The Oldest Kind of Magic
Ann Macela
Medallion, Oct 2005, $6.99
ISBN: 1932815430

Her witch mom informs thirty years old practitioner Daria Morgan that her powers will be enhanced once she meets her soul mate and shares in the First Mating. Still a virgin, business consultant Daria does not want a man in her life though strengthening her powers would be nice. Her magic has enabled her to find problems in businesses.

CEO Joe Glennell sends his top troubleshooter John “Bent” Benthausen to Houston to work on the newest acquisition. Bent implements efficiencies, but costs remain exorbitant. A friend suggests he hire consultant Daria Morgan, but she declines. Bent and Daria meet through mutual friends and both feel an attraction. She offers him a tip that leads to the firm’s security team arrested for stealing spare parts. As her family accepts him as her soul mate, a letter warns her to stay away from Glennell-Houston or else. No one messes with Daria who forces Bent to hire her as a consultant so she can uncover the remaining crooks while they practice THE OLDEST KIND OF MAGIC that of love.

Ann Macela writes a charming romantic fantasy that will remind the audience of Bell, Book, and Candle. The story line is fun as delightful Daria meets her soulmate who to her chagrin is a non-practitioner; breathtaking Bent has no problems adapting to her wacky family who adopts him as if they have known him all their lives. The threat against Daria seems overkill, but sub-genre fans will still appreciate this wonderful touch of magic. Once fans close the book and blow out the reading candle, they will anxiously await the soulmate of Daria’s sister to ring her bell.

Harriet Klausner

The Narrows
Alexander C. Irvine
Del Rey, Oct 2005, $13.95 352 pp.
ISBN 0345466985

During WWII in Detroit, Jared Cleaves is unable to serve in the military due to a hand injury he suffered as a child that leaves him 4-F. Jared is embarrassed to stay behind among mostly women and children as he feels healthy enough to fight in spite of his hand and wants to help his home country in the war.

The Office of Esoteric Investigation selects Jared to work on the Top Secret Ford golem project aptly dubbed “Frankenline”. However, he still remains depressed that he cannot enter the war zone as he desperately wants to share the dangerous load most males and the golems must bear. Pushing to become deeper involved, Jared soon realizes he may have leaned too hard on a weird door when he becomes a key player in a scheme to tap into the supernatural power of imps that “live” underneath the Motor City. However, he soon concludes that these supernatural creatures are impossible to control and will run rampant throughout Detroit unless Jared can stop them.

THE NARROWS is a fabulous alternate historical fantasy that provides a wild ride through 1943 Detroit as the Nazis look like kindergarten students when compared to the imp storm troopers. The story line is action-packed from start to finish, but driving the plot is the wonderful Jared who just feels he must do more than he is doing. When he gets his wish and meets up with the underground and some weird Feds, he learns plenty of lessons about receiving what you ask for. The supernatural creatures seem natural adding to a fine thriller, but the besieged Jared keeps the fabulous tale together.

Harriet Klausner

Thud
Terry Pratchett
Harper Collins, Sept 2005, $24.95, 384 pp.
ISBN 00660815221

Millennium ago, a battle was fought at Koom Valley between the trolls and the dwarves. Nobody remembers who started it or what it was about but ever since there has been a deep hatred that boiled over many times into actual fighting between the two races. On the anniversary of the Battle of Koom Valley trolls and dwarves from all over Discworld pour into the city of Ankh-Morpork bringing tensions to an all time.

Commander Sam Vimes is afraid that the Battle of Koom Valley will be repeated in his city especially with the dwarf Grog Horncrusher advocating troll-genocide. Policemen Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs investigate the theft of Methodia Rascal’s painting depicting the Battle of Koom Valley believed to have a message somewhere in the picture. When Grog Horncrusher is killed and a troll weapon is found near the body it looks like the two groups will go to war. Yet Commander Sam Vimes thinks there is a connection between the murder, the theft of the painting and the diggings of tunnels under the city the dwarves are undertaking. Once he finds the link he hopes to get some answers about what really happened in Koom Valley and bring peace to two warring races.

The latest Discworld novel is a witty serio-comic speculative fiction novel that works on two levels. It is an entertaining story and the trolls and the dwarves are symbols of sentient beings who go to war because they hate each other as a matter of principle just like in our own world. The protagonist believes in justice and goes out of his way to see that the trolls and the dwarves receive it fairly. Terry Pritchett’s fantasy realm reflects our own orb.

