New Scifi & Fantasy Releases: Week of January 30

This week's list of new releases includes a wonderfully varied selection of books, from mysteries about magical cats (Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly) to a biography about Howard Thurston (The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards by Jim Steinmeyer).

Some other interesting looking books that caught my eye include License to Ensorcell by Katharine Kerr, which seems very different from the kind of fantasy I'm used to seeing by her (and includes an Israeli Secret Agent, hmm..) and Journal of a UFO Investigator by David Halperin, which I actually should be receiving for review and really look forward to reading.

And there are two books here that I desperately covet, though I'm unlikely to get my hands on them anytime soon, and those are Brayan's Gold by Peter Brett (because it' so pretty...) and The King of the Crag by Stephen Deas (because I LOVED The Adamantine Palace).

So what about you? Will any of these books be finding a home on your bookshelf?

Hope you have a great reading week!





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The Alchemist 
Paolo Bacigalupi and J. K. Drummond
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Subterranean
Release Date: January 31 

Magic has a price. But someone else will pay. Every time a spell is cast, a bit of bramble sprouts, sending up tangling vines, bloody thorns, and threatening a poisonous sleep. It sprouts in tilled fields and in neighbors' roof beams, thrusts up from between street cobbles, and bursts forth from sacks of powdered spice. A bit of magic, and bramble follows. A little at first, and then more--until whole cities are dragged down under tangling vines and empires lie dead, ruins choked by bramble forest. Monuments to people who loved magic too much.

In paired novellas, award-winning authors Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi explore a shared world where magic is forbidden and its use is rewarded with the axe. A world of glittering memories and a desperate present, where everyone uses a little magic, and someone else always pays the price.

In the beleageured city of Khaim, a lone alchemist seeks a solution to a deadly threat. The bramble, a plant that feeds upon magic, now presses upon Khaim, nourished by the furtive spellcasting of its inhabitants and threatening to strangle the city under poisonous vines. Driven by desperation and genius, the alchemist constructs a device that transcends magic, unlocking the mysteries of bramble s essential nature. But the power of his newly-built balanthast is even greater than he dreamed. Where he sought to save a city and its people, the balanthast has the potential to save the world entire--if it doesn t destroy him and his family first.

Blackveil (Green Rider, Bk 4)
Kristen Britain
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: February 1 

Once a simple student, Karigan G'ladheon finds herself in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand when she becomes a legendary Green Rider-one of the magical messengers of the king. Forced by magic to accept a dangerous fate she would never have chosen, headstrong Karigan has become completely devoted to the king and her fellow Riders. But now, an insurrection led by dark magicians threatens to break the boundaries of ancient, evil Blackveil Forest-releasing powerful dark magics that have been shut away for a millennium.

Blood Wine 
Yasmine Galenorn
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 1 

The D'Artigo sisters have just turned in their badges to the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Now that they're free agents they're hoping things will be easier, but when you're half-human, half-Fae, things can go astray at the most inopportune times...especially if you're attempting to go undercover and penetrate the underworld of a vamp society on the brink of war.

Blood of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles
Kate Pearce
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: February 1

When vampire slayer Rosalind Llewellyn had to join forces with her enemy Christopher Ellis to defeat a rogue vampire threatening Henry VIII, their alliance led to a surprising passion. Reunited after a year's separation, they now face a new threat that could destroy their last chance at happiness.

Brayan's Gold (novella)
Peter Brett
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Subterranean
Release Date: January 31

Return to the world of The Warded Man and The Desert Spear in an illustrated new novella by Peter V. Brett.

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.

Arlen Bales is seventeen, an apprentice Messenger in brand new armor, about to go out for the first time alongside a trained Messenger on a simple overnight trip. Instead Arlen finds himself alone on a frozen mountainside, carrying a dangerous cargo to Count Brayan's gold mine, one of the furthest points in the duchy. And One Arm, the giant rock demon, hunts him still.

But Brayan's Gold may offer a way for Arlen to be free of One Arm forever, if he is willing to wager his life on the chance.

Brendan 
Morgan Llywelyn
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 1

This is the story of Saint Brendan the Navigator, whose legendary quest to find the Isle of the Blessed is one of the most remarkable and enduring early Christian tales. Among Irish saints, Brendan the Navigator is second only to Patrick. Founder of several monasteries, he most famously guided a group of monks on a dangerous journey into the unknown vastness of the ocean on a search for Paradise.

Based on the medieval “Life of St Brendan,” Morgan Llywelyn's imaginative retelling of the Christian legend of this most remarkable man is a lyrical and surprising feast for the mind and heart. It is a story of truth and transcendence, and inner strength and daily discipline, a story of love and longing, and a story of towering faith. And of course, miracles.


Curiosity Thrilled the Cat: A Magical Cats Mystery
Sofie Kelly
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Mystery
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: February 1 

When librarian Kathleen Paulson moved to Mayville Heights, Minnesota, she had no idea that two strays would nuzzle their way into her life. Owen is a tabby with a catnip addiction and Hercules is a stocky tuxedo cat who shares Kathleen's fondness for Barry Manilow. But beyond all the fur and purrs, there's something more to these felines. When murder interrupts Mayville's Music Festival, Kathleen finds herself the prime suspect. More stunning is her realization that Owen and Hercules are magical-and she's relying on their skills to solve a purr-fect murder.


Darkness Dawns 
Dianne Duvall
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Zebra
Release Date: February 1

Once, Sarah Bingham's biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she's handed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control...

In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible - when it means forfeiting the world she's always known, and the life he would do anything to protect.

The Executioness
Tobias S. Buckell and J. K. Drummond
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Subterranean
Release Date: January 31

Magic has a price. But someone else will pay. Every time a spell is cast, a bit of bramble sprouts, sending up tangling vines, bloody thorns, and threatening a poisonous sleep. It sprouts in tilled fields and in neighbors' roof beams, thrusts up from between street cobbles, and bursts forth from sacks of powdered spice. A bit of magic, and bramble follows. A little at first, and then more--until whole cities are dragged down under tangling vines and empires lie dead, ruins choked by bramble forest. Monuments to people who loved magic too much.

In paired novellas, award-winning authors Tobias Buckell and Paolo Bacigalupi explore a shared world where magic is forbidden and its use is rewarded with the axe. A world of glittering memories and a desperate present, where everyone uses a little magic, and someone else always pays the price. Magic has a price.

