Early Review: Hard Spell

Hard Spell (Occult Crimes Unit 1)

-       Justin Gustainis

Publisher: Angry Robot – released on 7^th July 2011 in UK, 26^th July 2011 in US

E-Copy courtesy of netgalley and Angry Robot

Meet Stan Markowski of the Scranton PD’s Occult Crimes Unit
“Like the rest of America, Scranton’s got an uneasy ‘live and let unlive’ relationship with the supernatural. But when a vamp puts the bite on an unwilling victim, or some witch casts the wrong kind of spell, that’s when they call me. My name’s Markowski. I carry a badge. Also, a crucifix, some wooden stakes, a big vial of holy water, and a 9mm Beretta loaded with silver bullets.”

Our hero, Stan is a detective with the local Occult Crimes Unit in a world where the supernatural is out and proud – and has been since the WWII. Stan is just getting used to his new partner when a series of vampire murders and a stolen grimmoire suggest that something big is up...

This is hard-boiled urban fantasy with all the fun of the noir detectives. In fact it’s so hard boiled you could probably chop it up, put it in a sandwich with some cress and it would be just as tasty. It’s told firmly from the point of view of the police complete with procedural waiting times, local politics and other annoying hold ups the police have to deal with. Stan is a tough cop. He has his prejudices and his reasons for them. As this focuses heavily on his work life, it takes a while before the reader is shown his softer side, but it’s worth the wait to see the cracks in his armour.

The mystery is intriguing and the action fast paced and exciting. The plot cracks along barely pausing for a smart remark as the stakes are raised. I found this a great addition to the UF scene with all the characters intriguing. The slight twist of supernatural on the usual buddy cop story gives both genres a little twist (like a slice of lime in your coke!) and I’m looking forward to more from the Occult Crimes Unit.

Recommended for fans of the Dresden files and Mike Carey. 8.5 out of 10.

Please check out this cool trailer...

EVENT: Out Of This World

I don’t get out much. At least not for book related events – I’ve been too nervous to go to a conference or fair so far. I keep thinking I’ll be one of those people creeping round the edges too nervous to talk to anyone! But I decided to work by way up to the big events starting with this the Out Of This World exhibition at the British Library.  Luckily I do have a couple of friends who also like books who I persuaded to come with me – well, one friend who likes books and another I could sweet talk into keeping us company! J

Me in 1950s horror mode - a nightmare of a spaceship crashing into a library!



Manuscript



The subtitle of Out of This World is Science Fiction But Not As You Know It and basically it looks at all the big questions that Science Fiction has asked over the years and how these writers have inspired and led science fact, entertainment and philosophy. As such there were plenty of original documents and first editions of some of the most influential stories and books over the last 200 years – some are beautifully illustrated manuscript and even more exciting for book geeks – manuscripts with authors notes and edits in!

There are various areas of the display looking at Alien Worlds, Future Worlds, Parallel Worlds, Virtual Worlds, End of the World and Perfect World which cover such wide ranging authors from HG Wells. Arthur C Clarke, Connie Willis, China Mieville and so many others! I also admit I might have added quite a few books to my wishlist looking around – there are a number of classics that I have never read but I should have! 



The Doctor was visiting as well...



In addition there are interactive session where you can talk to a computer that is learning to act human (although try asking ‘Elizabeth’ a political question or about the Olympics and she tends to get a little confused or say she’ll ask her mummy!). There’s also a crystal ball quiz, a life-size replicator of Doctor Who’s Tardis (He’s at lunch sadly) and plenty of musical options where you  can listen to any number of songs about aliens or time travel (I did end up with The Carpenters Calling Occupants of Interplanetary... stuck in my head!).



The exhibition isn’t too crowded and nicely laid out so that you can follow the official flow or just move to whatever catches you attention. I was a little bit of a butterfly flittering to which ever area caught my attention, but really enjoyed the variety and different views of the future as imagined over the years. I thought the whole exhibition was interesting and am considering a return visit to see if I missed anything!

The exhibition is free and open until 25^th September. Go have a look! J

Watch out - the lobsters are coming!