Harriet Klausner

The Ruthless
L.G. Burbank
Medallion Press, Oct 2005, $11.99, 325 pp.
ISBN 133281521X

The Catholic Church created Vlad in their quest for immortality but lost control of him. He now wants to eradicate humans from the face of the earth and hopes that Mordred, the half vampyre he created will help him. Mordred rejects him and is on a quest to get the aid of the other vampire kings to help him in the upcoming battle with Vlad. He must prove to each of them he is the Chosen One, destined to defeat his creator and bring light into a troubled world.

After gaining the acceptance of the Narrangantti vampyre king, he travels to Rome because an evil sect within the church has awakened Vlad who possesses one of their priests. When he arrives in Rome, he kidnaps Father Simon and travels with him to the Carpathian Mountains to the home of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad is trapped in the Impaler’s body. He hopes to break the possession but ends up in mortal combat with his enemy and loses consciousness. He wakes up in Valhalla where he is to fight the second vampire king so that he will acknowledge Mordred as the Chosen One. They next seek a sacred object hidden by the Knights Templar in the New World unaware the evil sect within the Catholic Church, the Red Caps, are hunting for Mordred because according to the prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls, he can ruin their plans.

L.G. Burbank is the successor to Anne Rice. Her vampyre Mordred is unique, refreshingly original and doesn’t give in to his dark side. Readers will admire him and empathize with the many travails he undergoes. THE RUTHLESS is a fast paced action packed supernatural thriller worthy of a Bram Stoker award nomination for its originality and creativity. The audience will eagerly await the next book in this terrific series.

Harriet Klausner

Pet Peeve
Piers Anthony
Tor, Oct 2005, $24.95, 336 pp.
ISBN: 0765304082

When the cursed to be polite and act nice Goody Goblin asked the Good Magician Humfrey to help him get rid of the “Finger”, the mage simply takes the objectionable object away. However, being a goody, the Goblin feels he owes Humfrey. She is willing to oblige the Good Magician when he assigns her to deliver the parody.

Goody Goblin and his assigned bodyguard the warrior Hannah Barbarian set off on a joint quest to locate a “suitable home” for the hostile foul-mouthed Pet Peeve. The foul fowl is a nasty creature that insults everyone and anything that has the misfortune of being nearby. That would not be so bad to the monster’s current carriers except that Pet Peeve exactly imitates the voice of the dummy carrying it. Thus the insulted hold Goody responsible and when that upset individual is a fire exhaling dragon one tend to feel the heat.

Whereas Sue Grafton has reached R, Xanth is into the alphabet for the second time with PET PEEVE being the twenty-ninth fantasy parody. The story line contains the usual assortment of puns, adventures and more puns. This time the parody comes from the skills of the Don Rickles of birds as readers will appreciate the insults using the voice of the poor soul (that is if a goblin has a soul) stuck toting it so that anyone else in the area will think the carrier insulted them. Fans of the long running series will appreciate the latest lighthearted Xanthian quest that answers “what is ultimate reality?”

Harriet Klausner

The Vampyricon: The Priest of Blood
Douglas Clegg
Ace, Oct 2005, $19.00, 330 pp.
ISBN 0441013279

Aleric the Breton was born into poverty, but proves to the Baron’s huntsman he can train all kinds of birds and moves into the manor. An older boy turns the huntsman against him making known that Aleric made love with the Baron’s daughter in the church chapel. He is sent to the Holy Land to fight the Saracens as a servant-soldier. His brother, also fighting the infidels reunites with him but is soon killed. Aleric leaves the battle field heading for the city Hedammu inhabited by demons.

In the city he is attacked by the vampire Pythyia who drains his blood each night for a month before changing him into a creature like her. He meets the other vampires of the city who believe he is their savior because he gave the Sacred Kiss to his friend and turned him into a vampire, which the others can’t do. They want him to restore the powers that their ancestors had but to do that he must travel to the lost city of Alkemara. His journey, with five of his brethren, is successful but once in the lost city they face many dangers in their quest to restore to glory the vampire race.

Douglas Clegg is a horror writer who knows how to tell a great story with characters that any reader can empathize with, even vampires who kill mortals. The protagonist is a product of the times and readers get a glimpse of Breton where the old ways has not been wiped out by Christianity. The vampires are not the typical creatures of the night but have weaknesses that make them vulnerable objects of pity. It will be hard to wait for the next book in this blood curdling series.

Harriet Klausner

Touch of the White Tiger
Julie Beard
Silhouette Bombshell, Sep 2005, $4.99
ISBN: 0373513712

In 2104 Chicago, all the evidence points towards Certified Retribution Specialist Angel Baker as the killer of the mayor’s son and her best friend retributionist Roy Liebman. QED Director Lenten William Townsend arrests Angel. She knows she must rely on herself to prove her innocence and hopefully to catch the real culprit who has framed her.

