Blameless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Blameless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger.

This is a wonderfully silly fantastic novel. It manages to mashup steampunk with werewolves and vampires in a comedy of manners. It is quite fun to read.

The main character who is pregnant by a werewolf travels to Italy where she meets the templars and learns a bit about her fathers history.

Lots of silliness ensues. Alexia Terrabotti endures ornithopter rides, angry vampires, and pesto in her travels in Italy. She wards off villains with her weigted dart shooting parasol with the help of her trusty footman Floote and the cross dressing hatmaker Madame Lefleux.

The writing is lighthearted and fun. It is well worth following the author, Gail Carriger. Her blog is quite fun to read with its pictures of parasols and other victorian and steampunk fashions. http://gailcarriger.livejournal.com/

The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee

The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee

This is a fantasy novel set during the American frontier period.  The author in the interview at the back of the book describes how she wanted to combine the American west with an Inuit character.  This makes the novel a little bit different.  It creates an alternate history which combines steam technology with magic.   The magic is spirit magic. This is the first book in a trilogy.

The settlers in this novel are a bit different.  They are driven from their homeland because of religious persecution.  However, they are not greedy for land so much as power.  The Ciracusans have a motif of seven gods. The seven gods represent seven paths to heaven or seven paths to hell.  They wish to convert all of the aborigines to their religion and way of life.  The Ciracusans consider the aborigines uneducated and irreligious.

The novel starts with a young Aniw spirit walker, Sjennokirk, being taken prisoner after she kills a Ciracusan soldier who enters her home unbidden.  She then kills a Ciracusan priest at the bidding of her fathers spirit.  She is not executed, but instead is forced to teach a Captain of the Ciracusan army, Jarrett, to take on the form of a dog.  There are quite a few dog motifs in this novel, the Aniw husky of the far north, the plains dog, and the native coyote.

The novel is written from a number of different perspectives.  I like how Sjennokirk, the Aniw spiritwalker describes the Ciracusans as being horrendous because they eat cooked meat and don't wear furs.  I also like the harsh military edge which Captain Jarrett experiences.

The history and belief systems in this novel are well worked out.  It is refreshing to read a fantasy story based on the conflict between natives and settlers.  Karin Lowachee does a very good job of creating unique characters in an interesting setting.  Karin Lowachee has a website at http://www.karinlowachee.com/

Changeless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

Changeless An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

This is the second novel in the Parasol Protectorate series featuring Alexia Tarabotti. It is set in a Victorian England with touches of steampunk. The first was Soulless. Alexia is now Lady Maccon. She is married to Conall Maccon who is a werewolf. She is the lady of a house of werewolves.

In this novel, paranormals are mysteriously losing their powers. This is bad for England because so much of their military power lies in regiments of vampires and werewolves. It is a mystery for Lady Maccon to solve. She travels between England and Scotland by dirigible, she hobnobs with werewolves, vampires, and nobility. At the same time she takes tea, wears fashionable dress, and reads the society papers.

The novel is lighthearted entertainment. The writing breaks boundaries by moving between a variety of genres from gaslight to romance to steampunk to adventure. The writing is more comic adventure than scary. She wards off the villains with her trustry umbrella and dangerous hatpins.

The backstory is one of an eccentric, intelligent lady with a difficult family and quirky friends both normal and paranormal (ghosts, vampires, and werewolves). Her friend Ivy is entranced by terrible hats and her sister must travel with her to Scotland to avoid scandal.

The third book in the series coming out in September 2010, Blameless, should be as entertaining as the first two.

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Under Heaven is a historical fantasy based on the 8th century Tang dynasty in China. Shen Tai, the hero of the story calls his country Kitai. Kitai is the Russian word for China. This story draws from asian and eurasian history. Sardia where Shen Tai receives a gift of Sardian horses is a medieval historical country along the Silk Road.

The historical elements make this novel beautiful to read. Guy Gavriel Kay uses traditional eight line Chinese verse throughout the book. He acknowledges Li Po, the Chinese poet as his inspiration. One of the secondary characters, Sima Zian is called an Immortal because of the beautiful poetry he writes.