In Khaim, that price is your head if you're found using it. For the use of magic comes with a side effect: it creates bramble. The bramble is a creeping, choking menace that has covered majestic ancient cities, and felled civilizations. In order to prevent the spread of the bramble, many lose their heads to the cloaked executioners of Khaim. Tana is one of these executioners, taking the job over from her ailing father in secret, desperate to keep her family from starvation. But now her family has been captured by raiders, and taken to a foreign city. So Khaim's only female executioner begins a quest to bring her family back together. A bloody quest that will change lives, cities, and even an entire land, forever. A quest that will create the legend of The Executioness.


Forest Moon Rising ( A Tess Noncoire Adventure)
P. R. Frost
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: February 1 

Tess Noncoiré, successful fantasy writer and Celestial Blade Warrior, has made a deal with the Powers That Be, forfeiting her own dreams in order to save those nearest and dearest to her. Having survived this unprecedented experience, Tess, along with her imp Scrap, is determined to hunt down a demonic intruder from another dimension, the Norglein, who seems bent on ravishing young women, leaving them pregnant, and waiting for the proper time to steal their babies away for his own purposes.


Halfway Hexed
Kimberly Frost
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 1 

New witch Tammy Jo Trask has a whole town full of trouble, in the latest from the national bestselling author of Barely Bewitched. First, there are the local residents who form a scripture-spouting posse and kidnap Tammy to "defend" Duvall, Texas, against witchcraft. Next, someone saddles her with a secret package chock full of dangerous visions, just as the president of WAM-the World Association of Magic- arrives with his entourage to investigate her. And who worse to examine Tammy's entanglement with off-limits and drop-dead gorgeous wizard Bryn Lyons than his ex-girlfriend? Not to mention that the clash between the locals and the magical visitors leads to a series of unnatural disasters that may doom them all. While the fate of the town hangs in the balance, one thing's certain: this would-be witch is ready to rumble, Texas style.

Iorich
Steven Brust
Genre:
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 1

House Jhereg, Dragaera's organized crime syndicate, is still hunting Vlad Taltos. There's a big price on his head on Draegara City. Then he hears disturbing news. Aliera--longtime friend, sometime ally--has been arrested by the Empire on a charge of practicing elder sorcery, a capital crime. It doesn't make sense. Everybody knows Aliera's been dabbling in elder sorcery for ages. Why is the Empire down on her now? Why aren't her powerful friends--Morrolan, Sethra, the Empress Zerika--coming to her rescue? And most to the point, why has she utterly refused to do anything about her own defense?

It would be idiotic of Vlad to jump into this situation. He's a former Jhereg who betrayed the House. He's an Easterner--small, weak, short-lived. He's being searched for by the most remorseless killers in the world. Naturally, that's exactly why he's going to get completely involved...


Journal of a UFO Investigator 
David Halperin
Genre:
Publisher :Viking
Release Date: February 3

A sparkling debut novel set in the sixties about a boy's emotional and fantastical journey through alien worlds and family pain. Against the backdrop of the troubled 1960s, this coming-of-age novel weaves together a compelling psychological drama and vivid outer-space fantasy.

Danny Shapiro is an isolated teenager, living with a dying mother and a hostile father and without friends. To cope with these circumstances, Danny forges a reality of his own, which includes the sinister "Three Men in Black", mysterious lake creatures with insectlike carapaces, a beautiful young seductress and thief with whom Danny falls in love, and an alien/human love child who-if only Danny can keep her alive-will redeem the planet.

Danny's fictional world blends so seamlessly with his day-to-day life that profound questions about what is real and what is not, what is possible and what is imagined begin to arise. As the hero in his alien landscape, he finds the strength to deal with his own life and to stand up to demons both real and imagined.

Told with heart and intellect, Journal of a UFO Investigator will remind readers of the works of Michael Chabon and Jonathan Lethem.

The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards 
Jim Steinmeyer
Genre: Biography
Publisher: Tarcher
Release Date: February 3

Here is the seminal biography of the magician's magician, Howard Thurston, a man who surpassed Houdini in the eyes of showmen and fans and set the standard fro how stage magic is performed today. Everyone knows Houdini-but who was Thurston? In this rich, vivid biography of the "greatest magician in the world," celebrated historian of stage magic Jim Steinmeyer captures the career and controversies of the wonder-worker extraordinaire, Howard Thurston. The public's fickleness over magicians has left Thurston all but forgotten today. Yet Steinmeyer shows how his story is one of the most remarkable in show business.

During his life, from 1869 to 1936, Thurston successfully navigated the most dramatic changes in entertainment-from street performances to sideshows to wagon tours through America's still-wild West to stage magic amid the glitter of grand theaters. Thurston became one of America's most renowned vaudeville stars, boldly performing an act with just a handful of playing cards, and then had the foresight to leave vaudeville, expanding his show into an extravaganza with more than forty tons of apparatusand costumes. His touring production was an American institution for nearly thirty years, and Thurston earned a brand name equal to Ziegfeld or Ringling Brothers. Steinmeyer explores the stage and psychological rivalry between Thurston and Houdini during the first decades of the twentieth century- a contest that Thurston won. He won with a bigger show, a more successful reputation, and the title of America's greatest magician.

In The Last Greatest Magician in the World, Thurston's magic show is revealed as the one that animates our collective memories.

The Locket
Stacie Jay
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: February 3

On her seventeenth birthday, Katie discovers a locket and decides to wear it for good luck. But when her boyfriend Isaac finds out she cheated on him— with their mutual best friend Mitch, no less—he dumps her, leaving her devastated.

And then a miracle happens. The locket burns on Katie's chest and she feels herself going back two weeks in time, to the night she cheated with Mitch. At first, Kate is delighted to be a better girlfriend to Isaac this time around. But as other aspects of her life become inexplicably altered, she realizes that changing the past may have had a dangerous effect on her present.

Can she make things right before the locket destroys everything—and everyone—she loves?

Leviathans of Jupiter
Ben Bove
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 1

In Ben Bova's novel JUPITER, physicist Grant Archer led an expedition into Jupiter's hostile planetwide ocean, attempting to study the unusual and massive creatures that call the planet their home. Unprepared for the hostile environment and crushing pressures, Grant's team faced certain death as their ship malfunctioned and slowly sank to the planet's depths. However one of Jupiter's native creatures--a city-sized leviathan--saved the doomed ship. This creature's act convinced Grant that the huge creatures were intelligent, but he lacked scientific proof. Now, several years later, Grant prepares a new expedition to prove once and for all that the huge creatures are intelligent. The new team faces dangers from both the hostile environment and from humans who will do anything to make sure the mission is a failure, even if it means murdering the entire crew.

