Finally got around to reading this (actually, listening to this) and it's a timely book. While it's NOT the book I was expecting, it's more of a prequFinally got around to reading this (actually, listening to this) and it's a timely book. While it's NOT the book I was expecting, it's more of a prequel to what I was expecting.
It covers the Empire that existed when Duke Valdemar elected to flee the empire and gate his subjects into the west.
The book is CLEARLY not going to be welcome into Florida Schools ca 2023. It covers the iniquities of slavery, the decay of a corrupt totalitarian government and features at least two LGBTQ characters though that plays a VERY minor role in the overall story.
I've been gleaning snippets of information about this time in references that the author has made over the last few decades and it's nice to finally get this fuller, more detailed version of the story.
Read this one a number of times over the years and was happy to see it available as an audio-book via HOOPLA Amy Landon does a more than credible job Read this one a number of times over the years and was happy to see it available as an audio-book via HOOPLA Amy Landon does a more than credible job of bringing the story to life. Giving distinctive and appropriate voices to most of the main characters and not "mispronouncing" too many of the place names. (Why can't readers pronounce things like my mind voice does?)
This was the first series of Valdemar books and they were written in the late 80s. I first picked them up after reading the trilogy about Vanyel the LThis was the first series of Valdemar books and they were written in the late 80s. I first picked them up after reading the trilogy about Vanyel the Last Herald-Mage. It was fun to know the origins of some of the "ins and outs" of Valdemar whilst reading these and they certainly show an evolved Kindom, hundreds of years later than the Vanyel books. Whilst the Vanyel series will always be my favorite, these tell a great tale about Talia, a Holderkin farm girl who makes good in the "big city." Some have criticized this book for being overly violent but I felt that that was in keeping with the times portrayed.
I've re-read them a number of times and always pick up a new detail or two to appreciate which I missed on earlier reads. Listening to them this time around made some points clear that I'd tended to overlook before.
The Narrator here does an excellent job and even voices the male characters with a distinctive flair that seems to add to rather than detract from the voice acting. ...more
After listening to Christa Lewis narrate Arrows of the Queen, I pressed on to the second book in the series and Christa once again did a more than serAfter listening to Christa Lewis narrate Arrows of the Queen, I pressed on to the second book in the series and Christa once again did a more than serviceable job with the audio-book narration. The prose is clear and well paced and the main character voices are well realized. Being set on the road and containing fewer of the most well loved characters in the Valdemar saga this one was even easier on the ears than volume one.
Just re-listened to this one and it was more enjoyable listening a second time. In some ways, this is my favorite of the Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy. The issues seemed more focused and the continued character development was enjoyable. Of course, part of that might be my aversion to sad tales and knowing what's to come. ...more
I recently spotted this on HOOPLA and decided to try listening to one of my long-time favorites.
While it was a bit odd hearing Christa Lewis telling I recently spotted this on HOOPLA and decided to try listening to one of my long-time favorites.
While it was a bit odd hearing Christa Lewis telling the tale in a voice so very different from my "inner reader," she does a credible job. The pacing is fine and though several of my favorite characters sound so very different than I imagined them, by the end of the book I was fully on-board with her interpretation.
It WAS still odd that Talia, a southern bred holderkin lass, sounded so much like she'd grown up in the Scottish highlands, but the regional accent did help accentuate her "differentness" and her "homespun" qualities amid all the high born types from Haven. She also did a credible job giving voice to this impish, roguish, Skif.
Lewis's range of voices was not all that great and this tale is challenging with over a dozen of my favorite characters in attendance. Many of those that didn't have large roles in this tale didn't really sound all that distinctive, but there was very little confusion as to who was speaking when. She even did a credible job with the male voices and her Alberich wasn't as torturous to hear as I suspected it might be.
I do have a bit of a "grumble" about the pronunciation of one placename... Karse. In my mind it had always been a single syllable and sounded like it rhymed with the somewhat vulgar British slang term "arse." To hear it pronounced as the two-syllable word (as if it were Car Say) was odd every time I heard it. I suppose it could just as easily be correct that way but that begs the question of why folks from there are called Karsite and not "Kar sey an" or some such.
