Freedom

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20. The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks
21. The Diamond Throne by David Eddings
22. The Ruby Knight by David Eddings
23. Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
24. The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings
25. Domes of Fire by David Eddings
26. The Shining Ones by David Eddings
27. The Hidden City by David Eddings
28. The Elder Gods by David & Leigh Eddings
29. The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop
30. Jhereg by Steven Brust
31. Yendi by Steven Brust
32. Teckla by Steven Brust
33. Taltos by Steven Brust

The Dark RiverThe sequel to Traveler, this is the second book by John Twelve Hawks.  It takes up where the first book left off.  The two brothers begin the search for their father, who they had thought was dead, killed by the Brethren.  It is every bit as good as the first book, and really makes you think about the world around you.

The EleniumThis trilogy is made up of the Diamond Throne, the Ruby Knight, and The Sapphire Rose.  This was the first series of books that I had read by David Eddings, the first time I read them.  This is the second time I've read them.  It is an epic tale of the Knight Sparhawk, and his search first to save his queen and then to save all Eosia.  It is a very well written trilogy, and well worth the second read.  I first read it about fifteen years ago.  Some might take offense to the theology in the books, but I'd recommend them to anyone who can look past this and enjoy the story.  It takes place in a different world than ours.

Tangled WebsI had trouble getting through this book the second time.  It was too close to the first time I read it.  I think it's my least favourite book in the series.

http://kethar.livejournal.com/238094.html

The TamuliThis trilogy, made up of Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, and The Hidden City, takes up where the Elenium ends, or a few years later.  Once more Sparhawk's skills are needed, this time in the Tamul Empire.  The characters we met and loved in the first trilogy are joined by more characters for the conclusion to the story.  I didn't like this trilogy as much as the first one, but it was still excellent and worth the read.  It doesn't ruin the first series; it adds to it.

The Elder GodsThe first book in the Dreamers, a series of four books also by David Eddings (and his wife), this book has nothing to do with the Sparhawk books, despite both having Elder and Younger gods.  They are different Elder and Younger gods.

This series is about the wars between That-Called-The-Vlagh and the people of the lands ruled by the Elder Gods.  This first book takes place primarily in the domain of Zelana.  Aided by the Dreamers, four children who can change things with their dreams, the four Elder Gods recruit fighters to assist in the war.  Zelana recruits Maags, pirates from the west, and her brother Veltan recruits Trogite soldiers.  Together these two forces prepare to fight the armies of the Vlagh.

It's a good book, but not as good as the Sparhawk books, which still are my favourites from David Eddings.

The Shadow QueenI enjoyed this book every much as much the second time.  I think it is better written than Tangled Webs.

http://kethar.livejournal.com/238094.html


JheregSteven Brust is one of my three favourite authors of all time, and this is my favourite series by him.  This is my third time reading this book, along with the next four, and will be the second time for the rest of the series, except the latest which I haven't read before.

This series follows Vladimir Taltos (pronounced Taltosh).  This it the first book.  Vlad is an assassin in the Jhereg, one of the seventeen Houses of the Dragaerian Empire.  He is also a witch and a sorceror.  This book is about an assassination he has been hired to preform.  The target is a high up in the Organization of the Jhereg, who has made the rest of the high ups very angry.  Things get very complicated and Vlad has to find a way to complete his mission without upsetting his friends.

I love this book.  It is well written, an easy read, and a delight to read.  I would recommend it to anyone.

YendiThe second book in the series, this one is about a Jhereg war Vlad finds himself in.  Things get complicated again, and Vlad has to find a way out of it.  This book takes place before Jhereg and provides background for the first book, including how he meets his wife.

TecklaThis book takes place just after the events of Jhereg.  Vlad is suddenly rich as a result of the first book and seeks to determine what he will do with the money.  His wife gets involved with a group of revolutionaries and doesn't tell Vlad.  When he finds out, he is very upset and proceeds to try to protect her.  This gets between them and Vlad finds himself astranged from his wife, trying to solve a murder, trying to protect her, and generally trying to figure out what his lifes all about.

