, hertasi , and kyree are the nonhumans. Kestra'chern are trained therapists of the body and the mind. Kaled'a'in Clan k'Leshya are the bulk of the humans. A Trondi’irn is a healer and trainer assigned to oversee gryphons. There is a Kmbata Empire. The Kaled’a’in were originally nomads from the land of Ka’venusho. Urtho and Kiam ir Ma'ar were the two warring wizards whose deaths created the Cataclysm, which destroyed their world as they knew it ( The Black Gryphon ). Perchi are prostitutes. The Haighlei Lion Lilies are a symbol of courtship. Loriganalea is considered a sacred bond, a marriage made by the gods. The Cover and Title The cover is orange and white. The orange of the sky gradating down to pink then purple as a backdrop of the fanciful city skyline of Khimbata with its multicolored turrets and towers. In the middle ground is Skandranon, the White Gryphon flying with Amberdrake, his long black hair flying in the wind, wearing a black and white tufted robe open over his muscled chest and lime green pants. At the top are the authors' names with the title taking up two lines below it. Both are in white. Underneath that is the series info in a deep purple. The title encompasses Skandranon and the newly built city of The White Gryphon. ...more |
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Nov 23, 2021
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| 0369706579
| 9780369706577
| B094R6QCYH
| 4.50
| 1,044
| Feb 22, 2022
| Feb 22, 2022
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really liked it
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Second in The Wolves of Elantra fantasy series, a prequel to The Chronicles of Elantra, revolving around Severn Handred. I would suggest reading The Ch Second in The Wolves of Elantra fantasy series, a prequel to The Chronicles of Elantra, revolving around Severn Handred. I would suggest reading The Chronicles of Elantra and then The Wolves of Elantra. My Take Sagara uses third person global subjective point-of-view from the perspective of a number of characters. Severn, the primary protagonist, is a complex character who definitely utilizes what he learned from his guardian. Loyal, always assessing in a practical sense and thinking for himself. We get a whole heckuva lot of back history on Severn, a man who follows his conscience with mindfulness, revealing all those mysteries of how he was born and who his guardian was in those first ten years of his life, why he's so comfortable in different levels of society, and where he got that chain he slings about. The Tha'alaan are an amazing people who, mostly, cannot keep secrets from each other, and I adore how they raise their children. They're so cared for and encouraged. The complete opposite are the Barrani who are just plain nasty, brutal! The individual considers only themself. Brothers and sisters are enemies, willing to stab each other in the back. That An'Avonelle is typical of her race, and she is something else and appears to directly channel her father's attitude toward the High Court. While there is action, it's mostly culture- and then character-driven in a pace that takes in all the plotting and history of the Barrani. It's easily confusing to comprehend because of this, but definitely fascinating. It's a complex world Sagara has created and not always easy to follow it does not help that there are events in Sword and Shadow that don't reflect what Sagara wrote in The Chronicles of Elantra. It's politics, power, and family, as it can be used. The Story The sometimes frivolous An'Tellarus plans a trip to the West March and insists on Elluvian and Severn Handred accompanying her. It'll take some bribery — a highly desired piece of information — to entice Severn to join her. It's a trip fraught with danger, for the Barrani acknowledge no one as being as important as themselves and no one more important than their own self. The Characters Growing up in the fief of Nightshade, Severn Handred is the newest member of the Wolves. The Barrani guardian he'd had for the first ten years of his life was known as Regellius. After he was abandoned, Severn found Tara and her daughter, Elianne. The Wolves are . . . . . . the third branch of law enforcement. Think of them as the black ops division. Their leader is Helmat Marlin, the Lord of Wolves. Elluvian, a.k.a. the Emperor's Dog or the Emperor's Wolf, a Barrani (and kin to An'Tellarus) has pledged to the Emperor. En. Other agents include the injured Rosen "Rosie", Jaren, and the suspicious Mellianne. Darrell had an inflated opinion of himself. Dariandaros, a dragon, is now the Emperor. Saidh Mankev is the head of the Imperial Security (IS) offices. Anderson is part of the IS. The Barrani are . . . . . . highly skilled and essentially immortal, i.e., they cannot die unless you kill them. They're not truly born until the High Lord's Consort gives them a name. Two hundred years ago, the Barrani enslaved humans. Leofswuld is a ritual when a new High Lord is chosen. The color of their eyes reflects their emotion with purple the shade of grief. The Three are Barrani-held swords meant for killing dragons. The West March is . . . . . . not part of the Emperor's territory but Barrani and ruled by Lirienne, the Lord of the West