Blodeuedd's Favorite Fictional Character --- Rand al'Thor

I don't think there is another blogger quite like Blodeudd of Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.  She shows such a passion for the books she reads and reviews.  I always know that if I want to read a review by someone who seems to put her heart and soul into a review, I can head over to her blog and dive into some amazing writing.  We don't always read the same kind of books, but I know that if she raves about a fantasy novel, I'm going to love the book as well.  The books she reviews are wide ranging and a few times she has came close to convincing me that a new romance book it just what I want.  On her visit today, she is going to talk about a series and a character that I love about as much as she does.  I think it's fitting that she chose a character we both love, it's almost like a birthday present.  So I hope you stick around, read the post, and go on over to her blog and let her know how awesome she is.

I spent a lot of time thinking of who my favorite character is. One part of my brain said Rand, Rand, Rand! But the other part said, you are re-reading the series, and haven’t really fallen yet..but hey brain, it’s still Rand! And I adore him.

I was about 13 or 14 when I met Rand for the first time and fell in love, with the series, and him too. He is the main character in the Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan, and now it’s a series being finished by Brandon Sanderson as Jordan passed away. It’s the old school kind of fantasy, a young shepherd meets a mysterious woman and a warrior and soon he and his friends are going on an adventure. Well ok more like fleeing as baddies are after them. I always liked the farmer/nobody who finds his destiny and becomes something more, and the change is just so great in Rand. At first he is the fumbling farmboy who tries his best to be brave and look after his friends. But who also doubts as the realization of his true fate is bestowed upon him. He is made for great things. He is the Dragon Reborn. The reborn Dragon as the old one almost destroyed the world, and this Rand will do too and fight the big baddie. How will it all end?

And here I still am, many years later, still reading this series! We are finally coming to the last battle, or will in the book that is being published in 2013. And I tell you, if Sanderson kills him then I will throw that last book at the wall. Yes there is a big chance that my favorite fictional character will die and that will not be pleasant for anyone near me. I do fear this fate.

Back to Rand, and why I like him. It’s the change, he matures, he becomes the Dragon, he leads men into battle and he becomes a king. I also have a true weakness for Lews Therin Kinslayer, that’s the old Dragon and he does spend some time mumbling to Rand in his head. What can I say; I like crazy Rand, for Lews will truly drive him insane with his talking and memories. Not to mention that magic, to Rand, is poison that also will drive him insane. You see, he is a lost cause, I have to like him.

At the present I am re-reading the series and something strange has happened. I liked him first when he was naïve, but at the moment I am pretty neutral. Horrible isn’t it. But then again he has not gone insane yet so maybe that is the reason. He still is great through. A true fantasy hero, even if I could have him having less women around. I mean honestly, does he really need that many? Read and see what I mean as I do not want to spoil all things here at once.

I might just be, ok I am, as in love with this series as I am with the characters in it. They are flawed, idiots, real, too good to be true (those are the bigger idiots), and just great. And now I just hope he will live, because in the end you never know with authors and the craziness they will come up with.

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling by Michael Boccacino (Giveaway Too!)

Synopsis From Back Cover:

When the nanny to the young Darrow boys is found mysteriously murdered on the outskirts of the village of Blackfield, Charlotte Markham, the recently hired governess, steps in to take over their care.  During an outing in the forest, they find themselves crossing over into The Ending, "the place for the Things Above Death," where Lily Darrow, the late mother of the children, has been waiting.  She invites them into the House of Darkling, a wondrous place filled with enchantment, mystery, and strange creatures that appear to be, but are not quite, human.

However, everything comes with a price, and as Charlotte begins to understand the unspeakable bargain Mrs. Darrow has made for a second chance at motherhood, she uncovers a connection to the sinister occurrences in Blackfield and enters into a deadly game with the  master of Darkling - one whose outcome will determine the fate of not just the Darrows but the world itself.

I have never thought about reading a slightly lighter Lovecraftian tale told within the confines of a Victorian  Gothic novel.  It's not something that I even considered before, but now that I've read it, I'm slightly confused as to the reason why nobody thought of doing this before.  Now when I say Victorian and Gothic, I'm still speaking of terms of being slightly lighter.  None of the thematic elements really dominate the structure of the novel.  Instead it's like the author used them as the basic outline of the structure, then filled those lines in with something else.  What that something else is, I'm still not sure I have a word for it.

Now despite my apparent confusion, I'm here to tell you that I actually really enjoyed this one.  Sadly, I can't really tell you the reason though.  There are sometimes, no matter how much you think about or analyze something, you can't really explain your reaction to it.  I know I liked it.  I know I enjoyed getting to know The Ending and those that dwelled inside.  I know I loved the way those denizens were structured after some of Lovecraft's well know Elder Beings.  I even liked the civil war the author forced them to fight.  I never thought of the Elder Beings as being political or of having schisms amongst themselves.  I also thought of them as monstrous beings bent on ending the world as we know it.  The author took the world of Lovecraft and made it more human, something I didn't think I would like until I read it.

I think the only thing that would have made this book stronger, at least for me, is that I would have liked to see the "romantic" elements be a bit stronger.  I guess I can't really enjoy a good Gothic novel without there being a strong romantic element.  The main "romance" was between Charlotte and Mr. Darrow.  It was never a relationship I ever bought into or liked, and it always felt as if it existed in her head more than anything else.  It was a bit too forced for my taste, and because of the direction the book took, it was doomed before it left the ground.  Similarly the minor romantic liaisons never felt all that explored and the one I liked the most was barely touched upon.  One one of their trips to Darkling, the oldest Darrow boy is introduced to a young man who belongs to a race of creatures that inhabit the world.  The particular family takes a human visage, and the two hit it off.  It's obvious from the get go that there is something between them from the start.  Of all the relationships, it was the only one that developed a real sense of affection, though it was only shown a few times towards the end.

I was going to ramble on about the causes behind the civil war, the landscape that Mr. Darrow and Charlotte traveled through on their last foray into the world, and the way Death is introduced; but I won't.  All these elements are interconnected and I think it best that a reader discover them on their own.  I was even going to touch upon the idea of a parent striking the deal that Lily Darrow made in order to see her children once again.  But her character and her motivations are, once again, best left to the reader to explore themselves.  What I will say is that whether you end up enjoying the book or not, Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling will be more than worth the time.

