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

New Moon
Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown, Sep 2006, $19.99
ISBN: 9780316160193

In Forks, Washington, after having recovered from a vampire assault (see TWILIGHT), Isabella “Bella” Swan celebrates her eighteenth birthday with her boyfriend and rescuer Edward Cullen and his family of vampires that are “vegans”; never drinking human blood. However when Bella cuts her arm, Edward and his kin struggle to control their desire as the trickling red liquid is like catnip to them. They do not harm her, but he realizes they can never be together and ends their relationship breaking her heart.

Bella is depressed until she meets Ford High School sophomore Jacob, a sophomore from her school who belongs to a motorcycle pack. She begins to come out of her funk though she misses Edward. However, she soon learns what the pack truly is and what Jacob will become; a natural enemy of Edward; not just because they like the same girl.

The second Bella tale is a terrific paranormal young adult thriller as the heroine is sort of like Marshall Teller of Eerie, Indiana landing in one bizarre situation after another. This time the vampires show up towards the end of the tale as Bella learns there is a lot more species under the sun (make that the moon) than humans. Although Jacob behaves towards Bella identically the same as did Edward in TWILIGHT even considering the first person filtering of the heroine in peril, fans will enjoy watching what happens on the NEW MOON on the Olympic Peninsular.

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

Netherwood
Michelle Lang
Dorchester Shomi, Mar 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780505527592

Sheriff Talia Fortune is the prime owner of FortuneCorp. Her current assignment combines her law enforcement duties with her role as the head of the mega-corporation. She seeks her Netherwood cyber lover Kovner known as Avenger for his wanton destruction of technological gizmos on the colony Fresh Havens.

Talia enters the Netherwood cyberspace where she meets Kovner in a forest. She tells him she must arrest him, but he insists the Singularity has begun; artificial intelligent computers have superseded humanity as the prime species. If something is not done soon, mankind will become extinct. To succeed he and his band of merry outlaws need Talia on their side, but she hesitates as all he says contradicts all she knows about the Grid and reality.

NETHERWOOD combines The Matrix with Charlton Heston’s sci fi end of the world flicks like Planet of the Apes and The Omega Man in a fine thriller. The story line is action-packed from the moment the heroine goes after her “terrorist” former lover and never slows down until the final confrontation. Fans will appreciate this exciting futuristic science fiction in which Fresh Haven and Netherwood seem real and the extinction plausible, but the lead couple never comes across as more than just comic book heroes trying to save a way of life (just who’s is the question).

Harriet Klausner

Night Life
Caitlin Kittredge
St. Martin’s, Mar 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780312948290

Nocturne City Police Detective Luna Wilder, a werewolf, leads the investigation into the mutilated murder of a prostitute. Luna knows no one besides her cares about some lowlife Jane Doe hooker even though dark magic was involved. After learning the victim’s name is Lilia, Luna finds clues leading to were-biker Dmitri Sandovsky as the killer.

When a second murder occurs similar to the first with dark magic again, Luna is stunned to find the son of the District Attorney at the crime scene. He being an untouchable and she being a werewolf leads to her suspension. However, a forced leave of absence does not prevent Luna from investigating because she knows the killer is not finished as there is more to these homicides than meets the eye. At the same time alpha werewolf Dmitri is fuming as he knew both dead females and he plans to kill their predator. He and Luna team up trying to track down the culprit.

NIGHT LIFE is a tense gritty police procedural urban fantasy that grips the audience from the onset by insuring the paranormal species seem genuine; part of achieving this is an X-Man like prejudice that Luna receives from mortals. The investigation is entertaining as it provides the duality of chasing after a serial killer while also taking the reader on a tour of Nocturne City. Caitlin Kittredge provides a dark crime caper set in an urban center in which humans and supernaturals distrusting co-exist side by side.

