Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens

I recently noticed Wit’ch Fire, by James Clemens, is listed as one of the top fantasy books on Amazon and I recognized this title as one that’s been sitting on my bookshelf for a while, but which I have never been inclined to read. But after perusing all the positive Amazon reviews on the book, I thought it would be worthwhile to give it a try.

As the magic of Chi slowly drains out of the land of Alasea, leaving the people defenseless against their enemies, three mages come together in a desperate effort to ensure that someday the magic will be returned to Alasea and the people saved. The mages intend to create the book prophesied in the visions, through a magical ceremony, but something goes horribly wrong and all three mages disappear, leaving behind their guardian Er’ril, who suspects that their attempt was a dismal a failure.

Five centuries later, thirteen year old Elena is picking apples in her family’s orchard, when a severe stomach cramp causes her to fall out of the tree. Picking herself up from the ground, Elena discovers that she has begun menstruating and strangely enough, her hand is now a bright red which won’t rub off. Frightened, Elena runs home to her family who are exultant at her new status as a woman, though they have no answer for the strange color of her hand.

Late that night, Elena is woken up by strange sounds from outside. Looking out of her window, she sees two menacing strangers approaching her house. She runs to warn her parents, but it is too late. The strangers attack Elena’s family and Elena and her brother, Joach, are forced to flee into the woods to escape their predators.

But when the siblings make their way to town, where they expect to find refuge, they discover instead that the towns people have all been turned against them, and it’s only the sudden aid of a stranger that gets Elena and Joach out alive.

Soon Elena finds herself allied with an unusual group of travelers, including two shapshifters, an elf, an ogre and a wood nymph, each of whom has their own personal quest to fulfill but whose paths bring them together in order to find the answers they seek.

I thought Witch Fire was an OK book, but not much more then that. The whole story takes place within just a few days and the pace of the book felt rushed to me, with one character after another being thrown into the mix but none of them being fully fleshed out. Elena and her brother were the only characters that were really three dimensional but once more characters were added, they both kind of faded into the background.

I also didn’t really understand what the magic system was here. It seems that those with a red hand are capable of certain powers, but what those powers are and how they work, was never clarified. Also Clemens use of common words with the addition of an apostrophe, such as wit'ch or magick, was rather irritating.

On the plus side, the book was well written and there were some interesting villains and creative magical creatures. I also appreciated the unexpected twist at the end. But the lack of character development left me rather unimpressed with the book and uninterested in following it up with the sequel.

I did actually take a brief look at a review of the sequel, Wit’ch Storm, in which the reviewer mentioned that she felt the second book was better then the first, especially in regard to the character development. So perhaps I will give the sequel a chance at some point but I'm not in any particular rush at this time to do so.

Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge

While I like the urban fantasy genre, I’ve been having a hard time finding books within this genre that I actually enjoy, after having read everything by Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews and Charlaine Harris. So when a fellow blogger recommended Street Magic, by Caitlin Kittredge, I was happy to give it a try.

The last time Pete had seen Jack was when he had convinced her to join him in the cemetery to participate in a magical ceremony. Even though he was her older sister’s boyfriend, and Pete didn’t even believe in magic, she couldn’t resist any request from Jack Winter, and so she came. But despite her disbelief, something happened that night, something that brought forth a frightening creature from out of the crypt. A creature which killed Jack and left Pete mentally scarred.

Twelve years later, Pete has taken over in her father’s footsteps as a police officer and she is in search of a little girl who has gone missing. An anonymous tip leads Pete to Jack, whom she has believed to be dead all these year, and who is able to tell her exactly where to find the missing child. Tragically, the child has been badly damaged and is unable to tell the police what happened to her. When another child goes missing soon afterwards, Pete forces Jack to help her in solving this case.

But Jack is no longer the sunny, mischievous youth that Pete remembers. The years since that terrible event have turned him into a hard man who fights his ghosts with regular doses of heroin. But to save these children, Pete will do whatever she can, even if it means putting up with Jack’s inexplicable hatred of her and confronting her own ghosts from the past.

The description of Street Magic had sounded interesting and unique enough that I made an effort to get a hold of the book soon after hearing about it. And in the beginning it seemed like this could be a book that I would really enjoy. The first few chapters immediately drew me into the story and Jack and Pete seemed liked they would develop into really interesting characters. But unfortunately this didn’t happen and I never warmed up to the two protagonists.