Either way, if your eyes are tired and you're not quite done with your regular Valdemar fix you could do worse than listen to this audio....more
Note: Having read the blurbs on both books 1 and 2, I was curious about both but was MUCH more intrigued by book 2. So I started with book 2. There weNote: Having read the blurbs on both books 1 and 2, I was curious about both but was MUCH more intrigued by book 2. So I started with book 2. There were a few references to the first book, but they seemed very minor, and starting with the second book affected my enjoyment of this series not at all. In fact, given what I enjoy in my reading, I'm guessing that reading 2 before 1, will actually add to my overall enjoyment of both. Sometimes it's OK to eat dessert first.
What I expected to find was a somewhat dark revenge fantasy. What I did find was excellent storytelling and excellent writing in one package. This was billed as a revenge fantasy but it quickly turned into much more, there is revenge but there's also a plot-line involving empathy, personal growth, self awareness, and self acceptance. The story revolves around a body-switch curse, but it seemed to be more of a blessing than a curse. As I read more, I wasn't sure whether I wanted them to swap back, or not. It seemed that each of the main character's personalities were more at home in their post-curse bodies than in the ones that nature had given them. Reflecting on that, and how it might mirror the sense of relief and “ultimate rightness” post op transsexuals might feel, gave me an increase in empathy in that area as well.
The sex here was the hottest I've read in a long time. Given the initial revenge aspect, the dirty, raunchy aspects of the initial sexual encounters are somehow made more acceptable, and given that each is temporarily inhabiting the other's body, the dominance and submission aspects are rendered a lot less ominous. The BDSM aspects of the sex here was some of the most organically justified by the story that I've ever read.
And not only were my lustful expectations for this fulfilled. The empathy aspects of the book, each character seeing the world from another's perspective was incredibly satisfying as well. It truly is harder to hate those we really understand.
Now that I've read book 2, I really am more looking forward to going back to read book 1. Having not read book 1 yet, I'm not sure it matters all that much which you feel most comfortable starting with. I just advise that you pick one up and start.
Reparation deals with Edward, a younger son ill-suited to taking over the family's spore plantation on These tales will make the reader uncomfortable.
Reparation deals with Edward, a younger son ill-suited to taking over the family's spore plantation on the harsh world of Kalan. But after the eldest son and Edward's father are killed in a pirate raid, he must do just that.. Then, when the plantation manager and Edward's mail-order bride are killed in a carriage accident, Edward is saved by Knox, a “Recon.” Recons are Frankenstein's monster like. They're slaves altered to live in the planet's harsh conditions with the “reconditioned” minds of one condemned prisoner and the body of another. As Edward starts to treat Knox more humanely the “recon” starts to recover some of his pre-execution skills and memories. As those memories surface we are genuinely asked to consider just who the monsters are.
The Bird - when Jamaican island magic frees a repressed Englishman's passion, can he finally live the kind of life he's never been brave enough to dream of? This is kinder gentler tale of the mysterious, but then Jamaica with its gentler climate may just be ideal for some.
Among the Dead – Following a concussion Neil finds himself in a “Sixth Sense situation.” He sees dead people. He also sees a psychiatrist (living) His visions have turned him into a bit of an urban recluse. Then one of his ghosts leads him to someone else who seems to be having the same problem only more so. Can the these two get through life better together? Maybe it's a match made in limbo.
The Black Dog - Hayden MacLairty is a constable in a small Scottish town. He's the youngest of the MacLairty boys. He's also the only one that stuck around the small town of Laide. Never all that interested in either boys or girls, he's stuck living at home with his aging mum. And mom's Alzheimer's is getting worse by the day. Then NYC based author, Simon Corto comes to their small town to gather background material for a new novel. He's interested in “the Black Dog,” a legendary local guardian that only appears at times of national troubles. When Hayden and Simon meet, both men are surprised by their mutual attraction. While the major plot-line is m/m, this tale is very evocative of it's locale. Local color plays as much of a role as any of the characters. But remember Heathcliffe and Catherine ended up in side by side graves. There's a certain chill to this tale beyond that conjured by the Black Dog...