This was a hard book to read this time.  It hadn't been the first two times.  I think the issues between Vlad and his wife hit me harder this time.  The first time I wasn't married; I don't know why it wasn't hard the second time.

TaltosThis takes place the furthest back in time of all the books in the series so far, before Yendi.  He is just new to running his area and one of his employees steals from him and escapes to Dzur Mountain.  Vlad must meet Morrolan, the lord of Castle Black, and Sethra Lavode, the Sorceress of Dzur Mountain, who are friends of his in later (earlier written) books.  Eventually, this leads him the Paths of the Dead, which he's mentioned in later (earlier written) books having been to, to run an errand for Morrolan and Sethra.  He doesn't know what's in store for him.

-ken-

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14. Shadows and Light by Anne Bishop
15. Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
16. The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop
17. The DustBunnies/MarchHares Big Damn Handout Volume I, Third Revision by Valerie Walker (veedub)
18. Sebastian by Anne Bishop
19. Belladonna by Anne Bishop

Shadows and Light
The second book in the House of Gaian series, this book takes up where Pillars of the World leaves off. The Inquisitors are regrouping, and the Bard and the Muse set off to find help to fight them. In this book, we learn more about the House of Gaian and about the Fae.

This book is as good or better than the first book. I greatly enjoyed it. Definitely read the first book before reading this one.

Dreams Made Flesh
http://kethar.livejournal.com/204603.html#cutid1

The House of Gaian
The third and final book in the House of Gaian series, this book raps up the series nicely. War is coming and everyone is heading towards the same places. Unexpected allies begin to gather to fight together. This book is action packed and very good. It may be the best book in the series. It's the longest of the books and I read it the fastest. This series just gets better and better.

The DustBunnies/MarchHares Big Damn Handout Volume I, Third Revision
This is a book of handouts about the Feri Tradition. It's in its third revision. I read most of the second revision back a while and it was improved and contains a lot more information. It had some parts that I couldn't relate to, especially the parts about Hestia, but over all, it's a useful book for anyone interested in Feri.

Sebastian
I put off reading this series, Ephemera, because Sebastian is about an incubus and this didn't seem interesting. Boy was I wrong. I think this series is the best series Anne Bishop has written. Everyone should read it.

Set in a world where the land has been shattered into pieces called landscapes, connected by bridges, which form connections that join the landscapes together, Sebastian is an incubus who had a hard childhood. He lives in a landscape called the Den of Iniquity. His cousin is a Landscaper named Glorianna Belladonna. Bad things start happening when an ancient evil is release and begins to hunt across the landscapes once again.

Belladonna
This book leaves off where Sebastian left off, and is the final book in the duology. It follows Belladonna, Sebastian's cousin, primarily. Both books are just as good, and the best books I've read in a long time is not forever. Belladonna must find a way to fight the ancient evil released in the first book, while trying to protect her new friends and her family.

-ken-

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8.  The Far Kingdoms by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch
9.  Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
10.  Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop
11.  Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop
12.  The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
13.  Etheric Anatomy by Victor & Cora Anderson

The Far Kingdoms
There have been legends of the Far Kingdoms, but no one had ever been there.  Amalric Antero has come to age and meets a soldier named Janos Greycloak.  Janos convinces him to seek the Far Kingdoms for his Finding.  The rest of the book follows their adventures as the seek this legendary land.

It's a very good book, though very dense.  It has small print and is fairly long, so it took me a long time to finish it.  It's a grand, epic adventure that I would recommend to anyone.

Daughter of the Blood
I'm rereading this books.  I like them a lot.  I will post a link to my original reviews of each book.

http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

Heir to the Shadows
http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

Queen of the Darkness
http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

The Invisible Ring
http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

Etheric Anatomy: the Three Selves and Astral Travel
Victor and Cora were the founders of the Feri Tradition.