The story itself has a diverse variety of elements. It is much more than just sword fighting and magical battles. In fact, the magic described here is different, the bogu tribesmen have shamans who communicate with animals, there is forbidden astrology called the "School of Night", warrior monks practice martial arts, and the Emperor of Kitai drinks alchemical potions to increase his potency.

There are beautiful descriptions of bejeweled courtesans playing the Pipa, dancing, and wiling away the evenings. There is decpetion, intrigue, wine (peach, pepper, grape, and spiced), sex, assassination attempts, battles, and history. The setting is in the countryside of Kitai, at the imperial court, and beyond The Long Wall, and in the grasslands of the Bogu. The characters are soldiers, poets, noblemen, noblewomen, warrior monks, tribesmen, imperial bureaucrats, and concubines.

The hero, Shen Tai is propelled through the story by forces greater than himself. He starts with a great action, burying the dead on a battlefield as part of mourning the death of his father, the General Shen. He survives many intrigues and battles and does not seek what is given to him. The characters make terrible mistakes which lead to tragedies and civil war. This makes the story compelling.

This is an interesting fantasy written in a literary style with both an epilogue and acknowledgements for the historical and literary research put into writing this book. Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian writer who won the World Fantasy Award in 2008 for his book Ysabel. His official website is Bright Weavings. http://www.brightweavings.com/

Fantasy has Wings!

Fantasy often brings to mind images of magic, wizards, mayhem, and dragons. I've loved hearing stories about dragons, both good and bad, since I first started reading fairytales. The great thing about these creatures is that they are so captivating that they have appeared in nearly every culture of the world since ancient times. Chinese, Japanese, even Native American cultures all had some sort of dragon- whether they breathed fire or not! Dragons may never have really walked the earth, but they are part of the world's history- and are a figurehead for fantasy.

My favorite fantasy books of all time have included a dragon (or other mystical winged creature) in some way, shape, or form. Eragon and the rest of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance books are probably the most well-known dragon novels right now. I have read and re-read every one, and Paolini makes Saphira and the other creatures so real, I can almost imagine flying with them through their travels.

Even the Harry Potter books featured dragons in The Goblet of Fire.

But I am a firm believer in a classic tale- and you can't get much more classic than J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit or Anne and Todd McCaffrey's the Dragon Riders of Pern. Tolkien's Smaug may have been the villain of The Hobbit, but he was the epitome of a gluttonous, winged jewel-thief.

The Pernese dragons are probably my ultimate favorites, though. While they aren't technically magical, they're genetically engineered, plus they have telepathic and teleportation abilities. Later in the series, the dragons even discovered that they had telekinesis! Anne McCaffrey's books cross the bridge between science-fiction and fantasy. The adventures that the dragons and their riders get into are amazing, making the Pern books an epic fantasy saga that is never to be forgotten.

So go out, grab a fantasy, and grow wings! You never know where your dragon will take you next!

Iris Black

Enter Sam's Space now!

Living Your Fantasy

One of my favorite things to do is attend comic cons every year. Forget the stereotype of some dingy hotel ballroom packed full of smelly and expensive discolored comics, creeping with a bunch of “Comic Book Guy” character doppelgangers from The Simpsons. The larger cons are exactly the opposite. Sharing the common thread of offering thousands of comic purveyors to the starving masses, comic cons these days are more of a pop culture assemblage. If you live in San Diego, New York or Atlanta , you know what I am talking about. These places are where the three biggest comic cons happen. The San Diego Comic Con, Dragon Con and The New York Comic Con.


These cons (or conventions to be exact) manifest the wildest dream of every fantasy fan into reality. Not only is it completely acceptable to dress like your favorite superhero, movie character, or villain, it is actually honored and adored. Trust me; your first encounter with a group of fully-geared Stormtroopers in line at Subway will be a bit surreal. The point is anything goes. Not only can you hear about the filming of the second Dark Crystal movie from Jim Henson’s daughter, but you can sit in on panels on everything from Jughead to Battlestar Gallactica.


These events are an absolute Mecca for everything the fantasy fan could desire. Want to meet Ray Parks who played Darth Maul in Star Wars? How about Sarah Michelle Gellar? Or does Natalie Portman strike your fancy? All have attended these types of events, and for the fans, the excitement lies in the chance to connect with their heroes in one form or another. To thank them for capturing the roles of their beloved characters on film and to involve themselves with the actual person that played the character if only for a moment.


