Commedia della Morte
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Tor, Mar 13 2012, $29.99
ISBN 9780765331045

Count Saint-Germain learns that the Revolutionary Tribunal of Avignon determines that Madelaine de Montalia will be guillotined. Determined to rescue his beloved from losing her head, something even a vampire cannot heal from, Saint-Germain joins Photine d’Auville and her Commedia del’Arte troupe as a musician (and a paying traveler) as they head to Lyon where Madelaine is under house arrest.

Though he loves Madelaine, Saint-Germain and Photine share a tryst that further irks her angry teenage son Enee. His resentment growing, Enee wants Saint-Germain dead and plots to betray the ancient vampire.

The latest Saint-Germain historical vampire thriller (see An Embarrassment of Riches) is an entreating tale that fascinatingly captures the changing morality of the French Reign of Terror from idealistic caring of all citizens to an insidious bloodbath. The troupe is terrific as they perform Racine’s Phaedra while trying to stay out of the troubles. Although there is too much backstory from previous entries mostly involving Madelaine (see In the Face of Death, Out of the House of Life and Hotel Transylvania), saga armchair fans will enjoy touring Revolutionary France with the vampire count as our guide.

Harriet Klausner

A Clash of Kings
George R. R. Martin
Bantam, Mar 6 2012, $8.99
ISBN: 9780345535429

The comet streaks across the sky of the fractured Seven Kingdoms. A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. The six prime rivals for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms interpret the bloody fiery trail to fit their needs.

Once the heir apparent, Stannis believes the comet means the time to attack Westros with sorcery and an army is now. In King’s Landing, teenage King Joffery proves a poor abusive monatch leaving his uncle Tyrion the King’s Hand to protect their subjects. In the north Tyrion’s father Tywin battles against Stark and her militia while another son Jaime is a prisoner of war. From the South, Renly needs to eliminate his brother Stannis before he begins his assault on King’s Landing. Finally in the distant east, resolute Daenerys leads her Khalhaser dragon horde towards Westros. The various hostilities by rulers against each other turn the Seven Kingdoms into a chaotic lawless land

The second A Game of Thrones fantasy (see A Song of Ice and Fire) is a superb entry in which political and military alliances mean little as ambition to sit on the Iron Throne remains everything for most of the competitors. The innocent are collateral damage as their plight from marauding soldiers and vicious outlaws are meaningless to most of the pretenders. Loaded with action while rotating effortlessly perspectives, the aptly titled A Clash of Kings is a powerful tale.

Harriet Klausner

Chrysanthe
Yves Meynard
Tor, Mar 13 2012, $15.99
ISBN 9780765330260

Her Uncle told Christine when she was little that her Father was gone. Because of her violent tendencies she began seeing Dr. Almand. He persuaded her into believing her Father was abusive. At seventeen, Christine sees a young man hitting his brakes abruptly seemingly upon noticing her. Quentin of Lydia sends her note to meet him at Telzer Park. She knows who the author is and decides to confront him. Quentin says he searched for her for nine years as the lost Princess and heir to the throne of Chrysanthe. He explains she was kidnapped.

Quentin escorts Christine home. However, she loathes her sire King Edisthen, as she has the thoughts planted in her brain by Almand of her father sexually abusing and abandoning her. Christine also has an enemy lurking nearby; as Evered, who abducted her years ago, plots to take the throne that he believes is rightfully his. He refuses to accept the Law that deposed his father from the throne.

This is a complicated fantasy that philosophically questions what reality is. The fascinating storyline leisurely (and too poetical with so much darkness) peels away the false from the truth. Though none of the cast comes across fully developed as even the protagonist is limited to her flawed “memories”, fans who appreciate a metaphysical psychological thriller will ponder whether the truth is Christine’s implanted recollection since she believes them as being her own.

Harriet Klausner

CrystalFire
Kate Douglas
Zebra, Apr 1 2012, $6.99
ISBN: 9781420110029

Lemurian Taron enjoys being an academic, but since the philosopher is partnered with the sentient sword CrystalFire, he must learn to act like a warrior too. He understands he must help the humans near Mount Shasta and his people deal with the demon invasion though CrystalFire feels his scholarly Lemurian is unsuited for combat against the Demon King, who plans his return from the abyss to breach the barriers between dimensions.

In combat with the Demon King, Taron is taken aback by a stunning side effect. Willow the sprite of the mists becomes a beautiful normal sized female though inside her is also Bumper the dog. Meanwhile the Demon King shows his adaptability when he possesses Ed Marks’ body while Eddy and her sentient sword DarkFire are trapped in the Void; a place her lover Dax the former demon knows firsthand and guiltily knows his calling her led to the demon King sending her there. While Dax works on rescuing his beloved human, Taron and Willow begin falling in love as they team up to prevent the Demon King’s diabolical scheme from happening.