March. The land also includes the sentient green, which is overseen by the Warden, Lord Barian. Barian's mother, Lord Avonelle, is highly ambitious and has already lost a son to the Test of Name. Lord Tanniase is heir to the line Kosmarre and loyal to Avonelle. Cediela, An'Tellarus, a Barrani Lord of the High Court, is the lord of Tellarus, notorious and feared. Her hated yet admired, powerful older sister, Leveanne, disappeared into the green. Handred had been Leveanne's slave. Yvonne, forced into the Darrowelm clan, had been a friend of An'Sennarin, used as a hostage for his behavior. Lord Rowan had once been friends with Lord Leveanne. A friend of Yvonne, Ollarin of Sennarin, had shown aptitude for water. Verranian never wants to leave the green. Elluvian had been of what was once Danarre; he should have been An'Danarrre. Onuri will be their valued guide. Alsanis is the Hallione, a sentient inn, in the West March with roots in the green from whence the Dreams of Alsanis, spirit eagles, emerge. The Shards of Tyron have been lost in the green for centuries. The High Court is . . . . . . located in the capitol and the seat of Barrani power where the Test of Name is taken. It is led by the High Lord and His Consort, who does not care for An'Tellarus, although their daughter likes her. An'Sennarin, a.k.a. Ollarin, is at the heart of the High Court. Lord Corvallan and his wife, Cassandre, are members of the High Court and associated with the Mellarionne faction. The Tha'alaan are . . . . . . a race of mind readers feared by others. Their castelord, Ybelline Rabon'alani, is one of the Tha'alani, a subgroup within the Tha'alaan who work as interrogators for the Emperor and can stay sane and keep what they learn from the rest of their people. Draalzyn is one who works in the Halls of Law. Scoros had taught Ybelline. Adellos, the former castelord who had tried to murder Severn, is a close friend to An'Sennarin. The fiefs exist to prevent the shadows of Ravellon from leaving. No one is safe there. Water can be sentient. Shadow is a taint that manifests in beings, infects them. The Cover and Title It's a simple cover that conveys more than one expects with its soft blue-gray background with the gray silhouette of the hooded and cloaked Severn, on one knee and appearing to pray, as his cloak billows out behind him on the left. Severn's profile is a frame for the deep blue sky with its ground-hugging clouds and full moon of the West March and its skyline of buildings. Most of the text is in a deep maroon starting with the series info at the top with a double deeper blue horizontal rule below it. The title is mostly just below the rules and passing over the tip of Severn's hood. At his calf is a testimonial in a navy blue. Immediately beneath Severn is an info blurb followed by the author's name. The title is a metaphor for the weapon-wielding Barrani of Sword and Shadow for the questions that hover. ...more |
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Mar 15, 2022
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Sep 14, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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| 1101127309
| 9781101127308
| B002J05GLC
| 3.86
| 11,253
| 1996
| Mar 01, 1997
|
liked it
|
Third and last in the Mage Wars subseries, part of the Valdemar Universe (BF 975) and revolving around Tadrith (Skan's son) and Blade (Amberdrake's da
Third and last in the Mage Wars subseries, part of the Valdemar Universe (BF 975) and revolving around Tadrith (Skan's son) and Blade (Amberdrake's daughter) some 15 years after
The White Gryphon
, 2. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website. My Take It's a scary time for Skan and Drake: The kids are growing up. I can sure understand Skan and Drake commiserating with each other over their growing old. I can so relate, lol. Lackey uses third person global subjective point-of-view which means we gain the perspective of most any of the characters, reading of their emotions, experiences, and thoughts. Lackey does like to include environmental issues in her stories as well as that wonderfully warm sense of family and the good and bad of their interactions. I also like the peoples' pride in wanting to make things beautiful. It goes right along with Lackey's description of the city's growth and practicality. That trip Tad and Blade undertake is a great opportunity for Lackey to describe the land White Gryphon is responsible for as well as the importance they and the Haighlei place on the land. It's a trip that brings adventure, tension, drama, and what drives the primary characters. It's that excitement that keeps the pace moving along. Hmm, the Kaled'a'in think the mage storms affected not only their magic but the fact that they have more men than women, and that is not the only reason so many Haighlei women (and men) come to White Gryphon. Dang it, I do wish that Lackey hadn't ended the Mage Wars subseries. I want to know more about White Gryphon and its characters and descendants. The Story Magic is working reliably again, but no one wants to trust it when it comes to bigger spells. It's one reason why Tadrith and Blade are making the trek to Outpost Five through flight. A flight that ends in disaster. The