Jhegaala
Steven Brust
Forge, Jul 2008, $24.95
ISBN 9780765301475

Vlad Taltos is upset with his divorce as he married expecting forever. However, he is more concerned over his former employer, Jhereg putting a hit on him for his recent betraying activities. He concludes if he wants to remain with a head on shoulders he has to leave Draegaria until Jhereg’s assassins find a different target to ocuppy their time.

Vlad decides to visit maternal relatives he never met in some way out place. His only clues are their surname is Merss and they reside in Burtz, Fenario. He leaves with his usual retinue of familiars and his telepathic lizard pals Loiosh and Rocza. In Burtz, Vlad expected a hero’s welcome or at least a welcome to the family greeting. Instead he is warned to be careful by everyone in the paper mill town he encounters including his Noish-pa grandfather as he is under surveillance because the leaders expect him to cause trouble. The outsider is further stunned by a lack of a local coven, a given in every Fenario village and the normally potent Guild remains silent while workers are abused. However when a fire that looks like arson kills most of his relatives, Vlad begins to investigate, but each clue he and his limited support crew uncover leaves them with many more questions and danger from a powerful despotic oligopoly.

This is a fresh change to the strong long running series as not only does Vlad leave town enabling the audience to meet some of his maternal roots, but he conducts a fabulous whodunit investigation. The story line is fast-paced but humorous with the amusement mostly performed by the two lizards who provide 1930s style sidekick comments to the sleuth. Fans will enjoy this entertaining trek into Vlad’s heritage Steven brust writes a delightful fantasy investigative thriller.

Harriet klausner

A Fire in the North
David Bilsborough
Tor, Jun 2008, $25.95
ISBN: 9780765318930

In the tunnels under the mountains of Eotunlandt, Nibulus leads the Questor survivors of the battles as they struggle to reach the surface where they expect their enemies the Thieves will attack them en masse. Instead when they finally reach the outside, no one eerily awaits to ambush them.

Bolldhe heads towards the next fight with the resurrected evil lord Drauglir and his horde. He expects the engagement to occur somewhere near Vaagenfjord Maw, but has little hope to win except for the strange sword he now possesses.

Gapp and Methuselech reach Wrythe where the malevolent necromancer Scathur has quietly ruled for centuries while regaining strength lost five hundred years ago on Lyndormyn, Peladanes defeated the evil rawgr Drauglir and his supernatural minions; he quickly knows who Methuselech’s soul is and imprisons both of them, but they escape with his horde in pursuit. Soon everyone heads for Melhus Island and its underworld where the armies of the dead await to add to their ranks.

This is a direct sequel to The Wanderer’s Tale that takes time to get started as the various key players and their allies are established for new readers. Once the action accelerates there is no slowing down as this military fantasy goes into hyperspeed with confrontations seemingly everywhere. With all the various armies at war and new leaders and heroes emerging, A FIRE IN THE NORTH still pares down to the destined Wanderer who remains the only one who can save an apathetic prosperous world from the malevolent Drauglir and the wicked necromancer Scathur as The Annals of Lindormyn move forward.

Harriet Klausner

Nick of Time
Ted Bell
St. Martin’s, May 2008, $17.95
ISBN: 97803123680687

As Europe flares up with the latest continental war this time between the allies and the Fascists, twelve years old Nick McIver and his younger sister Kate live with their father in a lighthouse on Graybeard Island, one of the Channel islands. The Nazi U-boats surround their island while their father tries to get important information to the War Office in London. Meanwhile Nick finds a chest containing an odd plea from a long dead ancestor. Apparently Royal Naval Captain Nicholas McIver is in trouble, but has critical information that Lord Admiral Nelson needs. The message accompanies a handy time machine that enables Nick to go back to 1805 to help his antecedent.

As Nick goes back to the Napoleonic Era, Kate joins Lord Hawke and Commander Hobbes as they try to steal an experimental Nazi submarine. At the same relative time in both eras, pirate Billy Blood uses his portable time machine to abduct the children of wealthy parents from various periods that he takes to his French warship; he demands exorbitant ransom if they want their brats back. In 1805 he is about to kill Nick’s relative; in 1939, he considers kidnapping Nick’s sister.

Ted bell’s fine young adult thriller is an engaging preadolescent time travel fantasy in which readers will root for the McIver pair to be in THE NICK OF TIME to save England at sea TWICE a century and half apart. The sea battles are incredibly descriptive in both periods so much so that the audience can compare the navies. Although the non-stop action twists reasoning in order to keep the escapades going, no one will care as readers will cheer on the fully developed young champions while hissing that diabolically bloody pirate.