The latest DemonSlayer romantic fantasy (see Starfire, Demonfire and Hellfire) is a super thriller that contains two strong prime subplots with each flowing nicely and converging to the delight of Kate Douglas’ fans. Fast-paced and filled with action yet a strong romance, CrystalFire is an entertaining twisting tale.

Harriet Klausner

Caine’s Law
Matthew Stover
Del Rey, Apr 3 2012, $16.00
ISBN: 9780345455895

Professional Simon Faller begs Badlands Facility Director Administrator Gayle Keller to not make him do the mission as he is very afraid. Faller has seen first-hand what prisoner Chairman Hori “Caine” Michaelson can do to his enemies. Keller is scared even knowing that Caine is held in check by the Studio, but tells Faller their roles is to get Caine to try to kill them than those outside the facility. The two frightened men visit Caine in his cell. They inform him that the Board rejected his proposal on access to the Overwold in exchange for amnesty. Instead they counter with a fried brain wiring or accepting the oily elixir that insures total loyalty. With no real option especially after seeing what happened to a dedicated follower of his, he takes the chemical.

However, everyone underestimates the ruthless Caine; as he understands acting is to build off the sh*t that motivates you. His allies enable Caine to escape to the Overwold’ which he once saved from genocide by the ruling elite of Earth. Caine begins a time and space odyssey that will either bring him what he lost or eradicate the universe.

The latest Caine speculative fiction thriller is a gory yet intelligent and entertaining tale. The storyline is convoluted as time proves liquid (as Matthew Stover notes) with this entry in the Act of Atonement saga coming before, during and after the events of the previous novel Caine Black Knife; to further complicate matters, incidents that were real at one time vanish as if they never happened. Readers will appreciate this exciting complex thriller while wondering if the universe ended would anyone notice.

Harriet Klausner

A Crown Imperiled
Raymond E. Feist
Harper Voyager, Mar 13 2012, $27.99
ISBN: 9780061468414

Jim Dasher and his espionage unit conclude Midkemia appears on the verge of deadly chaos and there seems to be nothing they can do to prevent what looks inevitable as hostilities explode almost everywhere. Meanwhile the Moredhel dark elves fear the arrival of the powerful feral Taredhel elves of the stars. Desperate War Chieftain Arkan enters the realm of man to bring back to the land of elves Pug the Magician, prophesied to save his realm.

Pug, accompanied by Sandreena and Amirantham, asks the Conclave of Shadows for help; but fails to obtain any definitive support and the trio seeks what is behind all the mounting evil that appears the be destroying Midkemia. Demons breach the realm from the outside while various coups in neighboring states leave the Kingdom fractured as unrest grows from within.

The second Chaoswar fantasy (see A Kingdom Besieged) is an entertaining Riftwar thriller containing several subplots tied together by Dasher and his crew. Filled with twists and a strong look at political and military intrigue Midkemia and its neighboring lands, this is a fast-paced entry that readers will enjoy. Fans of the long running saga will wonder what darkness next will befall the people of Midkemia and especially ponder how present events tie back to the past.

Harriet Klausner

Crucible of Empire
Eric Flint and K.D. Wentworth
Baen, Feb 7 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9781451638042

A few years ago years ago the Jao invaders conquered the Earth (see The Course of Empire). The two species began forging a united kochan clan. Former resistance fighter Gabriel Tully commands Baker Company whose prime mission is to negotiate a peace between his former resistance allies and the Jao. He attends a briefing concerning the NGC 7293 nebula where three Krant vessels investigated strange data; they encountered hostility with the giant arachnid Ekhat species which ended with the enemy destroyed but the Krant ships not in much better shape.

Terra Governor Aille and Preceptor Ronz assign the Lexington to take Jao and humans to the sector where the Ekhat has violently surfaced and a third race was involved in the recent battle. Jao Captain Danner krinnu ava Terra commands the ship; but she is not in charge of the mission. Instead Wrot krinnu ava Terra runs the mission with Caitlin Kralik as the diplomat to deal with the unknown race and Tully and his unit enhanced by the Krant survivors provide military support against the Ekhat. His team destroys four Ekhat ships with a surviving vessel crippled in orbit around a star; only to learn the Lleix who the Jao assaulted in a previous encounter are on board.

As with the first science fiction “Empire” thriller, the sequel focuses on the species with a deep look at the Jao (especially on board the Lexington) and somewhat the Ekhat. The storyline also introduces a fourth sentient race with its own shtick. Although there is some reiterative commentary that slows down the outer space encounters, fans will enjoy traveling on the Lexington as the combined Jao-human crew go into combat and diplomacy.