Characters Tadrith "Tad" Skandrakae, a gryphon and minor mage in simple object-moving spells, is a twin with his brother, Keenath, a gyrfalcon like their mother, and they have their own aerie. Keenath is training to be a trondi'irn. Skandranon “Skan” and Zhaneel Rashkae are their parents. Kechara, the gyrfalcon daughter adopted by Skan and Zhaneel, had been one of Urtho's "mistakes", although she had had a long-reaching Mindvoice. Silverblade "Blade" is Tadrith's partner. (Her childhood name had been Windsong; she's Drake and Winterhart's daughter.) White Gryphon is . . . . . . the city of light, carved as it is from the white cliffs above the Western Sea. The Kaled'a'in of the Clan k'Leshya, the greater part of the city's population, are humans. The magical creatures include the gryphons, hertasi , tervardi , dyheli , and kyree . They have an alliance with the Haighlei in return for the king's grant of lands. Amberdrake is a kestra'chern mated to Winterhart, a trondi'irn. Chana, Gesten's hertasi daughter, is in charge of the platform that goes to the top of the cliff. (Gesten is Drake’s snarky companion hertasi and the leader of all the hertasi.) Aubri, a gryphon, lives with Commander Judeth and both are co-commanders of the Silver Gryphons, the policing force for the city. Snowstar is a Kaled’a’in mage who is on the council. Tamsin is a Healer. Tad's fellow Silvers include Dharra, who is a year older than Tadrith and a mage; Kyleen is a year younger and serving with the fleet; and Jerrinni is already working with a partner on unsupervised assignments. Redoak is a young Kaled'a'in and Gielle is a mercenary mage, now an Adept, who had been in Urtho's army. Joffer, Lora, and Greenwing. Ikala is one of Shalaman's younger sons, twentieth in succession behind the Crown Prince of Nbubi. He's also in a relationship with Blade. Darzie is a gryphon with skills: the faster racer, a consistent flyer, and the best of the fast couriers. Outpost Five is remote. Regin is the leader of the rescue party. Bern is one of their scouts. Filix, a human, is a Master mage and a Silver. Sella and Vorn are the gryphons currently serving in the king's personal guard. It's suspected that Kally and Reesk will be the next pair chosen. The Haighlei Emperors . . . . . . a.k.a. the Black Kings, are ruled by King Shalaman. Khimbata is their capital city. Leyuet is one of the king's advisors. Makke had been the Rashkaes' nurse back in The White Gryphon , 2. The kestra'chern are highly skilled mental therapists and healers. Trondi'irn are healers for gryphons and other nonhumans. Urtho, a.k.a. the Mage of Silence, had fought a long war with Ma'ar. Their demise set off the Cataclysm that changed their world forever ( The Black Gryphon ,). The psychotic Hadanelith ( The White Gryphon ) was one of those who caused much damage before he was exiled. The makaar were Ma'ar's response to Urtho's gryphons. Created by an Adept long before Ma'ar, wyrsa , meant to mimic the kyree, are magic-thieves. The Cover and Title The cover is a rainforest of greens and blues. His back to us, Tad, his wings spread, is looking over his shoulder at Blade, kneeling pale greens, appears to be salvaging what she can of the wreck. At the top are the authors' names in white. Below it, each word of the title is on its own line and also in white. The title is still about Skan, who has grown older and become The Silver Gryphon. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Sep 06, 2021
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Sep 08, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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| 4.19
| 561
| Nov 24, 2020
| Nov 24, 2020
|
it was amazing
|
An anthology of nineteen short stories make up this fourteenth installment in the Tales of Valdemar fantasy series for middle-grade readers. The Series An anthology of nineteen short stories make up this fourteenth installment in the Tales of Valdemar fantasy series for middle-grade readers. The Series "Shadows and Reflections" (Petril) "Rising to the Occasion" (Sparrow) "The More Things Change, the More They Change More" (Dann Family of Haven) "The Choice Makes the Chosen" (Wil & Leila) "Expected Consequences" (Lady Cera) "Temper" (Kerowyn) "A Nursery of Raccoons" (Lena) If you're at all interested in the assorted characters, check out my review at KD Did It. The Stories Charlotte E. English's "Roads Less Traveled" A sad tale of a family of peddlers and the antipathy they encounter. It's a good lesson that even good people aren't perfect while people who have done bad things can always change in the future. Anthea Sharp's "Ruler's Gift" It's a case of following one's passion and one's abilities, until Tarek's father is dying. It's time Tarek came home and took up his rightful place. Jennifer Brozek's "Rising to the Occasion" It's all about integrity whether you're creating a product or being true to your employer. Elisabeth Waters' "A Nursery of Raccoons" Lena and her love are setting up a daughter house to the Temple with the intention of relieving the crowded main Temple. It's a move that will tear lovers apart and point up the lack of God's Peace. It's rather silly with a number of disjointed scenes. Kristin Schwengel's "Tables Turned" It's