Now onto the giveaway.  One lucky reader will win the book for themselves, though that reader must reside in the United States or Canada.  All you need to do is leave a comment letting me in on a secret.  I want to know about a book that you liked, but can't really explain why.  You also need to leave an email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.  The giveaway will run until 11:59 pm CST on Monday, August 13th.

The Girl Below by Bianca Zander

Synopsis From Back Cover: 

Suki Piper is a stranger to her hometown.  After ten years in New Zealand, she has returned to London only to find herself more alone than ever before.  But a chance visit with Peggy, an old family friend who still lives in the building in which Suki grew up, leads Suki to believe she has discovered a way to reconnect with the life she left ten years before.  As she becomes more and more involved with Peggy's family, Suki finds that she is mysteriously slipping back in time to one night, a party her parents threw in their garden, and an incident that took place in a long-unused air raid shelter there.  

I'm feeling a bit like Typhoid Mary right about now.  Not the historical version, more like the Marvel supervillain.  My mind has fragmented into a few different reactions regarding this book, and I'm not sure what I'm actually going to be able to say about it.  I need to find a way to separate the way I felt about the writing and the way I felt about the story itself.  Really not sure if that's even possible, but I'm going to try.

I think I'm going to start off with the writing, or the Mary side of my conflict.  For the most part, I enjoyed the way the author used language in the crafting of her story.  There are not a lot of authors who are able to manipulate language in such a way that I can find myself falling in love with a book, despite myself.  She created, through her words, a world that held me captivated and confused.  I can't say that style got in the way of substance, I actually think the style is the only thing that saved the substance, but I'm not sure it allowed the story to really go anywhere either.

Which takes us into the Typhoid territory of my conflicted brain.  I don't normally mind jumbled narratives that have a reader trying to figure out what's what and why things are happening.  I actually tend to enjoy books that allow me to fill in the gaps and do some critical thinking on my own.  What I don't like are jumbled narratives that uses so much misdirection and blind alleys that even the basic information needed to fill in those gaps, may not be there.  I'm pretty sure I know where the author was wanting the reader to go, but I'm also pretty sure that's not where I went.

And that leaves the Bloody Mary side to explore a bit.  If any of you don't already know, I'm a huge mystery fan.  What that means regarding this book, who the freak knows.  I'm still trying to figure out where the mystery aspect comes in.  I know that while it wasn't a strict mystery, there were so many elements that were picked up, examined, and then tossed away that I'm still a bit confused by the whole thing.  The many hints and clues given to explain Suki's behavior as an adult, just never panned out for me.  She is floundering in her life, and supposedly the answers can be found in a troubled childhood.  If that's the case, she needs to get the hell over it.

From the impression I'm left with, she refuses to grow up because her father left and her mother died from cancer.  You know what, a lot of us lose one or both parents and a young age and we don't act like a 12 year old when we are almost 30.  Now if what was hinted at in the book actually happened to her, then I may be able to give her the benefit of the doubt.  I can't even count the many glaring hints of sexual abuse, whether at the hands of her father, two male friends that where at the party that night, a creepy neighbor, or some stranger that never showed his face; were just thrown out there.  Disembodied hands that would undo dress bows being the most obvious.  The problem, it never went anywhere.  I can't tell you what happened in that bunker, other than a girl losing her balance and knocking out some teeth.  But from what I can tell, the sexual abuse didn't happen.  So what I really don't get, is why all the hints.  What was the point of building it up, then never going in that direction.

To be honest with you, I don't know what happened to her as a kid, and I don't care.  I don't even care if she was actually time traveling, or if it was all some sort of walking memory.  I don't care about any of it.  This is one case where the author's adapt use of language, which she obviously has, could not save the book.  For all I care, Suki can move into that bunker and mope for the rest of her life.  I don't think she will, because from what I can tell she finally got over the "trauma".  I just wish I knew what the trauma was.  On second thought, no I don't.  I just don't care enough.

For those of you who are interested, the author visited the Mystery forum at the Barnes & Noble website, the conversation can be found here.

I would like to thank Trish of TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read/review the book.  Please visit the tour page to read other reviews.

Challenges: A-Z

The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

It's said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the Tower will crumble and the kingdom will fall.  Resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift is about to discover that this isn't so far from the truth...

One by one, the protective magical wards that guard the city are falling: the London Wall defiled with cryptic graffiti, the ravens found dead at the Tower, the London Stone destroyed.  This is not good news.  This array of supernatural defenses - a mix of international tourist attractions and forgotten urban legends - formed a formidable magical shield, one that could protect London from the greatest threat it has ever know.  But what could be so dangerous as to threaten an entire city?

Against his better judgment, Matthew Swift is about to find out.  And if he's lucky, he might just live long enough to do something about it..

After about 27 months, I finally got around to reading the sequel to A Madness of Angels.  I wish I could tell you a valid reason why it seems to take me forever to read the next book in a series, but I can't.  I know most people, when the really enjoy the first book in a series, want to read the next one as soon as possible.  Now sometimes we have to wait if the next book isn't out yet, but for the most part, if the book is out, it will be the next book read.  That's not how I work for some strange reason, nope, not me.  I get distracted way too easily to ever do such a smart, logical thing.

Now that I've read The Midnight Mayor, I'm really hoping I don't take as long to read the third book in the series.  This one starts off much the same way A Madness of Angles did.  Matthew Swift is once again waking up from a trauma, not really aware of where he is.  He is forced to run though because he is being hunted down  entities consisting of hoodies and a thumping beat that is controlling them.  They won't stop coming, no matter how many electric cables he rips out of the ground to entangle them, they keep coming.  It's only once he is able to capture one in an empty beer bottle, that he seems to get a respite and be able to gather his thoughts.  He thinks somebody tried to kill him, but doesn't know why.  Little does he realize what's about to happen.

He seeks sanctuary from an old friend, only to have her killed and turned into a pile of paint.  Through some rather interesting twists and turns he discovers that the old Midnight Mayor has been killed.  Of course, The Midnight Mayor is supposed to be a myth.  A magical construct that protects London from those who want to destroy her.  What makes it even worse is those who worked for the old mayor, thinks Matthew is the one who killed him.  Add in the wrinkle that Matthew is not the new Midnight Mayor and must figure out what's threatening his city, before London is brought to it's knees.

