Title: The Naughtiest Cherub Author: Kevin Hearne Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #8.8 In: Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Magic, Mythology, Urban fantasy Dates read: 30th September 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Gallery Books Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: By all reports, more hellish than other places on the human plane.
Loki has entered the terrifying bowls of hell to try and make a deal with Lucifer. But will the Prince of Darkness be open to the discussion? Or will he just be another adversary in Loki’s quest?
I love the partnership of Loki and Lucifer in this story.
It’s not a mix of mythologies I’ve seen much of before. And the interplay
between the two was hilarious, sassy and incredibly witty. It also set up a
reality in which the different mythos of the world interplay a lot more
succinctly and neatly than any other series I’ve come across before.
Loki is probably one of my favourite villains in any
mythology retelling. Although he is traditionally a trickster, he is also the
one who tends to equalise others. The fact that Lucifer refuses to play ball with
him and acts as an equaliser of his own was a really nice bit of karmic poetry.
And it sets up the battles which I’m sure are about to come in this series.
The Naughtiest Cherubis a great short story which sets you up in a world that I personally can’t wait to sink my teeth into. If this is how the villains battle one another, I can’t wait to see how they interact with the “good guys”.
Title: The Other Labyrinth Author: Jedediah Berry In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Tricksters Dates read: 30th September 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Firebird Fantasy Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: Is that what he was calling himself?
He has to make his way through the labyrinth if he wants to please his boss and the woman he loves. But he might not be able to accomplish both tasks…
I found this short story a little confusing and convoluted.
Which is probably what the point of it was… after all, it’s based around the
idea of a labyrinth. And there is nothing sensical and normal about a
labyrinth. Which made this a somewhat perfect trickster story. The labyrinth
being the perfect trickster persona.
It’s a little difficult to write much about this short
story. Each stage of the labyrinth is a small tale. One that fits into the
greater tale. Although I’m still not sure how. This is one of those stories
which needs to be read multiple times to understand what exactly is happening.
Title: Spellbound Author: L.A. Banks In: My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (P.N. Elrod) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Family, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy Dates read: 30th September 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: Ethel floated toward the tree near the two lovers.
Odelia and Jeffereson just want to escape their horrifying families. They want to get married and live happily ever after. But they’re insane, dueling families have a lot to say about it… put in a call to the Grandmothers, and things might just start to work out the way they want them to.
This story is such a gorgeous little Romeo and Juliet themed
tale. Two young people from warring families have fallen deeply in love. And
all they want to do is get married. Unlike the Shakespearean classic though,
they have grandmothers. Who help. Actually they more than help… they step in
and take charge. Big time. I love the strong grandmother trope…
Odelia and Jefferson are a rare and cute couple. And an
interesting wedding to start a collection about supernatural weddings off with.
The hoodoo casting, Deep South dwelling families were completely unexpected.
Totally loved. And impossible to stop thinking about. The fact that the lead
are virgins at their wedding just makes it all the more sweet… especially since
BOTH the man and woman have abstained.
This short story made me think about those moments when
you’re falling madly in love. Those heady moments of excitement and
anticipation as you begin to truly start a new life with each other. It’s sweet
and romantic. And, just downright hilarious to counter all the mushy feelings… definitely
a short story that I would recommend again and again.
Title: The Jamesburg Incubus Author: Scott Baker In: Alien Sex (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Lust, Science fiction Dates read: 30th September 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: ROC Year: 1990 5th sentence, 74th page: They start, slowly, romantically, this time, as though the three of them are fitting together, following something innate and inborn rather than dictating their private needs and wants to one another.
St. Jacques is a pretentious, boring teacher. Until he eats some mouldy bread… and he begins to transform into an incubus.
Tales of alien adventures don’t normally include tones of
Christianity. Or at least, none of the science fiction tales I normally read
do… which made this tale incredibly weird and uncomfortable in some ways. But
also very unique and interesting…
The most uncomfortable about this short story was the sexual
preferences of St. Jacques. At first the idea of an incubus was seriously
fascinating… until the young women he was preying on in his dreams were
somewhat younger than I was imagining. Things just got steadily weirder and
more uncomfortable from that point on. Although, I suppose that that was kind
of the point…
Most tales I read about incubi have an intense paranormal
spin. It’s about demons and angels. Right and wrong. Good and bad. Not so much
with this tale… there is a weird moment of epiphany at the end. But, mostly it’s
about a weird bread mould which can alter perceptions and feelings in dreams… a
part of my life I would probably rather remained untouched.
