The Knight of the Red Beard
Andre Norton and Sasha Miller
Tor, Sep 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780765307484

Having resolved their adversarial relationship the NordornQueen Ashen and NordornKing Gaurin ruled pragmatically yet with fairness for years over a prosperous kingdom. However, before their respective ages becomes issue, the NordornLand monarchs must look at the next generation to insure the heir Dependable and conscientious Bjaudin succeeds them to the throne.

After seeking adventure by stowing away on a Sea-Rover, Bjaudin’s eleven-year-old younger brother Mikkel is made prisoner by the ferocious Wykenigs; especially interested in the captive is abusive Gunnora who has a past with her detainee’s family. His thirteen years old sister Elin, coveting the throne, turns to her scheming malevolent grandmother Ysa as her mentor-ally causing havoc for her parents. Meanwhile, the age of peace and prosperity seems to have ended as a new threat to the NordornLand surfaces; the other grandmother, Zazar uses magic to attempt to free Mikkel and to eliminate the danger.

This is an exciting well written Oak, Yew, Ash and Rowan Cycle fantasy that will leave fans of the saga enjoying the “final” entry, but annoyed that closure to the major dangling plot threads from the previous four books failed to occur. Instead new subplots lead to the conclusion more novels are coming. Still this is an entertaining story as the focus is on the children of Ashen and Gaurin and to a degree their stereotypical diametrically opposite grandmothers.

Harriet Klausner

Swallowing Darkness
Laurell K. Hamilton
Ballantine, Nov 2008, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345495938

Princess Meredith NicEssus of the Unseelie Court knows the danger of being a princess; she also knows how hazardous being pregnant can be as Her Aunt Andais the Queen promises that if she gets pregnant before her son impregnates someone else, she will be the heir to the throne. Since few children are born in Fairie, Merry carrying twins from six fathers has become the hope of revitalization and the target of those who want to use her like her insane Uncle Taranis who kidnapped and raped her. He plans to claim that he sired his niece’s children. Even her beloved Gran, under a spell apparently performed by cousin Cair, tries to kill her.

Outraged Merry demands the Wild Hunt to obtain revenge but that comes at a price; as Mistral, another of her children’s’ fathers, is dying. She asks the Goddess to save him and another injured father Doyle. Meanwhile another sire Sholto and Merry are crowned as King and Queen of the Slaugh in Faerie while her uncle stalks her and Queen Andais’ son tries to eliminate her. Merry’s wrath against family is growing.

SWALLOWING DARKNESS has a different overall tone thn the rest of the books in this series as there are infrequent sexual time outs with the battles and plans highlighted instead as Merry needs revenge on those trying to harm her, her unborn and her loved ones. Merry is a wonderful person, who tries to be fair to everyone, but does not fear using her powers against nasty folks. The two Courts remain overall malevolent with one more overt about their evil agenda. Fans will appreciate the latest Princess Merry hypnotic romantic fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

The Sweet Scent of Blood
Suzanne McLeod
Gollancz, 2008
ISBN 978057584285
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/PB-43741/the-sweet-scent-of-blood-.htm

The Spellcrackers consists of good witches whose mission is to defuse evil magic in a world in which vampires have come out of the coffin and are accepted by society although some people believe they are the malevolent predators as legend describes them.

Spellcrackers.com operative Genny Taylor is a Sidhe who distrusts the vamps as she understands the food chain too well. Still in spite of her bias, she investigates the homicide of Melissa the girlfriend of Mr. October, Roberto the celebrity vampire accused of killing her with one bite. As Genny follows the bloody London trail she soon realizes the case is not quite as closed as she and the cops thought. However, she is unprepared for her and Mr. October being expendable tools discarded by two dangerous powerful adversaries who have fought for control of the paranormal communities for centuries.

This is a fast-paced humorous urban fantasy that in some ways will remind the audience of Charlaine Harris’ Stackhouse tales; location aside. The story line is fast-paced and the inquiry solid. However, the thriller is owned by the paranormal species that frequent famous London haunts as if they own the city. Readers will enjoy the first Spellcrackers.com thriller as Suzanne McLeod brings life to her supernatural cast as much as her superb plot.