License to Ensorcell
Katharine Kerr
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: February 1

Psychic Agent Nola O'Grady isn't sure returning to San Francisco, and living near her unusual family, is a good idea. Her job, with a psychic agency so obscure even the CIA doesn't know it exists, can be perilous, and she's afraid of the relatives getting involved. Then the Agency saddles her with Israeli secret agent Ari Nathan, and she has a bigger problem on her hands, because tact and compromise are not Ari's strong points. Their mission is to track down a serial killer obsessed with werewolves. He sees them everywhere and shoots whenever he thinks he has one in his sights. Ari assumes the man's psychotic, but in truth he's murdering actual werewolves. Nola should know. Her younger brother Pat, a lycanthrope, was the first victim. Can Nola's psychic talents and Ari's skill with guns keep them alive long enough to unravel the greater mystery behind the killings? Can they save the werewolves and the world while stopping Nola's family from running headlong into danger?

Messiah (Apotheosis: Book Three)
S. Andrew Swann
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: February 1 

The last stand against the self-proclaimed God, Adam, has retreated to the anarchic planet Bakunin-a world besieged by civil war. Humanity's last hope lies with Nickolai Rajasthan, a Moreau who believes that the human race that created his kind is already damned beyond redemption.


Mists of Velvet ( The Immortals of Annwyn: Book Two)
Sophie Renwick
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: NAL
Release Date: February 1 

Hidden from mortals, Annwyn, the Otherworld, is home to shapeshifters, wraiths and dragons. Rhys MacDonald, the mortal great-grandson of a banished prince races to Annwyn to offer help when his ancient homeland is threatened by a dangerous Dark Magick. There he encounters a young goddess and shapeshifter, who thinks he is the mate foreseen in her dreams. Bound together by the flames of desire, they discover that destiny-and the Dark Magick- has other plans for them...


People of the Longhouse 
Michael W. Gear and Kathlean O'Neal Gear
Genre: Alternate History
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 1

Six hundred years ago in what would become the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, five Iroquois tribes were locked in bitter warfare. From the ashes of violence, a great Peacemaker was born… Young Odion and his little sister, Tutelo, live in fear that one day Yellowtail Village will be attacked.

When that day comes and Odion and Tutelo are marched away as slaves, their only hope is that their parents will rescue them. Their mother, War Chief Koracoo, and their father, Deputy Gonda, think they are tracking an ordinary war party herding captive children to an enemy village. Koracoo and Gonda do not know that Odion and Tutelo have fallen into the hands of a legendary evil: Gannajero the Trader. Known as the Crow, she is a figure out of nightmare, a witch who captures children for her own nefarious purposes. No one can stand against her powers—except perhaps the mysterious Forest Spirit whose tracks have crisscrossed their own throughout their journey. Odion and the other children struggle to survive their brutal captivity. They, too, have seen the Forest Spirit. But like their parents, they can’t be sure if the Spirit is a friend—or is in league with Gannajero….



The King of the Crags (The Memory of Flames, Book II)
Stephen Deas
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: February 1

Prince Jehal has had his way-now his lover Zafir sits atop the Realms with hundreds of dragons and their riders at her beck and call. But Jehal's plots are far from over, for he isn't content to sit back and watch Zafir command the earth and sky. He wants that glory for himself- no matter who he must sacrifice to get it. The one thing Jehal fears is that the white dragon still lives-and if that is so, then blood will flow, on all sides...

Nightshade
Michelle Rowan
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 1 

Jillian Conrad never believed in vampires-until she was unwillingly injected with a serum that was supposed to act as a deadly poison to them. Now, tormented half-vampire Declan Reese wants her blood to destroy the undead kingdom. Unfortunately, the serum has also made her blood irresistible to all vampires-including Declan, whose desire for Jillian is more than mere hunger.



On the Hunt 
Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Andersen, Deidre Knight,
Genre: Paranormal Romance Anthology
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: February 1

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter, Shannon K. Butcher, Jessica Anderson, and Deidre Knight present a steamy collection of all-new novellas featuring sexy paranormal hunters. With shadowy creatures, intoxicating magic, vivdly imagined worlds, and sizzling passion, this is an anthology no fan of paranormal romance will want to miss.


Reaper’s Justice 
Sarah McCarty
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 1 

An exciting new paranormal historical romance series set in post- Civil War America.

When the War Between the States came to its end, the battle inside Isaiah Jones raged on. Neither fully human nor fully wolf, he found his peace-and the passion his inner wolf craved-with Adelaide Cameron. Though their union was forbidden by the werewolf soldiers, Isaiah satisfied his urges by guarding her from afar. But when Adelaide is abducted, Isaiah must not only expose his dark nature, but invite her into the shadows with him.

Siren's Surrender ( A Dark Tides Novel)
Devyn Quinn
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: February 1 

Never embracing her mermaid heritage, Gwen Lonike lives in the human world as the owner of a Maine B&B. But when the gateway to a lost mermaid kingdom is opened, freeing its dangerous queen, Gwen can no longer hide, nor keep her secret from covert agent Blake Whittaker, who's assigned to trail a strange thread of paranormal activity. How long can Gwen and her sisters remain safe from a destructive queen, and from Blake's superiors, whose ultimate mission could prove the greatest threat of all?



Raven’s Quest
Anya Best
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: February 1 

Epic fantasy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the Elemental Witch quartet. Branna ta Cattia is the Raven, a high priestess who has come to Numia to defeat its tyrant. It's a journey made on the strength of her prophetic dreams, visions of ancient rituals, sacred spells, and of a handsome stranger destined to help her.


Stations of the Tide
Michael Swanwick
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Orb
Release Date: February 1 

The Jubilee Tides will drown the continents of the planet Miranda beneath the weight of her own oceans. But as the once-in-two-centuries cataclysm approaches, an even greater catastrophe threatens this dark and dangerous planet of tale-spinners, conjurers, and shapechangers. A man from the Bureau of Proscribed Technologies has been sent to investigate. For Gregorian has come, a genius renegade scientist and charismatic bush wizard. With magic and forbidden technology, he plans to remake the rotting, dying world in his own evil image—and to force whom or whatever remains on its diminishing surface toward a terrifying and astonishing confrontation with death and transcendence.

This novel of surreal hard SF was compared to the fiction of Gene Wolfe when it was first published, and the author has gone on in the two decades since to become recognized as one of the finest living SF and fantasy writers.

