Eoghann Irving's Blog, page 16

TV Review: Daredevil S01E01 through S01E04

My plan was to watch and review the first three episodes of Netflix’ new original show, and the first fruits of their partnership with Marvel,  Daredevil.  When I finished the third episode though I immediately started watching the fourth and that should tell you how much I’m enjoying the series. The show is very good but it isn’t perfect. However, Netflix and Marvel are doing so much right here that most of my criticisms feel like nitpicks.

Daredevil isn’t nearly as well known to the general public as many other superheroes and what they do know about him is “that terrible movie with Ben Affleck” so Marvel and Netflix faced a challenge in making something that was not only interesting for people to watch, but also rehabilitated the character a bit. In this I think they have succeeded. Beyond that for the first time we are getting a very different view of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This connects both to Avengers and Agents of SHIELD but in tone it is light years away from what you’ve seen before.

So What’s It All About?

From what I’ve seen so far (and what I’ve read) Daredevil is pulling its story very heavily from the Frank Miller graphic novel The Man Without Fear which tells Daredevil’s origin and early years. This is a good thing because Miller’s take on Daredevil remains the definitive one and since the audience is much less familiar with Daredevil’s origin than say I am it will help them understand the character better.

So we start with the accident that blinded Matt Murdock, we get flashbacks to his relationship with his father Jack Murdock and we see Matt and Foggy setting up their law firm. But this series is very much grounded in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so we find out that Hell’s Kitchen was essentially destroyed during the events of The Avengers and that less that scrupulous companies are making a killing on the reconstruction.

Matt Murdock and Foggy represent Karen Page who has been framed for murder after finding out about some of the shady business dealings, meanwhile Matt as Daredevil (as yet unnamed) goes around beating up on russian gangsters. And over the course of the four episodes we find out about the shadowy figure of Wilson Fisk (AKA the Kingpin)  and his allies who seem to have organized a criminal takeover of Hells Kitchen.

Where Did the Jokes Go?

If you are used to the previous light hearted Marvel fare, this series may come as a bit of a shock to you. Daredevil is much darker and much more violent than what you are used to from Marvel Superheroes. That entirely fits the character. Daredevil has super powers, but those powers don’t make him super strong or super fast or invulnerable. Fundamentally he’s a man, and he’s a man without much backup.

So this is ground level superheroics dealing with gang violence and nasty crimes like slavery and abduction. As the show correctly identifies early on Matt Murdock’s real super power is being able to take a beating and get back up. He has skills certainly and some advantages but he wins by just outlasting the opposition. Just like his father did.

Daredevil is Marvel Noir. Where even the heroes are dressed in black. It’s not just that Matt is a vigilante, it’s that he brutalizes people and while he follows the law in the courtroom he flagrantly ignores it in his secondary identity.  And the show revels in its freedom to be much more violent than say Agents of SHIELD or even The Arrow (probably it’s most obvious comparison given the types of characters).

There was blood in the first episode but in the second and third we started seeing bones and as for the fourth, well you don’t want to make Wilson Fisk angry, that’s all I’m saying.

A Leisurely Pace

That’s not the only way in which this show is enjoying its freedom. The pacing is almost slow by modern tv standards. Free from any worries about advert breaks, or whether it will have a whole season, or even how far apart people will watch the episodes, this show tells its story methodically rather than frantically.

Episode One is very much set up. We are introduced to the characters and their back stories as well as the environment they function in. Episode Two then takes a very different approach and is very character heavy taking the time to show us how Foggy, Karen and Matt think (plus introducing the Night Nurse). The episode has a plot, but it takes a back seat to the characters.

But in the third and fourth episodes it becomes increasingly clear that this is a serial not a series. Plot elements are bleeding over from episode to episode, things are introduced (Ben Ulrich and his sick wife) with no attempt at all to resolve or even fully explain them. Daredevil doesn’t have to worry whether you’ll remember this stuff for next week, if you’re hooked you’ll just watch the next one right away or the next night.

A Third of the Way Through

I could point out that the show is using some very familiar tropes or that it’s taking absurd liberties with the amount of punishment a human body could sustain. Or that the fights while beautiful are more ballet than battle.

All of this is true but from my perspective irrelevant because the show is captivating. Its characters are complex. The situation dark but tinged with just enough hope that you want to see things turn out okay.