Harriet Klausner

Havah: The Story of Eve
Tosca Lee
Navpress, Oct 2008, $14.99
ISBN 9781600061240

Eve, called Havah by her mate Adam, came to the Garden in awe and innocence. When she and Adam broke God’s rule, they were kicked out of their earthly paradise to live in the wilderness. She tries everything she can think of to obtain forgiveness from the One and return to the Garden, but fails. Instead she learns to survive as she gives birth to children only to learn one son murdered another. If anything, Eve has become a survivor although she has never given up hope of redemption from the One, but as she ages she prays that the next generation gets to go to the Garden.

This biblical biographical fiction is a superb look at the “First Lady” Eve. Using events described in the bible, Tosca Lee provides the emotional reaction of Eve to what occurs. For instance she feels shame when she and her mate are kicked out of the Garden into the wilderness by the One. Readers will appreciate this deep tale of paradise lost from the woman’s perspective.

Harriet Klausner

Tender Morsels
Margo Lanagan
Knopf, Oct 2008, $16.99
ISBN: 9780375848117

Single mom Liga Longfield has barely survived her father’s sexual molestations and a gang rape although emotionally she is on shaky grounds in spite of living in an apparent heaven. Her daughters are polar opposites as Branza is calm and soothing while the bored Urdda is ready to take on the world they left behind.

Meanwhile their isolated haven soon has a treasure hunting visitor, a “little man”; who comes and goes. Others also arrive to include a kind teenage boy who transforms into a bear and nasty bear-man. Fearing the intrusion, Liga can do little when her now teen Urdda wants to leave for the exciting life of the “vivid people”.

This is an intriguing dark character study that looks deep at the human psyche through a lens of “two border worlds” representing the extremes of humanity; one side is abusive and brutal, and the other is caring yet boring. Liga has seen both sides having been molested and raped, and now is living in a gentle realm raising her children. She fears for her daughter who wants a taste of the wild side, having had that taste shoved down her throat with sexual abuse. Although the plot can turn overwhelmingly moody and introspectively slow at times, TENDER MORSELS is an engaging tale.

Harriet Klausner

The Last Plague
Glen M. Page, MD
Synergy, Jun 2008, $14.95
ISBN: 9781933538969
Synergy Books, P.O. Box 80107,Austin, Tx.78758

In 1986 on Yankee Ford in Stanley, Idaho, a ten years old Black girl is found bleeding from her abdomen; she is rushed to the emergency room for surgery. Dr. Doug Hunter opens up the area that is bleeding only to find it is one of her ovarian arteries; the other is black. He successfully stops the bleeding, but her mom and friend remove the child from the hospital so that the Sprudiths, Children of Lucifer, cannot find her. Soon afterward two corpses of children with black ovaries are found in an abandoned shack.

The Spendrift leader has Army General McFarland confiscate the bodies because they do not want the public to know about the black ovaries of preadolescents. Doug finds a paper on black ovaries in the CDC library, but is later told the slides he took of his black ovary patient have been taken and the scientist who was examining them is dead. He also realizes they are after him and his friends and associates who apparently know too much. Doug’s son Jason is constantly called a Levite and the Sprudiths refer to him as the “heir” or the chosen one. He apparently has a major role re the future of mankind; if the dark ones don’t kill him first. Neither father nor son seems to have much time elft as the enemy is coming for them.

This is the opening novel of a series that deals with the forces of Darkness personified by Lucifer and his commanders on earth. They fight the forces of good symbolized by Doug’s wife who he believed dies but is actually fighting for their souls. Doug is a non-believer in the heaven-hell war on earth, but ironically plays a pivotal role. Both sides have equal soldiers who will not hesitate to use force on the other side. THE LAST PLAGUE is an exhilarating medical-apocalyptic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Black Glass
John Shirley
Elder Signs Press, Nov 2008, $15.95
PO Box 389
Lake Orion, MI 48361
ISBN: 1934501077

In 2033, former cop Rick Candle is being released from the California State Centenary once he is ReMinded. He spent four years of being UnMinded for taking the software piracy rap for his younger brother musician and V-Rat addict Danny.

Slaken CEO Terrence Grist is unhappy with Rick’s freedom as the cop came close to destroying his empire. However the Fortune 33 member has a hitman Halido poised to kill Candle.