on the way home from a family visit that Rinton suddenly collapses, later discovering his Gift. Elizabeth Vaughan's "Expected Consequences" I did enjoy this one...I always enjoy catching up with Lady Cera and the progress she makes. In this one, a number of characters are learning life lessons and not all of them are happy about it, lol. And I think Cera's right: celebrate every victory and don't worry about perfection. Dayle A. Dermatis' "Burrowing Owl, Hidden No More" It's the tavern where the Artificer students gather to debate, work, and exchange ideas. Interests in which Kya passionately wants to share. I love Kya's tenacity, and it proves that you can get what you want if you're determined enough. Paige L. Christie's "The Dream Seeker" Whoa, what a negative! It's a small village that's dying from a lack of hope. Where a young girl dreams of glory. Where she learns a valuable lesson. Louisa Swann's "Shadows and Reflections" This tale continues Petril's adventure and has unexpected results. A sweet tale on which I hope Swann continues to elaborate. Michele Lang's "Flying the Nest" Continues the adventures of Sparrow and Cloudbrother as they progress on to a different mission in life. Lang does a recap of Cloudbrother's achievements. Brigid Collins' "Snowbound" It's loneliness. One of loss and homesickness yet still full of compassion. This should be interesting for the future as Marli and Kimfer unexpectedly discover a bond. Fiona Patton's "The More Things Change, the More They Change More" It's a growth to which Padriec has looked forward until it arrives. It brings yet more growth, of a more intimate sort, which will upset everything in the Dann family. Patton certainly leads us on for quite a bit before she reveals the why of all the sudden strife and shunning that Padriec is experiencing. It would be incomprehensible to most of us, but Patton makes us feel the seriousness of the situation. Stephanie Shaver's "The Choice Makes the Chosen" Wil's Gifts of Mindspeech and Foresight have been stripped from him, making him doubt his career. Until Vehs makes him realize that those Gifts only helped but did not make him who he was. Terry O'Brien's "Trial by Reflection" Not all that interesting for all its convolutions. I don't see where Shasta's disability contributes much to the story.Magic is rarely the answer to everything. Angela Penrose's "Theory and Practice" A sweet story of friendship and support. There was an interesting reason for the students' vandalism *grin*. Phaedra Weldon's "Tools of the Trade" It's a common failing, believing that one thing or another are all that makes you who you are. It's a sad tale, rife with problems that need solving. The villagers' comments, ahem, about Merelyn's cooking are a crack-up. As for Weldon's description of Merelyn's kitchen...how can she not see what's wrong with it? I'm not sure why it takes Imra so long to see the truth. Brenda Cooper's "The Border Within" Marjom has been riding circuit for forty-six years and fully intends to die in the saddle. It's all that experience that'll pull her home and discovers a new challenge. Mercedes Lackey's "Temper" I was wondering if Kerowyn is the same heroine I remember reading about. Poor Kero, she's taking the hard road in this. I'd never have lasted... Interesting point Lackey makes about people in a village lacking a kitchen. Larry Dixon's "The Hawkbrothers' Ways: Death and the Vales" This was an unexpected exploration of the Hawkbrothers religious beliefs. The Cover and Title The cover is a deep grayish blue filled with a tone-on-tone close-up of a Companion's head and neck. His mane standing in the wind of his passage, a purple eye staring out at us, challenging us, and wearing a purple bridle and chest strap with silver discs of one V intertwined with another V that's upside down. Two silver spears are thrusting toward the Companion from the lower right. At the top is the title in beige with an info blurb mostly in white immediately below it and left justified. At the bottom is another info blurb in beige with the primary author's name in white. The title is a theme for the short stories, the Passages each protagonist must endure. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jan 31, 2021
|
Feb 01, 2021
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Paperback
| |||||||||||||||||
| 1984806688
| 9781984806680
| 1984806688
| 3.90
| 2,106
| Nov 17, 2020
| Nov 17, 2020
|
it was amazing
|
First in the Captain Kit Brightling fantasy alternate history series and revolving around a valued female captain in Her Royal Highness' Navy. It's th