These tales put a new twist (a gay bent?) on several old Gothic plots that have been used in more than a few movies. And in addition to these being m/m friendly, they all make you think a bit, or maybe allow you to fantasize a bit. Reparation raises several morale questions that weren't even remote concerns when Frankenstein was originally penned. It's by far the strongest of the tales in my estimation. But all four are just the thing for curling up with on a dark & stormy night. Each of the tales can stand alone. Other than their m/m focus and their “Night Gallery” feel, there's not a lot tying them together. All four also bring their own peculiar sense of dread. Each tale is a bit m/m gothic but also a bit more. It got me really yearning for a day when a gay Rod Serling type could introduce tales like this in a regular weekly TV program. In the mean time, I'll make do with these text versions.
***Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
The author continues her incredible, complex tale of Arthurian knights in modern day New York City battling the magical beasts conjured by Morgan la FThe author continues her incredible, complex tale of Arthurian knights in modern day New York City battling the magical beasts conjured by Morgan la Fay and her minions.
This time the knight having “tresor trouble” is Kay. While he’s convinced that he’d met his tresor in the person of the Hospitaller knight, Charles, Charles isn’t convinced.
This is the third installment in the Guardians of Camelot series and the earlier somewhat muddled aspect of the storytelling due to filling in backstory and revealing additional plot twists was a bit easier to follow this time around than in book two. But that and the inability of knights and “tresors” to get together without one or the other objecting, disbelieving, or disappearing is beginning to feel a bit formulaic.
In a way, we now have all the knights with their “tresors,” and the way has been cleared for the final battle in the next and final book in the series. Yet, I’m hoping that before we get the epic final battle, we get a good healthy dose of romance between the last two that were united. Neither one of those last two were in any real shape for any romantic action given the way that this book ended.
The saga is compelling and at points brilliant. I will certainly want to read book four soon, but I am suffering a bit from epic-quest fatigue. It’s a bit like the chivalry-lit equivalent of an ice-cream headache. While I’ve enjoyed each and every one of the books in this series I recognize I need to slow down a bit in order to fully appreciate the final denouement.
If you’re a fan of epic fantasy, enjoy Arthurian legends, enjoy in-depth world building, not to mention an intricate and sometimes complicated plot involving the struggle between good and evil, then this is a series you really should explore. But slowly! Ice-cream head-aches can be the worst.
***Note: I received a free copy of this book in hopes of an honest and impartial review***
Interesting group of short stories all set following the end of the Storm books. There's even a modern day story closing the anthology that pretty mucInteresting group of short stories all set following the end of the Storm books. There's even a modern day story closing the anthology that pretty much asserts that El Cid, George Washington and General Lee were all later day heralds of a sort but I'll leave the rest of the details of that tale for you to discover on your own.
I've generally not cared for the anthologies of short stories as much as the novel series books but either this one was better cobbled together or I've grown more accepting of this format.
Well worth the read and just the thing if you've read all her other Valdemar books and need a fix of some new adventures....more
I found that I didn't enjoy this installment as much as I had the others in the series. While it moved the plot along, Mags spent too much time alone I found that I didn't enjoy this installment as much as I had the others in the series. While it moved the plot along, Mags spent too much time alone in this one for me (and in drug dreams) I find that my favorite Valdemar tales involve deepening the Valdemar lore, and seeing the characters interact.
This book was a bit thin on both of these.
An update... just listened to the Audiobook version of this as narrated by Nick Podehl and the drugged dream sequences are quite as tedious with someone else reading them.
I'll stick with my earlier judgment though; this book doesn't dwell in those areas that I find to be the most enjoyable aspects of the Valdemar mythos.