I love the magic of this version of London.  It's gritty, mechanical, and the only way magic would actually exist in world such as ours.  It's a world where the congealed grease from restaurants will ooze out of the street grates, becoming a gelatinous blob able to engulf anything in it's wake.  It's a world where the idea of the street sweepers takes on mythic proportions.  It's a world where neon lights, telephone conversations, and graffiti hold power unlike anything else.  But it's also the magic of old London.  It's the dragon that guards the gates, it's the idea of what a city is and what the loss of that identity could cause.  It's the city that Matthew loves and will do anything to protect.

Other Books In The Series:

A Madness of Angels

Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012

Growing up I was a huge fan of shows like The Twilight Zone, Tales From the Darkside, Freddy's Nightmares, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  Thankfully back then, we got to grow up on reruns of shows that aired years before.  I adored these shows because each week, they presented a story that was so out there, they couldn't be believed.  Some were funny, but most were suspenseful to down right frightening.  One of those shows that I absolutely adored was The Ray Bradbury Theater.  This was one of those shows that had me hooked from the very start.  It was written and hosted by the author, a man who even as a kid, I understood to be a genius.

Now as I was growing up, that show was my main reference point for the works of Ray Bradbury.  I knew about Fahrenheit 451 or Dandelion Wine, but that wasn't the type of book I was reading back then.  I actually didn't read Fahrenheit 451 until I was in college, and I can say it was one of those books that changed my life.  It made me really look at what I value and what I was willing to do to protect those values when they come under attack.  I'm still not sure what answers I can give you to those, hopefully I will never need to.  I'm praying that such a world would never come to exist.  But he got me to think about something outside of myself.  It's a rare feat that I wish more authors were capable of producing.  Well at least be able to entertain and make you think at the same time.

Ray Bradbury's genius will be missed and knowing that the worlds and characters that were still swimming in his head, are now lost forever.  I just hope that those who he has inspired will keep him alive by reading his books, watching the TV shows he was involved with, and by allowing his work to inspire and cause a conversation.

The High King of Montival by S.M. Stirling

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Rudi Mackenzie traveled to Nantucket, where he found and took up the Sword of the Lady and, with it, his destiny.  His return journey to the area knows as Montival, in the Pacific Northwest, is a treacherous one since he and his companions must cross three thousand miles, making both allies and adversaries along the way.

When he reaches his destination, he will face the legions of the Prophet.  To achieve victory, Rudi must assemble a coalition of those who were his enemies just months before, then forge them into an army that will rescue his homeland and tear the heart out of the Church Universal Triumphant once and for all.

Only then will Rudi be able to come to terms with how the Sword has changed him - as well as the world - and assume his place as Artos, High King of Monitval...

I'm trying to get caught up on this series before the next book comes out in September of this year, and I still need to get the book after this one.  It's amazing how some series can make you buy every book that comes out, regardless of how many of them there are.  I can only think of a few authors that have been able to create a world that I want to keep coming back to over and over again.  S.M. Stirling, with his Emberverse world, is one of those special authors.

It's always interesting to see how an author can take an idea as far fetched as turning off all the electricity, making gunpowder inert, and turning the world into a patchwork of feudal states, religious territories, and warring parties, and make it all believable.  This was my seventh foray into the world that Stirling created, and I'm still loving it at much as I did when I first encountered it.

Rudi, Mathilda, Farther Ignatius, Astrid, and the rest of the characters are one of the funnest group of characters I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time.  My only regret is that as the series continues to develop, some of the older characters have turned into more of a supporting cast who don't get the page time they should.  I would love to see Signe, Eric, Juniper, and Chuck and Judy Barstow make more appearances as the story progresses.  I'm even missing the Huttons who were such a pivotal part of the first three books.  And while I'm at it, I would even like to know what happened to Dr. Rothman and Eric and Signe's father, Kenneth Larsson.  I guess I had to grouse for a bit, but the current crop of youngsters are enough to keep me coming back for more.

I'm looking forward to the action turning back towards Montival (what used to be Oregon and Washington) and how the allies are going to deal with the fanaticism of CUT and the Powers controlling the Prophet and his followers.  It's going to be interesting to read how Rudi is able to maintain and turn a group of former enemies into a cohesive kingdom who needs to defeat an existential threat to their survival.

Other Books In The Series:

Dies the Fire

The Protector's War
A Meeting at Corvallis
The Sunrise Lands

The Scourge of God

The Sword of the Lady

From Hell With Love by Simon R. Green

Synopsis From Back Cover:

It's no walk in the bloody park, being a Drood - one of the family who has protected ordinary humanity from the things that go bump in the night for centuries.  We're no much liked - even by on another.  Now our Matriarch is dead.  Murdered.  Maybe by one of us.  Maybe not.  It's been left up to me, Eddie Drood, to figure out whodunit.

That's not going to be easy.  You see, opinion is divided evenly between two camps of thought:  those who think the killer was Molly, my best girl, and those who think the killer was actually me.  And I know for a fact that I didn't do it.

I'm not a huge urban fantasy fan by any stretch of the imagination.  I think I name on one had the number of series that I actually enjoy in the genre. Thankfully, for me, one of those is The Secret Histories series by Simon R. Green.  It has to be one of the funnest and exhilarating series I've ever had the privilege to come across.

In the fourth book, From Hell With Love, Eddie is given a monumental task.  Find out how the Matriarch was killed in her bedroom and what caused so many of the family to turn into bloodthirsty "zombies" intent on killing Molly, The Wild Witch of the Wood, and Eddie's girlfriend.  Eddie is quickly thrown for a loop and is forced to deal with the idea of having a traitor within the family.  Of course since half of them thinks he did it, that won't be an easy investigation to undertake.

Are one of the various nefarious criminal organizations behind the bloodshed?  Could it be the fairies or elves bent on revenge?  It's it the petty scientist bent on world domination?  Or is it something even worse, a cancer spreading through the ancient family itself.  Is there someone in the manor who is bent on destroying the family? Of course it could be the mythological AntiDroods.  Is that family who's only major goal is to kill every Drood on the planet real, or do the belong in myth?

The mystery takes Eddie around the world, from Hollywood to the snowy ends of the Earth, he is forced to hunt down the person(s) responsible the death of his grandmother, the Matriarch.  It's a sarcastic, tongue in cheek romp that mixes all the best of James Bond and urban fantasy.

