Vampire Twilight

Imagine being a young girl in Victorian London. Now imagine having both of your parents just disappear into thin air, and suddenly responsible for caring for yourself and your younger brother. If that is not enough for any twelve-year-old to handle, add on the fact that faeries do exist, and there is a dangerous war going on between the two factions of faeries, the Seelie and Unseelie, and with the humans. Emily Snow stumbles onto the knowledge of faeries on what starts out to be a typical morning, and her life will never be the same. She saves a tiny, dark-skinned man from other small, dark, tattooed men, all of which turn out to be piskies. Emily Snow will now be public enemy number one, with both faerie factions, and Ravenhill, an unpleasant man who apparently dislikes faeries very much, and people who consort with faeries.

The Rise of the Darklings details four days in young Emily Snow’s life, the most bizarre ones she could ever imagine. She has to survive dealing with the Seelie Queen and the Dagda, the King of the Unseelie, both of whom want the key to open the locked door to Faerie, and for different reasons. She discovers that there is a secret society of humans who have worked for over two hundred years to eradicate the Faerie presence in the human world, and some of those agents now consider her an enemy for working with the Faerie. Emily will need the help of some faeries sympathetic to the human world, and her friend, a fourteen-year-old master thief who goes by the name of Spring-Heeled Jack. And finding the key to the door to Faerie just might help her find out what happened to her parents.

This is a dark novel with violence and some scary moments, so it might be a little much for some younger readers. But, for intrepid readers, Crilley has a way with faerie. His fae span the spectrum between sinister and humorous. Victorian London comes to vivid life in this adventure, with descriptions of all the ugly aspects of 19th century city living, such as the foul, contaminated Thames, and the desperate plight of the poor in London. And better yet, we get to see the communities that Faerie has created within London such as the underground cities of the gnomes, built to be almost identical to London upstairs, and the dwelling of the Queen of the Seelie, who resides in a huge tree older than human existence. These descriptions bring a sense of wonder to this read that might be a little on the dreary side were it not for the whimsical nature of some of the more friendly fae in the book and the fantastic descriptions which help to lighten the dark tone of this novel.

Emily is a brave young girl, one who has been resourceful enough to keep her small family together (her brother and herself) since her parents disappeared. Her determination to protect her brother, and her courage in face of the scary beings she encounters, will make the reader root for her. Her friend Jack’s abilities to pick any lock, and his confidence in himself make him a good boon companion for Emily on her journey, along with his friendship and determination to look out for her. Both young people present a good message to younger readers about staying strong and being resourceful in the face of misfortune. Also, Emily shows a strong sense of ethics that makes her a good role model for readers.

This first book in the Invisible Order series is an imaginative, entertaining, and thrilling story. I am a big fan of faerie-themed fiction, and I was very satisfied with Paul Crilley’s handling of the fae. He has written a story that is a good combination of dark and light, with humorous moments to balance out the creepy/scary moments, and a brave young girl who will win the loyalty of most readers.

Book Stats:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: EgmontUSA (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781606840313
• ISBN-13: 978-1606840313
• ASIN: 1606840312

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Books in The Invisible Order series in the order in which they should be read:
Rise of the Darklings
The Fire King

The Buntline Special is a very entertaining alternate version of the events of Tombstone, Arizona, in which the lawmen Earps (including the most famous brother, Wyatt) take on the murderous gang of horse and cattle-stealing Cowboys, with help from the extremely dangerous but very affable Doc Holliday, dapper Bat Masterson, and encounter inventors Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline.

In Resnick’s novel, the United States stops at the Mississippi River. Why, you might ask? Because of the magic of the chiefs of the Western Indian Tribes, which keeps America from achieving its goal of Manifest Destiny– for the United States to stretch from coast to coast. But the US government has a plan. With Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline’s help to overcome the Indians’ magic with science, they can conquer the Indians, and the rest of the land past the Mississippi River. An agent of the government calls on Wyatt Earp for his help. He can protect Edison from Hook Nose, a Cheyenne chief who is behind a failed assassination attempt against Edison. Earp is willing, but he will need help. He calls on his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, and his good friends Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson (a sometimes lawman), to come to Tombstone, Arizona, where Edison and Buntline have set up shop to help protect the two men.

I found it a bit perplexing how the narrative abruptly shifts from the initial viewpoint of Wyatt to Doc Holliday upon his arrival in town. However, I must admit that Holliday’s point of view captivated me. I liked him a lot. He is a walking dead man, his body being consumed by the tuberculosis eating away at his lungs. It gives him an edge as a gunfighter, because he does not fear death from a bullet, which is a lot quicker way to die than the demise he faces at his incurable disease. With his fearlessness and his formidably accurate shot, Holliday is the man to have at one’s back. Holliday was very entertaining. I felt that Mr. Resnick really brought this actual historical figure to life in this story, capturing the man I could imagine Mr. Holliday to be. I like his smart sense of humor, and the way he constantly argues with his long-time flame (when they are not making love), Big Nose Kate, who is the proprietor of a brothel in town, one which sports Mr. Buntline’s creations in addition to regular girls — women who have been augmented with brass parts, and also three metal women. Despite the very odd events occurring in and around Tombstone, Holliday keeps a cool head, and keeps his enemies guessing what he will be up to next.

The steampunk and magic elements fit in very well with this western setting. In fact, I did not find them too implausible (not that this matters in a fantasy novel, anyway). Perhaps in an alternate world, Edison could have populated Tombstone with electric street lights, and come up with devices to deal with a zombie gunslinger in the form of Holliday’s greatest competition, Johnny Ringo, who turns out to be the only person who the classically-educated Holliday can have a discussion with about Greek and Latin literature and ancient philosophy. Both Holliday and Ringo are willing to put off their final showdown to spend time talking about the classics. And there is also the fact that as soon as Ringo takes out Edison, he will be sent back to the grave by Hook Nose, once he achieves his goal. So Ringo is happy to put that off.