Maggie and Kate Fox have a long history of delving into the spiritual world. But as Maggie faces her final days, she reminsces on their lies and the horrors of Mr. Splitfoot.
I don’t really know anything about the Fox sisters. But this
short story really made me want to find out more about them. It would be an
amazing story and fascinating tale. Actually, I think that I’ll put their
biography on my wishlist…
Bailey manages to write a fascinating historical fiction. Taking Maggie’s last days and building a rich tapestry, he constructs a world that I didn’t quite want to leave. Maggie’s confusion, reminiscing and regret all built a surreal story. One that had a waxing and waning quality… built around an old woman with many regrets and a horrifying spectre lingering over her final moments.
One of the aspects I really enjoyed about this story (other than the actual story), was Bailey’sexplanation at the close. He highlights which parts of this tale were real and which ones completely figments of his own imagination. It made everything far more real and intense. Bought it to life in a way I really wasn’t expecting. And had no idea I craved so badly.
And Lucy Monroe, national bestselling author of the Children of the Moon novels, unleashes the feral passions of a werewolf on the body, mind, and soul of his prey, his lover, his mate.
This is one of those stories which makes you want to run out and buy every single story in this series. Not only is it a paranormal romance that features shapeshifters (something I am completely obsessed with), but it’s well written, incredibly sweet and impossible to forget. There is just something beautiful and mysterious about the two leads and the extra level which they connect on. Something intense about the world the Monroehas created…
I’ve read a lot of shapeshifting stories which feature
werewolves, ones that feature cats. And even one or two with bears and sharks…
but I’ve never actually read one which features a bird of prey…and an eagle who
has lost her confidence… well, that completely hit my sweet spot. A secret village
hidden in the forests of Scotland just made it all the more impossible to put
down and stop thinking about…
A lot of information was squeezed into a very small amount of words. Normally novellas which take place in a complex world make me scratch my head a little at the background story. Yet, with a small prologue and a sordid past, Monroemanages to impart all of her wisdom in a short amount of time. Actually, it was the perfect amount of information – enough that I understood the politics completely, but also light enough on the information that I want to know more, more, more!
This was such a sweet, easy, light read. One that I won’t
forget readily and I’m really looking forward to repeating in future novels
from this series… when I’ve saved up a little first…
Six years ago, Jack Harrington was in love with Annie Gallagher, until her sudden death turned his world upside down. But when an intruder breaks into his home one night, the former FBI agent can barely believe his eyes – Annie’s alive… and a vampire.
After her sudden transition, Annie couldn’t bear to let Jack see all that she had become. One night she gives into temptation and decides to feed off a man who resembled Jack, only to find herself face to face with the man himself. Now that they’re together again, Jack’s not about to let Annie go, vampire or no. And Annie needs Jack’s help to find a missing girl named Cricket. Danger swirls around the pair as they search for Cricket while a demon bent on destroying all vampires closes in on the pair. Will love lost and found be able to overcome supernatural odds?
I found this story a little bit sad. Alright, there’s a
happy ending… but the fact that a couple who so obviously loves one another is
kept apart by a series of mistakes and misunderstandings… it was more than a
little sad. I did like that the relationship was restored because of her constant
need to be near him, and desire to find a little girl collide beautifully.
There are three tales which run through this story. Firstly, there’s the race to find Cricket with a mad man (or demon) on their trail. Secondly, a renegotiation of old relationships and sharing of the past as they try to find a future together. And, lastly, the thread which holds this novella to the rest of the Guardians series, the epic battle between light and dark that happens behind the scenes of our every day lives. Not many novellas would be able to include all of these storylines so seamlessly, but Meljean Brook managed to do this fantastically.
Thicker than Blood was a great novella with just the amount of angst and drama to keep me hooked, but not so much that I found it tedious. It made me want to run to my shelves and pick up the next book in the Guardians series, and just sink my nose into another day of fun and romance, forgetting the world and all of my responsibilities.
She’s been half in love with a statue for as long as she can remember. But when she meets the man in real life, her life may just be put in jeopardy. Will he arrive in time to save her?