Storm of Reckoning 
Doranna Durgin
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 1

Lisa McGarrity lives to hunt ghosts. With the able assistance of her loyal ghostbusting team, of course . . . and the unexpected powers of Trevarr, a fiercely driven demon-hunter from another dimension. Their last mission—a supposedly simple haunting that turned into a demonic free-for-all—left them battered and ready for some R&R. But rest has to wait. Garrie and her team are summoned by an old friend in Sedona who desperately needs some occult assistance. Making matters worse, Trevarr has reappeared, bloody and bruised . . . and exiled forever from his homeworld.

While happy to have Trevarr back at her side, Garrie is shocked to discover that Sedona’s ethereal breezes are quiet, the usual paranormal activity nearly nonexistant . . . except for some oddball power surges that don’t “taste” like our world at all. Then Garrie’s friend disappears and all hell seems about to break loose as Sedona’s ghosts rise up against Garrie and her team. With Trevarr’s not-cat bond-partner hinting at dire trouble on their trail and Trevarr himself seeing enemies at every turn, Garrie is running out of time to figure out just what’s happening in the Southwest…and to put a stop to it.


The Sea Thy Mistress
Elizabeth Bear
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: February 1 

In this direct sequel to Elizabeth Bear’s highly acclaimed All the Windwracked Stars picks up the story some fifty years after Muire went into the sea and became the new Bearer of Burdens. Beautiful Cathoair, now an immortal warrior angel, has been called back to the city of Eiledon to raise his son--Muire’s son as well, cast up on shore as an infant. It is seemingly a quiet life. But deadly danger approaches…the evil goddess Heythe, who engineered the death of Valdyrgard, has travelled forward in time on her rainbow steed. She came expecting to gloat over a dead world, the proof of her revenge, but instead she finds a Rekindled land, renewed by Muire’s sacrifice. She will have her revenge by forcing this new Bearer of Burdens to violate her oaths and break her bounds and thus bring about the true and final end of Valdyrgard. She will do it by tormenting both Cathoair and his son Cathmar. But Mingan, the gray wolf, sees his old enemy Heythe’s return. He will not allow it to happen again.

Thief of Light
Denise Rossetti
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Berkley
Release Date: February 1

When Prue McGuire is kidnapped by the Necromancer-an evil entity that feasts on souls-Erik the Golden must harness his air Magick to recover the woman he has come to love more than life itself.



Trouble and her Friends 
Melissa Scott
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Orb
Release Date: February 1

India Carless, alias Trouble, managed to stay one step ahead of the feds until she retired from life as a hacker and settled down to run a small network for an artist’s co-op. Now someone has stolen her pseudonym and begun to use it for criminal hacking. So Trouble returns. Once the fastest gun on the electronic frontier, she has been called out of retirement for one last fight. And it’s a killer. Less than a hundred years from now, the forces of law and order crack down on the world of the Internet. It is the closing of the frontier. The hip, noir adventurers who got by on wit, bravado, and drugs, who haunt the virtual worlds of the shadows of cyberspace are up against the edges of civilization. It’s time to adapt or die.


Unseen (Outcast Season: Bk 3)
Rachel Caine
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: February 1 

After Cassiel and Warden Luis Rocha rescue an adept child from a maniacal Djinn, they realize two things: the girl is already manifesting an incredible amount of power, and her kidnapping was not an isolated incident. This Djinn-aided by her devoted followers-is capturing children all over the world, and indoctrinating them so she can use their strength for herself. With no other options, Cassiel infiltrates the Djinn's organization-because if Cassiel cannot stop the Djinn's apocalyptic designs, all of humanity may be destroyed.


Uprising Vampire Federation
Sean McCabe
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Signet Select
Release Date: February 1 

A gruesome ritual murder has stained the Oxfordshire countryside. It's just the first incident in a chain of events awakening Detective Inspector Joel Solomon to his worst nightmare-and a dreadful omen of things to come. Because Joel has a secret: he believes in vampires. Alex Bishop is an agent of the Vampire Intelligence Agency. She's tasked with enforcing the laws of the global Vampire Federation, and hunting rogue members of her race. A tough job made tougher when the Federation comes under attack by traditionalist vampires. They have a stake in old-school terror-and in an uprising as violent as it is widespread. Now it's plunging Alex and Joel into a deadly war between the living and the unloving-and against a horrifying tradition given new life by the blood of the innocent.


Visions of Magic
Regan Hastings
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: February 1

In the ten years since magic has reemerged in the world, witches have become feared and hunted. For weeks Shea Jameson has been haunted by visions of fire. When she unintentionally performs a spell in public, she becomes one of the hunted. Her only hope is Torin, a dangerously sensual man who claims to be her eternal mate. 


The Werewolf Upstairs 
Ashlyn Chase
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: February 1

Petty crime never looked so good... Alpha werewolf Konrad Wolfensen sees it as his duty to protect the citizens of Boston, even if it means breaking into their businesses just to prove their security systems don't work. But when his unsolicited services land him in trouble with the law, he'll have to turn to his sexy new neighbor for help. She should know better... Attorney Roz Wells is bored. She used to have such a knack for attracting the weird and unexpected, but ever since she took a job as a Boston public defender, the quirky quotient in her life has taken a serious hit. Until her sexy werewolf neighbor starts coming around...


Zombiesque
Editors: Stephen L. Antczak, James C. Bassett, Martin H. Greenberg
Genre: Anthology
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: February 1 

From a tropical resort where visitors can become temporary zombies, to a newly-made zombie determined to protect those he loves, to a cheerleader who won't let death kick her off the team, to a zombie seeking revenge for the ancestors who died on an African slave ship-- Zombiesque invites readers to take a walk on the undead side in these tales from a zombie's point of view.

Audio Book Review: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, read by Gerard Doyle

Alice in Wonderland is not my favorite book and so it’s unlikely that I would have picked up The Looking Glass Wars if it hadn’t been featured on my library’s digital book homepage, and if I wasn’t in a hurry. But I needed to quickly choose and download an audio book and The Looking Glass Wars was there, so I decided to chance it. And boy am I glad that I did because this book was really fantastic.

The looking Glass Wars is an alternate version of Alice in Wonderland in which Alice (which she spells Alyss), the princess of Wonderland, is forced to leave her kingdom and escape to our world after the Redd Queen conquers Wonderland and destroys the royal family.

The story opens up with young Alyss being presented with the recently written Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by her friend Reverend Charles Dodgeson. Dodgeson had been inspired to write it after listening to Alyss’s imaginative stories about Wonderland and its fantastic creatures, promising that the story would be both of theirs. But after glancing through the book Alyss becomes furious at Dodgeson and his ridiculous story, which is nothing at all like what she had told him, and swears to never speak to him again, before running away.

