Angel of Darkness by Charles de Lint

Goodreads Synopsis:
In the early 1990s, Charles de Lint wrote and published three dark fantasies under the name "Samuel M. Key." Now, beginning with Angel of Darkness, Orb presents them for the first time under de Lint's own name.

When ex-cop Jack Keller finds the mutilated body of a runaway girl in the ashes of a bizarre house fire, he opens the door to a nightmare. For a sadistic experiment in terror has unleashed a dark avenging angel forged from the agonies of countless dying victims....


My Review:
Get ready to see a different side of Charles de Lint when you read this book. Just a warning, this book is graphic and has disturbing subject matter (sexual and violent). There is also explicit language. If that doesn't bother you then I recommend reading it. De Lint is known for using the power of music in many of his stories. It serves as a fountain of magic that can either help or hinder his characters. He employs the same theme in this book, but it plays a much much darker note. 

In Angel of Darkness, the line of real/unreal and victim/criminal is blurred. De Lint's characters are never quite on steady ground and this feeling of uncertainty definitely transfers to the reader. His sense of setting, as always, is outstanding. After reading this book, my respect for him as a writer has doubled. He creates several characters that are ROTTEN. Awful, despicable, rotten. And de Lint's ability to get completely inside the head of someone like that then jump back to a "normal" character's point-of-view is pretty amazing. He nails everything, from the psychology of that character, their motivations and the thoughts running through their head. I wouldn't be surprised if he needed a long shower and a smudging after writing these particular sections.

More than anything, this book gives a voice to victims. It opens your eyes to the things they have to endure and how difficult it can be for some of these people to break away from that victimhood, no matter how hard they try. This, ultimately, gives the book a feeling of sadness. Read this book with the intention of opening your eyes to a side of this world that we usually prefer to ignore. 

The Author

Favorite Quote: (from the Introduction) "Mostly, the darker sections of my novels arrive from the human psyche, with the magical elements playing against the shadow. But the Otherworld contains as much darkness as it does ambiguity and light, and to ignore it entirely strikes me as only telling half the story, hence the books I wrote under the pen name Samuel M. Key.  Angel of Darkness originally had a working title of The Killing Time, and it wasn't a book I enjoyed writing- its shadows held on too long after the day's work at the keyboard was done- but I felt compelled to write it all the same. There's no other reason to write a book, as far as I'm concerned."

Bite the Biscuit by Linda O. Johnston

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician, has become known for offering healthy and popular dog treats at the clinic where she works. When the local bakery's owner moves away, Carrie jumps at the chance to convert it into the Barkery, a shop to make and sell her canine delights.

But Myra Ethman, co-owner of another pet product store, hates the new competition. At the Barkery's opening party, she badmouths Carrie's homemade dog biscuits, insisting she'll find a way to shut the place down. So when Myra is found dead with a Barkery biscuit beside her, Carrie must prove she didn't do it before she's collared for murder.

My Review:
If you're looking for a light cozy mystery then this book should meet your needs. The bakery environment gives it a cozy touch, but I would have been happy with more baking scenes. (In the author's bio she does mention that she doesn't cook very much and this shows in her novel.) Laura Childs is a mystery author who does a really good job making you salivate while reading. I wonder if she is a foodie? 

The main character was average. I didn't love her and I didn't hate her. I liked the pet element, but again, it could have been a bit more. Maybe give the main character two dogs instead of one and describe the interaction between the two animals. Pets can create a lot of humor that way. 

The writing style was very descriptive. Sometimes to the point of walking you through the entire day which wasn't always necessary. I've caught myself doing this while writing. After seeing it as a reader, I'll have to try to avoid that! As far as the mystery goes, the author does a pretty good job throwing suspicion around. This is a good read when you have stressful stuff going on. It doesn't require a ton of brain power and it's not emotional. Just a fun mystery.

Author Tidbit: Linda O. Johnston also volunteers at Pet Orphans of Southern California.

The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw Vol. 1 by Kurt Busiek & Benjamin Dewey

Goodreads Synopsis:
The debut collection of the hit epic-fantasy series. When the wizards of the Autumnlands reach through time to bring back a legendary hero, they don't get the savior they expected. But in a shattered, besieged city, he's their only hope of survival—and possibly their entire world's, as well.