...And who knew? Karsite Firecats of that era have such thick Russian accents! ...more
Just read this in my literary revisit of Valdemar. Of the three books in the trilogy, this may be the strongest but I do wish that more of the events Just read this in my literary revisit of Valdemar. Of the three books in the trilogy, this may be the strongest but I do wish that more of the events in Vanyel's life had made it into print. Yes, we get the highlights and the most important events but so much is skipped over or just referred to obliquely that I sometimes feel that there might have been three more books at least....more
After reading a couple of the Collegium Chronicles, I decided it was time to re-read the book that started it all for me.
Even after the umpteenth reaAfter reading a couple of the Collegium Chronicles, I decided it was time to re-read the book that started it all for me.
Even after the umpteenth read, there are parts of this tale that bring a tear to my eyes.
This is a coming out story. it's a tragic romance, it's a fantasy tale that does a lot of world building and it's an introduction to a host of characters that I've enjoyed spending time with over the years. ...more
The final chapter in the somewhat poorly named Collegium Chronicles. In book 1 we met Mags a young orphan who's been raised as a mine slavey but who gThe final chapter in the somewhat poorly named Collegium Chronicles. In book 1 we met Mags a young orphan who's been raised as a mine slavey but who gets chosen and dragged off to Haven, the capitol of Valdemar.
In this the fifth book in the series we finally learn the details behind his background and reach a resolution of sorts. While there is a storyline here, in many ways this is just an excuse for Mercedes Lackey fans to spend a bit more time in the wonderful world she's created in the 20+ books that she's written about Valdemar.
If you're a fan, like me, you'll enjoy the further development of ideas presented in earlier books. Also, a few new ideas are presented that might be interesting to explore in future books.
As a five book series this group of books has been criticized by some as plodding and perhaps stretched a bit much, but other than some drug dream scenes in book 4 I felt that the pacing was just fine. It was interesting to see one of Lackey's characters who we first meet as a child lose some of that innocence and actually go through the maturing process....more
The first was Diagnosis Wolf by Poppy Dennison. Andrew, a male nurse with an almost constant inner monologue that often escapes into Two books in one!
The first was Diagnosis Wolf by Poppy Dennison. Andrew, a male nurse with an almost constant inner monologue that often escapes into an outer monologue is an appealing character and his role as a nurse makes for a sympathetic insta-relationship with Caleb, the seriously ill scion of a powerful and wealthy shifter family.
Andrew's early naming of Scowly and Scowlier was quite fun as are a good number of his musings. Though it does seem odd that an established and wealthy family of shifters wouldn't have a doctor on-call... or a shaman/medicine woman, or maybe a vet!
This tale doesn't expand upon or use much shifter lore, and its attempt at the thriller aspects of the story were only tepid and the romance parts weren't particularly well motivated.
Dennison's tale felt a bit perfunctory, like a rounding the bases after an out of the park home run. Sure it touches all the bases but doesn't feel very in-depth or exciting. No new insights, no characters that we identify with and/or really grow to care about, but a satisfactory way to spend some time.
In this tale Jeff Gelder's narration felt like it could have been practiced more. His voice was appealing enough, and for the most part, his narration was good if not great, but at several spots throughout the story I felt myself pulled out of the tale by thoughts like "I'd have read that differently."
Landslide by Mary Calmes is in some ways the opposite of its companion piece. The tale is chock full of lore related to demons like Cael, the protagonist's employer. It's also refreshing to see a protagonist that's not a perfect physical specimen. Though this one's told in first person with ex-marine Frank as the protagonist/narrator, its really Cael, the incubus demon that I identified with most strongly. Both Frank and the demon do get a bit more character development than in the first tale and I connected more strongly with the romance as a result. (for those wanting more of the story of Cael and Frank check the free short at https://amberkell.wordpress.com/2013/...)
In Landslide, Gelder's narration felt more natural. The first person perspective and the more plentiful dialogue may have helped. There were still instances of odd emphasis and timing but it seemed less jarring than in the first piece. Of course it may just have been familiarity.