The story then jumps back several years to the kingdom of Wonderland where Alyss’s seventh birthday is being celebrated in a grand fashion. There is dancing and feasting and a special parade, all in Alice’s honor. And Alice herself is at the center of it all, basking in the adoration of the Wonderlanders. With her strong imagination Alice will someday be the most powerful queen Wonderland has ever seen, though that day still seems far away. In the meantime, Alice’s imagination is most often put to use in mischievous but harmless pranks, much to her mother’s disapproval.

But the birthday celebration comes to an abrupt halt when the Redd Queen and her army break into the palace, slaughtering everyone in their path. With a last look at her mother, Alyss is spirited away by Hatter Madigan, her mother’s bodyguard, before the Red Queen can take notice of her.

With nowhere safe to hide in Wonderland, Alyss and Hatter jump into the Pool of Tears, a magical portal. Alyss emerges from a puddle in 18th century London, all alone. Heartbroken and confused, Alyss struggles to survive in this foreign world where her tales of Wonderland the magical power of Imagination only lead to ridicule. And so Alyss slowly turns her back on her past, almost convinced that she had imagined it all.

As Alyss becomes integrated in her new world, Wonderland falls under the crushing heel of the Redd Queen and her followers, and all supporters of the Heart family are destroyed. Black Imagination takes over and the land becomes a place of suffering and pain. Everyone believes Princess Alyss to have been murdered, all but Hatter Madigan who had lost the princess in the Pool of Tears and won’t rest until he finds her. Even if it means searching every corner of the globe for the rest of his life.

As I said, this was a fantastic book. The story was creative and fully engaging with wonderfully rich characters that really came alive for me. Many of the central characters in The Looking Glass Wars are based on characters from the original Alice in Wonderland. Instead of a white rabbit there is Bibwit Hare, Alice’s tutor. The Mad Hatter appears in the form of the sober but deadly bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, whose top hat turns into a dangerous weapon. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are converted into General Doppelganger, the commander of the royal army who can split into two characters, Dopel and Ganger. And the cat is no smiling Cheshire but an assassin of the Red Queen who can trick his enemies by taking the form of a sweet cat.

There are also several wholly original characters, such as Dodge Anders, Alyss’s best friend from childhood who becomes hardened after seeing his father murdered by the Red Queen’s assassin.

Beddor even includes some factual characters and events in the book as well, such as Charles Dodgeson, aka Lewis Carroll, and his book Alice and Wonderland, as well as some events from the real life of Alice Liddell.

I really enjoyed the magical aspects of Wonderland, such as such as the way citizens could from one place to another by using mirrors or how magic could be performed with the use of imagination. Though Beddor doesn't explain if non-royal citizens with imagination are also able to perform magic, which does disappoint me a bit.

I listened to the audio version of Through the Looking Glass, read by Gerard Doyle, who does an excellent job. From the very beginning, Doyle swept me into the story and then continued to keep me enthralled by the vivid images his voice painted in my head. Somehow Doyle manages to read each character in a different and unique voice so that I was never confused about who the current speaker was. His British accent also imbues certain words with an additional charm, and each time he would say “tarty tart” (a popular Wonderland treat) I would shiver in delight. (Just try saying “tarty tart” with a British accent and you’ll see what I mean. Unless you already have a British accent in which case you probably have no idea what I’m talking about).

I have read some criticisms of Beddor’s writing style, character development, the limited world building and a few other things, but I didn’t notice any of these problems while listening to the book. Perhaps Doyle's manner of reading smoothed out for me any cracks in the story telling, but whatever the case may be, for me it was a fully entertaining experience that left me with no complaints. I loved the story, the characters and the world of Wonderland and I intend to read (or listen to) the sequel as soon as possible.

I do want to mention that while Through the Looking Glass is a young adult book is does get pretty dark in place which might make it an unsuitable book for young readers. I would say it's an appropriate book for older YA readers and adults, but that's just my personal opinion.

If you are looking for a good audio book to listen to than I full-heartedly recommend The Looking Glass Wars, whether you are an Alice in Wonderland fan or not. And if you have never listened to an audio book before, this one will make you a convert.

And even though I didn’t actually read the book I’m still going to go ahead and recommend it because I did enjoy the story so much and can't imagine that it would be any less pleasurable in the written form.

My Mini-Vacation (and some gloating)

Yesterday, while you all were going about your regular daily routines I was enjoying a min-vacation at the Dead Sea. And yes, I'm writing this post just to gloat.

Last week my husband had surprised me by announcing that he was sending me away for a night's stay at a hotel by the Dead Sea. I was getting too grouchy, he said, and seemed like I could use a bit of a break from the kids. And I forgave him for saying that (and really, who wouldn't be a little extra-tense when their two-year old suddenly becomes incredibly clingy and has a fit every time they leave the room, and has started waking up several times each night making numerous demands that must be met or else everyone will be awoken by loud screams? Just saying. )because he was sending me on vacation.

So yesterday I caught a bus to the Dead Sea and arrived at the Prima Spa Club Hotel around 4PM, immediately soothed by the serene atmosphere (a combination of some wonderful floral scent and a wonderful no-children policy). When I entered my room I was tempted to just curl up in the beautifully made bed with it's fluffy pillows and sleep for twenty hours straight (I only had the room until 11 am, the next day), but instead I headed across the street to the hotel's private beach. The beach was pretty empty so I didn't feel too self-conscious about what I did next, which was walk into the water fully clothed- because I had forgotten to bring a bathing suit (which is a good example of why you shouldn't pack in the last minute). It was amazing though, just floating there effortlessly on top of the water.

I was probably there for about half an hour, at which point it was becoming too chilly to be enjoyable. I dripped and squelched back to the hotel where I enjoyed a long, hot shower, reveling in the knowledge that I could spend hours in that shower and no little kid would be banging on the door, demanding that I get out (though the hotel manager might not be too happy with me).

The rest of my stay was spent eating as much as I could at the breakfast and dinner buffets and making interesting tea concoctions in the lounge (there were glass jars of different tea leaves and a kettle of hot water so guests could make their own tea at any time) and sleeping. I'm proud to say that I even spent 30 minutes in the gym (exercising, no less) which I vow will be the start of a regular exercise regiment (and which I'll continue sometime soon...). After checkout I still had a couple of hours until it was time to catch my bus so I went to the hotel's garden where some comfy looking bean bags were scattered around and settled into one of them with a book for the rest of my vacation.

