Destroyer of Worlds
Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner
Tor, Nov 2009, $25.99
ISBN: 9780765322050

By 2670 those who predicted the explosion at the galactic core remain in flight. Humans and their allies the Puppeteers are desperately leaving the destruction expanding rapidly dead zone in a mass exodus.

However, at the same time of the mass flight, a third species the Pak also tries to escape after their world Pakhome was destroyed. Pak operative Thssthfok will do whatever it takes to save his species. He and others raid frightened worlds to steal supplies leaving pandemic corpses behind. When a distress signal from Gw’ot reaches the leadership the human-Puppeteer alliance, agent Sigmund Ausfaller accompanied by Baedeker investigates as an unmarked vessel heads towards the fleeing armada. Reluctantly Sigmund works with the Gw’oth to learn who is inside the ship, but he distrusts his new allies more than the Pak as he understands the ruthlessness of the latter but not science above all else of the former.

Destroyer of Worlds is kind of having Gulliver fleeing amidst the Batttlestar Galactica crowd. A decade since the Juggler of Worlds, the mass exodus is in full swing, but enemies exist causing havoc at a time when chaos does not need deadly outsiders to create more of it. Obviously for fans of the Known Space universe who will fully relish the prequel saga of the Puppeteers and humans running from the core meltdown but newcomers will be lost in space.

Harriet Klausner

Firespell
Chloe Neill
Signet, Jan 2010, $$6.99
ISBN: 9780451228864

She is unhappy that her parents are going to Germany to conduct research while she is being dumped at the elite Chicago boarding school St. Sophie’s Academy. She has no choice in the matter, but becomes friendly with one of her new roommates Scout, who has a tendency to disappear in the middle of the night and return exhausted. Scout refuses to tell Lily Parker what she does during her nocturnal ramblings.

Worried about Scout, Lily follows her friend on one the evening ventures. Lily finds herself trapping a monster in one of the catacombs underneath the prestigious school. The newcomer learns that Scout is a magic user who must give up using her magic when she gets to her mid-twenties. She fights the Reapers: spell casters who use magic as they age which turns them evil because they have to take the life essence from a person to survive. The Reapers believes it is okay to apply magic past twenty something even if that means Adepts must die to fuel them. Lily learns first hand that Adepts protect normals from monsters and the Reapers. Although she might lose her life she cannot sit on the sidelines or hide in the sand especially as through a series of odd circumstances, Lily is caught in the crosshairs of the war although she has no magical powers; or does she?

Lily’s life radically changes from attending a middle class public high school living with her parents to an elite boarding school while her family is in Europe. That change soon proves minor as the teen heroine adapts as needed. Her best skill is adjusting to what happens t her although even she is unprepared for the circumstances she faces when she has the back of her BFF. She keeps the exciting teen urban fantasy focused as a heroine ready to fight monsters.

Harriet Klausner

Silver Silence
Joy Nash
Love Spell, Nov 2009, $6.99
ISBN: 9780505527172

Rhys the Druid seeks surviving Druids to bring them home to Avalon. Breena the seer loves Rhys, but knows it must remain unrequited as he is forbidden to love any female.

She travels to a holy shrine to pray for divine guidance as Rhys has been away for almost a year; which is something he has never done in his decade and a half time traveling mission. Breena meets Myrddin, who asks her to save Igraine in the Lost lands. Tracking Breena, Rhys travels into the future to find her and bring her home. Breena discovers a scheme to harm Igraine; Rhys, who has caught up to her, acquiesces to assist her in reuniting the woman with her beloved. Although he knows the price, Rhys can no longer deny his love for Breena.

Returning to the pre-Camelot Druid realm of THE GRAIL KING and DEEP MAGIC, Joy Nash provides a fantastic romantic fantasy as the hero continues his quest to save the Arthurian future. Breena and Rhys are strong protagonists working the mists of time to save those who they believe should dwell in Avalon while also struggling with love, a forbidden emotion for the hero. Fans of Camelot will relish Joy Nash’s latest entry in her super saga as SILVER SILENCE is a terrific tale in a strong series.

Harriet Klausner

Orcs: Army of Shadows
Stan Nicholls
Orbit, Oct 2009, $14.99
ISBN: 9780316033688

After getting off their malignant homeworld, Stryke and the Wolverines settle on the Orc orb Ceragan. Their new home proved idyllic, but over time ennui set in so eagerly they venture to anther world Acurial where they join the resistance whose members are not afraid to fight unlike the Orcs who fear the wrath of the Peczan Empire and their evil Sorceress Jennesta. The Wolverines risk their lives to liberate the oppressed orcs from human domination. Their efforts to spark the feral berserker nature of their submissive local peers lead to a civil war.