Other Books In The Series:

The Man With the Golden Torc
Daemons Are Forever
The Spy Who Haunted Me

The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Rudi Mackenzie has journeyed long and far across the land that was once the United States of America, seeking the shore where the sun rises, hoping to find the source of the world-altering event that has come to be known as the Change.

Finally, his goal is at hand.  He has arrived at Nantucket, an island overrun with forest, inhabited by a mere two hundred people who claim to have been transported there from out of time.

Only one odd stone house remains standing.  Within it, Rudi finds a beautifully made long sword seemingly waiting for him.

And once he takes it up, nothing for Rudi - or for the world that he knows - will ever be the same....

This won't be a long review, so those of you who are tired of this series can relax.  It's not that there isn't a lot going on here, obviously there is,  I just have to admit I'm really, really bad about reviewing epic fantasy books.  Actually, scrap that.  It's not the reviewing part I suck at, it's the summing up part that kills me every time.

I'm always a loss to know what to include and what doesn't seem very important.  Of course that is a silly predicament to be in, anyone who is a fan of the genre knows that everything is important.  Even the slightest detail can have massive ramifications down the road.  The wrong decision, no matter how minor, can change the entire course of the story.  I think that's part of the reason that despite the publisher's synopsis being incredibly weak, I'm not going to try and improve on it.  I've met and accepted my weakness, now it's time to move on.

What I do want to quickly mention is how much I adore the author's ability to build a believable world out of the ruins of ours.  Postapocalyptic books, when done correctly, take you on an incredible journey of individuals and society as a whole trying to rebuild their lives.  In a world where all electricity or anything more advanced than a watermill no longer works, it's changes the rules beyond belief.  When you can no longer drive or fly, a cross country trip takes on an epic feel.  Those who survived the chaos had to rebuild their own parts of the country as best they could.  Some better than others, though most of them in a way that would seem harsh to us, but necessary to them.  These different settlements quickly take on the customs, religions, and beliefs of those who lead them through the worst of times.  Some areas turn into a feudal society with knights and castles, others turn militaristic in the hopes of trying to rebuild the United States out of what's left of Idaho.  Others revert to "modern day" vikings, worshiping the Norse gods and taking on those beliefs as their own.  It's a new, complex world that 24 years after the Change is slowly coming into it's own.

I thought for anyone interested I would show you a map of how things have shaken out, territory wise so far:

The other aspect I love about epic fantasy, including this series, are the characters.  In brilliantly written fantasy, it's the characters that drive the story, not the storyline.  This series has been filled with some of the best examples of that.  Because of the length of time it's taken Rudi and his friends to travel across the entire land of what used to be the United States, they have encountered a myriad of people who the author not only fleshed out in great detail, but drew them in such a way that you end up caring for them almost as much as the original cast.  Rudi gains allies and friends along the way, as they lose others.  A journey like this will result in friends not making it all the way.  As a reader, it's always sad to have a character you enjoy die, but it makes the time spent with that character all the more enjoyable.  Don't ask, this is almost bordering on the metaphysical, so I think I should shut up now.

Either way, I hope others, especially fans of the genre, discover for themselves the pure joy this series is.

Other Books In The Series:

Dies the Fire

The Protector's War
A Meeting at Corvallis
The Sunrise Lands

The Scourge of God

Wielding A Red Sword by Piers Anthony

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Mym was a dutiful son, but his father the Rajah interfered in his love life once too often. Rather than wed without love, he took up the Red Sword, symbol of the office of the Incarnation of War.

At first he thought his efforts could ameliorate some of the suffering caused by Earth's constant petty wars.  But he found that behind all his involvement were the clever traps of Satan.

When seeming mischance placed him in Hell, Mym organized a great rebellion among the Damned.  And Satan seemed to capitulate.  But free again, Mym learned that Satan had been busy stiffing up riots and war.  Now it seemed things had gone too far and Satan must surely win.  There was only one desperate chance....

Ever since I started to reread this series for about the bazillionth time, I've been trying to remember the first time I ever read them.  I want to say it was some time in high school, but I was really never into scifi that much, and whatever else he may be, Piers Anthony falls into that category fairly easily.  So my best guess is even younger, but for all I know, it could have been during my college years.  Needless to say that my brain has just been a little fuzzy lately.

What I do remember though is how much I love the Incarnations of Immortality series, and book four is still a lot of fun after all this time.  Mym is one of those character that every boy wants to be and every girl wants to date.  Well, I would want to date him too, but I digress.  He is both strong and gentle.  He can sweep a girl (or guy) off their feet just by being himself.  He always strives to do the right thing though it gets him into trouble at times.  He never backs down from a challenge.  He's loyal, dependable, intelligent, loving, and he's a prince.  He is an heir to a vast fortune and a life of luxury awaits him and whoever he picks as his consort.  There are just two problems.  One he doesn't want to take his father's place.  He has an older brother so it shouldn't even be an issue, but you never know in these types of things.  Princes get killed all the time.  The other problem, he has a horrible stutter.

So Mym (by the way not his real name) does what any prince in his situation would do.  He runs away and joins a group of traveling performers.  He's ashamed of his stutter so he pretends to be mute and he quickly finds a place among the other misfits.  Now this is the point of the book, within the first few pages actually, that Mym's life begins to change forever.  Traveling with the group is Orb, the daughter of Niobe who is the current Incarnation of Fate.  The two quickly fall in love and Orb even shows Mym a way of getting over his stutter.  All he has to do is sing and the stutter goes away.  It's actually not as cheesy as it sounds.  Alas, their love is not to be.  Mym's brother dies in an accident which forces the Rajah to comes and take him home.

From there Mym is forced into on situation after another, including an arranged marriage.  It's his interactions with that young woman that really makes Mym shine as a human being and as a man.  They are both in love with other people and do everything they can to stop any feelings from developing between the two of them. It's not long before reality takes over and the two eventually fall in love.  From there, it's all down here.

Through a series of events that neither one of them could have ever predicted.  Their marriage is called off which sends Mym into a blind rage.  It's that rage that calls the Red Sword to Mym which makes him the Incarnation of War.  This is where the journey starts to get fun.  The author forces Mym to deal with Purgatory, learning the ropes of his new job, an endless stream of wars, and seductive demonesses sent by Satan to send him down the wrong path.