First in the Captain Kit Brightling fantasy alternate history series and revolving around a valued female captain in Her Royal Highness' Navy. It's three years after the war. My Take Sarcasm, snark, and magic...oh, yeah, baby! Neill makes use of Napoleon and his dreams of conquering Europe and gives it a magical twist. This is so very different — even with the magic *grin* — from Neill's other series, Chicagoland Vampires and Devil's Isle. The Bright and Breaking Sea reminds me more of Naomi Novik's Temeraire. There's a comfortable camaraderie amongst Kit's crew, although Kit does carry one heckuva chip on her shoulder toward the Beau Monde. On the other hand, while she is protective of her command, she can hold back when she needs to. A complex woman. Kit is very protective of her status and greatly resents Grant's presence, and it'll take proving on both sides to heal this. We know all this because Neill uses third person protagonist point-of-view from Kit's perspective, so we hear her thoughts and see what she sees. "Years from now, Kit thought, they'd tell tales of the scream heard across the ocean."I do like a man whose mind is open to change. Yep, Grant has his own mini character arc, allowing for his own growth as well as insight into his family situation. Poor lad, all he wants is to stay home and heal his family estate. All the queen does is send him out time after time. I love that women, ahem, and men can serve in the Navy. Even better, I love Neill's presenting Kit as simply a courier, as it provides such lovely conflict amongst the misogynistic. Hah! Hoist with their own petard! Kit's attitude toward marriage is both funny and realistic. She'd never be happy with a simple life, lol. Magic, its existence and usage, is a contentious subject with some embracing it, some denying it, and others fearing it. It makes for a lot of possibilities, softened by flashes of humor. Kit is the one who raises her fear of what magic can do to technology, which gives Neill the opening, a bit of foreshadowing for the future of the series. Okay, then there's the letdown. I've been loving The Bright and Breaking Sea (and still do) until Neill fell into the tired account of Kit realizing she's falling for Grant. The action is there but subdued, even the naval battles, but it's a fast read I could not put down. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this story to upper middle-grade and young adult readers as well as adults. The Story Suspicious of each other, Captain Brightling must share command with the unknown, the viscount, Colonel Grant. It'll be a battle of wills. It will be a hard decision, choosing between world disruption or massive death... The Characters Captain Kit Brightling, a foundling, is an Aligned with a gift. In particular a gift to borrow the sea, to sense her humors. She's currently in command of the Diana and a member of the Queen's Own Guards. Commander Jin Takamura, a former thief, is her second-in-command. The crew includes Sampson; Tamlin McCreary with a gift for the wind; August Smythe is the oldest of them; Simon Pettigrew is the pilot, navigator, and master of maps and intelligence; Banks; Teasdale; Cook (with six daughters); Lieutenants Watson, the young Phillips, and Hobbes, who has a merchant husband at home; Mr Jones is the second mate and bosun; March is the ship's physick; Oglejack is the the ship's carpenter; Cordova; and, Fahri. Jim has a wife, Nanae, and two daughters, Saori and Emi. Mary is their housekeeper. Louisa, a.k.a. Tiny Cook, is a cunning child of the streets. Colonel Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, is a warrior tired of it all. His father had wasted the estate. His brother, Lucien, is a losing gambler. Their mother had loved to dig and had designed an amazing garden. At Queenscliffe (named for an odd story about Queen Morgaine), Jefferson Bailey helps repair the ship; Sprout is Grant's dog; Mr and Mrs Spivey are in charge of the manor. Cordelia is Grant's terrifying horse. Matthew Howard is inventing a uniquely powered gristmill. The radiant Tasha Howard is his wife and the daughter of Admiral John Lawrence. Will, a former comrade-at-arms, is the majordomo in charge of the London house. The Brightling Home for Foundlings is... ...in Moreham Park and owned by Hetta Brightling, a wealthy widow with a conscience who takes in abandoned girls. A member of the Order of Saint James, she's also sub rosa as an intelligence analyst for the Crown. Sir Harry Brightling had been Hetta's kind and wealthy husband. Mrs Eaves is the stern, moral-minded housekeeper. The brilliant and inventive Jane is one of the girls, Kit's sister and closest friend. I do love Jane's sparkers, lol. The rest of the current girls include the ambitious Astrid, Bettina and Georgina are the active twins, Pari is a pianist and composer, and Marielle. They are expected to adhere to Hetta's Principles of Self-Sufficiency. The Saxon Isles are... ...England, ruled by Queen Charlotte II in New London at Exeter Palace. King Richard had been her father. Kess appears to be the queen's go-to guy. Charles Kingsley works in the Crown Command's Foreign Office for William Chandler, the Isles' spymaster. He's also a very good friend of Kit's. The bigoted and stunted John Stanton also works at the Foreign Office. The Isles' fleet The Divine is captained by the ludicrous William Thornberry who prefers illogic. Some of his crew disagree, including Midshipman Cooper with her land Alignment. The Lucida is captained by Preston. The Delphine is captained by Smith, who is torn between a rock and a hard place. One of her crew, Jackson, has a land Alignment. The rest of the Beau Monde are... ...the Isles' most privileged class, more concerned with their own comfort and ease. Hmmm, sounds like our politicians... Mary Cartwright is a friend of the ambitious Astrid. Lord Langley is interested in Astrid. Lord Dartmouth is