It's a strange book.  The book gives the most detailed description of the three souls that I've ever read, whether in Feri or in Kabbalah.  It's a great description.  The book also gives information about out-of-body experiences and astral travel.  As such, I wouldn't recommend it to most people.  As I said, it's a strange book.

-ken-

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7.  Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Wondrous Strange

Wondrous Strange is a young adult book which is really good.  Kelley has moved to New York City to be an actress.  She's in the play a Midsummer's Night Dream.  Little does she know, the Faerie world is real.  The book is the story of her discovery of what that means.  Sonny is a Janus, a changeling who was stolen as a babe and now defends the Samhain Gate, Central Park, to keep the Fae from coming through.  He stumbles upon Kelley one night, and his world is never the same.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a fast read, but well written.  I'd recommend it to anyone.

-ken-

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5.  Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
6.  The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Tangled Webs

I forgot how much I love the books in this series.  This is the sixth Black Jewels book.  Taking place after the events of the trilogy, this book could stand as a stand alone book, but is better if you read the other books, or at least the Trilogy, first.

Jaenelle decides to create spooky house, modeled after the Landen's misconceptions of the Blood.  When Surreal, Lucivar, and Daemon receive invitations, they think the invitations are from Jaenelle and Marian.  Surreal shows up and finds herself in trap.  Now her family have to find a way to rescue her.

This was a great book, living up to the enjoyment of the rest of the series.  It contains surprises and draws you in.  There is some violence to to children, so some people might have issues with the book.  There was a few things that Surreal says that she shouldn't have known because other people had said the things when she couldn't have heard, and one similar place where Daemon knew something before anyone had a chance to tell him.  This is my only complaint and the only place the book didn't live up to the rest of the series.  These parts don't take away from the book, though.

The Shadow Queen

The seventh Black Jewels book, this book takes place after Tangled Webs, but mostly back in Terreille.  This book builds on the events of the Invisible Ring.  Dena Nehele, where the Gray Ladies once ruled, has barely survived the events of the Trilogy.  They have survived a Landen uprising and have tentitively established.  All they're missing is a Queen.  No Queens who know the Old Ways have survived.  And in Kaeleer, Cassidy has lost her Court.  The entire First Circle resigned, so she is a Queen without a Court.  Jaenelle has created a Tangled Web and sees the Cassidy can either save Dena Nehele or lead to its final end.  Cassidy goes to Terreille to be the Queen.

This was an excellent book!  I read it much too fast.  There was nothing in it to complain about.  It can be read as a stand alone book, though it's better knowing the events of at least the Trilogy and the Invisible Ring.  Unlike the Trilogy and several of the other books, nothing bad enough happens to children to be hard to read.  This is an excellent book and definitely lives up to the rest of the series.

-ken-

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4. Night Huntress by Yasmine Galenorn

Night Huntress

I just finished the fifth book in the Otherworld series. We return to Delilah's perspective.  They discover the location of the fourth spirit seal, but have to once again find it before Karvanak the Raksasa gets it.  Trillian is missing and Chase and Delilah and Chase are having problems.

Like the rest of the books, it was a light read, but enjoyable.  A little more sex than the previous ones, but not too much.  I enjoyed reading it.

-ken-

0.  The Devouring by Simon Holt
1.  Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton
2.  Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn

( Reviews... )

-ken-

In my last post of reviews, I missed one book.  Since then, I've read two more.  I'm going to do them all as one post.

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18. Daughter of the Desert by Noel-Anne Brennan
19. Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
20. Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop

( Read more... )

-ken-

Earlier this week, I finished The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks. It was excellent! I can't wait until the next one comes out in paperback.



Picture a world much like our own. There is more going on than we know. We are unaware of the battle going on around us, are happy in our ignorance. We are either drones who just do what we're told and have no ambition, or we are citizens, working within the Vast Machine, not knowing what's really going on, that we are being directed. But there are others, moving in our world and we don't know it. There are the Travelers, able to pass into five other realms beyond our own and return to make a change in our world. There are the Pathfinders, who know how to help the Travelers cross over. There are the Harlequins, vicious fighters trained to disappear for the Grid, trained to fight, trained to protect the Travelers. And there are the Tabula, who call themselves the Brethren, who fight to destroy the Travelers and the Harlequins.