I had a great time and really enjoyed getting a whole day and a half to myself. I think it's been about four years since I last went away for that long, and I certainly appreciated the break. Though the minute I walked into the house my kids were on top of me demanding to eat, to be held or to be avenged for some wrong done by their siblings.

The soothing atmosphere of the Prima Club Hotel is fast becoming a distant memory, but it's a nice memory at least. And now I'm off to catch up with the laundry.

The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

It’s been years since I last read a book by Orson Scott Card and so I was thrilled when Tor provided me with a copy of his newest book, The Lost Gate. for review. I had loved Card's Alvin the Maker series when I was younger and I was eager to delve into another of his wonderful fantasy worlds.

When the powerful gatemaker Loki closed off all the gates to the magical world of Westil, all of the Gods were cut off from the source of their power, leaving them greatly weakened. Fourteen centuries later they are just shadows of their former selves, forced to live among the magic-free humans, or drowthers, and hoping that someday a gate will be discovered that will allow them to return to Westil.

In the meantime, the families of these gods have spread out across the continent, doing battle with each other, every so often, to make sure that no one family becomes too powerful. In another bid to ensure that a balance is maintained between the families, it has been ruled that if a gatemaker is born into any of the families they must be immediately killed so that no one family alone gains the means to return to Westil.

Danny North is part of the North clan, descended from Norse gods and now living on a secluded compound in Virginia. Each member of the family has a unique magical skill and Danny, as the son of the two most powerful mages, is expected to be particularly powerful. So when it turns out that Danny isn’t even capable of doing the simplest spells he becomes a figure of ridicule, fit only for menial tasks like babysitting.

But one day Danny accidentally discovers that he has the power of a gatemaker and that he been making gates all over the compound without even realizing it. While at first he’s ecstatic to learn that he is not a worthless drowther after all, Danny soon realizes that his newfound talent will get him killed if anyone finds out about it. The only solution is for Danny to escape.

Transporting himself by a gate to the entrance of a Walmart, Danny makes a new start for himself in the outside world, using his powers to help him survive. As Danny learns to adjust to life among regular people he makes new discoveries about himself and his power as a gatemage. But is Danny powerful enough to create the great gate to Westil, the one which can make the Families as powerful as gods again? And does Danny even want to?

Meanwhile, in Westil, a man emerges one day from the trunk of a tree, having no memory of how he came to be there. He makes his way to the castle where the cook recognizes what he is and takes him under her wing, naming his Wad. Wad becomes a silent shadow in the castle, seeing everything that takes place but never participating himself- until the queen is threatened and the he chooses to act. Wad is suddenly embroiled in the court intrigues and his efforts to protect those he cares about will have devastating effects.

My feelings about The Lost Gate are somewhat mixed since there were aspects of the story that I really enjoyed, such as the idea of the gates and the Westil sub-plot, and others which I could barely tolerate, like Danny. Danny was probably the main impediment to my truly enjoying the book because he was just so obnoxious and annoying that I spent most of the book wanting to slap him upside the head. When one of the book’s characters does slap Danny, I gave a mental cheer. I think Danny was supposed to come across as a charming rogue with a silver tongue who is lovable despite his smart alecky behavior, but I wasn’t convinced.

I had a similar problem with another character, Veevee a middle-aged women who I believe is meant to be vivacious and irresistible but who I thought was simply creepy. Especially after she tracks Danny down and then practically throws herself at him. I wouldn’t have known she was even supposed to be likable if another character hadn’t told me so.

The only character in the whole book that I cared for at all was Wad, and unfortunately his story was not given as much as focus as Danny’s. I actually enjoyed reading about Westil and the characters there a lot more than I enjoyed the story which took place in the “real” world. The characters there were more interesting and I would have liked to spend more time getting to know them, instead of Danny and the people that he takes up with.

Aside from my issues with the characters, I also had trouble maintaining my interest in the story due to the slow pacing and lack of tension or suspense. When Danny escapes from the compound he is told that no one will be hunting for him, which I think was a big mistake. The story could have really used the tension that would have been present if Danny were also running for his life. But without it, Danny's escape and much of the ensuing events were rather bland and uninteresting. The series of events that take place after Danny left the compound seem to drag on without adding anything to the story as a whole. It’s possible this was meant to be a time for Danny to grow and mature but it didn’t seem to me that any such things occurred.

I also had a problem with one of the basic premises of the story which requires gatemakers to be killed. Considering that all the Families dream of returning to Wasil, what sense would it make to kill the only people who could make that happen?

What I did enjoy about the book was the idea of the gates, which are passages in space created by gatemages to travel through. Some of my favorite parts of the book are Danny’s discovery of the use of his magic and all the intricacies involved. And as I mentioned before, I particularly enjoyed the parallel story that takes place in Westil and I’ll probably end up reading the sequel to The Lost Gate just so I can follow up on the Westil plot and Wad.

So The Lost Gate was pretty disappointing, especially after I had read so many positive review of it. If I hadn’t received the book for review it would probably still be sitting on my shelf with a bookmark stuck somewhere within the first few chapters. It is possible, though, that I might have enjoyed The Lost Gate more when I was younger, and closer to the age of protagonist, as well as a less critical reader. So while this isn’t a book I will likely be recommending to many of my friends I think I might pass it on to some younger readers that I think might enjoy it more than I did.

New Scifi & Fantasy Releases: Week of January 23

Finally, some new releases that I'm actually excited about!

I've been eager to read The Warlord's Legacy, by Ari Marmell, since I enjoyed The Conqueror's Shadow so much, when I had read it last year. The False Princess is a book that I only came across a couple of days ago but the glowing review that I read of it had me immediately adding it to my TBR pile. There is also The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood, which I am currently halfway through and very much enjoying.

I have also read some very positive reviews of Brave New Worlds but I'm not yet at the point where I get as excited about short stories as I do about full-length novels. But it does look like an anthology that I would definitely like to read at some point, since I do enjoy enjoy dystopian fiction.

How about you? Are you as excited about any of this week's new releases as I am?

Hope you have a great reading week!



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Blessed
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release Date: January 25


Quincie P. Morris, teen restaurateuse and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life -- or undeath. Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents’ restaurant up and running. She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her wait staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature -- and a flaming sword -- and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it’s too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage




Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories
Edited by John Joseph Adams
(Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, Cory Doctorow, Paolo Bacigalupi, Orson Scott Card and more...)
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Release Date: January 25

When the government wields its power against its own people, every citizen becomes an enemy of the state. Will you fight the system, or be ground to dust beneath the boot of tyranny? In his smash-hit anthologies Wastelands and The Living Dead, acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams showed you what happens when society is utterly wiped away. Now he brings you a glimpse into an equally terrifying future what happens when civilization invades and dictates every aspect of your life? From 1984 to The Handmaid s Tale, from Children of Men to Bioshock, the dystopian imagination has been a vital and gripping cautionary force. Brave New Worlds collects 33 of the best tales of totalitarian menace by some of today's most visionary writers.