Using the stars that let them dimension hop to Acurial they land on a world mostly made up of water with islands as the only land. They land on one island populated by dwarves who believe the newcomers are gods especially the dwarves who are part of the Wolverine horde. When slavers kidnap a dwarf, the Wolverines go after them. In their way is Peli Madigan of the Gateway Cops whose job is to get the stars and bring them back to her order as it is too dangerous for individuals to use. Jennesta lands on the world forcing Stryke to make a decision no sentient being should have to make; the Wolverines believes they can win against overwhelming odds, but must find the courage to battle their enemies.

Tolkien gave Orcs a bad name, but Stan Nicholls redeems them with his Wolverines who are good with a strong sense of morality especially by making them do what they promise once they give their word.. Although battle ready, the group prefers other options before choosing war as a last resort (if only President Bush was a Wolverine). Filled with action that never slows down on dry land or water, readers will be fascinated by the two worlds the Orcs visit on their quest and look forward to final book in the so far entertaining trilogy.

Harriet Klausner

Friday Night Bites
Chloe Neill
NAL, Oct 2009, $15.00
ISBN: 9780451227935

Ten months have passed since the vampires came out of the closet and revealed themselves to humanity. New to the biting night life, upper class Merit struggles with her bite and her position as sentinel of the House of Cadogan; one of the three vampire “Houses” in Chicago. However, those are minor problems compared to her constant disputes with the dude who changed her, four century old master vampire Ethan Sullivan.

Currently, vampires are riding a wave of good will media. However, rumors fly that wannabe tabloid reporter Jamie Breckenridge has learned about Raves in which humans serve up blood like a cocktail hour. Merit knows him as his family and hers (human that is) travel in the same elitist circle. Merit needs to persuade ambitious Jamie to drop the story before the humans go for blood.

The second Chicagoland vampire tale (see SOME GIRLS BITE) is super urban fantasy starring a tyro bloodsucker who continues to have major relationships with mortal and vampires; Merit still connects (loose definition) with her social climbing parents and other mortal family members and obviously with her new vampire family. Fans will appreciate Merit’s efforts to balance her two teetering worlds summed up simply by TGIFNB (Thank God it’s Friday Night Bites).

Harriet Klausner

High Crimes on the Magical Plane
Kris Neri
Red Coyote, Oct 2009, $16.95
ISBN: 9780976673354

Samantha Brennan is a con artist from a long line of grifters; at the moment she is doing a psychic medium gig as she dresses the part of a gypsy. Her client is Dodie Drake who lives in the luxurious apartment in the Bonne Chance. As she goes to her client’s home, Samantha sees a car filled with clowns whom she assumes are the stalkers of another tenant actress Molly Crane. Being a good neighbor Sam purloins a keycard and enters the actress’ penthouse where she finds a dead male and Molly missing.

Sam goes to the FBI and talks to Special Agent Annabelle Haggerty. The two women enter the penthouse together while discussing the clowns probably abducted Molly. A task force is formed with Annabelle demanding Sam be on it. Soon afterward someone tries to kill Sam, but Haggerty saves her life and brings her into her home. Sam soon realizes her protector is a Celtic goddess who has visions that she sends to Sam so she can tell others concerning Molly. This way Annabelle can hide her alterego. Sam falls in love with a god and realizes brownies, gnomes and elves exist. Something dark and evil is coming to Los Angeles causing riots and gang warfare in its malevolent wake. Sam knows Haggerty is in trouble when this malevolence arrives; so she refuses to leave her friend alone.

Sam and Annabelle are the oddest couple with the former wanting to be what the latter is and the latter wanting to be what the former is. Confusing not at all as each envies the life of the other. Annabelle just wants to be an FBI agent as her goddess duties at times is overwhelming while Sam the shyster ponders what she could get away with if she had the goddess powers. This pairing make for a wonderful combination of a lighthearted yet also deep spellbinding urban fantasy mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Beowulf’s Children
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes
Tor, Aug 2009, $14.99
ISBN: 9780765320889

Upon their arrival on Avalon the Earth Born never fully recovered from the extended hibernation whereas their Star Born children have thrived. The Earth Born have not forgotten their near extinction when they cavalierly tried to colonize the mainland, but almost were left extinct by the monsters as they fled like rats off a sinking ship during the Grendel Wars (see THE LEGACY OF HEOROT); only fast action by Cadmann Wayland saved them. Now young adults the Star Born discuss a second invasion, but while their collective parents object, the youngsters feel they have the intelligence to succeed and dub the elders as cowards.

The Star Born have a leader Aaron Tragon, who has no connection to any of the Earth Born; being more removed than his peers who in a collective sense feel for the brain damaged elders. Aaron uses abuse and cruelty to obtain authorization of an invading force to take the mainland. Now the hero of the first Grendel War and his opponent pushing a second war amplify the generational divide; their respective actions will cause further schism amongst the humans as the Grendel monsters remain on the mainland that the colonists desire.

