In Pursuit of My Own Library

Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable and safe St. Patrick's Day (and hopefully the hangovers are few). For those who need to relax this weekend and recover, I recommend they pick up the Wycaan Master series and tuck in for some good reading. Books can cure anything. I do warn you--this epic fantasy series can make your weekend go by in the blink of an eye; the tale is so engrossing. From Ashes They Rose by Alon Shalev We start the fifth in the Wycaan series wondering if he did it again. Did the author really kill off another beloved character? Well, the other characters just don't think it is possible. Our close knit warriors are divided in their individual missions. Some to find Seanchai--because let's face it, he is super awesome and just cannot be killed. I repeat CANNOT be killed. Right?-- and others on their own quests of discovery.  Just when the crew thought they had the upper hand on the nation and could finally start to rebuild; a larger, more deadly thre

While spring is apparently here, at least according to the timelords, let's catch up with a review from last fall about a winter book. Since my circadian rhythm is all out of funk, it only seems apropos to have a chaos of seasons colliding in today's review. We are going to be checking in with the last novel in the Great North Woods series. Snow Rising by Shawn Underhill I was sad to read the author's note on the back about this being the last book. For a while. Maybe. He has run out of ways to take the story. And I must agree that this is probably true. We had excellent resolution here, but I love these characters and this concept of shape-shifters (I refuse to use the word werewolves with these spiritual, majestic creatures). I do extremely appreciate his honesty that he is tapped. Oh, how I wish some other authors would have been willing to admit they were bled dry and refused to publish sub-par narrative. While we started this series with Evie running head long

After finishing United States of Japan , I find myself in another review dilemma. Due to an impressive fascination with quantum entanglement and paradigms from the current comic nerd culture, alternate fiction has gained large success. A  genre I am quickly starting to disapprove of highly for its historical dilution.  I selected this novel for the mecha from the cover and an admittedly intriguing description. I knew I would struggle with the content, but I also am keenly aware that books are read for the entertainment value. Therefore, I will base my review solely on that value. United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas This is a story of North America if Japan had won the exchange at Pearl Harbor. A big manipulation of the timeline for sure. I will give credit to the vibrant reality of the world Tieryas created. The whole book really felt like a Japanese colony. The foods, the culture; they all felt very Imperial Japan. I enjoyed the authenticity of a Japan that developed from th

With St. Patrick's Day approaching, it would be a marvelous idea to head to the store and pick up your copy of The Last Days of Magic . A novel of Ireland and its magic. Patrick even makes a guest appearance! The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins Myth, legend, and lore. Angels, fairies, and magic. Conspiracy. This book has it all in such compelling narrative. This story highlights a time when illiteracy was rampant and the records were what the victors made of them. Ireland relied on their fables to guide them through the mysteries of life, while the Romans were busy focusing on the power of the Vatican priests to dictate people's future. This book shines light on the struggle between the two magics. I was originally drawn to historical fiction because of the imaginative freedom to  build the characters and motives of history. I was drawn to this novel in particular because  Tompkins   ties the religious connection to magic.  They really are more interconnected than

Happy Monday everyone. Since I have spent the last month settling into my new home, I have fallen behind with my reading. Fortunately I have built a small pile of unpublished reviews. To kick off the week, I am going to get started with a novel that published last fall. It took me awhile to get through this book and then even longer to get through the review. See below the fold for why. The Paladin Caper by Patrick Weekes I finally made it through the next of the Rogues of the Republic series. Then I wrote my review. Then I rewrote it, scrapped all of it, wrote a new one, edited it... Get the feeling I had no idea how to write this review? I didn't. Here is what I could come up with best. We have another fun caper of mayhem and best-laid-plans shenanigans with some serious satirical problems.  All the original characters plus some of the background support group are all back to participate in the new con. The plot and story itself felt the same as the first two novels. This