Jack just turned out to be a jerk the whole book who repeatedly manipulated and used Pete for his own ends. And I couldn’t understand why Pete, a strong, smart and independent woman, was so solicitous of Jack and even sacrificed herself for him, when he had done absolutely nothing to deserve it. The two of them never even had a real relationship, other then Pete’s infatuation with Jack when she was sixteen, so I couldn’t understand their behavior towards each other through out the book. I also didn’t get any sense that the relationship between Pete and Jack progressed or developed at all, which I found very disappointing.

In addition, I felt that Street Magic would have been a much richer book if the author had included some colorful secondary characters, or even any secondary characters. I was hoping that Pete’s ex-fiance, who she argues with on the phone a few times, or her older sister, who blames Pete for Jack’s death, would make an appearance. But both of these characters remained shadowy figures in the sidelines, which I think was a big mistake as they could have added a lot to the story.

I was also disappointed with each of the fights that take place between Jack and Pete and their various attackers. While there was a certain amount of build up for each battle, the fights themselves would just fizzle out with the enemy getting killed in a very anti-climatic way. And I didn’t understand what the heck happened in the final battle, the one the whole story had been leading to.

So in conclusion, despite its strong start, I ultimately found Street Magic to be a disappointing and unsatisfying book and I’m unlikely to be tempted to pick up the sequel.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon Lexicon is a book I probably would have never picked up if I hadn't won it in a contest. I've been rather unimpressed with most of the YA urban fantasy books that I have read recently and the blurb on the back of the book didn't grab me either. But hey- it was free- so I gave it a shot. And I actually found it rather enjoyable.

Nick is the ultimate bad-boy; he's dark, dangerous and can frighten grown men twice his age with just a look. The only person in the world who Nick cares about, and who is not afraid of him, is his brother Alan who practically raised Nick, since their father was busy with task of caring for their unstable mother. And for as long as Nick can remember, their family has been on the run from the magicians who want a certain charm returned to them, one which Nick's mother had stolen many years ago. Nick could care less if the magicians get to his mother, after all, she had never treated him with any kindness. But Alan cares, and for Alan Nick would do anything.

That's why Nick soon finds himself forced to hunt down the magicians that he has always been running from, because it will take the death of two magicians to save his own brother's life, as well as the life of a young boy whom Alan is determined to protect. But in his race to save Alan, Nick discovers a new and unsettling side of his brother which leads him to question his relationship with the one person he had always trusted and loved.

I admit to having enjoyed The Demon's Lexicon more then I had expected to. Alan and Nick are two very strong and compelling protagonists who you come to care for and the complex relationship between the two of them was very well portrayed. Jamie, the boy who Alan insists on saving, is also a very likable character with his self-deprecating personality and funny one-liners. I found his sister, Mae, to be rather irritating though, but she did her part by providing a touch of romance as well as bringing out flashes of Nick's human side.

While the beginning started out strong I felt it got bogged down a bit in the middle with Nick's constant altercations with everyone; proving to everyone how tough he is. That got a little boring. But a little over half way through, the pace quickened and I was easily drawn back into the story which then kept hold of me until the very end. The climax of the story was also satisfying, providing some unexpected revelations and surprises.

I think The Demon's Lexicon is a book that fans of YA fantasy are sure to enjoy though those who don't generally read YA books might not appreciate it quite as much.

Calling it quits with Lord Foul's Bane

After two weeks of trying to make my way through Stephen Donaldson's Lord Foul's Bane I've finally decided to give up. It's just not working out for me. I'm actually very disappointed because the book had seemed so promising, starting out.

A successful author with a beautiful wife and baby is suddenly stricken by leprosy and abandoned by everyone close to him- sounds intriguing, no? And then this character, Thomas Covenant, is hit by a car and ends up in an alternate world where everyone thinks he is the reincarnation of the hero Berek Halfhand and expects him to be capable of a special magic, involving his white gold ring, despite Thomas's continuous denial of any knowledge of magic.