When that wrong path lands him in Hell with no real way of getting out, Mym does the only thing he knows to do, fight.  He leads a revolt of all the damned souls that haven't been getting a fair trial.  He even enlists, and yes there are animals in Hell, the animals that have been condemned for one crime or another.  He doesn't know it, but the fate of the world hangs in the balance of how Mym fares in his battle with Satan.  Either the world will end on Mym's treatment of a damned princess and a succubus or the human race will be spared total annihilation.

Other Books In The Series:

On a Pale Horse
Bearing an Hourglass
With a Tangled Skein

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Deep inside a palace on the edge of the world, the orphan Nepenthe pores over books in the royal library, translating their languages and learning their secrets.  Now sixteen, she knows little of the outside world - except for the documents that traders and travelers bring her ti interpret.

Then, during the coronation of the new Queen of Raine, a young mage gives Nepenthe a book that has defied translation.  Written in a language of thorns, it speaks to Nepenthe's soul - and becomes her secret obsession.  And, as the words escape the brambles and reveal themselves, Nepenthe finds her destiny entwined with that of the young queen's.  Sooner than she thinks, she will have to choose between the life she has lead and the life she was born to lead...

Before I read this book, I had only read two other books by Patricia A. McKillip.  I read and reviewed Solstice Wood back in 2010 and I had read another book, can't remember the title, a few years before that.  What I took away from both those books was how exquisitely complex McKillip's grasp of the English language really is.  She is a master wordsmith and Alphabet of Thorn drives that home.

With a storyline that spans thousands of years and involves languages made of thorns, fish, and other such symbolism, Alphabet of Thorn could have been a story that easily lost it's way.  With the skill of a master weaver, McKillip not only kept the story smooth and easy to understand, but she made it an absorbing account of family and magic and how the past has almost total control on the present.  She weaves the lives of Nepenthe and those around her into a tapestry that is both complex and beautiful.

Where McKillip truly shines is in her mastery of language and how Wernicke processes and bounces the sounds of those words around in the reader's imagination.  It allowed me to get lost in the linguistic nature of both the story and McKillip's writing style.  It was one of those books that is a pure pleasure to read for the simple fact of the way the author was able to piece words together into a symphony of story and sound.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Savil Ashkevron

I'm a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey despite all the critics out there.  She was the first fantasy author I ever read that used positive portrayals of gay and lesbian characters in her work.  The Herald Mage Trilogy stars one of her most popular characters of all time, Vanyel Ashkevron.  He was the first fantasy character I came across that seemed to understand some of the same feelings and issues I was dealing with as a teenager.  He was surrounded by a vast array of supporting characters throughout those three books, and his aunt Savil Ashkevron was my favorite.  I featured her back on 8/4/10 and she didn't seem to get that much attention.  I wanted to give it one more try because she deserves all the attention she gets.

I wish there was a picture of Savil to show you but I'll have to settle for the book cover of Magic's Pawn which is the first book in The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.  The main character of this series is Vanyel Ashkevron, who was actually the focus of my first Favorite Fictional Character post.

So for this post I wanted to talk about Savil Ashkevron, the tough Herald Mage who is Vanyel's Aunt and teacher.  Savil, who never married or had children of her own, is fiercely protective of the Herald Mage trainees who are placed into her care.  So when her overbearing brother sends her his oldest son who he can't make anything out of, Savil is at first annoyed by the intrusion of a spoiled brat into her well run home.  Throughout the course of his stay however she, with the help of her young protegee who quickly falls in love with Vanyel, begins to realize that she has a very scared and emotionally oppressed young man on her hands but doesn't really know what to do about it.  

When the relationship between Vanyel and Tylendel enters into a romantic relationship, Savil quickly learns to see what Tylendel has been sensing all along.  She shelters the two young men and gives them a sanctuary to build their relationship together.  And when that relationship ends in such a way that it leaves carnage everywhere you look, Savil steps up to save Vanyel from himself and others.  

What I love about Savil the most, other than her gloriously overbearing and confident personality, is the fact that when she realized she couldn't give Vanyel what he needed to heal, she admitted defeat and took him to the people that could.  I have mad respect for anyone who understand their limitations and is able to ask for help.  For that request to come from someone who is such a strong character as Savil, makes it that much more meaningful.  

Savil is that tough old broad that we all wish were in our lives.  She speaks her mind but has a mind that is worth being heard.  She gives advice, even the kind you never want to hear.  But the best part of Savil and women like her, is the fact that once they give you their loyalty and friendship, it never waivers.  Savil and all women like her will have your back and fight your fights for you if you can't.  She is a fantastic character and I just hope that everyone will discover for themselves how great she is.

Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory

Synopsis From Back Cover:

In 1968, after the first zombie outbreak, Wanda Mayhall and her three young daughters discover the body of a teenage mother during a snowstorm.  Wrapped in the woman's arms is a baby, stone-cold, not breathing, and without a pulse.  But then his eyes open and look up at Wanda - and he begins to move.

The family hides the child - whom they name Stony - rather than turn him over to the authorities that would destroy him.  Against all scientific reason, the undead boy begins to grow.  For years his adoptive mother and sisters manage to keep his existence a secret - until one terrifying night when Stony is forced to run and he learns he is not the only living dead boy left in the world.

If I were to list my five favorite authors of all time I have a sneaky suspicion that Daryl Gregory would make that list.  He has, so far, only 3 books to his name, but every single one of them blows me away.  He has a knack for combing his limitless imagination with American pop culture in such a way that sometimes it's a little hard to tell where that boundary lies.  Like his previous books, Pandemonium and The Devil's Alphabet, that manipulation is on display for all to revel in it's glory.

I'm going to be honest, I'm about as burnt out on zombies as I was on vampires.  They are great for a while, but there is only so much that can be done with them.  In Raising Stony Mayhall, I felt as if I discovered zombies for the very first time. Imagine something for a minute.  What would society be like if George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead was a documentary instead of a horror movie.  What if instead of a crashed, contaminated satellite causing the outbreak, there was something the government didn't want you to know.  What if they knew the early stages of of the infection resemble those the documentary filmmaker captured, but the later stages resemble something more akin to the life we are all familiar with.  What if those who survived the government's response to the initial outbreak have bee living in hiding, waiting for the day they can fight back.

