Over at the Merry Sisters of Fate livejournal, Maggie Stiefvater is offering up a chance at an ARC of Shiver. I want. Badly.
And so I’m going to tow my pride and risk the ridicule. I’m going to attempt to write a story based on the prompt they’ve provided. Expect that here within the next two weeks. (You may take that as either a promise or a warning; I’m not sure which would more aptly apply.)
Click here for details on the contest.
For seeker Raine Benares, a demon infestation on the Isle of Mid couldn’t come at a worse time. Already fighting the influence of the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone, Raine discovers she is also magically bonded to a dark mage and a white knight, two dangerous and powerful men on opposing sides.
Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she’s a magical cataclysm waiting to happen.
You haven’t read Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series? Seriously? Oh. You should fix that. The next time you find yourself at your local book store – or, even better, make a special trip – buy the series. All three books. Trust me, you’ll be glad you have one ready to go right after the next.
Since I’m still coming off the really delightful high that reading The Trouble with Demons gave me, I’m going to point you in the direction of Angie’s review. If I start to aimlessly – if happily – ramble, you can head over there. Oh, plus, there’s this little problem of me refusing to name my team (so as to not doom my character, you see,) which will make it slightly difficult to write much of anything. But…Oh, well!
I think my favorite thing about this series are the characters. These books are teeming with really fantastic ones. From the leads – Raine, Mychael and Tam – to the secondary characters, I love them all. And if I can get behind the characters, I’m hooked. But Shearin also knows how to write a good story; always loaded with tension, action, and temptation, each book draws you further and further into Raine’s world. And they always leave you wanting more.
The wait for the next one is going to be interminable, really. I’m (ridiculously) worried about the romantic triangle, how it’s going to be resolved (if indeed it is resolved in the next one,) but I’m excited to find out. And in the meantime, I’m going to go back and re-read a few key sections of Trouble.
And then I’ll be trolling Lisa Shearin’s website for excerpts and snippets from Bewitched & Betrayed, the fourth and forthcoming book in the series.
And then I’ll probably go back and re-read the first two. And then…
You get the point. Now go, get these books, and enjoy. 
In Elantra, a job well done is rewarded with a more dangerous task. So after defeating a dark evil, Kaylin Neya goes before the Barrani High Court, where a misspoken word brings sure death. Kaylin’s never been known for her grace or manners, but the High Lord’s heir is suspiciously ill, and Kaylin’s healing magic is the only shot at saving him—if she can dodge the traps laid for her.
As much as I enjoyed Cast in Shadow, in some ways I enjoyed Cast in Courtlight even more. The reasons for that are numerous, entirely subjective, and to keep this post as spoiler free as possible I’m not going to detail all of them. But a few? That I can do.
So, first, most of this story takes place at the Barrani High Court. Over the course of the novel, court politics and Barrani history are explored, fantastically intriguing new characters are introduced, and Kaylin takes up a quest of sorts to reconcile her past in order to prepare for her future.
One thing to note is that, where Shadow was physically charged, lots of action and movement, Courtlight is emotionally charged, and a bit more contemplative. But both novels have strong characters, and the new ones, three Barrani Lords in particular, were what I actually liked most about Courtlight. And, no, that count doesn’t include Nightshade, though I’m even more intrigued by his role in the whole thing. (There was a scene towards the very end of the book – a scene between Nightshade and Andellen, a Lord who chose to follow Nightshade and who ends up guarding Kaylin at High Court (and, yes, he numbers among the three above) – that really got me thinking. And with that scene in mind, it’s very, very hard to keep from moving on to the next and then the next in the series, just so I can find out how it plays into everything.) I also appreciated the development between Kaylin and Severn, but that’s all I’m going to say about that.
A few characters that were very present in Shadow aren’t so much in Courtlight, but considering the shift in place, their absence is understandable. And the only nit-picky comment I can think of is that the word ‘inasmuch’ was used often enough for me to really take notice of it. Otherwise, Sagara offers up a strong installment with this one.
For now I’m taking an enforced break from the series – the rest of the titles haven’t come in for me at the library yet – but I’m looking forward to heading back to Elantra as soon as possible.
This meme has been making the rounds and, as usual, I’m kind of late to the party. Chris’s varied a bit from Angie’s so I’m going to attempt to combine the two.
1. What author do you own the most books by?
I own a lot of Neil Gaiman. And all of J.D. Robb’s In Death books – those total somewhere in the 20′s. Also, all of P.C. Cast’s books.
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
American Gods – I own the Hill House edition, the author’s preferred edition (also courtesy of Hill House,) a hardcover, and two paperbacks.
3. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
First of all, secretly? I’m not very good at keeping things like that a secret, I’m afraid. And second, just one? Are you kidding? I might be able to narrow it down to a few more recent ones: Ethan “Drifter” McCabe, a certain someone from the Raine Benares series who shall not be named, Lorcan Furey, and…I’m going to stop now because if I don’t, well, I’m not likely to.
4. What book have you read more than any other?
Honestly, I’m not sure. I re-read a lot.