giving a ball. Dorian Marten, a friend of Kit's, started Marten's, a coffeehouse modeled on Lloyds. There's a pub, the Cork and Barrel, in Pencester. The Amelie is a smuggler's ship. The Seven Keys is an exclusive men's club. The Prefects is a secret society composed of men who don't believe a queen can rule. Mrs Eaves consider Portnoy's Confectioner's the premier temple of sin. The Juliana is the ship on which Kingsley embarks. Xavier Forstyhe rules the criminal underground. The Forebearer is stolen by a traitor. The Enemies Finistère is... ...a pirate stronghold ruled by the Five, famous pirate kings. Donal is one of them. The Chevalier is a privateer. Gerard Rousseau is the emperor of Gallia with visions of conquering the world and with it its magic for all the power it will give him. Montgraf is the island to which Gerard was exiled. His daughter, Claysta, is queen of Arkanes. The Guild... ...is a Frisian a consortium of merchants who prefer Gerard's rule with its greater wealth opportunities. Forstadt is an island off the coast and supposedly a royal hunting preserve. Janssen is an attaché at their London embassy. The Earlier War The Ardent had been captained by Perez with Lieutenant Kit Brightling under him. Zadorra was a town near the Gallic border that saw brutal fighting. Contra Costa was a tragedy with its angry magic. The heroic Lord Sutherland had commanded the army in the earlier war and made good use of the Aligned. Grant had been one of his observing officers. Bourne had been one of them, with a gift to sense movement. Marcus Dunwood, a.k.a. Paolo, was a fellow officer and has continued his intelligence gathering. In the current day, he's aboard the Sally . Admiral Worsley had led the fleet at Barbata. The Aligned have a gift for magic. The Unified Church of Isles combined all the gods into one. John Cox wrote the bible on the sea, Cox's Seamanship . Indigo is a card game. Kanos is the god of the sea and its shorelines. The Cover and Title The cover is quite patriotic, starting with its deep blue sky scratching down into a warm brown middle and descending into a white wash. Silhouetted against this is Kit's white ship, all sails furled. And in front of this is Captain Kit Brightling herself with her short brown hair blowing in the wind, posing with her left hand cocked on her hip and her right holding a red sword pointed toward the ground at an angle behind her cocked right leg. She's wearing her uniform, a deep navy frock coat with a lighter blue vest and an even lighter shirt with a solid navy cravat. Her trousers are gray with slightly blued knee-high boots. Her coat, trousers, and boots are all scratched in with strokes of black. At the very top, the first letter of the title is framed on each side with a pair of red scrolls. The rest of the title is beneath this with all in a gradating silver to pale gold. To the left of Kit's knee is the series info in deep blue. An info blurb is immediately beneath Kit's feet with the author's name below that with both in red. The title refers to Kit and what she senses below the surface — The Bright and Breaking Sea. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Jan 17, 2021
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Jan 19, 2021
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Paperback
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| 0756412145
| 9780756412142
| 0756412145
| 4.16
| 1,751
| Dec 01, 2020
| Dec 01, 2020
|
really liked it
|
Sixteenth in the Elemental Masters paranormal fantasy series and revolving around magic-users. The focus is on the young Anna May Jones, and is the fi
Sixteenth in the Elemental Masters paranormal fantasy series and revolving around magic-users. The focus is on the young Anna May Jones, and is the first story to take place in America. My Take I had to concentrate on this being part of the Elemental Masters series, as I'm so used to it being set in Victorian England. Lackey does keep true to her working class roots for her teen protagonist, using a mountain dialect for the principal characters. Thankfully, it's very easy to follow her spellings. That beginning is certainly an excellent example of how the wrong setting can affect a magic-user. Poor Anna May. Thankfully, her aunt knows what she's doing, even if Lackey uses third person protagonist point-of-view from Anna May's perspective. In describing the Jones family's life in a mining town, Lackey touches on all those negatives of being a miner and the effects the pollution and lack of safety equipment has on miners and their families. The debt the Company forces their employees and families into. Yep, pollution. Lackey worked her views in very nicely. Those were some handy bears a'helpin' to keep Union and Rebel soldiers from wiping out the holler. As usual, you can warn the young, but they have to experience it for themselves. At least Anna May is a fast learner. She does have a lot to deal with. Learning about her genetic heritage. Reconciling it with what the preacher said was in the Bible as well as her pa's declarations. Uncovering her bigotries. Anna May's dreams about being viewed as her true age are sweet. Josh has his own dreams. So does his Ma with her love of Blue Willow. A love I can understand *grin*. It's