Harriet Klausner

Dreamer
Paul Bates
Five Star, Jun 2008, $25.95
ISBN 9781594146428

The government controls everything in the lives of their citizens. They will not allow dissension and harshly eliminate opposition. However, in spite of the government’s seemingly total severe control, a rebellious underground exists whose goal is to throw out the current leadership and replace it with their leaders starting with top gun Carpathia Coyle. This opposition has proven at times as ruthless as the government is.

Walter Vellum is rising rapidly up the ladder of the rebels. At the same time of his meteoric assent, his girlfriend and employee at his bar, Jennie Height is beginning to understand her precognitive skills. Her visions are the only thing that keeps the rebels alive as the government crushes their opponents at every turn.

This is an inetresting comination of science fiction and fantasy in a dystopian society. The story line can become a bit bewildering to follow but for the most part is an intriguing tale of rebellion in which the critical players for each side are clairvoyants. Well written and exciting, readers initially will root for the rebels, but soon realize they offer more of the same ruthless oligopoly control as the government does.
Fans of psychic thrillers in a futuristic dystopian world in which the adversaries are two sides of the same coin will appreciate Paul Bates’ fine thriller DREAMERS.

Harriet Klausner

Because Your Vampire Said So
Michelle Bardsley
Signet, May 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 978045122869

In Broken Heart, Oklahoma, beautician Patsy Donahue struggles with being a single mom raising a teenage boy while also being recently converted to the undead life of a vampire. Her son Wilson is hard enough to cope with as he is at the age in which he fails to heed the basic advice of DON’T TALK BACK TO YOUR VAMPIRE even if she is your mom and finding blood more tasteful than chocolate is kind of difficult and strange, but not aging past forty works and her shop is loaded with repeat customers as the Lycan crowd have a lot of split hairs. However, Patsy and her paranormal peers are more anxious over the horde of ancients who have arrived in Broken Heart to prevent a prophecy from occurring; at least that is what they claim.

Gabriel the Lycan saves Patsy from a demon assault. He insists she is the one who will bring supernatural enemies, vampires and lycans together to battle the demons. She assumes he is handing her a male line, but likes his claim they are soul mates. Still fighting is not good for one’s nails yet Patsy turns lioness when her Wilson becomes a target.

The latest Broken Heart paranormal romantic fantasy is an extremely amusing chick lit tale as Patsy’s outlook on her parlor, the undead and other such ilk especially lycans and demons, and her loved ones make for a wonderful tale. Dripping not so much with blood but with passion and love, BECAUSE YOUR VAMPIRE SAID SO explores the trepidations of being a single parent with an offspring whose brain is fried by raging hormones at the same her hormones are raging wildly while she also has to ho hum save the town. Readers will appreciate her sarcastic asides and seek Michelle Bardsley’s previous single mom vampires soonest (see I’M THE VAMPIRE THAT’S WHY).

Harriet Klausner

Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione
Chuck Black
Multnomah, Jun 2008, $8.99
ISBN: 9781601421241

Lucius the first Silent Warrior and a horde of his men sought to overthrow the King and Prince, but were defeated in battle. They retreated to the realm of Arrethtrae to spread their rebellion among the citizens, but hope blossomed when the Prince arrived. The people killed him, but the Father resurrected him and he gave the people the message that he would return. In the meantime, they should tell all the inhabitants of the realm about the Prince and wage war against Lucius and his Silent Warriors.

Rumors spread that a new kind of knight has arisen; men with evil in their hearts and souls withered to nothingness. Their liege allegedly a shadow warrior demands they spread discord across the land. Sir Kendrick and a young knight Sir Duncan he is mentoring learn that a Shadow Warrior is causing unrest at Bel Lione. A former Shadow Knight of Ra who defected helps Kendrick sneak into the castle to seek Sir Duncan, chained and tortured in the dungeon. There are other prisoners there also; Kendrick vows to return to liberate them, but first he must contend with the Shadow Warrior; believing in his Prince he expects to vanquish his foe.

In a feudal world the battle for the souls between the King and the Prince and the Shadow Warriors (obvious metaphors) takes place. The prince has just left Arrethtrae while his loyal followers spread his word. Teenagers will enjoy this inspirational parable that entertains without preaching.

Harriet Klausner

Midnight Never Come
Marie Brennan
Orbit, Jun 2008, $14.99
ISBN 9780316020299

Three decades have past since Elizabeth became Queen of England, ushering in an age of Gloriana. However underneath in the bowels of the catacombs, ruthless Invidiana rules the fae with an iron hand.

Working as a courier under the tutelage of his mentor spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, Michael Deven meets bewitching Lady Lune, an undercover fae wearing a mortal disguise. Lune fears her dark Queen Invidiana so in order to avoid her rage and worse, she infiltrates Walsingham’s network. She plans to use and discard Michael who obviously wants her. However, to Lune’s trepidation and dread she is as attracted to the bewitching human as she thinks he is to her. However, she knows he could not survive in her realm while she cannot remain in his as her Queen would never allow her or him to live.