This is the world that Stony Mayhall had to grow up in.  A young man, who really wasn't alive but his body still grew despite its deadness.  He is forced to remain in hiding, thinking that he was the only one, a freak of nature.  He is well loved by his mother and three sisters.  And they have even befriended a neighboring family who for whatever reason agree to keep their secrets.  When Stony's life is tore away from him one night, a night of mistakes built on top of mistakes, he is forced into the great outer world.  What he discovers is a that he isn't alone, that there are other living dead people out there.

But even in this world, Stony is still alone.  He is the only one to have "grown up" the rest are stuck the way they were when they became infected.  Stony is advised to not divulge the secret, lest he be pressed into service by those who need their own Messiah.  The living dead are not sitting idly by while the government slaughters them.  They are starting to unite, though not all of them are on the same page.  Some wan to initiate a plan that will wipe out the entire human race and replace them with more of their own.  Others want to recruit those who willingly joint their ranks.  Regardless of their approach, they all are scared of one thing though, extinction.  They are threatened when a species is threatened with annihilation, they get dangerous.

It's within these political waters that Stony must learn how to swim, a lesson he learns over a period of many years.  A period of time where is mother is jailed for hiding him, he himself is captured and studies, he loses one maybe two of his sisters.  It's not a period that ends well for anyone involved.  There is no happy ending for Stony, though there is some closure for him.  His final decisions all lead up to an event that will change the course of human and undead life.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Wonder Woman

Well here it is, another week and finally a new character to post about.  I know she's not from One Life To Live, though that would have made the show even more interesting.  I've been rather upset about the show going off the air, so I'm just not prepared to dive back into the pool of characters.  It's pathetic, but I miss them too much right now.  Instead I'm going to briefly talk about one of my favorite super heroes of all time, Wonder Woman.  Now I was never a fan of DC comic books, so I can't talk about that version of her.  Instead this will be about the TV version played by the gorgeous Lynda Carter.

As some of you may know, the television series only lasted 3 seasons, though I think it should have gone for many more.  I actually own every season on DVD and probably watch it a bit too much.  The show was cheesy and the timeline was hilarious.  Season one takes place while the U.S. is fighting Nazi Germany, and most of the action takes place along those lines.  The second season takes place decades later and the main male lead actor is now playing the son of the first character he played.  It's just lots of fun.

Like I said earlier I don't know much about the comic version of Wonder Woman, but from what I've seen form the TV show makes me fall in lover with her every time she steps onto my screen.  Besides being drop dead gorgeous with some of the sexiest eyes to ever grace a human being, she is one of those rare characters that has no ulterior motives.  She does what she does because she believes it to be the right thing to do and she wants to help the human race survive the pitfalls that are laid before it.

She is everything a super hero should be.  She has superior strength, stamina, and can leap like a gazelle.  She has a lasso that forces those caught with it to tell the truth, she can stop bullets with her bracelets, and even has an invisible plane to ride around in.  But most of all she is purely selfless.  She is an Amazonian princess who grew up (without aging) on an enchanted island that protects it's inhabitants.  It's by her own choice to get involved in the outside world and protect man from outside enemies and from itself.  It's not something she has to do because the gods tell her, it's because she knows it's the right thing to do.  I can only hope that she is an example that more people live up to in that regard.

I think this is where I will end this post because I have an burning desire to go watch season 3.

The Thorn And The Blossom by Theodora Goss

Synopsis From Back Cover: 

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn't know she would meet the love of her life.  When Brendan Thorns handed her a medieval romance, he didn't know it would change the course of his future.  It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself...

This is one of those books that you need to read for the experience of reading it alone.  It's a two sided book without a spine.  There are two covers and the pages are done like an accordion between then.  When you finish one story, you flip it over and read the other.  It's a fairly short book either way you count the pages, but what's inside was a pure joy to read.

The story itself is pretty simple.  Boy meets girl, girls leaves without explaining anything to boy, boy and girl meet again years later, girl leaves again without explaining herself, boy and girl end up in same coastal village where they met without the other knowing it.  And that's where the story ends, both of them in the same English village on the cusp of running into each other again.

Obviously there is a lot of detail I'm leaving out, otherwise there would be no point in your reading it, which I think you should.  I started the book with Brendan's story and I believe I'm thankful for that.  It allowed me to get to know not only Brendan but Eleanor through his eyes.  In Brendan's story they both come across as strong, if a bit quirky, characters that I want to see together.  When they meet again years after their first encounter, I'm rooting for them.  I feel so bad for Brendan and the loss that he has had to go through up to that point.  By running into Eleanor again, it feels as if he is getting a second chance at happiness.

Eleanor's story on the other hand left me feeling a bit cold on her as a character.  She comes across as neurotic, emotionally unstable, insecure, and just a tad bit nerdy (not that nerdy is bad.)  If I had not met her through Brendan's filter first, I'm not sure I would have liked her as much.  After reading her story though, I found her to be braver than I had at first thought and I grew to like her for who she was, not who Brendan thought she was.

I've never read the legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, at least not that I can remember so I can't tell you how closely this book mirrors the story.  What I can say about it is that I found it fascinating enough that I really want to correct my past error and read it for myself.

I hope everyone gets to experience this one for themselves.  This will be a book that stays on my shelves for years to come and I'm sure I'll be rereading it many times.

Moving Targets edited by Mercedes Lackey

Synopsis From Back Cover: 

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar is an ancient land where the peace is kept by a very special corps of protectors:  the Heralds.  Chosen from all across the kingdom, from all walks of life, and at all ages, these unusual individuals are Gifted with abilities beyond those of normal men and women.  They are Mindspeakers, FarSeers, Empaths, ForeSeers, Firestarters, FarSpeakers, and others who are uniquely suited to protect their realm.  Sough and Chosen by mysterious horselike Companions, they are trained to be emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, and even warriors.  Bonded for life to the Companion who chooses them, the Heralds of Valdemar ride patrol throughout the kingdom preserving the peace and, when necessary, defending their land and monarch.

Now, fifteen authors join Mercedes Lackey, adding their won magical touch to the heroes of this well-loved fantasy realm.  Ride circuit with Tanya Huff, Mickey Zuker Reichert, Fiona Patton, Judith Tarr, Rosemary Edghill, and other in fourteen original stories - including an all-new novella from Mercedes Lackey - to a world where:

An insecure Herald Trainee learns that her self-doubt can become the source of her strength...

An elderly Herald teaches a young Herald that a good story can protect a kingdom...

The selfless devotion of a servant girl elevates her stature higher than she could ever have dreamed...