Rick visits Danny’s former girlfriend Zilia, who he is attracted to, but she has no idea where his sibling is. Meanwhile Shortstack hires Rick to protect his underground illegal web. At the same time Grist orders his leading technocrat Sykes to create the Multisemblant, a merging of the personalities of five of the top Fortune 33 members. Soon that new creation will be out of control and after Rick who stands in the way of its personal agenda.

This is an engaging somewhat cautionary cyber future thriller in which Big Business runs the United States any way they want. The story line is action-packed from the moment Rick regains his mind and never slows down as he searches for his brother, deals with his attraction to Zilia and tries to protect Shortstack and his cronies from Grist’s killers. However it is the unique Multisemblant that steals the show as the copied conscience of five of the top of the Fortune 33 personalities seems almost God-like with the ability to go almost anywhere in cyberspace. BLACK GLASS is a terific science fiction tale.

Harriet Klausner

Agent To The Stars
John Scalzi
Tor, Nov 2008, $14.95
ISBN: 0765317710

Although relatively young compared to his envious peers, Hollywood agent Tom Stein is the top gun in his vocation at this moment. His confidence is extremely high that he can sell anyone. His newest star literally comes from the stars. He will represent the sentient alien Yherajk as they make their first appearance on the earth stage.

However selling the Yherajk to xenophobics will be difficult as the Yherajk are not what humans would call centerfold material. Instead they are gelatin gels with a distinct odor that makes a spraying skunk smell nice. However Tom is confident he can sell his new client to humans though he understands the issues he and Yherajk face.

Although he leaves the military science fiction sector (see THE ANDROID’S DREAM and the OLD MAN’S WAR), John Scalzi continues his specialty of lampooning icons; this time Hollywood and spin doctors. The story line is amusing as Tom adheres to the Barnum-Bush capitalist theory that you can sell to the American people anything. Fans who enjoy a lighthearted first contact satire will relish the selling of a species that smell worse than fish rotting.

Harriet Klausner

The Black Ship
Diana Pharaoh Francis
Roc, Nov 2008, $7.99
ISBN: 0451462424

One of the best of the elite Pilots, few can navigate Crosspointe’s magical deadly seas better than Thorn can. However, he is stunned when the Pilots’ Guild bans him from his love: sailing the seas. Though he knows someone betrayed him and set him up to take a fall and that individual had to be an important person in the guild, he remains clueless as to who and why.

While despairing what to do since he lost his vocation, things get even uglier for the beleaguered Thorn; he is kidnapped and dumped on an unmarked vessel sailing the seas. He soon learns the ship Eidolon is also unregistered but concludes the captain is insane, the crew ready to mutiny and someone in the shadows is sabotaging the vessel to insure it never makes it safely to a port.

The second Crosspointe tale (see CIPHER) is a superb fantasy in which the hero’s shanghaied ocean voyage leaves the audience feeling they are on board the ship; as Diana Pharaoh Francis’ water building is incredible. The story line is fast-paced, but it is the setting along with a fully developed crew, captain and the disgraced pilot who make for a strong thriller.

Harriet Klausner

V The Original Miniseries
Kenneth Johnson and A.C. Crispin
Tor, Nov 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 9780765321992

One minute cameraman Mike Donovan and his co-worker Tony Wah Chong are filming a skirmish in El Salvador and in the next all activities halt as a space ship five miles in diameter hovers in the sky. Ships like this vessel are floating above every major city in the world and a voice asks for the United Nations Secretary-General to meet with them in one of their smaller crafts. They insist they come in peace having come to earth seeking help in creating a chemical needed on their homeworld; in return they will provide major advances in technology.

They are welcomed as friends and not even the disappearances of scientists seem to disturb anyone. Mike sneaks aboard one of the alien’s ships where he sees the Visitors; when he gets into a fight with one of them, the Visitor’s skin peels off leaving a sentient lizard with large veracious eyes. Mike escapes with the film he took on board. Soon an underground resistance forms with people risking their lives to get the planet free of the Visitors who are stealing the water and using people as sustenance.

It has been several years (perhaps decades) since this reviewer watched the original miniseries, but this fine science fiction rendition captures the essence of the TV show. The Visitors turn earth into a totalitarian state so they use the planet as a feeding ground. The resistance grows as more people understand the truth. Fans of the saga will appreciate the collaboration of Kenneth Johnson and A.C. Crispin as they convert the exciting V: THE ORIGINAL MINISERIES into an entertaining novel.

Harriet Klausner