My Review:
Volume 1 was awesome. The storyline, written by Kurt Busiek, is intriguing, even more so the characters. And the artwork, by Benjamin Dewey, is powerful. Color and motion drive the story forward visually and the plot will leave you wanting to read the next one. I'll keep the review short since you'd probably rather see artwork from the book. There are currently 2 trade paperback volumes available. I'll have to buy the second one soon.

Kurt Busiek's other work: Astro City, Avengers, Conan & more

If you fall in love with the artwork, you can see more of Benjamin Dewey's work in the "Tragedy Series" and "I Was the Cat."

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Goodreads Synopsis:
Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie.

My Review:
This is a uniquely told love story. In fact, the characters don't even officially begin to interact until halfway through the book. The author uses the first half of the book to establish the temperaments, back stories and current states of her two main characters, Coralie and Eddie. As you read, you're able to watch two very different people from two very different places slowly make their way to each other. And once that meeting happens there is nothing that can change their course together.

As always, Alice Hoffman tells a seamless story. With elements of history and fairy tale, she creates another lyrically beautiful novel that shows all the facets of love, even the dark ones. And she throws in a bit of mystery too. Hoffman also gives us an educational perspective on the New York scene around 1911 and the working condition of factory workers. You'll walk away with a better understanding of that time and place and you'll feel like her characters are your friends. I will always recommend Alice Hoffman. For further reading, try her collection of short stories, "Blackbird House."

The Author

Author Tidbit: The movie, Practical Magic, was based on her novel (same title). After being treated for breast cancer, she started the Hoffman Breast Center at Mount Auburn Hospital.

Favorite Quote: "There was sorrow in the seams of his clothes, but he was used to death. It seemed that life was a bolt of cloth to him, and he was there to fold it and set it in a drawer. He said the prayers over the open grave, then, after being paid, quickly went on to his next appointment. I shoveled the dirt onto the coffin, as was the custom of our people, while the gravediggers looked on, arms folded across their chests. In our faith we are instructed to bury our own, and in doing so grant them that last favor."

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Goodreads Synopsis:
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last - inexorably - into evil.

My Review:
Well, I guess this is kind of a mixed bag for me. Let's start with some positive first. Donna Tartt's writing style is sharp, lush and beautifully bitter. You could settle down into it like a warm, dark blanket. And the way she describes the emotional & physical states of her characters is incredibly perceptive. In fact, if you were a fan of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" you'll hear echoes of his talent for human psychology in Tartt's writing. Even the premise is similar as she goes into impressive detail over how her characters react/suffer after killing a close friend in their group. The focus of the book isn't the murder itself but what it does to the people who have committed it.

Some things that I wasn't as crazy about were that I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters, especially the narrator. When I come across books like this it takes an extra push of energy to finish them. But that's probably my shortcoming. While I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters, I was still entranced by them and wanted to find out how they would progress through the novel. The second thing I was a bit disappointed with was how small of a role their Greek professor played. When you read the synopsis and then start the book, you're under the impression that Julian is going to influence his students more directly. You expect him to be this sinister element, but he really doesn't show up very often. I feel like he could have had more of a presence, but maybe the author wanted the students to be held responsible for their moral deterioration. The worst of the characters (and the most captivating) is somewhat redeemed at the end, but overall the novel never loses the dark cloud hanging over it. 

After going online to find photos for this review, I found quite a following for the book. There are some beautiful photo montages, hopeful cast picks for a movie that has yet to be made, and fan fiction (not surprising in the least). 

The Author

Favorite Quotes:

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Mafatu was afraid of the sea. It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided tha sea, till everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes, he determined to conquer that fear or be conquered-- so he went off in his canoe, alone except for his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge. Then days on a desert island found him resourceful beyond his own expectation. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home. This is a legend. It happened many years ago, but even today the people of Hikueru sing this story and tell it over their evening fires.