Co-incidentally, both stories are set in Arizona. Who knew that that state was such a hotbed of paranormal characters?
*** Note: I received a copy of this audiobook for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest and impartial review ***...more
Angels Vs. Demons in a quite literal battle for the soul. Everyone knows love is a battlefield.
This is an interesting premise for a short and sets upAngels Vs. Demons in a quite literal battle for the soul. Everyone knows love is a battlefield.
This is an interesting premise for a short and sets up the scenario quite well but I'm not sure if there is a full length novel in this idea without some more invention.
At only 12 pages, it's a bad sign when I find myself checking to see how much is left. But, that may have had as much to do with my state of mind as that of the author's skill. There's nothing terribly egregious here and the idea is the start of a good one. I may want to read more some day. ...more
Read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe years ago but never went back and read the others. This one is great and I'll probably read a few of the otheRead the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe years ago but never went back and read the others. This one is great and I'll probably read a few of the others as well. The story about the creation of the Narnia was fun and the way that Judaeo-Christian myth was incorporated was actually quite interesting.
The symbolism was quite interesting to spot and the way that the world began in song reminded me lot of the opening of The Silmarillion I also spotted a few other elements of the genesis mythos worked into the story. The pairs of animals things, and even the way that the "evil uncle" convinced himself he wasn't hearing voices evoked some ideas about climate change denial. The ethical dilemma involving the apple worked as well.
I also wondered about "the deplorable word" and the speculation about atomic weapons at the time. ...more
After finally reading Siddhartha the other day, I little expected to come across another 5 star read so soon and even less diThis is an amazing book.
After finally reading Siddhartha the other day, I little expected to come across another 5 star read so soon and even less did I expect that this would be it.
Griffin and Sabine is the epitome of epistolary novels mixed with an art book (in mixed media) mixed with a romance mixed with a mystery with just a hint of philately and schizophrenia mixed in. Perhaps I'm just mixed up after reading it.
This book is a beautiful way to spend a half hour or so but don't expect to get it for your Kindle. The book is the work of artist Nick Bantock and consists of postcards and letters (still in their envelopes). The story that develops as one peruses the material is of an English post card artist and a south pacific woman who designs stamps, so the correspondence aspects of the evolving story are advanced as much by your going through their mail as by what's written within.
I'd seen this book years ago and completely failed to understand the concept but when I came across a copy at my local thrift store I had to have it. It's by far the best 20 cents I ever spent. But, now I'm hooked and may have to pay full price for the other books that followed.
If, like me, you've admired the whimsy and creativity that collage artists put into their work, then this may be the best book you'll ever find that honors that sensibility. In this book the media may be a big part of the message, but there's also a well thought out, more traditional story beneath this enchanting facade that only develops as the story unfolds.
Having finished the first book, I can't imagine this story being told as effectively in simple prose form. I can't wait to see where parts 2 and 3 go. Others have reviewed this book and seem to have missed the aspects of this story being about the artistic temperament. Not everyone appreciates that perspective, but for those that do, this book will amaze....more
In this gay retelling of the "Emperor's New Clothes" story Emperor Florian tries to see just who he can trust.
This is an ultra quick read and it's weIn this gay retelling of the "Emperor's New Clothes" story Emperor Florian tries to see just who he can trust.
This is an ultra quick read and it's well crafted but doesn't really go much beyond a gay retelling of the story. None of the characters are developed much beyond what's needed for their role in the story and there are no new facets of the story that I'm aware of now that hadn't occurred to me before. There's no compelling imagery or turns of phrase here that will stand-out in my memory for months or years to come. Still, as a quick light-hearted read it accomplishes it's purpose.
While there's some masturbatory sex, it's primarily a morality tale and not erotica. While I can't really recommend this one very highly based on it's cost as a stand-alone tale, it does make me curious about the author's other works.
I'll be sure to check out some of her other works as well. ...more
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