And so Thomas sets out on a journey to the Council of Lords to pass on to them a message that was given to him, upon arrival in the land, by the evil Lord Foul. And this journey is very boring. Even though they do have some adventures along the way, it felt like the story was starting to drag, plus I was getting tired of Thomas's whining and self-pity. And after he committed a particularly despicable act, on page 91, I really couldn't stand him.

Thomas is then transported by boat, on his final leg of the journey, by a giant who likes to tell long rambling stories, and soon afterwards I gave up. I did make it to the end of the boat trip, which for some reason that I didn't quite get was very difficult and treacherous and nearly killed the giant. By now I was halfway through the book and thoroughly bored so I decided to just give up and skip to the end of the book (a decision not made lightly) to find out if Thomas goes back to his world fully healed and confronts his disloyal ex wife and gets back his kid.

Well.....I'm not telling. If you want to know what happens you'll have to either read the book or skip to the end yourself.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Reviewed by Baruch Speiser

Lev Grossman’s highly acclaimed new novel, The Magicians, tells the story of Quentin Coldwater, a high-school junior of above average intelligence who is unhappy and dissatisfied with his life. He has always felt that he was meant for a greater purpose in the world, that he would one day discover a destiny involving magic and adventure, similar to the kids in his favorite books from childhood, which he still secretly reads and enjoys. But eventually Quentin has to face the fact that the universe has no special plans for him and that he must continue to plod on through life, just like everyone else.

But when Quentin shows up for his Princeton interview, one day, he finds the interviewer dead. As he leaves, he is presented with a piece of paper which leads him to the Brakebills College of Magic. Finally Quentin is offered the life he has been dreaming of for so many years.

Training to become a magician is a lot harder then Quentin had imagined, and many of the troubles that he had hoped to leave behind, have followed him to his new life. But there are definitely some benefits at life at the College of Magic, such as Quentin’s new circle of friends, friends who will stick by Quentin when things get tough and will stand by his side when he finally gets the chance to fulfill his childhood dreams.

When first hearing the plot of The Magicians, many readers are likely to think of Harry Potter, due to a few similarities in the basic story, but Grossman anticipates this and shrugs it off with explicit mockery of quidditch and Hermione Granger’s teeth.

While there are many parallels between Brakebills and Hogwarts, Grossman actually takes his inspiration from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels, based on her fictional School of Magic on Roke Island. Le Guin is not an exclusive inspiration; rather The Magicians is filled with references to well-known works of fantasy. Grossman doesn’t neglect to reference J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, or borrow from the most widely known lore of Dungeons & Dragons.

Perhaps the most important allusion, however, is Quentin’s obsession with fictional author Christopher Plover’s “Fillory and Further”, a series more than reminiscent of the Chronicles of Narnia. This book-within-a-book plays a prominent role in both the character development and the plot, and Grossman practically uses his novel as a meta-critical review of the works of C. S. Lewis.

Harry Potter? Chronicles of Narnia? If you’re expecting a world of magical wonder and excitement, you won’t find it here. The Magicians is dark and gritty, like a grimy cloud of coal exhaust that hides any hope of a rainbow. It is evident to the reader that the Brakebills curriculum is designed around a dark and disturbing art – and unlike Star Wars, there exists nothing other than the Dark Side of the Force. Quentin and his friends, Alice, Eliot, Josh, Janet and Penny, are all capable of magic because they are deeply unhappy. In particular, Quentin’s inner melancholy has no boundaries; his dissatisfaction is a primary driver in this coming-of-age psychodrama.

Alcohol abuse and sexual escapism are rampant, and it is obvious from early on that Quentin is not supposed to be an affable protagonist, nor are his companions. Of all of them, only Alice is likable in any way, but the author makes her suffer for it. There is nothing pretty about this story, except for the illusory happy-land of Fillory – and Grossman makes it clear that such hopes and dreams couldn’t be more naïve. While Quentin loves Fillory as much as we love Narnia, Grossman uses it to make it clear that Narnia is a fool’s tale: it lacks the agonizing complexity of reality. It is magically simplistic, too neat and clean to represent the emotional convolution of the real world.