My review:
This book was recommended by a friend of mine (and fellow bookworm) so I gave it a shot. Written for young readers, this story can easily be enjoyed by adults as well. Armstrong Sperry writes in a wonderfully descriptive and knowledgable voice that quickly brings Mafatu's surroundings to life. Originally published in 1940, Sperry's vocabulary and tone have that old-fashioned feel that's oddly comforting when you settle into the story. And Mafatu's tale is one that anyone can relate to. Filled with fear, he thinks himself a failure for not being brave like his people. As he sets out to prove himself, the one thing that keeps him moving forward with courage is the thought of making his father proud. As a character, Mafatu is so endearing that you catch yourself cheering him on as he overcomes each obstacle put before him. The fact that his two constant companions are a seagull and a dog makes it an even more endearing.

The copy I read was the hardcover edition illustrated by the author himself.  His artwork has a very distinct look that is simple but emotive. I am absolutely in love with the way he uses lines to shade and highlight. If you can get a copy of this edition, I'd recommend it. You'll be dedicating as much time to the drawings as you do the words.

Sperry sums up his book best when accepting the Newbery Medal for this title, "I had been afraid that perhaps in Call It Courage, the concept of spiritual courage might be too adult for children, but the reception of this book has reaffirmed a belief I have long held: that children have imagination enough to grasp any idea, and respond to it, if it is put to them honestly and without a patronizing pat on the head."
"Call It Courage" was filmed for television in 1973 and later made into a musical play in 2010.

The Author

Author Tidbit: Sperry's love of the ocean was inspired by his great-grandfather who was a brave sea captain.

They Called Me Number One by Bev Sellars

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Xat’sull Chief Bev Sellars spent her childhood in a church-run residential school whose aim it was to “civilize” Native children through Christian teachings, forced separation from family and culture, and discipline. In addition, beginning at the age of five, Sellars was isolated for two years at Coqualeetza Indian Turberculosis Hospital in Sardis, British Columbia, nearly six hours’ drive from home. The trauma of these experiences has reverberated throughout her life.

The first full-length memoir to be published out of St. Joseph’s Mission at Williams Lake, BC, Sellars tells of three generations of women who attended the school, interweaving the personal histories of her grandmother and her mother with her own. She tells of hunger, forced labour, and physical beatings, often with a leather strap, and also of the demand for conformity in a culturally alien institution where children were confined and denigrated for failure to be White and Roman Catholic.

My Review: 

This was a part of native history that I wasn't as familiar with which is what drove me to read it. After finishing this title, it's definitely a subject I would like to better educate myself on. Bev Sellars speaks simply with an often pragmatic voice that has little flourish in language, but the memories she shares are no less vivid for it. While her passion for the injustices committed at these residential schools is more than evident, she asks for no sympathy in recounting them. In fact, there were moments when it felt like my heart was breaking more than hers. Not surprising when you grow up being shown little to no respect or courtesy. I can imagine that would toughen someone up pretty quick.

I don't know if it's true for all residential schools, but the one Bev was forced to go to received money from the government for each Indian child they could house and feed. Quality of life was not so much a concern as quantity of children. The children were called by their number not the name their parents gave them. It was forbidden to speak their native tongue and corporal punishment along with verbal abuse was commonplace. In addition to chores, the students were forced to make arts and crafts that the school would sell for their own profit. Their diet was of such a poor quality that one of the newly-hired chefs refused to feed the kids such poor food (spoiled food was known to have been served as well). The children often wore uniforms and shoes that did not fit. DDT was used to kill lice. Children who were injured from play or by accident were not taken to a doctor or hospital. They were left in bed with broken arms or legs that never properly healed in their adult life. This school, along with others, would later face charges of sexual assault against both girls and boys. 

The worst part of this is that, according to Sellars, when she would return home for parts of the year no one would speak about what happened at the residential school. Both her mother and grandmother and other family members who had also attended the school remained silent. Friends pretended it was a different life, not wanting to relive those moments or even admit to them. Later in her life, Sellars would lose many family and friends to alcoholism. She believed very strongly that their experiences were too much to cope with and alcohol was an easy way to drown out the pain. 

One thing that really surprised me was the law in Canada prohibiting any native from LEAVING the reserve without a pass from their Indian agent....?!? Here is an article that talks more about the Indian Act and also shows an image of one of those passes: http://www.ictinc.ca/blog/21-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-the-indian-act-. 

Bev Sellars, although painfully shy, later went on to become chief of her tribe for over 20 years.

The Author

Author Tidbit: Bev Sellars won the 2014 George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. She also has a degree in history and law.