Cons are treasure troves though which new ideas, fantastic artists and epic adventures await discovery. At Dragon Con in Atlanta I experienced the full creativity of the fantasy fan as troupes of Steampunks proudly marched through the halls. Everything appreciable is there. Who knew people dressed up as characters from Serenity, or in full on latex laden Hellboy costumes? They do and they love it. If you get a chance, every fantasy fan should attend one of these events. Heck, for the bold at heart, try dressing up in your best Cat Woman or Freddy Krueger outfit; you will be in good company.

http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com

Fantastical Paths from Pages to Film

Fantasy books.

Fantasy movies.

Fantasy books adapted into fantasy movies.

Hey everyone! It’s Melanie Ryder, one of Alyssa Montgomery’s characters, and I’m back for yet another blog!

One of my favorite genres to read is fantasy books. I simply love how authors create their own universe that you can easily blend yourself into and understand.

But one thing that always amazes me, however, is how they are able to take that fantasy book and adapt it into a movie that plays on the big screen. An idea that was once on paper has now come to life as an absolute vision so everyone can now, not only read it, but see it.

How cool is that??

I think one of the best examples of this adaptation is Harry Potter. These are my favorite books, and I get so excited each and every time the next book is made into a movie. What the people who work on the Harry Potter movies are able to do is amazing! Both Cal and I absolutely love the floating candles in the Great Hall (and not to mention the sky). And what about Quidditch? Those scenes were exactly as I had pictured them in the books! (And Parker wants to let you all know that the scenes are exactly the way he pictured them too).

So now that you all know about my love (and Cal’s and Parker’s) for the Harry Potter books and the adaptation of them into movies, what about everyone else? Are there any fantasy books that you love the movie adaptations of?

Melanie Ryder can be found in Alyssa Montgomery's short stories, Where Are You? and 9:53 P.M. (from the Heat of the Moment Anthology).

Fantastic Fantasy

Fantasy is one of the oldest writing genres on the planet, going back to Beowulf, King Authur, er, Arthur, and other mystical, magical beginnings.

It's a style with no rules, and when science started catching up, it spawned two related genres, Sci-Fi and the more fantastical of horror. These three genres intertwine like a handful of worms.

Fantasy is also the most liberating genre of all, because, frankly, anything goes. If you want your vampire to be all sparkly and pretty, sure, go for it. Wood elves, trolls, goblins ... do you want your elves to be good elves, or something darker and more foreign? Doesn't matter, there's no right or wrong way to do it.

In fact, the more novel, the more unique, the better. Books that give us a new look at an old topic are all the rave. Look at the success spawned by Wicked. Imagine, taking the old witch from the Wizard of Oz and making her someone you cared about.

I think this is one of the reasons I was drawn to the genre. After all, reading is, in a way, escapism, and if you're going to escape, why not go to a world so completely different than ours that your fascination with the world brings you more colorfully and lucidly into the story.

Look to the success of games like Dungeons and Dragons. If you liked the first Harry Potter, you loved them all, and you lived the story along with Harry, Ron and Hermione all the way to the end.

Fantasy allows the author a freer hand than any other genre. The science in Sci-fi has to be palatable, if not provable. Mysteries have to walk the line between being too easy and too hard to solve. Westerns have to be ... um ... I dunno, I don't read them. But the horses have to be vegetarians and have four hooves, all of which touch the ground.

When I wrote my Adventures of Guy series, I didn't intend on them being fantasy at all. My heroes were three college roommates and a mother from up the street who get involved on a Quest. Of course, every quest has to have an elf, sorcerer, Unbeliever, a warrior and attorneys, er, otherworldly evil creatures.

But fantasy? Nah, I just wanted the freedom to have whatever I wanted to happen in the stories happen , and if it took a bit of magic, so be it.

Still, though, I have to admit to some surprise when reviewers started using the word 'fantasy.'

But with my upcoming book, Fang Face, all pretense is thrown away. It's definitely fantasy ... a vampire story, cut and dried. And I get to make the rules. The vampires don't sparkle, can't come out in the day once they are fully Undead, and they can't tolerate Doritos.