From an academic perspective, Grossman writes a modern marvel; it is one of the few works I’ve read that successfully builds on top of widely-known fantasy works without coming across as tacky or lazy. The writing style is sophisticated, and the text is stimulating and erudite. While the overall execution has its spotty moments, it is generally excellent, primarily relying on the intensity of the character development rather than forcing the story along rigid plot lines. Grossman’s antagonist is cleverly crafted; it doesn’t take long for the reader to realize that the chief villain is none other than a projection of who Quentin could become. Unlike many of the novels I’ve read lately, Grossman masterfully takes the time to build a clean resolution, but not one that is closed to interpretation - he wraps up the loose ends but leaves it to the reader to decide whether Quentin makes the morally correct choice and whether or not he will ultimately succeed.

Surprisingly, Grossman leverages these sophisticated successful literary techniques well enough to give The Magicians a dramatic sense of authenticity as its own work, rather than merely a derivation of the works the author builds upon. This is not a trivial remark; The Magicians is a solid story, satisfying and meaningful even if one has never read the works it references.

Yet while I respected, appreciated, and even admired The Magicians, I would be reluctant to say that I truly enjoyed it. Grossman makes it clear that there is nothing enjoyable about magic, the people that wield it, nor the lives that they choose to lead. He works hard to deliberately suck the enjoyment out of it, and considering the joy we’ve gotten out of Dumbledore and Aslan, that’s quite an accomplishment. The Magicians is heavy-handed, but only because it is essential to the story – and this makes it a success. If fantasy works are intended to be an avenue for escapism, then Lev Grossman’s tour de force is escapism from your everyday rote fantasy novel. While it may not be the happy fantasy you want it to be, it is the dark and provocative tale it is meant to be; few tales make you question your childhood fantasies, and in that respect, The Magicians delivers. Though I wouldn’t recommend it as light-hearted reading, those who are looking for something more sophisticated will find Grossman’s novel a stimulating alternative.

Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L Wilson

Lord of the Fading Lands is the first book in C.L Wilson’s best selling Tairen Soul series and a book that I remember loving when I first read it, about a year ago. With the fourth book in the series just released, I decided to go back and reread the earlier books to refresh my memory as well as to see if the books are really as good as I recall. To my delight, and relief, Lord of the Fading Lands was just as good as I remember it being, if not better.

Rain Tairen Soul is the dark and solitary king of the Fey, the magical immortal creatures who reside in the Fading Lands. A thousand years ago he had decimated half the continent with rage over the murder of his mate and since then he has remained secluded in the Fading Lands. But now the Tairen are dying, his people are in danger of becoming extinct and a darkness is growing in the land of his enemies. Only Rain, the most powerful of the Fey and the only one able to shape shift into a magical winged Tairen, is capable of saving the Fey and their Tairen brethren. Desperate to find a solution, Rain forces a response from the Eye of Truth and is directed to the despised land of Celarians, where the mortals live.

All of her childhood, Ellie has been teased and shunned by the other children for being different. Abandoned as a baby, Sol and Lauriana had taken her in and treated her as their own, even as she was afflicted by horrible seizures and frightening nightmares throughout her young life. Now at the age of twenty-four Ellie is still unmarried with no prospects for marriage in the horizon. So when Den, the repulsive butcher’s son, makes his interests in Ellie known, Ellie’s parents encourage her to respond in kind. Desperate to avoid being married to a man she despises, Ellie prays for someone to come and save her from this marriage.

Rain did not know why he was meant to travel to Celarian, but he certainly didn’t expect the shock of discovering his Sheitan, soul-mate, there. From the moment he spied Ellie in the crowd he was drawn to her, and at the first touch of her skin he knew that this woman was bound to his soul. Not in a thousand years has a Tairen Soul found himself a Sheitan, and this occurrence is a cause for much rejoicing, and concern.

As Rain begins the process of courting Ellie he must also convince the king and his court that they are in danger from the Eld, the evil mages who had caused the death of Rain’s mate. But only Rain can sense the darkness that is brewing and no one will believe that the danger he warns them of is real. And due to growing hostilities towards the Fey, Rain’s allies are few and his enemies more numerous by the day.

Lord of the Fading Lands is a beautifully written book with a wonderful balance of fantasy and romance that is sure to please fans of both genres. While I had highly enjoyed the book the first time, reading it the second time was even more pleasurable as I eagerly anticipated my favorite scenes that I knew were coming up.