a cute story Josh relates to Anna May about So Ling, Kong-see, and Chang. I gotta say, I do get confused trying to figure out Anna May's genealogy with all those granpappies and grannies and whether they're greats or great-greats. Take it with a grain of salt. That Aunt Jinny. She is a caution and too smart for them. All in all, it was a fun read even if it was rather tame with that unexpected ending. The Story Anna May Jones continues to weaken, and in desperation, Anna May's mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny, a witchy-woman and an Elemental Master, in a holler outside of Ducktown. As she settles into her new life, Anna May finds herself falling for a stonemason with a talent for stonecarving. But he's passionate to carve more than just the work for which he's commissioned. When the stonemason disappears on a quest to fulfill his ambition, it is up to Anna May to follow and find him, armed with the new abilities Aunt Jinny has taught her. To save the man she loves, Anna May must journey into the mountain — and confront the horrors that lurk in the darkness of the mine. The Characters Anna May Jones has been sickening since puberty. Ma, May, isn't the most motherly woman; she loves her husband too much. Pa, Lew Jones, is a miner in Soddy. Aunt Virginia "Jinny" Alscot, Ma's sister, has a fearsome reputation as a healer, a Root Woman, thanks to her Earth magic. She lives in Lonesome Holler, in the mountains outside Ducktown. In her childhood, the Alscot family had lived in Shady Holler, near Soddy. Anna's maternal grandmother, was supposed to have married Parnel Parry, Granpappy's best friend; she died after birthing Maybelle, who was then spoiled beyond belief. Pavel Ivanov Lebedev (could be Pavel Lebedev Ivanov??), was Jinny's Great-granpappy. Coby is a hob who tends the yard. Pavel has a fascinating journey. Sally Lacey, known for her healing ways, was his wife, Jinny's Great-granny, whom Pavel met on Squire Thomson's farm in Devon, England. Jinny's neighbors, Maddie and Matt Holcroft, bought the farm from Jinny's Pa. They have a lot of children, starting with Joshua, Sue, Jacob, Gertie, Seth, Becky, and Ned. Susie is their mule. Hope Sue is okay with that! The Earth Elementals are... ...Jinny's friends. The Domovoy came from Russia with Jinny's Great-granpappy. Grandmother Spider will help teach Anna May. Other Great Elementals include Bear, Deer, Badger, Wolf, Fox, and Panther. Medicine Bear is the Chief of all Bears. The Cherokees are... ...not supposed to exist in the holler, but they hide behind a magical barrier on land bought by Jinny's Russian Granpappy, specifically for the Cherokee. It kept them safe from the Removal. Granny learned to be a Root Woman from Elder Raven's grandpappy and granny. Elder Raven is the father? of Young Raven. It could be that Old Raven is the father with Elder Raven the grandfather... Or they're the same person?? Dawn Greeter may be Old Raven's wife. Moon Daughter is Young Raven's wife. Eagle Sight, a chief, was the Cherokee whom Pavel first met. Ducktown, Tennessee, is... ...where the Burra Burra mine is located. Caleb Strong has a cartage business with his son between Cleveland and Burra Burra. Mary is his wife. Cavenel runs the Company store and is the undertaker who commissions tombstones and such from Josh Holcroft. I'm not sure how to reconcile Thomas Cooper running the Burra Burra Company Store with Cavenel's. Mrs Hopper lost a baby. Clay's Main Mercantile is where Jim and Abby work. Billie McDaran, the mine foreman, is a bad man, a powerful Earth master. Sheriff Tailor comes with the bailiffs. Cleveland Jeb Sawyer is a teamster who makes the run between Cleveland and Soddy with goods for people and the mine. Daisy is his mule. His kids include Hal, Sue, and Bobby. Cap'n Clem runs a ferry. Soddy is... ...the mining community where the Joneses live. And suffer. Daisy. Anna May's contemporaries include Sally Macray. The Malachite Maid is... ...also known as Jolene and Hozjajka Mednof Gory, a.k.a. The Queen of Copper Mountain, with Earth magic. Pavel first knew of her in Russia, but she can travel anywhere. She likes to collect craftsmen. The Three Sisters are corn, beans, and squash. The Ani'-Tsa'guhi was a clan that took up an immortal deal. Aunt Jinny has a powerful hate on for President Andrew Jackson. The Glory is how Aunt Jinny refers to their magic, the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. A Lodge is like a union of local Elemental Masters. Rufous Taylor is a master over in Asheville. The Cover and Title The cover is is both soft and bright. The background is a grayed-out graphic of the blond Josh in black knotted neckerchief, white shirt, and brown leather full apron, concentrating on a long-stemmed cup? against which he's handling a black tubular object. He's standing in his barn studio surrounded by carved statues, plinths, and tombstones. The author's name is in white at the very top. Immediately below it is the bright with a black-and-clay framed rectangular inset framing the orange tones of Jolene from bust to her long red hair studded with colorful jewels, scarabs, lizards, and an entwined snake as a crown. She's staring out at us with those emerald green eyes above a brown silhouette of the dying town of Ducktown. In the bottom left of the inset is the series information in black. At the very bottom is the title in a gradation of clay to dark brown in the same gothic font as the author's name. The title is all about the questionable Jolene. ...more |