And, perhaps most impressively of all, they have managed to show Daredevil and his power set effectively in a visual medium. Considering his primary “power” is super hearing, that’s no small feat. But they do it. The show plays with sound, alternatively muffling some things and enhancing others while the imagery changes focus to match. It’s extremely well done and gives the show a unique visual look.

A third of the way into the show, there’s no doubt I’ll be finishing the season and I’m already wondering what this means for the next Marvel TV series.

Dragon Hoard Part 9: The Dragon’s Lair

This is post #9 of 9 in the series “Dragon Hoard”

The walk to see Sante Drago was silent and uncomfortable. Cassandra lead the way and showed no interesting in speaking with me now that her goal had been achieved. One look at the besuited minions on either side of us told me that striking up a conversation with them would be a bad idea.

I wasn’t happy to be leaving Rick in the hands of more of Drago’s minions, but didn’t have much choice.  We didn’t go onto the main floor, taking a back route instead that lead directly to the private room Drago had taken residence in. The room had glass panels on two sides so that its occupants could look out on either the horses or the people inside the casino. When I arrived Drago did not seem interested in either.

He leant back  against the sofa where he was sitting, his eyes on the waitress who was serving him a fresh drink. She, like all the waitresses in the casino was young, attractive and wearing a skimpy outfit that as Wayne had once put it to me, displayed her assets.  If she was aware of the attention, she seemed unphased by it.

With a glance in my direction, Drago dismissed the waitress with a flick of his wrist. His eyes followed her as she retreated to the bar area, and there was a glint to them. I was reminded that gold is not the only thing dragons are reputed to have an appetite for.

The suit wearing goons faded into the background, taking up positions around the room. Cassandra walked me over to where Drago sat and then stepped aside. This was to be a private conversation it seemed.

“The wizard at last.” Drago didn’t stand and the words might have been greeting or reproach, or both.

“Mr. Drago.” I said, deciding that workplace formality was the way to go.

“Sit.” Drago gestured to the sofa. “I have been looking forward to meeting you.” His voice was relaxed and I couldn’t detect even a hint of an accent. It was so neutral I suspected a voice coach.  Everything about Sante Drago from his suit, to his voice, to his cologne smelled of money.  Drago didn’t flaunt his wealth, but he took advantage of it.

I sat down on the sofa, my body rigid with discomfort. There are few things more unnatural than “relaxing” on a sofa with your bosses, bosses, boss. I waited for him to speak again, but he seemed in no hurry, taking a sip of his drink, whisky I guessed from the smell, and savoring it.

“Strange things, don’t you think Doug?” He said, breaking the long silence. I glanced round the room, wondering how open to be. The security guards wouldn’t hear anything, or at least wouldn’t admit to hearing anything. Cassandra was another matter, but then she’d already seen a wolf transform into a man.

“Downright unnatural.”  I muttered my agreement. Drago laughed softly.

“The unnatural doesn’t scare me Doug.” He said, and I wondered if there was any way to point out that my name was Douglas. “You know that, right?” I nodded. What would scare a dragon?

“But this, I don’t like this.” Drago continued. “Something is at work in my casino. Something isn’t scared of me!” For just a moment his voice revealed a hint of the power behind the human facade. I fought the urge to cower, but then Drago smiled again.

“I need you to find out what is operating on my property Doug. Find out, tell me, and I will take care of it.”

“Yes sir.” I said, my usual insolence in the face of authority strangely muted.  I glanced over at Cassandra just in time to catch a smirk on her face. It didn’t stay long though, soon she was cool, calm and professional again.

I am rather embarrassed by just how easy it was for Drago to cow me. It’s not like I wanted to go hunting and entity powerful enough to stand up to a dragon. In fact my preference would be to go and hide under a very large mountain until the two of them had finished their little games. But Drago was right in front of me and the other thing, whatever it may be, was not. So I played the good little pawn and hoped I wasn’t about to get sacrificed.

I realized that Drago was still watching me and had most likely knew what had just gone through my head. The room suddenly felt stiflingly hot and I resisted the urge to tug at my collar, even as I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

As much to distract myself as to attempt to solve the mystery, I decided it was time for a scrying spell or two. It was possible that Drago might not appreciate me using sharpie on his nice floor so I took my leave to find a quieter space to work.

I was surprised, but happy, that neither Cassandra, nor her goon squad had insisted on following me. I didn’t push my luck though, ducking into the first available office and shutting the door. No doubt Drago could find me again if he wanted to. In the mean time I would have some quiet to work.