The story line starts slow with the Star Born debating what to do about their increasingly feeble parents, but that dialogue is what makes the reprint so timely; due to the false accusations that health care reform includes death squads from those hypocrites who until recently fully supported end of life counseling. The storyline accelerates when Aaron and to a lesser degree Cadmann take control of the plot. The Grendels are a much more fascinating species than they were portrayed in THE LEGACY OF HEOROT; especially with the improbable climax. Still fans will enjoy this social commentary in space that seems as apropos as it was in 1995 when health care reform was debated.

Harriet Klausner

Herbert’s Wormhole
Peter Nelson and Rohitash Rao
Harper, Jun 2009, $12.99
ISBN: 9780061688683

His parents have rooted for their ten year old son Alex to win his Alien-Slayer 2 game so they can have some peace; he promised them that once he was victorious he would spend the rest of the summer outside. Thus when he wins, his parents rejoice as he has been driving them crazy over the first half of the summer.

His parents send their six-grader to their brilliant neighbor Herbert Skewg, who shows the preadolescent his latest invention that creates a wormhole shortcut through the space-time continuum. The pair journeys a century into the future to find their hometown run by the kind six tentacle G’Daliens who need a hair make over. The humans and the G’Daliens welcome the time travelers in a friendly way though the latter’s diction sounds somewhat Aussie. Herbert and Alex soon become embroiled with preventing a scheme to take over by an outraged G’Dalien Gor-Don who was rejected by a human woman.

Filled with numerous drawings on almost every page by Rohitash Rao, HERBERT’S WORMHOLE is an enjoyable older elementary school science fiction with a sort of youngster’s smirk to the fun story line. Fast-paced once the dynamic duo meet the G’Daliens and the future humans, young readers will enjoy Peter Nelson’s exciting futuristic thriller though at times the illustrations distract from the plot especially when they depict something different than the prose on the same page. Still this is a fun romp that will have the audience traveling back to the future with Alex and Herbert.

Harriet Klausner

Libyrinth
Pearl North
Tor, Jul 7 2009, $17.99
ISBN: 9780765320964

Every year the Eradicants, who believe the written word is evil, come to the Libyrinth to get a segment of books to burn in a bonfire. The Libyrarians believe the Ancients left the Libyrinth so that people can read land earn in order to keep civilization vibrant. Unfortunately, the Libyrinth only has two countries to guard the books and they have orders to sell books for food needed in the winter. They have nothing else of value to pay for sustenance.

The Libyrarian Selene, the clerk Haly who has the unique skill of hearing the books talk to her, and Claudia the servant leave to go to Ilysies in hope of getting help. Selene takes with her The Book of Nights containing the knowledge of the Ancients. The Eradicants want the tome to fulfill a prophecy and now have Haly, who can her the books talk, under their control. Their plan is to destroy all other knowledge except their Song which is their way of transmitting information. However, neither side appreciates Haly’s strength and special skill as she becomes to understand the enemy is not evil and her side is inflexible and heading towards annihilation. Haly hopes to get the word out to both sides of the conflict to just listen to one another.

Peal North’s world appears to be a former earth colony in which the Ancients were probably the aristocracy and the rest of the Eradicants slaves to them. Revolt led to the current rivalry over controlling knowledge. With nods to Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Orwell’s 1984, high school science fiction readers will appreciate Ms. North’s strong tale that shows miscommunication and misunderstanding the other side often leads to conflict; in this case a devastating civil war seems imminent unless the heroic Haly can pull off an Ancient miracle.

Harriet Klausner

Blue Moon
Alyson Noel
St. Martin’s, Jul 2009, $9.95
ISBN: 9780312532765

Ever and her entire family died in a car cash but the six hundred years old Immortal Damen brought her back to life by making her an Immortal too. They have loved one another for centuries, but each time they get close to each other, his wife Drina kills Ever. She reanimates; he finds her; they renew their love and his wife murders her. The cycle seemed endless until now when Ever changes the triangular interrelation dynamics by killing Drina.

A new student enters the night school; Ever instinctively distrusts Roman with his bonhomie and surface good will thoughts. Damen becomes ill and when he recovers he treats Ever as an enemy and a stalker. The student body dissolves their differences and become one group who loathe Ever. She knows somehow Roman is behind the animosity and believes he is an Immortal. As Damen begins to age and die, Ever journeys to Summerland, the dimension between dimensions, seeking a cure for her eternal beloved. There she learns she can go back in time to save her family. As she decides what to do, she vows no matter what she will save Damon and reverse the aging process.

BLUE MOON, the second Immortals saga (see EVERMORE) is an outstanding teen fantasy in the tradition of Kelly Armstrong and Stephanie Meyers. Ever struggles with becoming a pariah at school and cope with Damen’s dire health problems and she is a firecracker who intends to obtain the knowledge needed to save her beloved and return the student body back to the normal rivalries and bickering. She has several obstacles to overcome starting with her lack of experience with what to do and no one to turn to that she feels she can trust; adding to her issues is one wrong choice means tragedy.

Harriet Klausner