Dark Goddess (Devil's Kiss, Bk 2)
Sarwat Chadda
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: January 25


Billi's back, and it seems like the Unholy just can't take a hint. Still reeling from the death of her best friend, Kay, Billi's thrust back into action when the Templars are called to investigate werewolf activity. And these werewolves are like nothing Bilil's seen before. They call themselves the Polenitsy - Man Killers. The ancient warrior women of Eastern Europe, supposedly wiped out centuries ago. But now they're out of hiding and on the hunt for a Spring Child — an Oracle powerful enough to blow the volcano at Yellowstone — precipitating a Fimbulwinter that will wipe out humankind for good. The Templars follow the stolen Spring Child to Russia, and the only people there who can help are the Bogatyrs, a group of knights who may have gone to the dark side. To reclaim the Spring Child and save the world, Billi needs to earn the trust of Ivan Romanov, an arrogant young Bogatyr whose suspicious of people in general, and of Billi in particular. Dark Goddess is a page-turning, action-packed sequel that spans continents, from England to the Russian underworld and back. This is an adventure of folklore and myth become darkly real. Of the world running out of time. And of Billi SanGreal, the only one who can save it.


The Fallen Blade: Act One of the Assassini
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: January 27

Venice is at the height of its power. In theory Duke Marco commands. But Marco is a simpleton, so his aunt and uncle rule in his stead. Within the Serene Republic, their word is law, but for all their influence, Venice’s fate still lies in other hands . . . Lady Giulietta is the Duke’s cousin. She enjoys greater privilege than many can even dream of, but her status will demand a terrible price. Atilo Il Mauros is head of the Assassini, the shadow army that enforces Venice’s will-both at home and abroad. Prince Leopold is the bastard son of the German emperor and leader of the krieghund-the only force in Venice more feared than Atilo’s assassins. And then there is Atilo’s angel-faced apprentice. Only a boy, Tycho is already stronger and faster than any man has a right to be. He can see in the dark, but sunlight burns him. It is said that he drinks blood.



The False Princess
Eilis O'Neal
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: January 25

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia has led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when she learns, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city, her best friend, Kiernan, and the only life she’s ever known. Sent to live with her only surviving relative, Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. Then she discovers that long-suppressed, dangerous magic runs through her veins, and she realizes that she will never learn to be just a simple village girl. Sinda returns to the city to seek answers. Instead, she rediscovers the boy who refused to forsake her, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor’s history forever. An intricately plotted and completely satisfying adventure, The False Princess is both an engaging tale in the tradition of great fantasy novels and a story never told before that will enchant—and surprise—its listeners.


The Griffin's Flight (The Fallen Moon, Bk 2)
K.J. Taylor
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Ace Books
Release Date: January 25

Although he was once chosen as a griffin's companion, Arren Cardockson was reviled, betrayed, and ultimately killed. Brought back to life by a power beyond his understanding, Arren flees for the frozen sanctuary of the North. With the man-eating griffin Skandar by his side, and an entire country hunting him, Arren has little hope of reaching the place of his ancestry and of lifting his curse. But then he comes across a wild woman who may hold the key to making his lifeless heart beat once more.



The Iron Queen (Iron Fey, Bk 3)
Julie Kagawa,
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: January 25

In less than twenty-four hours I'll be seventeen. Although, technically, I won't actually be turning seventeen. I've been in the Nevernever too long. When you're in Faery, you don't age. So while a year has passed in the real world, agewise I'm probably only a few days older than when I went in. In real life, I've changed so much I don't even recognize myself. MY NAME IS MEGAN CHASE. I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it. THIS TIME, THERE WILL BE NO



Moon Flower
James P. Hogan
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Baen
Release Date: January 25

Something strange is happening on the planet Cyrene, which is in the early phases of being "developed" by the mammoth Interworld Restructuring Corporation. Terrans from the base there have been disappearing. Myles Callen, a ruthlessly efficient "Facilitator," is sent to investigate. Also with the mission is Marc Shearer, a young, idealistic quantum physicist, disillusioned with the world, who’s on his way to join a former colleague, Evan Wade. On arrival he finds that Wade too has vanished and doesn't want to be found by the Terran authorities. Wade has arranged contact via the Cyreneans, however, and accompanied by two companions that he has befriended, Shearer embarks on a journey to find his friend that will change Cyrene—and Earth itself.


Throat
R. A. Nelson
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 25

R. A. Nelson takes us on a supernatural thrill ride, a modern-day vampire story set on a NASA base and filled with space-and-science intrigue. Seventeen-year-old Emma feels cursed by her epilepsy - until the lost night. She's shocked to wake up in the hospital one morning, weak from blood loss. When her memories begin to return, she pieces together that it was a man - a monster - who attacked her: a vampire named Wirtz. And it was her very condition that saved her: a grand mal seizure interrupted Wirtz and left Emma with all the amazing powers of a vampire - heightened senses, rapid speed - but no need to drink blood. Is Emma now a half-vampire girl? One thing soon becomes clear: the vampire Wirtz is fierce and merciless, feared even by his own kind, and won't leave a job


The Sentinel Mage
Emily Gee
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Solaris
Release Date: January 25

Her magic may be the only thing that can save a prince—and the Seven Kingdoms. In a distant corner of the Seven Kingdoms, an ancient curse festers and grows, consuming everything in its path. Only one man can break it: Harkeld of Osgaard, a prince with mage’s blood in his veins. But Prince Harkeld has a bounty on his head—and assassins at his heels. Innis is a gifted shapeshifter. Now she must do the forbidden: become a man. She must stand at Prince Harkeld’s side as his armsman, protecting and deceiving him. But the deserts of Masse are more dangerous than the assassins hunting the prince. The curse has woken deadly creatures, and the magic Prince Harkeld loathes may be the only thing standing



The Warlord's Legacy
Ari Marmell
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Spectra
Release Date: January 25

Corvis Rebaine, the Terror of the East, a man as quick with a quip as he is with a blade, returns in this highly anticipated sequel to Ari Marmell’s acclaimed The Conqueror’s Shadow, a debut hailed for its refreshing take on dark fantasy and surprising flashes of sharp, sarcastic wit. Now Marmell raises the stakes in a story that has all the humor and excitement of its predecessor, plus a terrifying new villain so evil that he may well be a match for Rebaine himself.

