The Summer Country; J.A. Hetley

This was published by Ace in 2004. James A. Hetley has a webpage, but it appears to be down right now. The link in the title is to an interview. The Summer Country a dark alternate reality/urban fantasy set in contemporary Maine and in a rural alternate world, the Summer Country of the title, where magic and magical beings of all descriptions are the modus operandi.

Maureen and Jo Pierce are sisters living in a tiny town. One night Maureen gets accosted by one stranger and rescued by another. Her rescuer, one Brian Arthur Pendragon Albion, has some fantastical tales to tell. Unfortunately for Brian Maureen isn't the type to give a guy any slack and she tries to send him on his way. Unfortunately, weird things begin to happen to her from that night forward. Maureen gets 'magiced' across the boundary into TSC. Turns out, the majority of the dominant beings in TSC are sterile. Only a select few are fertile- thus they are dying out & are indesperate need of fresh blood. Maureen and Jo happen to be magical beings despite being raised as ordinary humans and are completely illiterate in the ways and means of TSC. Thus, Maureen (but not Jo) is needed to infuse fresh genes into TSC. What happens to her there is the thrust of this story.

Maureen reminds me of Christine Feehan heroines- deeply damaged by childhood trauma, chip on her shoulder, prickly, yet vulnerable too. Maureen is only 28, but has a long history of severe alcoholism & serious mental disorders behind her. Her past history made parts of this novel hard to read, but I thought her issues were senstively handled as is her relationship with her sister. I had some problems with how her emotional and mental state was described toward the end of this novel, but the saga continues in the next installment, which is titled The Winter Oak (already available). I'm hopeful Mr. Hetley will continue with the complexity and depth of Maureen and Jo's characters and I hope he will resist temptation to wrap up these novels into neat little packages with every last little string tied and tucked in.

Paladin of Souls, L.M. Bujold

Written by Lois McMaster Bujold and published in 2003, Paladin of Souls is second in a trilogy. In the previous novel, Curse of Chalion, Ista was the half insane, God touched yet cursed mother of Royina Iselle. Time has moved on a little since then; both Betriz and Cazaril and Iselle and Bergon have young children.

If most of your life roles have been taken away from you- what is left? Your husband is dead, one of your children is dead, your parents are dead, one of your siblings is dead & you're no longer mentally ill, who are you? This is Ista's conundrum. Now forty, she is trapped in the dual roles of Royina Iselle's mother and of mentally unstable invalid. Therefore, she has no privacy, no choice in her daily routines- basically Ista is viewed as an invalid.Even a young child has more freedom and choice than Ista does. But Ista isn't crazy anymore. How can she find enough freedom to become her own woman for the first and probably only time of her life? This is likely to be her only chance.

Ista contrives to begin a pilgrimage, conceived and begun with the sole intention of not returning to her 'keepers.' Many things happen to her along the route- a former courier becomes a lady's maid, a Learned who is not what he seems to be, becoming a political hostage, two men held hostage by nefarious means because of a young woman's desperate and immoral need. Seige, demons and esoteric theology abound. Can Ista become her own woman at long last, at the ripe old age of forty? Will the border fort of Porifors survive the invaders' onslaught? Will Ista at last be allowed to choose her own path? And can she find happiness and contentment and purpose and a partner to share it with?

This novel was a Hugo award winner. I enjoyed it tremendously, there are a distinct tones of woman's fiction & adventure romance and epic fantasy in this novel. BTW, for those of you who keep track of such things- the cover art accurately depicts Ista as she is described in the book, including her clothing. IMO Paladin of Souls is a multigenre novel worthy of attention. The third bookof this series is The Hallowed Hunt and is currently available. Keeper.

Young Miles; L.M. Bujold

Young Miles is an omnibus of two previously published Miles Vorkosigan books plus one Miles short story: The Warrior's Apprentice, The Mountains of Mourning and The Vor Game. The omnibuses put Miles' books together internal chronolgical order- which is nice. No more hunting all over the internet for chronolgical lists.

The story begins with Miles at 17, trying valiantly but failing the physical entrance test for the premier military school on Barrayar. Subsequently Miles escapes his grandmother on Beta and the rest of his adventure begins. Space opera at its best.