As if magic-wielding Indian chiefs, robot prostitutes, and zombies are not enough, there is also an unfortunate character who is cursed to turn into a bat (of the vampire variety) by Geronimo. I will let you guess who that character is — it should not be too hard.

I like how Resnick expertly conveys the speaking cadence and the personalities of the gunfighters, lawmen, and fancy women of the West. I have a very vivid picture of the wild and rough West, with an added fantastical component that I enjoyed a lot. He even details the events of the OK Corral and the murder of the Earp brother, Morgan, and its aftermath. I wondered how he would stay true to history but still manage to keep the fantastical elements at the forefront in this story, and he does a great job.

The Buntline Special is a quick, fun read from the mind of veteran fantasy and science fiction author, Mike Resnick, taking familiar figures from the fascinating history of the Old American West, and incorporating magical elements in a seamless fashion. I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Pyr; Original edition (December 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616142499
• ISBN-13: 978-1616142490

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Books in the Weird West Tales series in the order in which they should be read:
The Buntline Special
The Doctor and the Kid

Araton’s Destiny was a lovely quickie complete with angels, ex-football players, miracles and naked men. The novella was at times too simple like the quick way Araton knew what he wanted and what he was willing to give up without a second thought; then the book was complicated with the celestial politics and policies. I felt like we were introduced to this new world with new ideas, and Yates could take it so far. Hopefully this was an introduction book and there will be more. I want to know what happens to Dexter and Araton’s angel friend, Zuriel. Fingers crossed!

Araton is a guardian angel, but his mind is filled with thoughts of writings and plots, not to mention he gets distracted easily. His human ward is hit by a car in one of these moments, and because of Araton’s distraction (even if only for a second), Dexter is now in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Araton is banished to the Void; only Zuriel’s quick thinking of an appeal saves Araton. The punishment does not fit the crime and the Councilor decides to appeal the case and place Araton with the Christmas Angel division. I know this is a little complicated, but trust me, Yates takes up a third of the book on this and it was thoroughly explained… for the most part, which is why Araton is confused as to why he’s talking to his new charge Jake—aren’t there rules against this? What follows next is both Araton and Jake’s discovery of humanity and self. There was a HEA and fantastic bedroom scenes; I’ve never been into the wide eyed virgin before, but considering Araton is/was an angel, pretty hot. Now if only he was allowed to have his wings while interacting with Jake… yummy…

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
  
• Book Length: Novella
• Language: English
• ISBN: B004GNFTR6

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Books in the Celestial Justice series in the order they should be read:
Araton’s Destiny
Zuriel’s Fate

Matty Hobsbawn inherited her ancestor’s home after her parents died. Losing both parents to tragedy, so close to each other, tore her apart. She had no one left but an aunt and uncle. They certainly did not care for her, but they did care about the money she inherited.

Meeting Turner, who was mysteriously able to buy her family’s house, right out from under, her threw her world into a tailspin. She made sure that Turner’s assistant, George, added her to the fine print of the contract. Turner might have been able to steal the house away from her, but she made sure she would maintain living in her house, even if it was just the attic.

Turner, a Vampire Historian, was on the verge of homicide when he learned he had been conned into having a roommate. His assistant did instruct him to read the small print before signing the contract. Her neverending chatter made him crazy with anger. He had to find a way to get rid of her, all the while she had to find a way to convince him to let her stay.

Turner quickly discovered Matty was not easy to drive away. The harder he tried, the stronger she challenged him. The last straw was her easy web of seduction. Not having had any sex, in what seemed like forever, drove him to the brink of madness. No longer able to control himself, he had to have her right then and there. Just once was not enough for either of them. Their hunger for each other grew.

Turner quickly realized Matty was not what she seemed. She was invisible to everyone but him. How was that even possible? He could see her, feel her, taste her, but no one else could even see her. As his feelings grew deeper, he learned some startling truths about Matty — some she was not even aware of.

Turner was trying to be cautious with his emotions. He has not trusted anyone since Catch, a were-vamp, destroyed him twenty years ago. Afraid to open his heart to anyone, he decided maybe having someone who cannot be seen might be an advantage to his ego. Matty would be all his – except Catch could see her, too. Catch was immediately drawn to Matty. After one kiss he knew she was his mate, but so was Turner. Catch struggles with this new knowledge while battling his non-committal ways.

Turner, not so pleased to see the man who destroyed him, learned he is there to protect him from a pair of vampires. Reliving the last time he saw Catch ended in a lust-crazed moment, one which Matty witnessed from afar. Where did this leave her, now that Turner had Catch back in his life? Secrets quickly unraveled as they tried to protect each other from the pair of vampires who sought Turner. Things quickly changed from lustful nights to fighting to save each others lives.

Barbara Elsborg’s novel, The Small Print, offers the reader an interesting twist of story lines with the main characters. A bold, loner vampire, a sexy bed hopping were-vamp, and a young lady who appears to be a ghost. Matty’s loneliness offers an opportunity for these two men to learn to trust and love again. Turner realizes the only way to save their relationship is to possibly let go of the woman they both love. Elsborg creatively overlaps these characters in a wonderful web of lust, adventure, and trust.

Book Stats:

• e-book, digital format
• Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
  
• Book Length: Novella
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0046H8ZUU

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