Secrets of the Demon Review

Secrets of the Demon

-          Diana Rowland

Publisher: Bantam

Homicide detective Kara Gillian has a special talent: she can sense the "arcane" in our world, and there's quite a bit of it, even in Beaulac, Louisiana. She's also a summoner of demons, and works on a task force that deals with supernatural crimes. Her partners are attractive and smart FBI agents, but they're not summoners, and they're not telling Kara why they are on this special force with her. To make things worse, Kara has pledged herself to one of the most powerful of demons-a Demon Lord-who helped save her partner's life, but now expects things in return. Meanwhile, she's trying to solve a string of murders that are somehow tied together by money, sex, rock music and...mud. But how can she concentrate on the case when she's not even sure who-or what-her partners are?

Kara can summon demons or rather beings from another plane of existence with a different moral priority that we call demons and can ask them for help and knowledge. She uses this rare ability to help her solve serious crimes which have a supernatural element to them. This time around it looks like a golem is interested in an up and coming pop star and Kara and her FBI partners have to hunt the summoner behind the man-made construct.

This is the third adventure and if like me you’ve following the adventures from the start, it’s a joy to return to the world. The characters are familiar and a lot more is revealed about some prominent characters. Compared to the lonely, introverted, work obsessed girl we met in the first book, Kara has started to open and let people into her life. I particular liked the friendship she has crime scene officer, Jill which reminds me of a number of my own female friends – lots of banter and support available! The two FBI task force agents Ryan and Zack are given a new twist which adds to the growing arc of the series and folds nicely into the stand alone investigation.

What makes this series different is Kara doesn’t have any powers that can help her in the everyday world – yes, she can summon demons but it can only be done under certain conditions and is no use if you’re suddenly confronted by a threat in the street. As such she has to rely on brains, street smarts and her gun to get out of tricky situations and her arcane abilities to provide insight into the case. There is a definitely relation to a police procedural here with the case less personal this time around, but the overriding arc is developed further with some questions answered and more posed. The police work is shown as actually work with plenty of research and paperwork needed to help solve the case - but there is plenty of action and hints of romance to keep most UF fans happy.  

This is one of the most underrated UF series out there – well written with great characters and an exciting plot. If you like CSI crossed with the supernatural please give this series a go!

Recommended for fans of Ann Aguirre and Laura Bickles. 8 out of 10

My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to! This week my local Waterstones had a clearance to sell some books with broken or bent covers, but where only £1 so I had to pick up a few books...I was practically forced to! :)

Mirror Dreams - Catherine Webb

Publisher: UK - Atom

Every dream you've ever had, and every dream yet to come, exists somewhere in the Kingdoms of the Void. Every nightmare, too. Because there has to be balance - it's the rules. Problem is, the Lords of Nightkeep aren't big on rules. They're more into Conquest, Fear, and Eternal Darkness For All. It takes an extremely powerful Void wizard like Leanan Kite to keep 'em in check. But right now Kite has other worries, and Nightkeep is growing strong. Its Lords hunger for power. And they've turned their gaze toward Earth...

Catherine Webb wrote this as a teenager and gathered rave reviews. More recently she has published the Mathew Swift books - A Madness of Angels and The Midnight Mayor - both of which I LOVED! So when I saw this I couldn't resist the opportunity to try her earlier YA books.

Mystic River - Dennis Lehane

Publisher: UK - Bantam

There are threads in our lives. You pull one, and everything else gets affected. When they were children, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus and Dave Boyle were friends. But then a strange car pulled up their street. One boy got in the car, two did not, and something terrible happened – something that ended their friendship and changed all three boys forever. Twenty-five years later, Sean Devine is a homicide detective. Jimmy Marcus is an ex-con who owns a corner store. And Dave Boyle is trying to hold his marriage together and keep his demons at bay –demons that urge him to do horrific things. When Jimmy Marcus’ daughter is found murdered, Sean Devine is assigned to the case. His personal life unravelling, he must go back into a world he thought he’d left behind to confront not only the violence of the present but the nightmares of his past. His investigation brings him into conflict with Jimmy Marcus, who finds his old criminal impulses tempt him to solve the crime with brutal justice. And then there is Dave Boyle, who came home the night Jimmy’s daughter died covered in someone else’s blood…

One of the first books I reviewed on this blog was Shutter Island and I really enjoyed it so when I saw Mystic River I thought it would be good to try another book by the same author!