The part where Rain and Ellie meet for the first time is definitely one of my favorites, full of tension, confusion and tenderness. And I loved when Ellie’s beautiful nemesis, who never misses an opportunity to taunt Ellis, tries to lure Rain away from her, believing herself more worthy for a king, and- well, you have to read it to find out…

The whole book is just such a fun and magical experience. While the romance between Rain and Ellie is a large part of the book, Wilson did not neglect to provide a wonderfully told story filled with excitement, intrigue, humor and drama. Each character is fully and skillfully developed, from Ellie’s strict yet loving mother and her lovable, mischievous twin sisters to Rain’s entourage of deadly Fey warriors, each a memorable character in their own right. There is also the fairytale quality to the story, of the poor woodcarver’s daughter, discovered by a king and whisked away to become his queen. Ellie refers a couple of times to a Cinderella-like character, who she relates to, as she suddenly finds herself in the unfamiliar, glittering world of the nobility.

Lord of the Fading Lands is a book that I highly recommend and which I look forward to reading again and again. I'm now eager to continue on to the next book in the series, Lady of Light and Shadows, to see if it stands up to a reread as successfully as the first book did.

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

I had received Lost in A Good Book, the sequel to The Eyre Affair (reviewed here) by Jasper Fforde, a few weeks ago and it took me a while to find the time to read it. I guess I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed The Eyre Affair, otherwise I would have made reading this book a priority. It was just such a fun and pleasurable read that if I had the third book on hand, I would have just kept on reading through the night.

At the end of The Eyre Affair, Thursday Next finally married Landen and defeated the evil Achron Hades. Now happily married and a reluctant celebrity, Thursday is back at work as a Spec-Op 27 literary detective. But the Goliath Corporation wants Hades back and they are willing to take some very harsh measures to force Thursday's compliance. Thursday's newlywed bliss is short lived when she returns home one day to discover that her husband has been eradicated and no one but her remembers that he ever existed. Those behind the eradication assure Thursday that the only way she will get her husband back is by retrieving Achron Hades from Poe's The Raven, where she had trapped him.

With no other options available, Thursday begins to investigate her own powers of book jumping. Along the way she becomes apprenticed to the wily, action loving Ms. Havisham, gets prosecuted in Kafka's The Trial and attempts to save the world from being turned into a mysterious pink, sticky confection.

In Lost in A Good Book, Fforde once again brings to life some of literature's favorite characters, giving them interesting personality quirks that I'm certain the original authors had never intended for them. But as Thursday runs from one crazy adventure to another, there remains a serious undertone to the story as she struggles to bring back her eradicated husband with whom she had just begun to discover the joys of love and marriage. Fforde skilfully manages to balance the humor of the story with the underlying poignancy of Thursday's loss, providing the book and its characters with an unexpected depth.

If you enjoyed The Eyre Affair, then I highly recommend that you follow Thursday Next to her continuing adventures in Lost in a Good Book. And if you have not yet tried a Jasper Fforde book, I suggest that you do so quickly as you are certainly missing out on some great reading fun.

Fantasy Book Reviews

The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas

A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede

Bayou Moon (Edge, Book 2) by Ilona Andrews

Blameless by Gail Carriger

Bloodlist (audio book) by P.N Elrod

The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Dale

Brightly Woven by Andrea Bracken

Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

The Demon's Lexicon by Saah Rees Brennan

The Desert Spear by Peter Brett

Eyes Like Stars(audio book) by Lisa Mantchev

Glenraven by Marion Zimmer Bradley

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Just Plain Bad (Bad-Ass Fairies Anthology, Book 2) Edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Lord Foul's Bane (Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1) by Stephen R. Donaldson

Lord of the Fading Lands (Tairen Soul, Book 1) by C.L Wilson

Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next, Book 2) by Jasper Fforde

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

My Mother, She Killed Me, My Father, He Ate Me Edited by Kate Bernheimer

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) by Patricia Briggs

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

On The Edge by Ilona Andrews

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Audio book) by Scott Lynch

Servant of a Dark God by John Brown

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Shadow's Son by John Sprunk

Something Rotten (Thursday Next, Book 4) by Jasper Fforde

Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Spellwright by Blake Charlton

Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson

The Blending by Sharon Green

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Witch Fire by James Clemens