In the book, a young Harlequin travels to the US to protect two brothers who could be Travelers. The Tabula, however, are also seeking the brothers. Can she reach them in time?

It's half cyberpunk, half fantasy, in a way, at least by my definitions. It is fairly original and very well written. It keeps you wondering and has several plot twists. It is action packed, with some more relaxed parts. It is not a light read. If you need something light, don't read it. However, if you want something that will make you think and question the world around you, I highly recommend it.

Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

The latest book I finished was Tithe by Holly Black. It's listed under Young Adult and is excellent.



Tithe is the first book in Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tale series. It is about a girl who grew up in New Jersey who saw faeries as a kid. She has just moved back to New Jersey and strange things start happening. As she tries to find out who she is and who the mysterious stranger she meets is, she struggles with the issues facing teenagers.

It is a very well written book. It is written more convincingly and at a higher level than Hamilton's or Galenorn's faerie books, and really draws you in. There are some sexual and violent that I'm not sure a teenager should be reading, but over all, it is a very good read. I'm looking forward to reading the next one, Valiant, and after that to get back to the characters of this one in Ironside.

-ken-

I just finished A Stroke of Midnight, the fourth book in the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I finished Seduced by Moonlight just before that, but finished the fourth book before I wrote a review. Since I didn't write a review for the first two, I figured I'd write one for all four now.

For all these books, if you don't want to read books with a lot of graphic sex, avoid them. Unlike what I've been told about the Anita Blake books, these ones start out with sex in them, and it's very involved in the plot, so it doesn't seem as out of place. I really liked these books, but they aren't for everyone.



The first book is A Kiss of Shadows. I read it and the second one back a while. In this book, you meet the main characters and get introduced to the Unseelie Court. Merry goes from being in hiding into the spotlight and into the danger and plots of the court. Her aunt, the Queen has an offer for her, but you don't refuse her offers. Merry's magic begins to flair finally, and things get interesting.



The second book is A Caress of Twilight. In this book, they're back in the L.A. area. You meet a member of the Seelie Court and find out about some of the secrets of both courts. Merry's magic grows, as does that of the people around her.



The third book is Seduced by Moonlight. In this book, Merry returns to court. Magic thought lost begins to return and many plots take shape. The court becomes more and more dangerous as the plots are discovered and sought out. This book covers about two days' time.



The fourth book is A Stroke of Midnight. This is a book mostly about the returning of power to the Unseelie court. In the time between Merry's second return to court and her upcoming visit to to the Seelie Court, things get even more interesting. Merry's power and that of everyone around her grows and Faerie begins to come back alive. Things are more and more dangerous for everyone, and more and more people get involved in the plots. Magic not seen for millenia begin to return. This book also lasts about two days' time. It almost makes me wonder if she was unsure what would happen in the Seelie court after the invitation in the second book and filled in time in between. I enjoyed both books anyway, and very interesting things are happening.

I will wait for the fifth book, Mistral's Kiss, until it comes out in paperback.

Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

I finished The Order War by L.E. Modesitt Jr.. This is the fourth Recluce book I've read.



It is the best so far, in my opinion. It is about Justin, who we met in The Magic of Recluce, and a few other characters. Like The Towers of the Sunset and The Magic Engineer, this book provides a lot of background to explain things in The Magic of Recluce. However, unlike The Magic Engineer, this book introduces a little information that brings new meaning to some of the events in The Towers of the Sunset. A lot of things that seemed clear in it took on a lot of new meaning.

Where the first three books dealt heavily with understanding Order, this book focuses much more on the Chaos-Order Balance. It brings into questions a lot of things you took for granted and turns them upside down. It also introduces a new group of people, who are much more important in the world than you would have thought without this book.