At 17 Miles suffers from all of the expected flaws of the young. Especially young people whose parents have money and connections. Namely: the conviction that they will live forever, that credit and your good name are enough, blithe inattention to nuances and ethics, dragging others into his schemes pell mell & damn the torpedoes. Miles seems to suffer from ADD terribly. Genetically unable to pay attention for more than five minutes, Miles is restless and suffers the consequences. Not to mention the chip on his shoulder about his height.

As is to be expected, Miles grows signifigantly in maturity over the course of Young Miles. He learns to read people better. Well, he learns that he needs to read people. He learns that his actions and attitudes have far reaching ripples. Learns that power and responsiblity are heavy at times and never to be taken lightly. Miles firmly believes that sometimes doing the right thing trumps following orders. A difficult stance to maintain in a militaristic culture. Somehow, though, Miles inspires those around him to strive. An admirable and rare trait. Miles is a fully rounded , human character, not a stereotype. I appreciate that most of all, I think.

It was difficult to finish this one. The first section, especially, was hard. I find seventeen year olds who pull a prank on the 'rents, their gov't & a whole bunch of others with credit cards and a ton of chutzpah tough to swallow. I liked the middle section best, despite the fact that it is the shortest. In The Mountains of Mourning Miles learns the true extent of his feudal obligations to the people of his land, how the ripples of decision making reach far and wide. Much growth, here in this little nugget.

Cordelia's Honor; L.M. Bujold

This is an omnibus edition comprised of Shards of Honor and Barrayar both originally published in 1986 and 1991 respectively. I borrowed this from the library, as the Vorkosigan saga has quite a large cast and my book budget is tight. I first read Ms. Bujold's short story telling of Miles' marriage & the love life of one Sgt. Taura in Irresistable Forces. I decided to find her other material- initially concentrating on the Vorkosigan family & not on her new Chalion series .

The series is set up around Miles Vorkosigan & his adventures, very similar to mystery series in the sense that they weren't written in internal chronolgical order (meaning starting at the beginning of Miles' life & moving forward). I was advised to begin with this volume as it details Miles' parents' courtship & also relates signifigant background material (such as how Miles became physically deformed).

Cordelia Naismith, a Betan native, is on a planetary exploration mission when her scientific crew is ambushed and killed. The only survivor, she is taken prisoner by one Aral Vorkosigan, of the planet Barrayar. Now, the planet Beta seems to be to be similar to Europe socially. Liberal, well eduacted, high standard of living, slightly condescending to anyone not from Beta. Barrayar, OTOH, is emerging from a long period of galactic isolation & as a result it culturally, politically & socially backward when compared with other planets. Barrayar is given to violent political strife & its people are very agressive & seem to have a chip on their shoulder because they are often looked down upon.

Barrayar has claimed this planet, but not announced this fact to other planets. Thus Cordelia's scientific mission is viewed as an 'invasion' despite the fact that no one knows the Barrayarans have claimed the place. On these grounds Aral takes Cordelia prisoner. They then come under attack from Aral's people. Now they must evade Aral's people, keep a desperately wounded man alive, overcome the attempted coup & get up to Aral's ship.

What follows is a convoluted space adventure complicated by politics, war, honor and extreme cultural differences. Cordelia views Aral's culture as backward, violent & warmongering, but this is tempered by her appreciation for his values & behavior. Aral appreciates Cordelia as his equal intellectually & the fact that her sense of honor is at least as great as his even if she often approaches decisions from the opposite viewpoint. I definitely had a sense that Cordelia & Aral liked each other perhaps lusted after each other, but weren't really together enough initially to develop a strong relationship.

Not until after they marry does Cordelia begin to appreciate how much responsability Aral has or how dangerous his life is. Ms. Bujold, in the second half, does an excellent job portraying Cordelia's troubles adjusting to the reality of being a political wife, learning to get along with Aral's father, the lack of privacy, her concerns that Aral is overworked & overstressed & underappreciated. Cordelia's feelings of cultural isolation & bewilderment are apropos too. Being a Yankee & living across the South for nearly twenty years now, I completely related to Cordelia feeling culturally lost. Because they were both adults entering into the relationship, there is a minimum of angst which I was thankful for. Cordelia married Aral with her eyes open, if not fully informed.

Now that I'm up on Miles' parents, his family & political background, the reasons for his disabilities, etc. I'm ready to continue glomming Ms. Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Via her website I read there is another Miles book coming late 2008 or perhaps 2009. The third Chalion book, The Hallowed Hunt is out as well.

