Read Recently -- April -- "Urban" Fantasy
Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler
Jane True is the community outcast of Rockabill, Maine. She lives with and takes care of her aging father (her mother having disappeared one day as mysteriously as she appeared), works in the bookstore with its lesbian couple owners (Tracy Gregory and former(?) pornstar Grizelda Montague (formerly professionally Dusty Nethers) and every night goes swimming nude in the freezing cold ocean, which invigorates her and allows her to get by on less than four hours of sleep a night. She never dates because so many people in town hate her and make sure to let any new, eligible man in town know that Jane killed her teenage boyfriend (she in fact didn't, but she's being blamed for his death). And then, one night near the start of the book, she finds a body caught in the strong currents near shore.
She pulls the body to shore and leaves it there for someone to find (because she doesn't want another corpse associated with her). But it turns out that the dead man was, in fact, not human. And neither, frankly, is Jane. Her mother was a selkie, and Jane herself is a half-breed. The death is going to have to be investigated by the local reigning supernatural forces; they send in a handsome vampire detective who sweeps Jane off her feet.
Of course, that means she's in the middle of the investigation, too. Which winds up going into depths that Jane certainly wasn't expecting. And when her vampire boyfriend brings her back to the Court of the local ruler, Jane quickly finds that she's in a lot of danger . . .
What any of this has to do with tempests escapes me.
This isn't a bad example of its kind, but I had a special problem with it. On the back cover is a blurb that goes, "If you love Sookie Stackhouse, then you'll want to dive into Nicole Peeler's enchanting debut novel." And, you know, I don't love Sookie Stackhouse. Don't even like her all that much, though I concede that I thought the first couple of books were okay. And I can see what they mean: girl with special powers outcast in her home town, gets brought out of her shell by handsome vampire . . . we're in Sookie's little corner of the world. And it's really a place I'm not interested in being. That said, if you are, this book (and series) might be for you. But I gotta say, really, not recommended.
The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
In a world in which the Heaven-like dimension of Elysia and the Hell-like dimension of Charbydon broke into our world some thirteen years ago, Charlie Madigan is a cop in Atlanta and the divorced mother of a teenage girl. She's also fairly recently back from the dead, which has left her with a few, shall we say, problems. She and her partner Hank, a siren, are investigating cases of teenagers falling into a near-death state under the influence of an otherworldly narcotic. Of course, this puts them up against powerful offworlders, though in this one at least the angelic ones are as likely to be as bad as the demonic ones.
Frankly, this one actually goes some places unusual places, plotwise. I wish I liked it better, but neither Charlie nor Hank grabbed me. Mildly not recommended.
Just Another Judgement Day: a novel of the Nightside by Simon R. Green
The last time we saw the Walking Man (in Beyond the Blue Moon) he was, like Razor Eddie, an inhabitant of another world (Green's Battle Couple Hawk and Fisher). Now, like Razor Eddie, he has transferred his attention to the Nightside. Of course, as "the Walking Man" is as much a job title as anything else, this is a new man (unlike Razor Eddie), with guns instead of blades, but he still has his eye on punishing the guilty.
In the Nightside. Yeah.
Is it any wonder that John Taylor has been hired to deal with him? But with the Nightside no longer defended by the power of John's late Mother, can even Taylor stand up to the wrath of God on Earth?
By this point you probably know if you're interested in this one, based on how you felt about the others in the series (if you haven't read the others in the series, they start with Something From the Nightside. Mildly recommended.
Bone Crossed: a Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs
In the wake of the events of the last novel, Mercy is having a few problems, but they don't really get a chance to take hold before the action starts. As Mercy and Adam are having their "date", in Mercy's trailer, Mercy's Mother shows up, upset that she had to learn what happened to her daughter from the news. Then Mercy's vampire friend, Stefan, teleports in, and he's looking, shall we say, somewhat the worse for wear. It seems that the local head vampire has learned about something Stefan helped Mercy do a few books back and now wants revenge on them both. Perhaps it would be a good thing for Mercy to leave town for a short time?
Fortunately, an old school friend of Mercy's pops up and asks her to come investigate her house. She remembers how Mercy used to claim to see ghosts, and thinks that her house is haunted. The friend lives in Spokane. Perhaps this is a good idea?
Certainly the Tri-City vampires can't get at Mercy in Spokane. There's only one vampire in Spokane, but he's powerful. Mercy would have to step carefully if she encounters him, but what are the odds of that happening?
I had some doubts about going on with this series after the last one, but they've mostly been set to rest here. Recommended.
The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Sequel to the Atrocity Archives. As a mad business mogul tries to raise an undead monster from the sea floor, Bob Howard is sent to stop him with the aid of a succubus-ridden half-deep-one and a fictional spy. More than that would be spoilers. Bonus short story follows. Recommended.