Scrying is actually a simple process, at least in theory. In essence, all your doing is reaching out to see what’s there. As with all magic though, there are risks, not least of which is that something may be there. The first thing you need to do then is set up some protections.

Pulling out my trusty sharpie I did exactly that, drawing a protection ward around myself with great care. Even the smallest flaw in a ward can be used to rip it apart. Wards are of limited use against physical attacks, but when you’re dealing in the mental realm they are a life, or is that soul, saver.

Once I’d tested my wards out just to make sure, it was time for the scrying itself. There are many different ways to do this, but since whatever was attacking the casino wasn’t trying to hide I didn’t need anything sophisticated. I simply launched my spirit into the ether.

It’s a strange feeling to be separated from your body. You still have all your mental faculties, but you lose the input of your senses. No sound, no smell, no taste and not even sight. Not proper sight at least. Your brain is receiving signals so it processes them as best it can, but the images are out of focus and the colors represent feelings and emotions, not light.

Green was the predominant color I saw. It’s to be expected that greed would be a powerful emotion in a casino, but it pulsed and glowed dominating my vision and giving everything I looked at a green tinge. More evidence of an entity at work.

Not everything was green though, there were clusters of orange around the food areas, a closer inspection showed that guests had stormed into the kitchens to get the food directly.  In another part of the casino flared bright red as two guests argued over who had one the spin at a roulette table. The whole place was a sea of greed and hunger, and just beneath the surface, flaring up in pockets, was anger.

I tried to find an origin for the malign influence, but it had spread so widely through the casino and with such strong effect it was hard to pinpoint anything. There was something about the taste of the power at work that seemed familiar to me though. It had an oily malevolence to it that I had encountered before. I really wished I had access to my books right then.

But I didn’t and this was no time for a library excursion. While my scrying hadn’t identified the agent behind this I was now certain we were dealing with something from another dimension. More important, perhaps, was that it’s effect on the casino was intensifying rapidly. The whole place was about to break down into a riot.

Next: Part 10 - An Exercise of Will

Dragon Hoard is a weekly serial sequel to The Wolves of West Virginia, which is available on Kindle.

The Wolves of West Virginia: An Urban Fantasy Novella (The Case Files of Douglas Brodie Book 1)

by Eoghann Irving [-]

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Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson

This review was originally written in December 2005 and is being posted here as part of a project to gather all of my reviews into a single location. This was probably the third or fourth time I had read the Mordant’s Need duology which remains to date my favorite of Donaldson’s books.

Mirror of Her Dreams is book one of the two book Mordant’s Need sequence written by Stephen R. Donaldson. Unlike his Thomas Covenant books, this is a more traditional fantasy sequence in what is (at least on the surface) a traditional medieval type of fantasy world. As such it is probably much more accessible than Donaldson’s other work. It’s also much less harsh that much of his other writing.

Mirror of Her Dreams is a very slow paced book as the central character, Terisa Morgan, is initially very passive and slow to take any actions. As a result the convoluted plotting unfolds in a small number of locations and largely progresses through conversations between key characters.

Some people may find this style of storytelling frustrating, but since I found the characters, particularly Geraden easy to relate to, this style was quite compelling. I’m not sure that all of the internal logic and plot twists entirely stand up to repeated re-readings though. Once you know what is going on Terisa starts to look at little slow.

While the world of Mordant doesn’t seem nearly as original as that of the Land, the magic presented in Mirror of Her Dreams is distinctive. Imagery, involves the translation of people, creatures or other objects from something viewed in a specially created mirror. The cleverness is in the details of this magic system. These mirrors don’t show Mordant but other worlds that may or may not really exist. Over the course of the book Donaldson explores the theories of Imagery in some detail and that only adds to the believability of the whole setting.

I’d say that Mirror of Her Dreams and its sequel, A Man Rides Through are the most approachable of any of his novels. The traditional fantasy setting and comparatively (by Donaldson’s standards anyway) simple language make it easier for most people to get into the book. This also may be the most upbeat of any of Donaldson’s novels which makes it a little easier to read for some.

The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, Book 1)

by Stephen R. Donaldson [Del Rey]

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Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

The following review was written in September 2000 and is being reposted here as part of a project to gather all my reviews into one location.