I used to be such a huge fantasy fan, devouring almost every book I could get my hands on.  Over the years though, that passion for the genre has died down a bit, but I still have a handful of authors that I will read every chance I get.  Mercedes Lackey is one of them, and her Valdemar books are my favorite of all.  As usual, I love every time I get to escape into Valdemar and get immersed in the stories of the Heralds and their Companions.  Valdemar is that fictional kingdom, that if it actually existed, I would have ran away from home to go live there.

Because of that, when I got this one for Christmas, I couldn't wait to dive in and get lost once again.  Now this collection actually is before the other two anthologies that I have already reviewed.  I'm not sure how I managed to miss this one, but I'm glad that has been corrected as of now.

The biggest reason I loved this one was I got to see Ree and Jem again.  The stars of my favorite short stories from the last two anthologies I read, Ree and Jem already feel like old friends to me.  Instead of being of writing their own stories, as they did in the other two books, Sarah A. Hoyt and Kate Paulk wrote "Heart, Home, and Hearth" together.  I got to meet Ree and Jem before they make it to the old man's house and the relative safety he provided for them.  It was nice to see the two young men (one completely human, the other a changechild)  again.  They are such a terrific couple, who always look out for each other in a world that is dead set against them, a world that would be willing to kill one of them.  This story is about how Ree has to find shelter for the sickly Jem before the bitterness of winter really kicks in.  It's that journey that sends them stumbling into what they think is a abandoned farm house.  But instead of it being vacated by those who previously lived there, the two young me find the family and support that they are so desperately needing.

I've just now realized that I haven't read the anthology that comes before this one either, I'm hoping that one will tell me how these two young men met in the first place.

I don't think there was a story in this collection that I didn't love or feel as if it added to the history of Valdemar and it's people, but there was one other that just had me falling in love and hooting with laughter.  The title story "Moving Targets" is Mercedes Lackey's contribution.  I found the story to be a wonderful homage to Scooby-Doo, what is there not to like about that.  In the story a Herald Elyn is assigned the task of taking a group of four Herald Trainees out on their first circuit, as circuit that if successful will make all four full Heralds.  These four students though, while talented and uniquely gifted, are a tight knit group that just can't seem to stay out of trouble.    Because of the size of their group, they travel with a covered wagon.  In the fist hint of Scooby-Doo, the wagon is painted int he same colors as the Mystery Machine.  That paint is quickly covered up, but it's a great hint for what's to come.

Once out on the road they are caught up in what looks like a haunting designed to get people to flee their village.  It's through some careful investigation, trap setting, and mishaps that the foursome discover the truth.  The whole thing was set up by an old coot who needed people to leave so he could mine gold out of the stream.  When he's caught, he even whines about how he almost got away with it, it if just wasn't for those darn kids.  The story was hilarious, and for a kid who grew up with Scooby-Doo, it was wonderful.

Odd And The Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis From Back Cover:

In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he's had some very bad luck:  His father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on him and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy.

Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle -  three creatures with a strange story to tell.

Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey than he imagined - a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it.

It's going to take a very special kind of twelve-year-old boy to outwit the Frost Giants, restore peace to the city of the gods, and end the long winter.

Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever...

Someone just like Odd....

When I first sat down to write this review, all I was going to say was "I loved it."  Then I was going to finish the post with "Everyone should read it."  That's all folks.  Though I doubt that would really excite you, or would it?  Well either way, I'll never know.  There is no way I could leave a review at two lines, though I'm sure some of you would prefer that over my longer, rambling ones.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved mythology.  It doesn't even matter what pantheon of gods we are talking about.  Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Babylonian, Egyptian, even American Indian; they were all fair game to a young boy that could never get enough of those stories.  So when I saw this book reviewed last year (maybe the year before) by a blogger I know I trust, Tasha of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books, I knew this one would be for me.  I'm so glad that I listened to myself.

For such a short book, one that I ready pretty quickly, it packed one of the biggest escapism punches of the year for me.  For that brief amount of time, I was lost in another world.  A world that was ruled by gods who weren't really as powerful as they thought they were.  A world where a tricky Frost Giant can trick the trickster god himself into doing something really stupid.  A world where three of the most powerful gods to ever walk the Earth, can be turned into animals.  It's a world where those same animals get into trouble and have to have a crippled, twelve-year-old boy get them out of it.  It's a world that I really want to know for myself.

Odd, the young hero of the tale, is one of those boys that is way too clever for his own good, and he knows it.  He knows how smart he is.  From what I can tell, he has know problems letting everyone else know it too.  But he isn't that smarty pants kid that you couldn't stand in 5th grade.  You know the kid I'm talking about, we all had one in class.  Instead, Odd is the kid that you wanted to have as your best friend.  He is the resourceful one, the kid you can count on to get you out of trouble.  I figure if Odd can get Odin, Thor and Loki out of trouble, he should be able to do the same thing for the rest of us.

I really want Odd to make another appearance someday.  I would love to find out how he got along with the other Gods or how he settles into the lands of his mother.  He is one of those characters that deserved to have more than one book written about him.

Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey

Mags, recently arrived in Haven after being chosen by the Companion Dallen, is still finding it a bit hard to fit in.  Even though everyone keeps telling him that he is supposed to be there, Mags still feels it can be yanked away from him at any time. Mags, who grew up as a virtual slave in a gem mine, came from a level of poverty nobody else can even begin to grasp, let alone relate to.  It's that poverty though that taught Mags to never complain and be a bit intolerant of other's complaining.  It's stopping him from being befriended by most of the other trainees, other than a few loners, like himself.

The isolation grew even more when he was "recognized" by foreign assassins, and now the ForeSeers are seeing his hands covered in blood, standing by the King.  Between his "foreignness", his unsociable tendencies, and the new visions; his fellow students and even a few other Heralds, start to doubt whether or not he really belongs there.  It's up to a thirteen-year-old Mags to figure out what's going on so he can prove himself once and for all.  Somewhere in there, he has to learn to play a new game, figure out who his parents are, and try to make some more friends.  It's going to test Mags to the core, a core that will either break or become stronger.

I'm going to admit to be a little ashamed of myself for taking so long in reading this book.  I had read the first book in The Collegium Chronicles over two years.  I actually reviewed Foundations back in October of 2009. I'm not really sure what took me so long in delving back into the world of Valdemar as seen through Mags eyes.  In my defense though, even if it took me years to buy the second book, I read in within a few days of the purchase.