The Protector's War - S.M. Stirling

Publisher: US - ROC

Ten years after The Change rendered technology inoperable throughout the world, two brave leaders built two thriving communities in Oregon's Willamette Valley. But now the armies of the totalitarian Protectorate are preparing to wage war over the priceless farmland.

I have the first book in The Change Series - Dies The Fire on my wishlist so I may 'do a Melissa' and start the series in the middle to see if I can follow what is happening! :)

The Stepsister Scheme - Jim C Hines

Publisher: Daw Books

What would happen if an author went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for his plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie's Angels? What's delivered is The Stepsister Scheme—a whole new take on what happened to Cinderella and her prince after the wedding. And with Jim C. Hines penning the tale readers can bet it won't be “and they lived happily ever after.”

I love the premise of this book - Disney princess crossed with Charlies Angels? I just want to pick it up and start reading! :)

Firelight -  Sophie Jordan

Publisher: UK - OUP Oxford

 Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. She longs for the freedom to make her own choices, but when she breaks the 'no flying' rule, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defence is her secret ability to shift into human form. And her rare ability to breathe fire makes her desirable, and important, to the survival of the draki. Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. There she meets gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: he and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slipping away, and if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

I had this on my wishlist a couple of week ago so when I spotted it on special offer I couldn't resist! :)

Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock 3) - Faith Hunter

Publisher: US - ROC

Things are heating up in the Big Easy. Weres have announced their existence tot he world, and revived the bitter tensions that run between them and their old enemies: vampires. As a trusted employee of Leo Pellissier, Blood Master of the City, Jane finds herself caught in the cross fire. When Jane is attacked by a pack of marauding were-wolves, she is thankful for the help of a mysterious stranger named Girrard. He explains that he used to be Leo’s “Mercy Blade,” a sacred position charged with killing vampires who have gone insane. What Jane doesn’t know is why this powerful assassin left New Orleans − or, more troubling, why he’s now returned. It’s definitely not to make Jane’s life easier...

I've wanted this book for ages and just couldn't resist the little voices in my head telling me to get it any more! :-)

SO what have you picked up this week? :)

On My Wishlist #45

This is a meme from Book Chick City. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! Just in case there is a zombie outbreak I want to be prepared so I will need to read all the zombie books coming out in the next few months!

My Life As a White Trash Zombie - Diana Rowland

Publisher: DAW (July 2011)

Angel Crawford is a loser. Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken. That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue--and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse. Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey--just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat. Literally.

Diana Rowland's Demon series is a favourite of mine so the fact that she has also written a zombie novel is so exciting. Plus the cover is so different from anything I've seen before!

Dust and Decay (Benny Imura 2) - Jonathan Maberry

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 2011)

It's six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny's zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny's best friend Lou Chong are going with them. Sounds easy; sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. And as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland. Because in the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything. And not everyone in Benny's small band of travellers will make it out alive.

I loved Rot and Ruin (review here) so I'm really excited that I don't have to wait too long for the sequel to be released. I really hope Benny and his friends have a better luck this time around...but somehow I don't think they will! :)

Rebirth (Aftertime 2) - Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: MIRA Books (July 2011)

The end of the world was just the beginning.
Civilization has fallen, leaving California an unforgiving, decimated place. But Cass Dollar beat terrible odds to get her missing daughter back—she and Ruthie will be happy. Yet with the first winter, Cass is reminded that happiness is fleeting in Aftertime. Ruthie retreats into silence. Flesh-eating Beaters still dominate the landscape. And Smoke, Cass’s lover and strength, departs on a quest for vengeance, one that may end him even if he returns. The survivalist community Cass has planted roots in is breaking apart, too. Its leader, Dor, implores Cass to help him recover his own lost daughter, taken by the totalitarian Rebuilders. And soon Cass finds herself thrust into the dark heart of an organization promising humanity’s rebirth—at all costs. Bound to two men blazing divergent paths across a savage land, Cass must overcome the darkness in her wounded heart, or lose those she loves forever.

Aftertime was another zombie book I loved (review here) and added to that Sophie Littlefield was kind enough to answer some of my questions (here), I've been waiting with the appearance of patience for this book for a while!