MIDNIGHT NEVER COME is an intriguing Elizabethan romantic fantasy in which Marie Brennan makes her two realms seem real by using historical events via flashbacks to anchor the Tudor reign and enabling the darkness to grow stronger in the shadows. Fans will enjoy the star-crossed love between the Fae and the mortal as honor and loyalty war with ambition for power in a Faustian age of deceit.

Harriet Klausner

Coffin County
Gary A. Braunbeck
Leisure, May 2008, $7.99
ISBN 9780843960501

Cedar Hill, Ohio has seen more than its share of violence over the two centuries since its foundation. In fact the small town was built on the blood of mass murders. Several decades ago, a mob lynched a man. Recently, the casket factory exploded before burning down the surrounding neighborhood.

Violence is the periodic norm. The townsfolk believe the ancient tree contains demons locked away for eternity as long as no one slices a limb. When murder arrives, everyone knows the tree is not containing a demon. When murders begin that puts Cedar Hill on the national news beyond being known as the Coffin County, the police investigate. The Reverend who runs the Cedar Hill Open Shelter will tell you more than you want to know; he is even writing the events down. The police detectives are not as forthcoming with the truth as the clues of the homicides lead back to an abandoned cemetery besides which everyone especially Sheriff Jackson is watching Ben Littlejohn whose wife and son were killed.

With two Cedar Hill short stories on top of the full length novels, fans of small-town horror thrillers will appreciate the aptly named COFFIN COUNTY. The prime tale takes its time as Gary A. Braunbeck establishes the atmosphere with a unique strangely different style, a personalized account by people like the Reverend and Ben reacting to the serial murders that seem impossible to have occurred by a mortal. Fans must peruse deep into the novel before beginning to understand the cause, but most readers will enjoy the slow simmer leading to learning what is going on in Cedar Hill while wondering whether a grieving Ben will only watch from the sidelines.

Harriet Klausner

Night Child
Jes Battis
Ace, May 27 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780441016020

She is an Occult Special Investigator for Vancouver Mystical Crime Lab which is part of the Central Occult Regulation Enterprise. They are mages who try to prevent demons from harming humans. Currently the two sides have a working truce that is about to be tested.

In the middle of the night Tess Corday and her partner Derek are called to the crime scene featuring a murdered vampire. The telepath at the crime scene picks up images of the vampire’s last moments filled with fire and a teenage girl. In the vampire’s pocket is a picture of himself and his sire as well as an address. Tess and Derek visit the home of Cassandra and her niece Mia. They are shocked to realize the aunt is a demon and the niece is a mage whose powers remain surprisingly dormant. Mia confides that the vampire was in her guardian’s home. A vampire attacks the two investigators, but they escape unharmed. They get into further trouble when they are warned then ordered by their superiors to stay away from Mia. Tess feels a strong affinity for Mia so she risks her life and her job to keep the focus of seemingly everyone’s interest safe.

NIGHT CHILD will appeal to a wider audience then just the obvious Dresden urban fantasy crowd. The world building is fabulous as the audience will feel like Jes Battis’ humans are caught in the middle of a cold war that could go hot in a nanosecond between mages and demons. Adding to the depth of the characterizations is both sides have good and bad members with their ethics being extremely complex. Fans will appreciate this tour of the Battis universe where the supernatural, the natural, and the hybrid live together in a not so peaceful co-existence.

Harriet Klausner

Last Wolf Watching
Rhyannon Byrd
Silhouette Nocturne, May 2008, $5.25
ISBN: 9780373617869

In Bayou country paranormal boutique owner Michaela Doucet cannot stand her lack of privacy ever since a rogue werewolf attacked her friend Torrance; she understands why half human–half Lycan Bloodrunner Brody Carter is assigned to protect her and her brother Max. However, even more frustrating is her attraction to the scarred acrimonious Brody as he refuses to allow her to even befriend him let alone love him.

Brody wants the beautiful Cajun like nothing he ever desired before. However, he will not even hint at his need because someone as lovely as Michaela would not be seen dead with an oaf like him. Besides if he is not diligent she literally could be dead.

The third Bayou paranormal romantic suspense Bloodlines thriller (see LAST WOLF STANDING and LAST WOLF HUNTING is a fast-paced tale that like its predecessors enables readers to believe in the fantasy elements especially the otherworldly species. The story line is action-packed from the onset but driven by the lead couple as she wants him and he reciprocates but ignores his and her desires until she takes the half wolf in hand. Sub-genre readers will enjoy Rhyannon Byrd’s Bayou Bloodlines thriller that stands alone, but definitely is enhanced by the previous tales as characters from those novels return.

Harriet Klausner