Notes are private!
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| 4.19
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it was ok
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Jul 22, 2020
Jan 22, 2013
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Sep 24, 2024
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| 3.67
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did not like it
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Aug 11, 2019
not set
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Sep 21, 2024
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| 3.60
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it was ok
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Dec 02, 2012
not set
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Jul 22, 2024
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| 4.21
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it was amazing
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Apr 27, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
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| 4.09
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really liked it
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Oct 21, 2022
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Oct 19, 2022
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| 4.03
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really liked it
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Oct 06, 2022
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Oct 06, 2022
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| 3.90
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really liked it
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not set
not set
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Oct 02, 2022
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| 4.21
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it was amazing
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Mar 29, 2022
Nov 20, 2021
not set
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Jun 09, 2022
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| 4.16
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it was amazing
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Apr 16, 2023
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May 04, 2022
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| 4.23
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it was amazing
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Mar 27, 2022
Nov 15, 2021
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Mar 27, 2022
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| 3.98
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liked it
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Sep 21, 2024
Mar 26, 2022
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Mar 25, 2022
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| 4.07
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it was amazing
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Nov 15, 2021
not set
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Mar 08, 2022
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| 4.36
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it was amazing
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Dec 10, 2021
Oct 03, 2021
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Dec 11, 2021
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| 4.32
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it was amazing
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Apr 14, 2024
Mar 03, 2023
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Nov 23, 2021
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| 3.95
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really liked it
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Sep 2021
not set
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Nov 23, 2021
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| 4.50
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really liked it
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Mar 15, 2022
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Sep 14, 2021
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| 3.86
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liked it
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Sep 06, 2021
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Sep 08, 2021
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| 4.19
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it was amazing
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Jan 31, 2021
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Feb 01, 2021
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|
| 3.90
|
it was amazing
|
Jan 17, 2021
|
Jan 19, 2021
|
|||||
|
| 4.16
|
really liked it
|
Dec 16, 2020
|
Dec 17, 2020
|
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