Wizard of London; M. Lackey

Certain elements of this story reminded me of Katherine Kurtz & Deborah Turner Harris' Adept series, but Ms. Lackey puts her own stamp on things. Set in England during that wonderful exploratory age of steamers & trains, Wizard of London has an ensemble cast featuring two schoolgirls, several Indians, magic, fairies & mystical creatures. BTW, this is book four of the Elemental Masters series. Yet again I have started a series bass ackwards.

This version of life has three types of people: plain humans, humans with psychic talents (clairvoyance, telepathy, etc) & humans with elemental talents (water, fire, earth or air). The first category doesn't concern us at all in this story. The second two do. The little girls in question, Sarah & Nan, are psychically gifted. Sophie is a medium & Nan is to be a 'Warrior of Light' when she grows up.

Basically the set up is this- Sarah & Nan attend a school where their talents can be nurtured & trained & protected. Despite this they are attacked. Somehow the headmistress manages to protect them, although only with the help of friends long in her past. Mixed into this is a sorceress who will do anything to remain young & beautiful forever; her male protege, who is really dumb as a brick, IMO; two birds as the girls' familiars; fairies & ..ta da!! My favorite- Puck.

The similarities to Kurtz & Harris' work is superficial & relates mainly to terms used: elemental powers, warrior of light & a few general themes. WOL seems to stand on its own, apart from the others in the series. Well, I don't feel as though I've missed anything from the previous three like I did when I accidentally got Anne Bishop's Pillars series wrong. It's a fascinating glimpse into a little world I'd like to get to know better.

Shadow of the Lion; M. Lackey et al

A collaboration by three major SFF authors (Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint & David Freer), Shadow is an alternate reality fantasy published by Baen in 2002. It is available free to read or download HERE.

Honestly, it took me about 500 pages to get into this. Once I did I couldn't put it down. There is beautiful world building. Venice could only become more vivid by being there, I think.

At it's heart, this is a novel of political intrigue. The Holy Roman Empire never fell, the great library in Alexandria Egypt wasn't destroyed, & England & France & a few other places have formed one country called Aquitane. People from all of these places, plus Lithuania & various Italian city states have all converged on Venice. Each faction has an agenda & a plan to accomplish its goals.

Mainly this is the story of the following people & the governments they represent. Benito & Marco, two orphaned brothers on their own but who have powerful competing interests looking for them. Several of the boys' friends, primarily Katerina & Maria, who each have problems & responsabilities. Eric & Manfred, secret emissaries of the Emperor currently undercover in a military order. Francesca, a prostitute cum courtesan with a head for politics & the patrons necessary to keep her up to date. A demon controlled mad Grand Duke who likes to eat fried human skin. A mage who was nearly crazed in a magic attack. Plus assorted assasins, spies, mages & magical creatures.

Political machinations, secret plots, magic both good & bad, romance & fighting all populate this story. All set into the fabric of Venice so that the city itself becomes a player too. Scattered throughout are references to historical people. It is possible to amuse yourself endlessly by trying to remember & then compare actual history to this version. I did a little searching on the side & had great fun, but then I like history..If you enjoy sagas, this is the book for you.

This book begins the Heirs of Alexandria series. This Rough Magic, also co written by the same authors is available as well. I have it too, but I haven't started it yet. At 900+ pages, I'm a little daunted even though I enjoyed Shadow

Review Archive A-E

Quite a long time ago I promised to do a review archive. I'm finally working on it. After initially posting the archives here, I will put permanent links on the sidebar. Initially I plan to archive by author's last name, should I also do one by genre & subgenre?


FYI- I do not 'grade' books I read. I either keep them or trade them or return them. All books are traded or returned unless I specifically say I've kept them.