And believe me, I love the freedumb ... freedom ... to do whatever I want.

Norm

www.normcowie.com

This Blog Has Been Hijacked!

My name’s Gus. It’s really Augusta Lee (after my grandfather, Augustus Leander), but if you aren’t looking for a kick in the shins, you better call me Gus.

Nope, I’m not a teenager, yet, but I’m almost there and I’ve been reading Teen-Seen for awhile and feeling a little left out. I’m up to here with Zamora’s Ultimate Challenge. So what if a couple of kids are sucked into a video game? And puh-leeze spare me anymore problems with those annoying Pixie Chicks. If you're Searching for A Starry Night? Not gonna find it here, so go dig somewhere else, Petey.

Like it or not, I’m hijacking this blog for the day. So there.

BFF, Cynthia, and I grew up together on the same sycamore-lined street. We even sat in the same baby carriage (See pic.)

Guess who’s who. Hint: I’m not the one squalling my head off. (I swear I didn’t pinch her!)

We took dancing lessons when we were little, and had to wear these awful tutus. I cringe thinking of our first (and only) recital when we had to dance and pretend to water crepe paper flowers with pink sprinkling cans, but I did learn the value of taking bows!

Still, I would’ve been much happier in jeans and a t-shirt playing baseball in the neighbor’s vacant lot.

We did have a lot of fun, though, especially exploring Cynthia’s awesome attic.

I’ll never forget the rainy summer day we discovered “the trunk.” It looked pretty ordinary when we first opened it. Ya know, dusty, smelly (I’m starting to sneeze just thinking of it!) old clothes. Just your usual old-trunk-in-attic, look. But, looks can be deceiving as we found out the next time we opened the trunk and were sent back in time to 1914!

I’m here to tell you that Cynthia and I have had some strange adventures and met some cool people in our time travels. Ancestors, including our 12-year-old grandmothers, a ghost-kid named Louis, a gypsy named Gabriella and Blackie, a bad-breathed clown, to name a few. But, if I have to pick a favorite (I know, I know. Nobody said I had to...but I am ‘cause this is my blog. Today!) it would have to be Mud Bug, our old Louisiana Cajun guide. He not only saved our lives on a couple of occasions, he has a very unusual talent. Would you believe he can...Hey! I’m not gonna tell you that! Read Curse of the Bayou and find out for yourself!

Read the Cynthia’s Attic series and find out why I’m so *popular.*

Who's your favorite character? Hmmm? Me?

Your new BFF,
Gus

P. S. I will not give up control of this blog until a ka-zillion Curse of the Bayou books have been sold!

Discover the Magic in Cynthia's Attic
Amazon

Curse of the Bayou...New Review

"The third time really is the charm for author Mary Cunningham, as her latest installment in the Cynthia’s Attic series is the best of the trio. While books one and two are delightfully entertaining, within a few pages of book three, it is apparent that the writer has grown right a long side her two main characters. Blending parallel universes with very real human issues while allowing the reader to suspend the need for reason is a huge undertaking, and one that Cunningham has met and far exceeded with Curse of the Bayou."

To read the entire review click here
RJ's Cafe: 3rs Reading Den

Colorful pirates, SuRana--a shape-shifting puma, and an old Cajun guide named Mud Bug join Cynthia and Gus as they explore…

CURSE OF THE BAYOU


ISBN: 978-1-59080-575-6
Quake, a division of Echelon Press, LLC

from the acclaimed author of
THE MAGIC MEDALLION
Best Books 2006 National Book Award Finalist
And
THE MISSING LOCKET

The latest quest for the adventurous, twelve-year-old best friends finds them in a Louisiana bayou. There, they search for answers in the disappearance of Cynthia's great-grandfather, Beau Connor, who was on his way down the Mississippi River to sell a flatboat full of produce.

With the help of a magic trunk in Cynthia's attic, this time-traveling duo venture back to 1914 New Orleans. The warm welcome and advice from old friend, Gabriella, is small comfort when Mud Bug warns them to stay away from Buzzard Jack LaBuse, the meanest, orneriest pirate this side of the Mississippi, his gang of misfits, Snags, Darby, and Salty Sam, their thieving parrot mascot.