Read the other books first. Even though time-wise, it takes place only 200 years before The Magic of Recluce, you need to read that book and meet Justin first, or you will miss a lot. Also, without the background of the other two, you won't understand why this book stands out so much.

I am now reading a few other series I've been neglecting. When I finish, I'm going to reread The Magic of Recluce before reading the next book, The Death of Chaos. This book continues with Lerris from the first book. I think I'll understand a lot more this time through after reading the rest.

Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

I finished The Magic Engineer Sunday morning. It's the third Recluce book. I think it's my favorite so far. They keep getting better.



This book was a similar storyline to Magic of Recluce, but had more depth. It is very obvious Modesitt was maturing as a writer with each book. Magic was all story with little depth and emotion compared to the next two. Towers was all emotion; the story was purely a vehicle for the emotion. Engineer is somewhere in between. It isn't as emotionally charged as Towers, but more so than Magic. It's a good balance, I think.

The Magic Engineer talks place around half way between Towers and Magic, time-wise. Dorrin, the main character is exiled from Recluce because he wants to build machines and they feel they will bring chaos. He travels and settles and many events take place. This book explains a lot of things from Magic that Tower didn't get to. Read this book, but make sure you read Magic of Recluce ant The Towers of the Sunset first.

Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

During our trip to Seattle, I finished The Towers of the Sunset by L.E. Modesitt, J.R. It is the second book in the Recluce Saga.



This book takes place way before the Magic of Recluce, and is basically the story of the founding of Recluce, when Fairhaven was at its strongest. It was much harder emotionally than the first one. Where the first one was an adventure story, this was more a story of hardship, struggle, and survival. Though it was a lot harder to read, causing tears many times during the reading, I think I like it better than the first.

Definitely read Magic of Recluce before this one, but this book will fill in and explain some (though not all by any means) of the mysteries left in the first one.

Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

I finished Magic of Recluce on Sunday. The BOSS has recommended the series to me many times, and I finally got a chance to read it. Though I wouldn't put L.E. Modesitt, Jr. in the top authors like William Gibson, Steven Brust, and Gene Wolfe, he definitely goes at the next highest level.



The concept of the world is that there are two competing groups, one that uses Order, the Black, and one that uses Chaos, the White. Lerris, the main character has grown up on the Island of Recluce, in a town called Wandernaught, where nothing much happens. He is bored, so is sent away because boredom can be dangerous. The rest of the book is him finding out who he really is and coming to terms with it, so he can make something of himself.

The use of the worlds bored and boring are employed so much that, they are, well, boring. You start to feel his boredom to the point you relate to him. This is not a bad thing, and is used very effectively.

I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy. I am now reading the Towers of the Sunset, the second book in the Saga of Recluce, and enjoying it as much. It takes place somewhere in th past before Magic of Recluce.

God Bless and Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

The Public Library just got this. kyrraven, I seem to remember that you really liked Elfquest. I used to read through Elfquest at the Smith Family Book Store in Eugene, back when I lived in Oakridge. Miss that bookstore.

God Bless and Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

The last book I finished was Spellsinger, by Alan Dean Foster. I liked it enough that instead of reading the other books I was going to read, I went and got the second book, Hour of the Gate from the Public Library, where I checked out the first.

It is a strange book about a pre-law student who has aspirations to become a rock star. While he's smoking pot one day, a wizard from another world reaches out to find help to fight a new great evil magic in the land and finds him, pulling him through. He can't return him, so Jon-Tom, the college student sets off to fit into the world, and eventually try to save it. He discovers that he does have magical talent, in the form of spellsinging.

The "people" of the world are mostly evolved animals. Lizards, who didn't evolve, serve as mounts, food, and anything else that we use animals for. Rodents are the lower class that do the jobs no one else would do, and in smae places, slaves.

It's an interesting, light read that challenges society, but intertains. I'd recommend it.

God Bless and Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-

Ok, so this is a little late being posted...

This is what eternal_synn got me for our anniversary:



I still need to get her something.

God Bless and Luck in the Shadows,
-ken-