5. What was your favorite book when you were 10 years old?
Probably The Phantom Tollbooth.
6. What is the worst book you’ve ever read?
If I’m being honest, probably Ethan Frome.
7. If you could tell everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
I’m going to echo Chris on this one: American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
8. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Literature-wise it’s a toss up. I “enjoyed” Crime and Punishment equally to Candide.
9. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
I’ve never read Chaucer; of the remaining two, I’d probably have to go with Shakespeare, though I didn’t mind Milton, either.
10. Austen or Eliot?
Austen, which, perhaps, is an unfair answer, but since I’ve not read Eliot it’s the only one I can give.
11. What is your favorite novel?
Nope. Can’t do it. I can’t even narrow it down.
12. What is your favorite play?
The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Neil Simon
13. What is your favorite poem?
I have lots of them, actually. But a few: “Echo” by Christina Rossetti, “Deep Chess” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, “Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes” by Billy Collins, “The Triumph of Achilles” by Louise Gluck, “Social Notes from All Over: Mt. Olympus” by William Matthews, “Tantrum” by Irving Feldman.
14. What is your favorite epic poem?
This may not quite count, but…”Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti.
15. What is your favorite non-fiction?
I don’t read much non-fiction, but, for some reason, I really enjoyed Mark Frost’s The Greatest Game Ever Played. Oh, and I love all of John Muir’s writing.
16. Who is your favorite writer?
Neil Gaiman. But I hold many close to my heart and would include: Italo Calvino, Fernando Pessoa, and Harlan Ellison.
17. What are you reading right now?
Right this second I’m reading Cast in Courtlight, the second book in Michelle Sagara’s Chronicles of Elantra series. But I’ve also got Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce ready to go.
Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered — and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin . . .
Since then, she’s learned to read, she’s learned to fight and she’s become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and immortal Barrani, she’s made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth.
But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging, Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can’t trust, a Dragon lord for a companion and a device to contain her powers — powers that no other human has. Her task is simple — find the killer, stop the murders . . . and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies!
Angie beat me to Cast in Shadow, the first in Michelle Sagara’s Elantra series, and I’m glad she did; her review gave me the nudge I needed to finally take the plunge and actually pick it up off my shelf.
Kaylin is a strong main character, not without faults and demons of her own, and I liked her immediately. What I liked more is that her past, which is revealed slowly, not only deepens her character, but gives the whole novel depth. So much plays out from what happened to her as a child in the fiefs that you can’t help but be emotionally invested by the end.
I’m not sure what I expected from Cast in Shadow – the cover blurb proclaims it a “fast-paced police procedural” and I’ve also seen high and dark fantasy attributed to it – but whatever the case, I got a lot more than I bargained for. Including a new character to love: Nightshade.
Lord Nightshade was waiting for her, and everything she felt – too complicated to put into words of her own – must have been clearly written on her face; his expression shifted slightly.
“Lord Tiamaris,” he said. “Severn.” Niceties out of the way – and those were the extent he offered – he turned to Kaylin. “There was a disturbance in the fief this afternoon.”
“Yes.”
“On several levels.”
“Yes.”
“You have come about them?”
“No.”
“Ah. And you are dressed as a Hawk.”
“Overlook it.”
“I have.” He inclined his head slightly. “What would you have of me, Kaylin Neya?”
And now I’m all anxious to get my hands on the next one, Cast in Courtlight, because I can’t wait to see how the story develops. I’ll definitely be following this series from here on out.
I can tell you the exact moment I felt my heart in my throat: I was on page 502. As I continued to read, unresisting to the tears that welled against the rim of my eyes, I realized that, actually, my heart had been in my throat the entire time.
If it’s alright, I’m not going to recount the plot in this post. It’s been out long enough that, I’m assuming, most people have a general idea of what it’s about. And, you know, I feel kind of raw right now, having just finished it. Not exactly up to pushing aside emotion in favor of the removed preciseness required of a synopsis. Rambling thoughts are about all I can manage.
And I’ll start with this: I’ve never felt so grateful for the beating heart of a living thing in all my life. I had finished the book. My husband was gone, had left the house to run an errand after making sure that I was okay, that the tears that were drying in thin lines on my cheeks weren’t caused by some physical pain. I had just begun this review when he came back. Had forgotten his wallet. I handed it out the door and he was gone again. My dog was pushing his nose at the door, and so I gathered him up, lifting his front paws from the ground. I could feel his little heart beating fast against the inside of my arms. I felt like crying all over again.
I didn’t expect to be swept up the way I was. Even though I had read reviews in which people detailed their experience reading it, most of them mentioning that, at some point, they had been as helpless to tears as I had been. And still I didn’t believe. But I understand now, as much as anyone can, and I’m amazed. Touched, you know?