Jane True is the community outcast of Rockabill, Maine. She lives with and takes care of her aging father (her mother having disappeared one day as mysteriously as she appeared), works in the bookstore with its lesbian couple owners (Tracy Gregory and former(?) pornstar Grizelda Montague (formerly professionally Dusty Nethers) and every night goes swimming nude in the freezing cold ocean, which invigorates her and allows her to get by on less than four hours of sleep a night. She never dates because so many people in town hate her and make sure to let any new, eligible man in town know that Jane killed her teenage boyfriend (she in fact didn't, but she's being blamed for his death). And then, one night near the start of the book, she finds a body caught in the strong currents near shore.
She pulls the body to shore and leaves it there for someone to find (because she doesn't want another corpse associated with her). But it turns out that the dead man was, in fact, not human. And neither, frankly, is Jane. Her mother was a selkie, and Jane herself is a half-breed. The death is going to have to be investigated by the local reigning supernatural forces; they send in a handsome vampire detective who sweeps Jane off her feet.
Of course, that means she's in the middle of the investigation, too. Which winds up going into depths that Jane certainly wasn't expecting. And when her vampire boyfriend brings her back to the Court of the local ruler, Jane quickly finds that she's in a lot of danger . . .
What any of this has to do with tempests escapes me.
This isn't a bad example of its kind, but I had a special problem with it. On the back cover is a blurb that goes, "If you love Sookie Stackhouse, then you'll want to dive into Nicole Peeler's enchanting debut novel." And, you know, I don't love Sookie Stackhouse. Don't even like her all that much, though I concede that I thought the first couple of books were okay. And I can see what they mean: girl with special powers outcast in her home town, gets brought out of her shell by handsome vampire . . . we're in Sookie's little corner of the world. And it's really a place I'm not interested in being. That said, if you are, this book (and series) might be for you. But I gotta say, really, not recommended.
The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
In a world in which the Heaven-like dimension of Elysia and the Hell-like dimension of Charbydon broke into our world some thirteen years ago, Charlie Madigan is a cop in Atlanta and the divorced mother of a teenage girl. She's also fairly recently back from the dead, which has left her with a few, shall we say, problems. She and her partner Hank, a siren, are investigating cases of teenagers falling into a near-death state under the influence of an otherworldly narcotic. Of course, this puts them up against powerful offworlders, though in this one at least the angelic ones are as likely to be as bad as the demonic ones.
Frankly, this one actually goes some places unusual places, plotwise. I wish I liked it better, but neither Charlie nor Hank grabbed me. Mildly not recommended.
Just Another Judgement Day: a novel of the Nightside by Simon R. Green
The last time we saw the Walking Man (in Beyond the Blue Moon) he was, like Razor Eddie, an inhabitant of another world (Green's Battle Couple Hawk and Fisher). Now, like Razor Eddie, he has transferred his attention to the Nightside. Of course, as "the Walking Man" is as much a job title as anything else, this is a new man (unlike Razor Eddie), with guns instead of blades, but he still has his eye on punishing the guilty.
In the Nightside. Yeah.
Is it any wonder that John Taylor has been hired to deal with him? But with the Nightside no longer defended by the power of John's late Mother, can even Taylor stand up to the wrath of God on Earth?
By this point you probably know if you're interested in this one, based on how you felt about the others in the series (if you haven't read the others in the series, they start with Something From the Nightside. Mildly recommended.
Bone Crossed: a Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs
In the wake of the events of the last novel, Mercy is having a few problems, but they don't really get a chance to take hold before the action starts. As Mercy and Adam are having their "date", in Mercy's trailer, Mercy's Mother shows up, upset that she had to learn what happened to her daughter from the news. Then Mercy's vampire friend, Stefan, teleports in, and he's looking, shall we say, somewhat the worse for wear. It seems that the local head vampire has learned about something Stefan helped Mercy do a few books back and now wants revenge on them both. Perhaps it would be a good thing for Mercy to leave town for a short time?
Fortunately, an old school friend of Mercy's pops up and asks her to come investigate her house. She remembers how Mercy used to claim to see ghosts, and thinks that her house is haunted. The friend lives in Spokane. Perhaps this is a good idea?
Certainly the Tri-City vampires can't get at Mercy in Spokane. There's only one vampire in Spokane, but he's powerful. Mercy would have to step carefully if she encounters him, but what are the odds of that happening?
I had some doubts about going on with this series after the last one, but they've mostly been set to rest here. Recommended.
The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Sequel to the Atrocity Archives. As a mad business mogul tries to raise an undead monster from the sea floor, Bob Howard is sent to stop him with the aid of a succubus-ridden half-deep-one and a fictional spy. More than that would be spoilers. Bonus short story follows. Recommended.