King Arthur: A Military History by Michael Holmes

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Is it true that King Arthur was a real historical figure? That he had a profound influence on the actual history of England and the world? The evidence presented here comes from many reliable ancient sources that depict the world of Britain around the year A.D. 500, and, more important, from numerous modern historians who have developed methods of examining ancient records to uncover hidden kernels of historical truth. What is known about the history of the period is compared with intriguing details imbedded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and other legendary sources. The most valuable contribution is a careful study of major events in Gaul and Britain during the Arthurian era to show how a leader of Arthur's stature could have caused the known victories in battle and the known shifts in political power. Every major battle in which King Arthur is supposed to have engaged is treated as an actual happening, and each is described in meticulous detail, complete with maps and campaign charts. What a few years ago was thought be a futile quest now is being taken seriously: that only a historical person who led real battles and produced major victories could have inspired the centuries of stories and legends.

My Review:
If you are interested in more than just the romantic myth of King Arthur and his Knights then you should add this to your Arthurian collection. It covers the time period, the landscape and the events surrounding the speculated military career of Arthur. The author, Michael Holmes, (a physicist by trade), goes into surprising detail, pulling from primary historical sources and applying a healthy dose of reason and logic to his speculations. He sets the scene with events that took place before Arthur's birth, events that would have influenced his father and grandfather. He goes into the Celtic tribal mindset and the Roman military machine and how these two things would have played an important role in shaping the romano-celtic people including King Arthur. 

Two of the main sources the author pulls from are Nennius's "History of the British" and the "Annales Cambriae."  These sources reference Arthur (although there is some debate on his name being added long after the first arthurian myth developed). But if that's not the case then the points Holmes presents are really interesting. Towards the end of the book, he goes into an incredibly detailed and thoughtful account of King Arthur's campaign defending England from the Anglo-Saxons and the numerous battles leading up to the victorious Battle of Mount Badon and the betrayal of Medraut (Mordred). 

All in all, even if what Holmes is suggesting can't be proven, it's an interesting book written by someone who obviously loves the legend of King Arthur. And there is enough honest history in it to please the history buff.

New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Abigail Irene Garrett drinks too much. She makes scandalous liaisons with inappropriate men, and if in her youth she was a famous beauty, now she is both formidable--and notorious. She is a forensic sorceress, and a dedicated officer of a Crown that does not deserve her loyalty. She has nothing, but obligations. Sebastien de Ulloa is the oldest creature she has ever known. He was no longer young at the Christian millennium, and that was nine hundred years ago. He has forgotten his birth-name, his birth-place, and even the year in which he was born, if he ever knew it. But he still remembers the woman who made him immortal. He has everything, but a reason to live. In a world where the sun never set on the British Empire, where Holland finally ceded New Amsterdam to the English only during the Napoleonic wars, and where the expansion of the American colonies was halted by the war magic of the Iroquois, they are exiles in the new world--and its only hope for justice.


My Thoughts:
This is the first in a series so if you love it then there's more. I'm probably not going to commit to the series, but that might have more to do with having way too many books to read. Despite that, I found myself really enjoying the characters and the way they interacted with each other. Bear is a wordsmith so keep a dictionary handy. She doesn't go overboard with it, just enough to make you wonder how on earth she managed to know that word and use it in a way that makes it settle down naturally into the sentence like "no big deal." 

I absolutely loved Abigail Irene Garrett, but how can one not love a female forensic sorceress working in the late 1800s? Sebastien grew on me and the subtle competition between Abigail and Jack (for Sebastien's attention) was always entertaining. Even more so, the friendship that grows out of it. All in all, this is definitely a book for someone who enjoys fantasy/mystery driven by its characters. That is what will keep you reading, not the plot. Just a heads-up, this book does not read like a typical novel. It's more like a collection of isolated mysteries that the characters float in and out of while performing their own special detective work. In fact, the first character mentioned in the synopsis doesn't even show up until the second chapter (62 pages in). Each story has its own thorough imagery (Bear gets 5 out of 5 stars for setting a scene), but do not expect continuity between each story.

The Author

Author Tidbit: Elizabeth has done a little bit of everything. She's worked as a stablehand, traffic manager, typesetter and donut maker.