I’ve been wanting to read this book for some time now, and what provoked me to pick it up sooner rather then later was the promise of the movie this, when is it? August? I didn’t want to see it before reading the book. At least now I’m as prepared as I can be. And, you know, it’s strange: I liked having Eric Bana’s face in my head as I read. I loved Henry’s voice so much, and it was effortless, hearing his words come from the actor, picturing him having Henry’s thoughts. Usually this backfires on me, but it was just perfect this time. And the same went for Rachel McAdams.
So, I think in time I will love this book. I’m not sure I can say that just yet, God only knows why. But in time…Yes, I think I’ll love it very much.
I was browsing through an advance catalog and these three titles immediately caught my attention:
Another Faust
Daniel and Dina Nayeri
“A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites readers into the world of the elite Marlowe High School Academy. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.”
Pub Date: August 25th
400 pages
Metamorphosis
Betsy Franco
Illustrated by Tom Franco
“In her striking YA debut, Franco introduces an expressive soul with a heartbreakingly authentic voice. Ovid is a young artist who pours his thoughts into the pages of a notebook. Inspired by his namesake, Ovid wryly records his classmates’ dramas as modern-day mythology.”
Pub Date: October
128 pages
Winter’s End
Jean-Claude Mourlevat
“Four teens, determined to escape they tyranny responsible for the deaths of their parents years before, flee their prison-like boarding school and are pursued by a terrifying pack of dog-men sent to hunt them down, in this award-winning story of courage, individualism, and freedom.”
Pub Date: November
432 pages
Caliber: First Canon of Justice takes the Arthurian legend and shifts it to the American Northwest.
Shortly before his death, young Arthur Pendergon’s father is approached by a shaman named Whitefeather. The shaman gives him a gun, claiming that, because of his respect for the law, it was meant for him and only he’d be able to wield it. When the gun fails Pendergon, Whitefeather loses faith; he takes the gun, and he waits. Years later, Arthur picks up the weapon. When he fires it, ligthning rips from the sky and his aim is dead-on accurate. With Whitefeather’s mentoring, Arthur will rise to take his place as champion of the people, and of the law.
It took me a long time to get my hands on a copy of this, but it was worth it. A fan of the Arthurian legend in any guise, I was particularly excited to see what Sarkar and Gastonny would do with it in the American Northwest.
What we have in Caliber is actually a pretty true telling in some ways: Arthur’s present, of course, as is Merlin in Whitefeather, Lance, Gwen, Morgan, the weapon that aides Arthur in his guest for justice, and the idea that no one man is better or more deserving than the rest. But instead of Camelot we have a frontier on the verge of expansion, we have Native American mysticism, and honest to goodness old-fashioned gun battles. I thought the parallels were nicely handled, and that the rest brought a unique twist to the legend.
But the art. The art is stunning. And at times unbelievably lifelike. There are pages filled with luminous color and then there are some that are somber and cold. The attention to detail – to expressions, to the straining tendons in the horses’ flanks even – is amazing. I don’t know how else to describe it. Before I sat down to read it, I opened the book to random pages; I stood there shaking my head, smiling. And then I showed my co-worker. And then I showed my father – a big western buff.
Radical Comics has a nice online presence for Caliber. Okay, wait, nice isn’t right. Arthur’s coat lifts in the wind! Lightning cracks behind him! Plus it has more examples of the art and a trailer. Caliber definitely deserves a closer look.
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Once Upon a Time III Challenge
1. The Shadow Queen
2. Vampirates: Black Heart
3. The Manual of Detection
4. Thirteenth Child
5. Fire Study
6. Wonderland
7. Caliber: First Canon of Justice
Library book sales. You’ve got to love them. I picked up the following pile for $4.50, an absurd amount for two like-new hardcovers and a bunch of paperbacks that look like they were never cracked open.
I was brave and picked up Iain M. Banks’ Matter. I’ve only recently begun to enjoy sci-fi, after all. That said, I flipped through this one, reading a little bit here and there, and I think I’m going to do just fine with it.
A few months ago I began The Black Ship by Diana Pharaoh Francis. It was a library copy that I didn’t get too far into before needing to return it so that the next person in line could get their chance. My understanding is that this is not the first novel in her Crosspointe series, but it’s the one that immediately appealed to me, so I’m going with it. I’m also looking forward to her October release, Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book.
Adam-Troy Castro‘s Emissaries From the Dead. Another sci-fi title, but this one has a murder mystery element. Should be interesting.
I love Rachel Caine. If it weren’t for my strict wallet watch, I would have already bought the first book in her new Outcast Season series. So when I saw Undone sitting there I grabbed it fast.
It’s been years since I first borrowed Good Omens from the library and dug in. It was time to have my own copy.
All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear. Another one I borrowed and had to return due to a hold list. I’m a big fan of Bear’s Sebastien de Ulloa/Abigail Irene Garrett books (New Amsterdam and Seven for a Secret,) and wanted to read something else by her.
I also picked up Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair, which I’ve already read, but I loved Kel-Paten so much I wanted a copy to keep and revisit. And it had the old cover, which, surprisingly, I’ll admit to loving much more than the new one.
So that’s it. I’m going to keep my eye on the sale, though, and may be back with round two.