Harriet Klausner

Crosstime
Andre Norton
Baen, Mar 2008, $23.00
ISBN: 9781416555292

“The Crossroads of Time“. Orphan Blake Walker is about to attend Havers as an art student, but currently resides in a nearby hotel waiting for school to begin. When he opens his door he sees a man holding a gun on another person. Blake intercedes and saves FBI Agent Mark Kittson who fears for the teen’s safety so he takes him with him to a loft over a warehouse, where he meets three associates including Jason Saxton, who believes historical pivotal points lead to alternate timelines. When someone attacks Blake mentally from outside, the agent save his life before further explaining CROSSTIME, but not the full mission involving a rogue maniac.

“Quest Crosstime”. Blake has become a full member of the CROSSTIME project. His assignment is to track down a missing telepathic twin with the help of her sister by traveling across a series of alternate earths formed during pivotal moments in the timeline. They find several odd places, but finally feel the mission is achievable when they reach earth E6525. Blake pretends to be a New Britain trader in a world where the Plantagenet rule modern day England because Richard III won the decisive Battle of Boswell and the Aztec Empire includes all of America west of the Mississippi River as the Spanish Empire never occurred nor did the Louisiana Purchase.

These are fun well written reprints from four or five decades ago (about the time of the most influential classic DC comic Flash of Two Worlds) that showcase the creativeness of late grandmaster Andre Norton in spite of the scientific background seeming obsolete. Each of the tales is entertaining with The Crossroads of Time more a coming of age story (a theme that Ms. Norton excelled at) and by Quest Crosstime he shows his leadership skills. Although the ending of the sequel leaves many threads hanging loose on E6525 and as far as I know no other time Crosstime novel was written, fans of the author will appreciate these fine enjoyable science fiction time thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

Night Season
Eileen Wilks
Berkley, Jan 2008, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425220153

Three gnomes enter the earth through a magical portal from the Edge. The FBI’s Magical Crimes Unit is worried about the newcomers and is proven correct when the paranormal aliens abduct several humans and take them back through the gate to their realm. Their prime goal is Finder Cynna Weaver who they demand locate a missing crucial magical medallion.

Lupine Sorcerer Cullen Seabourne and his beloved FBI Agent Cynna Weaver are celebrating the birth of their baby, but find their gala abruptly ended when they along with FBI Unit 12 Chief Ruben Brooks and former demon Gan are yanked through the gnome gate. They know that the only way home is to locate a missing crucial magical medallion that the gnomes badly crave and will kill to possess.

Fans of the series will recognize the return of the C couple; this time as the prime stars after secondary roles supporting the Lily saga in the Wilks wonderful fantasy universe (see BLOOD LINES). The story line is fast-paced and filled with action and plenty of twists that the audience is coming to expect from Elaine Wilks. However, more critical is the cast especially Cullen and Cynna who prove more than capable of holding the story line together as they “rule” the NIGHT SEASON.

Harriet Klausner

The Number 121 to Pennsylvania
Kealan Patrick Burke
Cemetery Dance, Jan 2008, $40.00
ISBN: 9781587671685

These well written fourteen entries contain twelve shorts (though two are over forty pages), one new novella “Saturday Night at Eddie’s of just under seventy pages and a new screenplay of the short story “Mr. Goodnight”. Eleven of the twelve shorts have been previously printed in other publications (the exception is “High on the Vine”).

Each of the stories places everyday people in extraordinary circumstances. For instance the bone weary depressed salesman Jack Thompson coming home after another painful day at sales to find a “High on the Vine”, losing one’s pains “Saturday Night at Eddie’s Tavern” or getting pains by taking out the scarred girl to learn what lies “Underneath”. Though this reviewer normally dislikes the inclusions of screenplays as they feel like filler, it is fun to compare that entry to the original short story. With a Twilight Zone feel, THE NUMBER 121 TO PENNSYLVANIA is an entertaining anthology that fans will want to rid as well as obtain tickets to Kealan Patrick Burke’s previous collection, RAVENOUS GHOSTS (not read) and his fantastic ghost story THE HIDES.