For let’s not forget how Corvis Rebaine came by the charming nickname “Terror of the East.” Certainly no one else has forgotten. Corvis Rebaine is no hero. In his trademark suit of black armor and skull-like helm, armed with a demon-forged axe, in command of a demonic slave, and with allies that include a bloodthirsty ogre, Rebaine has twice brought death and destruction to Imphallion in pursuit of a better, more equitable and just society. If he had to kill countless innocents in order to achieve that dream, so be it.

At least that was the old Rebaine. Before he slew the mad warlord Audriss. Before he banished the demon Khanda. Before he lost his wife and children, who could not forgive or forget his violent crimes. Now, years later, Rebaine lives in a distant city, under a false name, a member of one of the Guilds he despises, trying to achieve change nonviolently, from within the power structure.

Not even when the neighboring nation of Cephira invades Imphallion and the bickering Guilds prove unable to respond does Rebaine return to his old habits of slaughter. But someone else does. Someone wearing Rebaine’s black armor and bearing what appears to be his axe. Someone who is, if anything, even less careful of human life than Rebaine was.

Now Baron Jassion, Rebaine’s old nemesis, is hunting him once more, aided by a mysterious sorcerer named Kaleb, whose powers and secrets make him a more dangerous enemy than Rebaine has ever known. Even worse, accompanying them is a young woman who hates Corvis Rebaine perhaps more than anyone else: his own daughter, Mellorin. Suddenly Rebaine seems to have no choice. To clear his name, to protect his country, and to reconcile with his family, must he once again become the Terror of the East?

The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

Wow, that a fantastic book!

In The Kabul Beauty School Deborah Rodrigues shares her memories of her time in Afghanistan, from her first visit with the Care for all Foundation (CFAF) to her decision to return as a beauty school instructor.

Deborah Rodrigues was a hair dresser from Michigan with two sons and an abusive husband. Needing an escape from her troubled marriage, Deborah signed up for disaster relief training given by the CFAF. A year later Deborah convinced the CFAF to include her on a team that they were sending to Afghanistan to help the locals recover after the fall of the Taliban.

While at first Deborah felt out of place, being the only member of the team without a medical background, she soon discovered that her services as a hairdresser were just as welcome. Hair salons had been banned by the Taliban and were now mostly out of business or were run by women with very little experience. Deborah quickly realized that she could make a big difference in the lives of Afghan women by passing on to them her skills as a hair dresser so that they could have a means of supporting themselves and their families. Fueled by this vision, Deborah went ahead and managed to put together just such a school, changing for better the lives of the many Afghan women who graduated from there.

Deborah’s recollections of her time in Afghanistan and the stories of the women whom she befriended there had me glued to this book, from start to finish. The book is narrated in a friendly and easy style that made me feel as if Deborah were a friend with whom I was sharing a cup of coffee with while catching up on each others lives.

The book opens up with the wedding-day preparations at the salon for one Deborah’s Afghan friends. While the bride’s friends and family flutter around her excitedly the bride herself is pale and anxious, looking more miserable as the day goes on. Only Deborah knows the real reason for her friend’s distress, a secret which will cause her groom to immediately reject her if he ever finds out. But in the last-minute Deborah manages to save the day and her friend’s reputation, though later she will wonder if it would have been better had she not intervened.

Many of Deborah’s stories are bittersweet in this way since these small triumphs are just a part of the bigger struggle in which these women are caught up in, as Afghan wives and daughters. It’s the main reason why Deborah opened up the salon, to give the local women a place where they could escape for a short while from the husbands and fathers who control them, while also giving them an education they could use to gains some independence.

Deborah recounts the story of one woman whose husband had become dangerous and abusive after being attacked by a group of Taliban. Using the money she made from working at the salon this woman took her husband to be treated by a special physician who was able to help bring her husband back to the caring man he used to be. Another woman used the money she made working to bribe her husband’s first wife to divorce her so that she could live in independence with her son.

Unfortunately not all of Deborah’s attempts to help her Afghan friends were as successful as in the stories above. Deborah soberly tells of her failed attempts to help a young girl who was being horribly molested by a man whom Deborah had previously considered a friend. And one of Deborah's best friends is never heard from again after being married off to a man whom her family has never even met.

But Deborah’s love for Afghanistan and the Afghan people shines through, even when things get particularly tough or when she herself becomes the target of injustice or abuse. And despite the often difficult subject matter, the book is narrated in a light, and often humorous tone, particularly when recounting one of Deborah's numerous cultural faux passes.

As an obvious foreigner, one who is often loud and brash, Deborah was excused from many behaviors which an Afghan would suffer serious consequences for. One of my favorite stories was of the time she went to an open market with a friend, both modestly dressed in burqas, and felt herself being groped by the man behind her. Deborah immediately turned around and punched him in the face, much to the astonishment of the onlookers, and the embarrassment of her friend. Had she been an Afghan women Deborah would have probably been arrested for hitting a man but as it was, she managed to get the groper arrested instead.

Deborah also recounts in amusement the time someone sent the salon a box of thongs, in a misguided attempt to do a kindness for the students. The Afghan women had no idea what the thongs were for but once they found out they had a great time teasing each other with them; throwing them in the air or wearing them on their heads, until finally the box of thongs got thrown in the fire.

I finished The Kabul Beauty School with reluctance, wishing I would find at least a few pages more hidden at the end of the book, because there was still so much more I wanted to know about Deborah’s story. The edition of the book that I have includes a Afterword, written several months after the publication of the book and which provides a bit of an update (though it is from 2007), though the news it gives is rather sobering. Next, I went turned to the Internet to see if I could find more recent news about Deborah and her beauty school, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful. I’m tempted to just email Deborah herself to satisfy my curiosity, though I suspect that might be a little too intrusive...

As I’m sure you can tell, this book had a strong impact on me. I’m in awe of Deborah and inspired by the way she threw herself into building a beauty school in a country completely foreign- and often dangerous- to her, in order to help improve the lives of women she didn't even know. It's also a wonderful example of how any one person can make a tremendous difference in the lives of others, just using the skills that they already have at hand.

While I can't imagine myself doing anything as amazing as what Deborah did in Afghanistan, this book makes me think that perhaps someday I could at least give it a try. And I'm sure that I'll be rereading The Kabul Beauty School many times, especially when I want a reminder of this.