So what are you wishing for this week? :)

Teacher's Pet Review

Teachers Pet

-          Richie Tankersley Cusick

Publisher: Point Horror.

First Published in UK in 1991

Kate loves to be thrilled and is fascinated by horror. But she get more than she bargained for when she goes on a week-long writing conference. First, her teacher, William Drewe goes missing. Then someone tries to frighten her in the woods.

Another little flash back to my teens when I used to gobble up Point Horror novels quicker than an anteater swallows ants! This is a fairly typical one that I read in the earlier 90s originally but little sticks out in my mind about it. Re-reading all these years later, I was amused by the setting – a wooden camp near a lake surrounded by forest – perfect for isolation and screaming at shadows! Still, it’s not a bad story with a few twists and turns along the way. There are few red herrings which do make you wonder what is going on. The banter between Kate and her new friends is fun – I love Tawny’s innocence.

What I didn’t like was how every guy seems to fall for Kate straight away – she didn’t seem all that exciting or attractive. But then again this happens all the time in teen books where some unassuming teen manages to snare every guy in town…I guess my main complaint is that this story is not that original. It takes well worn horror tropes and uses them well, but I missed any originality. It’s not a long book – just over 200 pages and I managed to read it in one train journey. This is a light, fun thriller – perhaps more suited for pre-teens than teenagers.

Recommended for fans of Chris Priestly and Caroline B Cooney. 6 out of 10

The Book Vixen's YA of the 80s and 90s Reading Challenge Book 12/12

Mel's Random June

Half the year is over! I've been enjoying the long evenings and bright mornings, even if the British summer time does like to throw the odd shower and thunder storm into the mix! Has everyone been enjoying the strawberries? :-)

Yummy!

And coming up in July I'm looking forward to a week's holiday - I'm off to Cyprus to sit in the sun, crack open a few books, pick at some yummy mezze and poke around the local sights - I can't wait! I also hope to only read books I want too while on holiday. In fact I'm planning on making July my joyful July reading month - I'm only reading books I want to and no review copies (unless it's one I really want to read!) Don't worry though - I won't desert you! I plan to have a few posts scheduled while I'm away and perhaps a little suprise or two...

So back to June and how did I do in reducing the never-ending TBR pile?

Books
Sweet Valley High: Perfect Summer - Francine Pascal (BV's YA of the 80s and 90s)
Now You See Me - SJ Bolton (BCC's Mystery and Suspense Challenge)
Married with Zombie - Jesse Petersen (FCC's Speculative Fiction Challenge)
Bitten In Two (Jaz Parks 7) - Jennifer Rardin
Shady Lady (Corine Solomon 3) - Ann Aguirre
White Cat - Holly Black
The Deadliest Bite (Jaz Parks 8) - Jennifer Rardin
The Owl Service - Alan Garner

EBooks
Tomorrow's Guardian - Richard Denning
Heart of Evil (Krewe of Hunters 2) - Heather Graham
Morlock Night - KW Jeter (FCC's Speculative Fiction Challenge)
Feast - Merrie Destefano

Guest Reviews
Sarah reviewed her birthday book: The Sterkarm Handshake - Susan Price

Author Interview
Merrie Destefano stopped by for some Q&A about her new release Feast

Other Posts
In Book Temple, I discovered the joy of swapping with Read It- Swap It
I did a guest post showing off my book shelves over at The Overflowing Library
Same Book/Different Cover looked at Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
I also started Creature Feature which looked at why Zombies are so popular
 In addition there were the usual wishlist posts, in my mailbox and Throwback Thursdays.

So with all that in mind my reading challenges status looks like this:
BCC's Mystery & Suspense Challenge - 8 Read, 4 Left to read
FTC Speculative Fiction Challenge - 13 Read - officially I've completed this! Yay! However, I'll continue to post reviews and see how I can do in the second half of the year.
BV's YA of 80s and 90s Challenge - 11 Read, 1 Left to read

Personal Classic Challenge -  3 Read

Highlight of the Month: Merrie Destefano's answers to the Q&A were great!

Honourable Mentions: Shady Lady was probably my favourite read of the month! 

So what was your month like? :)