Mags is the typical Mercedes Lackey hero.  When I say typical, I mean it in the nicest possible way.  He is a Herald in training who from a young age has had to deal with hardships that most of us could never understand.  Instead of him being broken and bitter by it, he has grown into a young man who cares about others and just wants to do what is right.  He tries his hardest to be accepted and to fit in, but never really feels like he belongs.  He has a few friends, but even then he thinks they could go away at any time.  So when his right to be there is challenged by those who should be accepting him, he takes it upon himself to prove to everyone that he in fact was rightfully chosen by Dallen and that he is meant to be a great Herald.

I'm not saying he doesn't whine and feel sorry for himself at times, because he does.  What thirteen-year-old doesn't?  What I love about Mags, and most of her heroes/heroines, is that he doesn't wallow in self pity (at least not for long) and he takes it upon himself to fix the problem.  If others think he is going to kill the King, he is going to prove that the ForeSeers are wrong or not understanding their visions totally.  He manages to do just that.

He puts himself into danger more than once, a few times coming out the other end with a few bruises and broken bones.  He finds a place amongst the other trainees and manages to make even more friends, friends who will stand by him no matter what.  He comes through the trials even stronger and better for it.  He is a character I can't wait to meet again in the third book.  Now I just need to get off my butt and buy it.

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Once the toast of good society in Victoria's England, the extraordinary conjurer Edward Moon no longer commands the respect that he did in earlier times. Still, each night he returns to the stage of his theater to amaze his devoted, albeit dwindling, audience, aided by his partner, the Somnambulist—a silent, hairless, hulking giant who, when stabbed, does not bleed. But these are strange, strange times in England, with the oddest of sorts prowling London's dank underbelly. And the very bizarre death of a disreputable actor has compelled a baffled police constabulary to turn once again to Edward Moon for help—inevitably setting in motion events that will shatter his increasingly tenuous grasp on reality.

I so wanted to love this book.  I wanted to be submerged in the off-kilter  action and nonsensical setting.  I wanted the atmosphere of the book to overwhelm my senses and take me to a place I've never been before.  What I got instead was a book that reminded me of every other book in the genre.  It was a book full of unlikeable characters and plot twists that seemed to exist more for the sake of showing the cleverness of the writing, as opposed to furthering the story along. 

I' m not saying I disliked everything about it, because I didn't.  I loved the author's vision of London.  He created such a decadent, dark city that I, at times, wanted to step into the page and wander the streets for myself.  Not something I would have done by myself, mind you.  I would have had to drag a friend along.   There is no way I could have walked into a whorehouse staffed by circus freaks, without forcing someone to hold my hand the entire time.  I just wish the setting could have saved this one for me.  I would love to revisit this London, I'm just not sure I can stomach the storyline again.

The story just never felt cohesive to me.  The narrator, who's identity I won't divulge, has an obvious contempt for Edward Moon.  That contempt, which oozes off the page at times, so clouds Edward that I was never able to like the guy.  I think that if I had seen him through other eyes, I may have felt differently about it.  I'm sure it was purposefully done by the author, as was the the sarcasm that spewed from the mouth of the narrator, but it just left me feeling cold at times.  It also got in the way of the action, it felt like the story was being interrupted in order for the narrator to get his point of view across.  It ended up, at least for me, cutting the story up into sections that never really fit back together.  

The book was a disappointment for me, one that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forgive.  It had such promise, but I think the author allowed the "oddness" of the setting to get in the way of the story.    I think others will like it, I actually know a lot of gifted bloggers who loved this one, I just wish I could count myself amongst them.

Cecelia's Favorite Fictional Character --- Suzy Turquoise Blue

Cecelia of Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia has a great taste in books.  She is one of those bloggers that always seems to be reviewing a book that I have never heard of before.  After reading her reviews though, I tend to find myself really, really wanting to read them.  I don't think I have picked up a book she recommended without liking it.  That and I can never get enough of her baking posts.  I'm not much of a baker myself, so seeing her handiwork makes my salivary glands go into overdrive.  It doesn't help that I would never be able to replicate her accomplishments.  If you don't believe me, go over and see for yourself.  I can guarantee that after saying hi, you will stay for a while reading all about the great books and food.

If Suzy Turquoise Blue’s name is familiar to you, we just became instant friends.  No, you don’t have any say in the matter (aren’t I charmingly forceful?  ha!)  Any fan of author Garth Nix is automatically a friend of mine.  And if Suzy Turquoise Blue sounds like the grownup child of hippies somewhere in New Mexico (and you really have no idea who she is) – then goodness, you’ve got a whole wonderful world to discover, and I envy you the fun you’ll have!

Suzy Turquoise Blue is an ink-filler, sixth class, when the reader meets her in Garth Nix’s middle grade fantasy Mister Monday, the first of seven Keys to the Kingdom books. And her first words are “Hey! Idiot! Up here!”  Anyone with that tone is liable to make me laugh uproariously, and Suzy DOES.  She can’t help it – she’s irrepressible and direct and curious and altogether too much fun.

Suzy helps the hero of the Keys books, Arthur, to get out of a scrape, and that’s just the first of many adventures that she and Arthur land in.  Suzy leaps over rooftops, flies with a pair of wings, jimmies anything locked, closed, or generally meant to be NOT open, open.  She’s also loyal to the point of death, a wonderful friend, and the first person to pick to guard your back.

I was reading along innocently, quietly enjoying Mister Monday, and then BOOM!  I was hijacked by the force that is Suzy.  She is the reason I loved these books – truly.  I don’t know that I’ve ever met a character with such verve.  Or if I have, it’s very likely that I forgot them because they didn’t have something that every great character needs – an unforgettable name.  And you have to admit, Suzy Turquoise Blue as a name is a mouthful, descriptive, AND straight-up awesome. 

Oh, and I should mention something else – Suzy speaks in vernacular when she’s not paying attention.  As far as I can tell, it’s Cockney/Aussie/something-or-other, but I could be wrong.  It’s not hard to figure out, but it makes her bits of dialogue utterly delightful when read aloud.

And now that I’ve completely fangirled about Ms. Blue, might I interest you in Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series?  That’s where you’ll find out more about Suzy and all of her (and Arthur’s) adventures in this and other assorted worlds.  Thanks for having me, Ryan!