The Legions of Fire
David Drake
Tor, May 11 2010, $25.99
ISBN 9780765320780

In Carce, the center of civilization, bookworm Varus, son of Senator Gaius Saxa, is to do a reading. Attending it is his classmate and friend Corylus, son of commander Publius Cispius. At the recital of the epic poem, Varus abruptly makes strange predictions of the end of days beginning count down.

His young shrewish stepmother Hedia holds the avaricious wizard Nemastes culpable for Varus’ outrageous embarrassing behavior. However, besides Varus, Corylus and his sister Alphena were engulfed by visions during the recital. None are aware that to the north on a remote volcanic isle, mages have begun a final ritual that will enable beasts from beyond this realm to enter and destroy mankind. Four residents of Carce with diverse skills are all that stand in the way to prevent total extinction.

The key to this sort of historical fantasy is how wonderfully David Drake captures the essence of the patrician nobility of Rome, which brings freshness to the quest. The quartet of heroes is fully developed with different skills, knowledge and attitudes. Corylus brings military strategic experience to the mix; Alphena possesses combat skills; Hedia is brilliant though volatile; and Varus has a connection to the beyond. Together they may save the realm; separately they have no chance as the Legion of Fire is an enjoyable first tale.

Harriet Klausner

Lion’s Heat
Lora Leigh
Berkley, Apr 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425233801

Director of the Bureau of Breed Affairs Lion Breed Jonas Wyatt knows the only person who could bring him to his knees is his assistant, Rachel Broen. He realizes she is his mate, but refuses to act upon his need as she deserves better than him. Still he wishes he was the father of Rachel’s baby daughter Amber instead of Devon, but is satisfied that the baby recognized his voice when she was still in the womb.

Philip Brandenmore of Brandenmore research kidnaps Amber as he plans to experiment on the infant to foster his goal of using Breeds to slow down aging in purebreds. Jonas rescues the baby, but not before she is injected with some unknown elixir. A raging Jonas, who believes in his soul that Amber is his child, goes berserk with plans of vengeance. However, keeping Amber safe comes first, so he moves his soulmate and “his” daughter into the Breed Sanctuary where he relocates to keep the two females he loves safe.

This is a great entry in the Breeds saga as readers get what we waited for as Jonas no longer can deny his feelings. The key to finally force him to accept the inevitable is not his kick-butt tiny mate, but her daughter; sired by someone else. With a major leap forward in the overarching series as well, fans fully appreciate Jonas turn to accept his mate, but will he also go against what is known of Breed and accept Amber too.

Harriet Klausner

Legend of the White Wolf
Terry Spear
Sourcebook, Feb 1 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9781402219054

While their partners Cameron MacPherson and Vin Summerfield remain in Seattle as the former hunts only criminals and the latter hates flying, David Davis and Owen Nottingham are in Maine hunting black bear. Their guide Kintail Silverman, co-owner with Lila Grayson of Back Country Tours, takes them deep into the wilderness when thirtyish David suddenly suffers a heart attack. Owen knows David and pleads with Kintail to save his friend; he will pay any cost. Kintail agrees and suddenly one of his purebred white wolves leaps at the two private investigators.

Faith O’Mallery is town searching for her former boyfriend Hilson Snowden who stole her father’s research paper. Her father tells her not to read the paper once she recovers it. At a hotel, she enters an occupied room as the desk clerk gave her the wrong key. He says his name is Cameron and he is a private investigator from Seattle seeking his missing two partners. They team up in search of his buddies and her dad’s paper, but neither is prepared to what they find as she learns her dad is not insane with his sociology study and he that his friends live. Soon they will understand the howl of the wolf for its soulmate as their new loupe garous pals are in danger of extinction from Dark Angels.

The fourth werewolf romantic suspense thriller (see To Tempt a Wolf, Heart of the Wolf and Destiny of the Wolf) is a super entry as two dedicated individuals combine their mission only to fall in love at first bite. The pristine descriptions of Maine and elsewhere add to the feeling that a werewolf pack runs free in the tundra. Fans will relish this strong paranormal entry as no one does tales of the wolf better than Terry Spear does.

Harriet Klausner

The Last Stormlord
Glenda Larke
Orbit, Marc2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780316069151

In Scarcleft City in the Scarpen Quarter, her father sells his twelve year old daughter Terelle to Opal’s snuggery where she picks up dirty plates and mugs to be reused in the kitchen. Terelle knows that if she fails to escape shortly she will become a courtesan handmaiden just like her older half-sister Vivie who counseled her to accept the inevitable. However, the water painter gives her hope.