Authors A-E



Intimate Enemies, Shana Abe

A Kiss of Midnight; Lara Adrian

A Kiss of Crimson; Lara Adrian

P.S. I Love You, Candice Ahern

Fever, 1793; Laurie H. Anderson

A Knight's Vow; Anthology; Kurland, Campbell, Simmons, Potter

A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust; Anthology: Bevarly, Crawford, Rogers, Shayne

Contribution in Irresistible Forces, Anthology: Asaro, Beverly, Bujold, Putney, Roberson, Stover


Catch the Lightning, Catherine Asaro

The Moon's Shadow; Catherine Asaro

Quantum Rose; Catherine Asaro

The Ruby Dice; Catherine Asaro

Duke of Sin, Adele Ashworth

Aunt Dimity and the Duke, Nancy Atherton

A Crown of Thorns; Fiona Avery

Spellbound by Mary Balogh in It Happened One Night; Anthology

Under the Mistletoe, Mary Balogh


Lady Silence, Blair Bancroft


Minion, L A Banks


Bewitching, Jill Barnett

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer

The Charlemagne Pursuit; Steve Berry


Romanov Prophecy, Steve Berry

Contribution in A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust; Anthology: Elizabeth Bevarly et al.

Contribution in Irresistible Forces, Anthology: Asaro, Beverly, Bujold, Putney, Roberson, Stover


The Painted Rose, Birdsell


Black Jewels Trilogy, Anne Bishop

Daughter of the Blood; Anne Bishop

The Invisible Ring, Anne Bishop


Pillars of the World, Anne Bishop

Tangled Webs; Anne Bishop

Ironside, Holly Black

Tithe, Holly Black

Valiant, Holly Black


A Noble Resolve, Sara Blayne


Theodora, Sara Blayne

Skeletons at the Feast; Chris Bohjalian


The Devil's Due, Rita Boucher


Faerie Wars, Herbie Brennan

All through the Night; Suzanne Brockmann

Force of Nature; Suzanne Brockmann

Frisco's Kid; Suzanne Brockmann


Her Perfect Earl, Bethany Brooks

The People of the Book; Geraldine Brooks


The Good Wife, Elizabeth Buchan

A Civil Campaign; Lois McMaster Bujold

Cordelia's Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold

The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold

Diplomatic Immunity; Lois McMaster Bujold

The Hallowed Hunt, Lois McMaster Bujold

Contribution in Irresistible Forces, Anthology: Asaro, Beverly, Bujold, Putney, Roberson, Stover

Komarr; Lois McMaster Bujold

Miles In Love; Lois McMaster Bujold

Miles,Mutants and Microbes; Lois McMaster Bujold

Miles, Mystery & Mayhem, Lois McMaster Bujold

Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold

The Sharing Knife: Beguilement; Lois McMaster Bujold

Winterfair Gifts; Lois McMaster Bujold

Young Miles; Lois McMaster Bujold

Have Glass Slipper Will Travel, Lisa Cach

The Ruby Ghost; June Calvin

Scar Night; Alan Campbell

Contribution to A Knight's Vow; Glynis Campbell

The Magicians Guild; Trudi Canavan

Kushiel's Justice; Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Mercy; Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel's Scion, Jacqueline Carey

Goddess of the Rose; P.C. Cast

Goddess of Spring, P C Cast


Charming the Highlander, Janet Chapman

Lord of Scoundrels; Loretta Chase

Silent Night; Mary Higgins Clark

The Earl's Prize; Nicola Cornick


Fire Song, Catherine Coulter


Earth Song, C. Coulter


Secret Song, C.Coulter


Warrior's Song, Catherine Coulter

Contribution in A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust; Anthology: Elaine Crawford, Bevarly, Rogers, Shayne


Bewitched, Heather Cullman

Stronger Than Magic; Heather Cullman

Only You by Jacqui D'Alessandro in It Happened One Night; Anthology

The Faery Reel, ed. Datlow & Windling

The Pact, Drs. Davis, Jenkins & Hunt

Atlantis Rising; Alyssa Day


Beauty, Claire Delacroix

The Kiss of the Snow Queen in The Queen in Winter by Claire Delacroix, et al

Waifs and Strays, Charles de Lint

Once A Knight, Christina Dodd

A Well Favored Gentleman; Christina Dodd


Lady Scandal, Shannon Donnelly


Under the Kissing Bough, Shannon Donnelly

Wicked; Shannon Drake

Lookin' Back, Texas; Leanna Ellis

Ruby's Slippers; Leanna Ellis

Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well, Kathy Lynn Emerson

An Invitation to Sin; Suzanne Enoch

Sin & Sensibility, Suzanne Enoch

To Hell With Love; Sherri Erwin

Words in a French Life; Kristin Espinasse


Love’s Reward, Jean Ross Ewing