December '13 Book List
Time to get the final list for '13 done. Starting with the free range short fiction. John Scalzi gives a tale of obsession and science with Muse of Fire. Mari Ness' In the Greenwood gives a new slant on the Sherwood myth. Hope's End and the Girl of Hrusch Avenue are a pair of "Gunpowder Magic" stories by Brian McClellan (read to wait for the arrival of the 2nd book in that series). The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan is probably the most upbeat of the seasonal short stories, despite the ghosts and unexpected death. Though for a "Laundry Files" story Charles Stross' Overtime manages a bit of cheer amidst the forebodings of world destroying doom. Jim Hines gives a bloody and grim follow up to all those Rankin-Bass specials with Crimson Frost. Then Sean McGuire's Velveteen vs. Hypothermia checks in with her titular super-hero as she begins her time paying back the Holidays for their help. And finally a non-seasonal piece from Neil Gaiman gives an almost whimsical Cthulu mythos tale with I, Cthulu...
Started the month by finally getting to Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood the first of his "Gunpowder Magic" novels. A grim look at overthrowing monarchies and ignoring old prophecies. But gripping and I'm impatiently awaiting the next book's release...
Then got around to catching up on C.E. Murphy's "Urban Shaman" series. Spirit Dance has mechanic-turned cop-turned shaman Walker gets a magical night out seeing a dance troupe that gets weird even by her standards. And then involves murder and a possible werewolf. Then in Raven Calls its back to Ireland and her dead mom plus time travel and the Celtic pantheon. No Dominion is a short story collection, concentrating on various side characters throughout the series. And then the latest, Mountain Echoes, with Walker going back to her "home" on the Rez to help in the search for missing father, ex-boyfriend and the son she gave up as a teenager...
Janet Evanovich's latest "Stephanie Plum" book, Takedown Twenty, is a stronger entry than the previous in this sereis, though its still one of the weaker books. Even with a giraffe running around in it...
Exodus Towers and the Plague Forge complete Jason M. Hough's "Dire Earth Cycle" trilogy. With several game changing alien mysteries, regime changes, Immune raiders and final reveal of Why for the alien motivations that makes a certain amount of sense and draws things to a close while leaving a window open for follow up stories...
Two more "Oz" stories by Baum and adapted by Shanowar and Young with Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz and the Road to Oz. The first has Dorothy reuniting with the Wizard to take a journey thru neighboring fairy lands to return to Oz thanks to an earthquake during a trip to California. The latter has Dorothy and Toto making another return trip, this time alongside magical hobo the Shaggy Man...
The first of Debra Doyle and James McDonald's "MageWorld" books, the Price of the Stars, read kind of like an adaptation of Star Wars if someone had only gotten a synopsis of the original poster art after being translated thru several languages. Luckily that ends up being pretty great space opera and hopefully the rest of the series is as enjoyable...
The Kerrie L. Hughes edited Hex in the CIty is part of the "Fiction River" e-anthology line. With an InCryptid tale from Seanan McGuire, as well as Jay Lake, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Nancy Holder and others...
C.M. Priest finishes up her "Clockwork Century" series with Fiddlehead. Where a ramshackle A.I's predictions may lead to peace between the Union and Confederacy if it isn't derailed by war profiteers. And if it isn't all too late in the growing menace of the shambling undead...
And I finished the month with the disappointing Pines by Blake Crouch. A bit Twin Peaks, a bit of the Prisoner and maybe even some Bioshock. Which may be the perfect mash-up for someone else. Me I found the science dumb, the reveal aggravating and the epilogue frustrating. My Crouch book, Run, was good enough that I'm going to try one of his other series a chance. But I'm done with this one...
Total books: 15
Started the month by finally getting to Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood the first of his "Gunpowder Magic" novels. A grim look at overthrowing monarchies and ignoring old prophecies. But gripping and I'm impatiently awaiting the next book's release...
Then got around to catching up on C.E. Murphy's "Urban Shaman" series. Spirit Dance has mechanic-turned cop-turned shaman Walker gets a magical night out seeing a dance troupe that gets weird even by her standards. And then involves murder and a possible werewolf. Then in Raven Calls its back to Ireland and her dead mom plus time travel and the Celtic pantheon. No Dominion is a short story collection, concentrating on various side characters throughout the series. And then the latest, Mountain Echoes, with Walker going back to her "home" on the Rez to help in the search for missing father, ex-boyfriend and the son she gave up as a teenager...
Janet Evanovich's latest "Stephanie Plum" book, Takedown Twenty, is a stronger entry than the previous in this sereis, though its still one of the weaker books. Even with a giraffe running around in it...
Exodus Towers and the Plague Forge complete Jason M. Hough's "Dire Earth Cycle" trilogy. With several game changing alien mysteries, regime changes, Immune raiders and final reveal of Why for the alien motivations that makes a certain amount of sense and draws things to a close while leaving a window open for follow up stories...
Two more "Oz" stories by Baum and adapted by Shanowar and Young with Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz and the Road to Oz. The first has Dorothy reuniting with the Wizard to take a journey thru neighboring fairy lands to return to Oz thanks to an earthquake during a trip to California. The latter has Dorothy and Toto making another return trip, this time alongside magical hobo the Shaggy Man...
The first of Debra Doyle and James McDonald's "MageWorld" books, the Price of the Stars, read kind of like an adaptation of Star Wars if someone had only gotten a synopsis of the original poster art after being translated thru several languages. Luckily that ends up being pretty great space opera and hopefully the rest of the series is as enjoyable...
The Kerrie L. Hughes edited Hex in the CIty is part of the "Fiction River" e-anthology line. With an InCryptid tale from Seanan McGuire, as well as Jay Lake, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Nancy Holder and others...
C.M. Priest finishes up her "Clockwork Century" series with Fiddlehead. Where a ramshackle A.I's predictions may lead to peace between the Union and Confederacy if it isn't derailed by war profiteers. And if it isn't all too late in the growing menace of the shambling undead...
And I finished the month with the disappointing Pines by Blake Crouch. A bit Twin Peaks, a bit of the Prisoner and maybe even some Bioshock. Which may be the perfect mash-up for someone else. Me I found the science dumb, the reveal aggravating and the epilogue frustrating. My Crouch book, Run, was good enough that I'm going to try one of his other series a chance. But I'm done with this one...
Total books: 15