Harriet Klausner

Crucible of Gold
Naomi Novik
Del Rey, Mar 6 2012, $25.00
ISBN 9780345522863

In 1809 British aviator William Laurence and Temeraire his dragon companion remain exiled in New South Wales for their treasonous act of saving French dragons from a plague. Their saving England from Napoleon kept them from state execution (see Tongues of Serpents).

Meanwhile plague brought by the Europeans devastates the Incan Empire at a time when Empress Anahuarque Inca considers allying with the Brits or the French. She leans towards a marital arrangement with Napoleon if he dumps Josephine while Iskierka the dragon pushes her captain Granby as a better alternative. Spain has fallen to the French and the powerful Tswana African tribe, with French support, raids Brazil tentatively to rescue black slaves but also to hold the royals captured in Rio. Tottering on the brink of defeat, the British government sends self-proclaimed ambassador plenipotentiary to China, Arthur Hammond, to return to the front Laurence and Temeraire.

Fast-paced and filled with action, the latest terrific timely Temeraire historical fantasy is a great thriller that grips readers throughout with a taste of life in many diverse spots while the world is at war. The abolitionist hero feels contempt towards his side’s leadership; who demand patriotism from grunts risking their lives with little logistical support (can’t raise a war fee tax) while the leaders direct the war from the comfort of their London suites. Fans will enjoy this excellent historical as the British leadership fumble the war while hiding behind the Decatur mantra of “Our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but right or wrong, our country!”; but forced to bring home Laurence whose mantra is the Shurtz corollary: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.”

Harriet Klausner

Cobra Gamble
Timothy Zahn
Baen, Jan 3 2012, $25.00
ISBN: 9781439134061

Jasmine “Jin” Moreau Broom awakens on the ship of Warrior the Troft heading to Qasaman with her injured husband Paul nearby; she knows her leaders consider him a traitor for giving the ISIS system to the adversarial Djinn but she also believes that is the last hope to save humanity. The female Cobra warrior meets up with her son Lorne as Qasaman Djinn delegates Siraj Akim and Carsh Zoshak conduct a combat exercise.

Warrior asks the Troft in Sollas for permission to land; they agree to allow him to put down his vessel near Milika instead. He escorts the Cobra and Djinn delegation along with their ISIS cargo to a secure military station before disembarking from the planet. At the same time Milika Qasaman patrol leader Gama Yithtra assigns Jin’s oldest son Merrick the cobra and villager Nalis Kinsta to scout Troft activity. Time is running out for the uneasy Cobra and Qasaman Djinn allies as war with the mutual enemy has led to strange bedfellows.

This Cobra War science fiction thriller (See Cobra Guardian and Cobra Alliance) is a well written entertaining tale that can be divided into two sections. The first half of the storyline focuses on the relationships between the various parties as trust is a rare commodity in spite of a mutual enemy. This political segue is fascinating as Timothy Zahn drills deep into the strange bedfellows generalization as well as make the alien races seem real, but is also somewhat slow as action is limited. The latter half of the novel turns into a fast-paced military sci fi thriller as the war ignites. With the key threads tied up, readers will enjoy Mr. Zahn’s exciting Cobra War saga.

Harriet Klausner

Born of Ashes
Caris Roane
St. Martin’s, Jan 3 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312533748

The death vampires drained the blood of human slave Fiona for years. Tortured though she finally physically escaped from her tormenters, mentally she suffers from PTSD as her mind envisions images of the power hungry predators constantly taking her to the brink of death. One of the seven captive donors, Fiona cannot move on as vengeance is all she craves especially against amoral psychopath Rith who runs the blood factories.

Fiona displays unique powers that have Endelle believing the former blood slave is a member of the triad Obsidian Flame trio. Warrior Jean-Pierre is her Guardian Ascension, but he covets more from the motral he knows is his destined mate. The ex-prisoner wants Jean-Pierre, but she struggles with losing any iota of her hard earned freedom and besides she obsesses with a bone marrow need to drain the fluids from Rith. Meanwhile death vampire Commander Greaves deploys his war plan.

The latest Guardians of Ascension romantic urban fantasy (see Wings of Fire, The Burning Skies and Ascension) is a great thriller as the Roane mythos turns even more complex as readers see deeper into schism between the vampire groups. The cast is sold though the storyline belongs to the avenging heroine who risks death to kill the bloodsucker still tormenting her thoughts. This is another fantastic entry in one of the strongest sagas on the market today.

Harriet Klausner