At the same time that Terelle considers how to escape, the Stormlord is dying and no one seems capablee of taking over his critical duties. Shale the low life has the gift, but lacks the training and being an outcast means he will never receive the training to control being a Stormord bringing the needed rain to the desert. As he wanders around while the current Stormlord nears death, the son of Granlon the Cloudmaster Nealrith Almondine and Kaneth Carnelian check levels at water cisterns to find each one at dangerous low drought levels. They discuss moral options while Taquar leads the tribes to return to the Time of Random Rain; to achieve his goal he must kill anyone who displays the watergiver talent.

This is a terrific fantasy that uses a dangerous drop in water levels to set up the excellent opening act of what looks like will be a superb relevant thriller. The ensemble cast is incredibly deep so that even secondary characters like Kaneth and the water talented female Ryka that he should marry come across as fully developed enhancing the plausibility of the story line of doom. In fact Kaneth explains the two extreme choices between allowing everyone to die slowly and mass murder to enable a chosen few high up in the water hierarch to live. Fans will enjoy Glenda Larke’s terrific relevant tale as the water wars seem imminent in the Quartern.

Harriet Klausner

A Local Habitation
Seanan McGuire
Daw, Mar 3 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756405960

Half Fae changeling October “Toby” Daye has become a private investigator in the world of mortals as she distrusts her Faerie heritage more than that of the sneaky humans. However, though her preference is to say no, Toby knows better than to refuse a request from her Fairie liege The Shadowed Hills Duke Sylvester Torquill. Coming to her abode in San Francisco, he asks her to insure that his niece, the Countess of Tamed Lightening, is okay as she has ceased all contact with her family.

The Countess January O’Leary runs an information management company in which she employs purebred and changeling fae. A serial killer is murdering the staff. Toby investigates trying to prevent more homicides from occurring; not expecting her inquiries to intertwine.

The second October Daye (Rosemary and Rue) private investigative urban fantasy is a wonderful one sitting read that hooks the audience from the first visitation to the last. Toby terrific is tough and spunky as she holds the dual investigations together with her Noir like scrutiny. Fans will enjoy the heroine’s tours of San Francisco and the land of Fairie as she works a deadly whodunit case while wondering if October will survive long enough to see November.

Harriet Klausner

Legend of the White Wolf
Terry Spear
Sourcebook, Feb 1 2010, $6.99
ISBN: 9781402219054

While their partners Cameron MacPherson and Vin Summerfield remain in Seattle as the former hunts only criminals and the latter hates flying, David Davis and Owen Nottingham are in Maine hunting black bear. Their guide Kintail Silverman, co-owner with Lila Grayson of Back Country Tours, takes them deep into the wilderness when thirtyish David suddenly suffers a heart attack. Owen knows David and pleads with Kintail to save his friend; he will pay any cost. Kintail agrees and suddenly one of his purebred white wolves leaps at the two private investigators.

Faith O’Mallery is town searching for her former boyfriend Hilson Snowden who stole her father’s research paper. Her father tells her not to read the paper once she recovers it. At a hotel, she enters an occupied room as the desk clerk gave her the wrong key. He says his name is Cameron and he is a private investigator from Seattle seeking his missing two partners. They team up in search of his buddies and her dad’s paper, but neither is prepared to what they find as she learns her dad is not insane with his sociology study and he that his friends live. Soon they will understand the howl of the wolf for its soulmate as their new loupe garous pals are in danger of extinction from Dark Angels.

The fourth werewolf romantic suspense thriller (see To Tempt a Wolf, Heart of the Wolf and Destiny of the Wolf) is a super entry as two dedicated individuals combine their mission only to fall in love at first bite. The pristine descriptions of Maine and elsewhere add to the feeling that a werewolf pack runs free in the tundra. Fans will relish this strong paranormal entry as no one does tales of the wolf better than Terry Spear does.

Harriet Klausner

Last Of The Ravens
Linda Winstead Jones
Silhouette Nocturne, Jan 2010, $5.25
ISBN: 9780373618262

Feeling bone tired, consultant Miranda Lynch decides to take a needed respite from her consulting work. She has not a break since her sister Jessica died in an accident four years ago in which her spirit said to her “I love you”. Miranda decides to hide away in the Tennessee Mountains where no one will ask her for her help on solving a crime, which she hopes means no communication with ghosts, the source of her information.

During her sojourn, Miranda meets mountain man Brennus Korbinian, who is the last of the Korbinian species who can shapeshift into ravens. They are attracted to one another to the shock of each as neither expected to meet their soulmate in this lifetime. However, the Order of the Cahir captures the two of them with threats to kill the monsters if they fail to do their bidding.