A trip to the Connor's Southern Indiana farm reveals a strange connection between Beau and Buzzard Jack, and a family curse that might be responsible for Cynthia's great-grandfather's disappearance. Returning to New Orleans, a harrowing ride on a roller coaster sends them farther back in time to 1844, straight into the clutches of the evil pirate, fighting for their lives. A mysterious treasure and heart-stopping adventure lead to a final confrontation in the girls' mission to save Great Granddaddy Beau.

Have you been to the Hobbitville Gardens?

Welcome to
Hobbitville Gardens…
where adventure grows wild!



THE PIXIE CHICKS

Buy the eBook now at

For a quartet of girlfriends known as the Pixie Chicks, life takes on a delicious new flavor when their normal Friday night walkabout through the Hobbitville gardens reveals secrets and adventures previously unimagined. Who knew the statues were portals to similar, magical gardens around the world? Or that only a select few can travel by statue and fewer still can arrive at their desired point? These four will reach for the stars despite the risks of the unknown to embrace an adventure suitable only for the boldest of teens.

Who is Regan Black?
Regan Black has been indulging her imagination since the moment she discovered the magic of pencil and paper. She's won awards for both her poetry and her adult adventure novels, despite the chaos of managing a husband, two children and a home that could serve as a domestic petting zoo. With two retired greyhounds (give or take a foster), two cats and three birds, she's learned to craft her stories with one hand on the keyboard and one on whoever is in need of affection. If she's not writing, you'll most likely find her reading, gardening, playing with the pets or doing yoga to recover from all of the above. Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can always find her at www.reganblack.com.

The Seeing Stone (Spiderwick Chronicles)

Don't hold me back, I'm on a roll! Last night I finished Book Two. Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Field Guide" as it was a nice place to start, but book two really got the old adrenaline pumping. Getting better acquainted with the Grace Children, and getting nose to toes with the goblins was quite an adventure. I'm not quite sure what to think of Hogsqueal, but I don't think we've seen the last of him.

After finishing books one and two I've still got two thumbs up and am holding back hitting book three as I need to pace myself. And don't think that because I am a grownup that I don't appreciate the important things in life. After finishing "The Seeing Stone" I immediately went online to hit the Spiderwick site. I am now a proud member of the International Sprite League. Some things are just too important to ignore!

Harry who?

Spiderwick Chronicles: The Seeing Stone
ISBN: 0689859376
Authors: Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black,

The Spiderwick Chronicles

I'm not sure why, but when I was at the American Library Association Trade show I saw a poster for a book that I had never heard of. I know, me not having heard of a book. But there it is. So I see this poster for Spiderwick and I am instantly enchanted. Why? Well, I'm not sure, but I was.

So there I am, looking all over the huge Washington DC Convention Center for this book. After two days I finally find the Simon & Schuster booth and another poster...but no books. No brochures, nothing...just a poster! So I ask, and they have given everything away.

So I come home and I begin searching the Howard County Library database and every time I look they are all checked out. I hate when that happened. Well, after a couple of months...and no it never occurred to me to buy them...I mean it did, but I don't want to buy a whole set of books if I don't like them. So I finally found them...ALL OF THEM! I snatched them off the shelf and stuffed them in my Kfir Luzzatto "THE ODYSSEY GENE" book bag and ran...not walked...to the check out desk and there I was! I was thrilled.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide
by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
ISBN: 0689-85936-8

Since the book is very short I truly expected to find the typical kid's fantasy, I was disappointed. I mean it is a kid's fantasy, but it is so much more. Take a few words, sprinkle in some charm, and add numerous awesome illustrations and you have an excellent book. Getting to know the Grace kids in "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is going to be so much more than an adventure.

If I had to pick one element of "The Field Guide" I don't think I could. The kids are kids, with problems and personalities and if you weren't holding the book in your hand, you might think they live next door--it's excellent. Toss in a few brownies and some animals and you have one heck of a cool story.

I've got book two sitting on the dining room table waiting for me, but work comes first...at least until lunch!

And if you're looking for another great fantasy…minus the Fae…you can try the Cynthia's Attic Adventures by Mary Cunningham.

The Missing Locket
The Magic Medallion