Angel believes she might have an ally in Chicago Police Detective Ricuccio Marco. However, she quickly revises her opinion even as she is very attracted to him as his behavior seems to be more towards nailing her for the homicide. Deciding to go back to her original plan of sleuthing alone, Angel begins digging for evidence that will affirm she is innocent; Ric tries to keep an eye on her allegedly as part of his job, but he knows deep in his heart the reason is to keep her safe.

TOUCH OF THE WHITE TIGER, the sequel to the delightful KISS OF THE BLUE ANGEL, is a strong science fiction romantic mystery. The setting is terrifically described as Chicago is a twenty-second century NRA fantasy with guns so prevalent that it makes the Wild West look like a rodeo. The action-packed story line grips the audience with several intriguing twists, but like Angel readers will be somewhat confused by where Ric stands in her quest to prove her innocence. Similar in tone to the great Eve Dallas police procedurals, fans of three sub-genres will enjoy this strong retributionist thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The Hunger
Susan Squires
St. Martin’s, Oct 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0312998546

In 1811 Earl John Staunton and Countess Beatrix Lisse are lovers who each keep a dark secret from their companion. John, known as the most depraved rogue in England, is actually a spy working for the British Empire trying to identify who is the force working behind the scenes shaking up the French government. On the other hand, Beatrix is a six century plus old vampire, but the rarest form of this species having been born that way.

John and Beatrix are beginning to fall in love, feelings neither desire as he knows that she will hurt his espionage work and she realizes the disparate life spans make a permanent relationship impossible. As their worlds further collide with his mission near resolution, complicating the situation is that her “sister” Asharti, a bitten vampire, has returned into Beatrix’s life. She wants her bloodsucking sister to join her as they once were in a world of sensual male eating debauchery while being the real power in France and soon England. Beatrix refuses knowing that she and John will fight in “mortal” combat the raging amoral Asharti.

This is a strong paranormal historical romance that grips the audience from the moment that Asharti returns to upset the happiness of the lead couple and never slows down until the final confrontation between the trio. In an intriguing way, she forms a dangerous relational triangle with Beatrix and John. Susan Squires provides a fresh romantic vampiric thriller that sub-genre fans will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

Watch on the Rhine
John Ringo & Tom Kratman
Bane, Aug 2005, $25.00
ISBN: 0743499182

Though the earthlings defeated the Posleen (see A HYMN BEFORE BATTLE), in space, the enemy centaurs attacked the planet (see GUST WIND). In spite of technological aid from the pacifist Galactic Federation and that the prime assault has not begun, earth stands on the brink of disaster with Northern Virginia already in ruins.

Military cutbacks have left the world with few combat experienced officers so the leadership deliberates whether to recall the only group with the needed battle hardness to defeat the invaders. There is one problem however. Everyone swore to never arm any of these dangerous abusive soldiers let alone allow them to reunite. Failure to bring this violent amoral group back means almost certain defeat at the hands of a foe prepared for pandemic genocide. Bringing them back may still mean defeat, but provides perhaps the only chance to win, but what about the post war clean-up with these raging sociopaths in charge of the military? Will humanity’s leadership recall what is left of the tabooed Waffen SS in what could prove in the long run jumping from the frying pan into the fire?

WATCH ON THE RHINE is military science fiction at its thought provoking best. The story line works on three fronts: a deep insider look at Waffen SS that the Nuremberg Trials declared as outlaws, a powerful glimpse at how cultures struggle to adapt to situations outside their collective moral system, and a potent indictment of modern day roving politicians who insist the ends justify the means by using misinformation, disinformation, and omission to make the facts fit one size solution. The characters are two dimensional, but no one will care as John Ringo & Tom Kratman provide a mind boggling exhilarating thriller that the above two paragraphs only scratch the surface of a great tale.

Harriet Klausner

The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror: Eighteenth Annual Collection
Edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant
St. Martin’s, Aug 2005, $19.95
ISBN: 0312341946

This forty-four story anthology runs the vast gamut within the fantasy and horror sub-genres. All the contributions are good (duh- or else why select them), but the pure horror entries seem overall stronger than the fantasy or cross-genre hybrids (sort of like two interlocking Venn circles). The authors are a who’s who of the two genres as some of the most highly regarded writers have contributed short stories though the tome as in previous compilations introduces the reader to new scribes that appear to have quite the future. Overall the collection is a tribute to 2004 as a powerful year and well worth reading over a few weeks but keep in mind that the horror selections are better than the solid fantasy tales with those being the ones that fans will reread.

Harriet Klausner