Love hits us all. Not so often in the form of an obsession
with a statue. But it still hits us. Luckily, nothing untoward happens with the
statue… rather it happens with the man who inspired the physique. Which I can
kind of understand… I too have stared at some gorgeously constructed artwork…
Prejudice exists in everyday life. But it seems to be so
much more potent when told through the lens of fantasy and fiction. Maybe
something to do with the fact that it removes us a little further from the
situation, so we can see it a lot clearer. I like that instead of focusing on
vampire prejudice (I have a LOT of those stories), this tale focuses instead on
assumptions made about women and their sexuality. Actually, it was mostly the
belief that she’s a witch because of her red hair… but still…
Every action has a consequence. I kind of hate the
consequences in this story… in trying to save the woman he loves from a life
of the night, he inadvertently places her in even more serious danger. Danger
which makes you want to reach through the pages and punch the idiots who
perpetrate it in the face. But that’s a soap box moment for another day…
She thinks that she’s finally found the love of her life. But, when she finds out that he’s been seeing another woman… she might just crack.
This was a nice, creepy little contemporary take on the Jack
the Ripper mythos. For starters, it is in present day and deals with his
descendants. For another, it is written from the point of view of one of these
descendants. You spend most of the time wondering who is about to get
themselves murdered… and just what genetics do mean for the serial killer gene…
or if there even is one. Actually, this definitely swayed me towards the belief
in a serial killer…
Nature versus nurture is a constant debate. One that
seriously fascinates me. This tends more to the angle of nature. That genes can
give us certain tendencies that aren’t great. Alright, not great is an
understatement… this is talking about serial killers with no real purpose other
than death. It makes yo concerned for who the real descendants of Jack the
Ripper could be… if there are any (I’m kind of hoping not).
The flip in the culprit of the story took me completely by
surprise. I like that there were two people who had a genetic tendency to be
killers. The genetics aren’t really what I blame their actions on (we’re all
masters of our own fate), but it still made things incredibly tense and spine
tingling as I read about the different backgrounds of two people who aren’t overly
nice. But it does raise a number of questions.
Title: The Last Rhinos Author: Lawrence Anthony Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Biographies, Conservation, Non-fiction Dates read: 16th June – 26th September 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Novel Publisher: PAN Year: 2012 5th sentence, 74th page: In some areas all you could see were the splintered stumps of once-massive jungle trees.
Lawrence Anthony has been described as ‘the Indiana Jones of conservation’. His South African game reserve is home to many animals he has saved, from a remarkable herd of elephants to a badly behaved bushbaby called George. When he learned that there was only a handful of northern white rhinos left in the wild, living in an area of the Congo controlled by the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, he was determined to save them from extinction.
What followed was an extraordinary adventure, as Lawrence headed into the jungle to ask the rebels to help protect the rhino. He was also battling to keep his own animals alive during a terrible drought and to save the eyesight of his elephant matriarch Nana. The Last Rhinos is peopled with unforgettable characters, both human and animal, and is a sometimes funny, sometimes moving, always exciting read.
I haven’t read this book for a while. But lately, I’ve needed the inspiration and the motivation to remind me what it is about conservation that I’m passionate about. There is just something about Lawrence Anthony’sadventures and dedication that are completely awe inspiring. Unforgettable and smakes you realise that you are just a small dot in the fabric of the world. Which sounds horrible, but I kind of love… it’s nice to know that your decisions and life isn’t going to change the fate of the world, and that you are something small in a greater reality.
I would do a lot to save animals and take care of the environment… but I really don’t know that I would take on one of the most dangerous and infamous armies in the modern world – the LRA. The intensity of Lawrence’srelationships with these men and his part in their attempts at brokering peace are overwhelming, awe-inspiring and a great read late at night. After all, very few people would have the confidence and gumption to actually do such a thing to take care of another species…
The Last Rhinos is a bit slow to begin with. It discusses a lot of politics, difficulties and barriers to the conservation agenda. Money, politics and bureaucracy are always getting in the way, it doesn’t matter which aspect of life we’re dealing with. But when these barriers occur against an innocent rhino, it’s incredibly frustrating. Which comes through amazingly in this novel. We should all start finding a way to unite and stop arguing against the minutiae… otherwise we will lose all of our beautiful wildlife… the Last Rhinos just being a warning for future Armageddon.
Not only do Anthony’swords carry a potency that many other conservation tales don’t. primarily because his raw honesty and inability to hear the word no… but his little anecdotes about life on Zula Zula fill the gaps. They bring to life a reality in South Africa would otherwise be completely removed from our reality. This is a must have novel for anybody who loves nature, the environment and a damn good story.