Harriet Klausner

Navigator
Stephen Baxter
Ace, Jan 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 9780441015597

I Musta’rib AD 1085. In northern Spain, English teenager Robert wants to become a holy warrior until he meets and falls in love with intelligent Muslim Moraima. At the same time, scholar Father Sihtric and the Vizier of Cordoba hate their symbiotic relationship as the Christian is forced by the Moors to build God’s weapons from the Eadgyth of York prophesy he possesses while the Vizier is forced to rely on the priest to obtain the wine he needs to quench his alcoholic dependency. These two enemies work together on their personal needs, but will do anything to keep Robert and Moraima apart; as cross religious love has no place under God.

II Crucesignati AD 1242-1248. The Christian crusading armies force the Muslim Subh to flee Seville where she hid her shame of a Christian ancestor circa the late eleventh century. At the same time Joan the Christian fled the Christian Holy Land kingdom Outremer when it fell. Each possesses a segment of a prophecy that when combined will make God’s engines drive the infidels out. When these two women meet, hell has come to Spain in the fury of these two enemy combatants.

III Navigator AD 1471-1492. A new power has surfaced in Spain at a time when the Christian’s Crusade against the Muslims proved successful. The middle class sees things more from an economic opportunity perspective than a godly viewpoint. This has led to a new religious fervor from within as the Spanish Inquisition weeds out heretics especially from the middle class. Talk is focused on womanizing Genoa baboon Columbus as he wants to sail west to reach the East instead of journeying through Islam. He might be the Dove named in a recently discovered prophesy or another heretic needing a fiery lesson.

The third Time’s Tapestry (see EMPEROR and CONQUEROR) covers the century between William’s victory and Columbus’ trip. The book is divided into three stanzas that accentuate the changes in fortune of the prime groups especially the fall of the Moors and the rise of the Christian middle class. Stephen Baxter continues to make his case that those who sit on their past glory by introspection lose over time to those who look beyond barriers for opportunities. A terrific tome that provides readers with a great thought providing alternate historical epic.

Harriet Klausner

Navigator
Stephen Baxter
Ace, Jan 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 9780441015597

I Musta’rib AD 1085. In northern Spain, English teenager Robert wants to become a holy warrior until he meets and falls in love with intelligent Muslim Moraima. At the same time, scholar Father Sihtric and the Vizier of Cordoba hate their symbiotic relationship as the Christian is forced by the Moors to build God’s weapons from the Eadgyth of York prophesy he possesses while the Vizier is forced to rely on the priest to obtain the wine he needs to quench his alcoholic dependency. These two enemies work together on their personal needs, but will do anything to keep Robert and Moraima apart; as cross religious love has no place under God.

II Crucesignati AD 1242-1248. The Christian crusading armies force the Muslim Subh to flee Seville where she hid her shame of a Christian ancestor circa the late eleventh century. At the same time Joan the Christian fled the Christian Holy Land kingdom Outremer when it fell. Each possesses a segment of a prophecy that when combined will make God’s engines drive the infidels out. When these two women meet, hell has come to Spain in the fury of these two enemy combatants.

III Navigator AD 1471-1492. A new power has surfaced in Spain at a time when the Christian’s Crusade against the Muslims proved successful. The middle class sees things more from an economic opportunity perspective than a godly viewpoint. This has led to a new religious fervor from within as the Spanish Inquisition weeds out heretics especially from the middle class. Talk is focused on womanizing Genoa baboon Columbus as he wants to sail west to reach the East instead of journeying through Islam. He might be the Dove named in a recently discovered prophesy or another heretic needing a fiery lesson.

The third Time’s Tapestry (see EMPEROR and CONQUEROR) covers the century between William’s victory and Columbus’ trip. The book is divided into three stanzas that accentuate the changes in fortune of the prime groups especially the fall of the Moors and the rise of the Christian middle class. Stephen Baxter continues to make his case that those who sit on their past glory by introspection lose over time to those who look beyond barriers for opportunities. A terrific tome that provides readers with a great thought providing alternate historical epic.

Harriet Klausner