This is an exciting fresh romantic fantasy starring two fascinating lead characters and villains who are sinister without turning cartoonish. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action as Miranda wonders whether fortune has allowed her to overcome the Lynch Love Curse or not; on the other hand Bren believes his soulmate will enable the Korbinian to survive at least one more generation if they can escape captivity. Linda Winstead Jones provides a strong thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Lady Carliss And The Waters Of Moorue
Chuck Black
Multnomah, Mar 16 2010, $9.99
ISBN: 9781601421272

When Lucius rebelled against the King and his Son Across the Sea, he and his Shadow Lords were defeated; but fled to Arrethetrae to continue their rebellion with an absolute determination that the King would never rule there. However after the Son came and gained followers before he was killed, resurrected and returned home, he obtained loyal faithful Knights of Arrethetrae. One of the most devoted Knights to the Prince is Lady Carliss who heads home after a dangerous mission including imprisonment in one of the Shadow Warrior’s dungeons.

She and her companion Lady Salina stop at the latter’s house, but nobody is to be found anywhere. Marauders are hunting them and other captives to give to Shadow Lord Malco, who needs them to use as part of his nefarious plot to destroy Arrethetrae. On their way to get help, the two women run into Sir Dalton, the love of Lady Carliss’ life. Before they can exchange words, an esca lizard bites him. She has ten days to find the lily in the poisonous deadly swampland of Moorue abutting Malco’s castle that can save her beloved’s life. Lady Carliss obtains allies on her quest, but a traitor brings the wrath of Malco on her and her cohorts making her to choose between who lives or dies as time runs out.

Good and evil clash physically and metaphysically numerous times in this exhilarating young adult inspirational thriller. Carliss is a warrior Knight of the Prince as gender does not matter when it comes to combat. She makes the tale as she must make life and death choices no one should have to do, but it happens (as President Obama said at the Nobel Prize ceremony). Chuck Black provides his readers with a powerful message to believe for the solace gained helps even when the free will preferences are overwhelming emotionally troubling.

Harriet Klausner

Live Free or Die
John Ringo
Baen, Feb 2010, $26.00
ISBN: 9781439133323

The Grtul came first constructing the Gudrum Ring to expand trade by making Earth a galactic partner. Humans reacted with trepidation and adulation as the global economy begins to go galaxy.

Three peaceful years pass with earthlings growing in confidence that they are equal trading partners. However, everything changes abruptly when the Horvath arrive in warships. They destroy several metropolises as a warning. Terra is theirs. Entrepreneur Tyler Vernon knows that the entire galaxy loves maple syrup and that no military martinet species is going to prevent him from selling Vermont style to customers. He considers smuggling, but knows a cost benefit analysis suggests the maple Syrup counterinsurgency might be a better way to kick the Horvath off earth.

The concept is terrific with its obvious parallels to the current global economy as John Ringo combines a hostile alien planetary takeover with musings on the convergence of science and economics that in modern times make it difficult for an individual to Live Free or Die trying. The story line drifts between a hyperspeed shoot em up revolution and turtle-speed dialogues on the economic-science convergence. Both prove interesting, but also overwhelm characterizations including the maple syrup entrepreneur. Still fans will enjoy Mr. Ringo’s combining of economics, science and alien invasion as overall this is a thought provoking fun thriller.

Harriet Klausner

The Light of Other Days
Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter
Tor, Dec 8 2009, $14.99
ISBN: 9780765322876

In the twenty-first century, Hidamani Patel had escaped the impoverished North Sea that has encroached on the fifty-second state England to make a fortune in the Forty-eight as Hiram Patterson. The successful multi-billionaire built his OurWorld campus on what was once Microsoft back before global warming changed the planet. Now Hiram explains his newest gizmo to journalist Kate Manzoni because of her article on Wormwood and the hit in the Pacific in the twenty-sixth century while Hiram’s son Bobby stands by.

Hiram has invented a WormCam that uses wormhole technology to open a portal anywhere in the world instantly. Privacy is a thing of the past as a person can see anyone at anytime. The technology soon also applies to seeing what has been as secrets are no more.

The underlying premise is brilliant as history’s mysteries are open for public consumption on a big humanity altering scale, but also on a personal individual relationship scale. When the story line focuses on the philosophy of what happens to mankind if basic beliefs are shattered, it is an intriguing tale. When the plot tries to turn inward to the impact on the characters, it loses steam ironically in spite of a lot more action as none of the cast matters especially compared to the historical possibilities. Fans of the two authors will enjoy their collaboration, but the prime what if question will be what if the cast felt remorse, guilt and shame for the lies they told their loved ones or for the lies their heroes told the world. Instead they become comic book action heroes who soar as an action-packed thriller; instead of short stories based on major historical events and legends through the ages that would have been enlightening.

Harriet Klausner