George R. R. Martin is a well-established writer. He isn’t known for writing Fantasy though so I was curious about this book. Keeping with longstanding fantasy tradition it’s a big book and it’s the first part of a series. When I bought it I was under the impression that it was going to be a trilogy. Turns out that its actually going to be 6 books! If they’re all this big then that’s a very long story indeed.

“A Game of Thrones” is set in a fairly traditional fantasy world populated by various nobles, some peculiar magic creatures and lots of history. However, it takes a very different tone to most fantasy sagas. Martin is particularly interested in the political machinations of the various noble families. His characters live in a very brutal world.

In a book this size there are obviously a lot of major characters, however the story largely revolves around two groups, the Stark family and the daughter of the recently overthrown (and executed) King. These two plot strands remain entirely separate for the entirety of this book, but there are strong hints that that will change in future books.

His old friend, the current King, appoints Eddard Stark as Hand. He travels down from his home in the North to the South where the Kings court is. Once there he gradually uncovers a plot against the King, but despite his best effort things continue to deteriorate.

Meanwhile in the North, beyond the wall something strange is stirring. Is it connected with the Stark words “Winter is coming”?

This book is wonderfully intricate. There is lots of foreshadowing throughout the book that on first reading doesn’t appear to be significant. Throwaway lines turn out to have considerable importance.

The characters in the book are as rich as the settings. Martin does not go in for good and evil. People are greedy, foolish, cunning, noble and many combinations of these things. He even manages to find a few nice things in the most unpleasant of characters.

Another interesting thing is that it seems to be the most noble characters, which suffer the most. Frequently as a result of their own foolishness. Flexibility is more useful than honour when it comes to surviving in this world.

There’s a lot more to this book than I’ve covered in this review. There are several other plot strands for a start, but I don’t want to go into too much detail in case I spoil the book for those who haven’t read it. There are many things alluded to in this book which I suspect will become much more significant as the series progresses.

So we have a rich detailed world, complex characterisation, intricate plotting and quality writing. What more could you possibly want in a book?

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)

by George R.R. Martin [Bantam]

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Book Review: Origins of the Never by CJ Rutherford

The latest book in my #GreatIndieReviewProject is Origins of the Nether by CJ Rutherford. I have a soft spot for epic fantasy that involves elves and dragons. Yes it’s a well worn area, but I still love it. So I went in to this novella predisposed to enjoy it even though I didn’t know much about it.

It’s important to know going in that this isn’t a stand alone story. It’s a prequel and while it does tell a story it also leaves a lot of things to be resolved in the main book sequence. I wouldn’t let that put you off too much. You’ll know by the time you get to the end of the story whether you want to continue or not.

What’s It All About?

Origins of the Never is the prequel to Souls of the Never and as such it sets the stage, giving us an introduction to the universe of the Never, the nature of magic in this world and also the source of evil.

The story is framed around the childhood friendship of two elves Olumé and Tenybris. But it seems that Tenybris is perpetually in Olumé’s shadow and over hundreds of years jealousy and bitterness grows.

This sets up a chain of events that threaten the peaceful world of Teralia and the rest of the Never, not to mention setting in motion a story that will play out many many years later.

Short but Sweet

At an estimated 42 pages for the Kindle version this story doesn’t take long to read and it’s told with an economical style. In fact my single biggest criticism might be the brevity.

There are a couple of points where the change in Tenybris seem a little too abrupt and some additional time spent smoothing out the transitions might help to make the transformation more convincing.

It would have been nice to get a bit more description of the world of Teralia. It is presented as this almost paradise but I don’t really have a picture of it in my head which is unfortunate because I think my reaction to the damage caused to the world would have been much stronger if I had a stronger image to go with it.

The same is true of our brief glimpse of the Never. We do get a sense of this huge universe of worlds, but no clear notion of what the different worlds might be like

Fairytale or Legend

The way the story is told is slightly unusual too and it does remind me rather of the way Tolkien wrote parts of The Silmarillion.  Big things are happening, but we are kept at a distance from most of them and the story is paced in such a way that we cover hundreds of years sometimes in only a couple of sentences.

We do get a glimpse at the larger universe of the Never though and the story achieves its primary function which is to set up the antagonist for the Neverwar series and sow the seeds for the story that is coming. It also achieves a secondary goal, at least for me, which is to make me curious about how things are going to play out.

Most of the tale is told through the point of view of Tenybris (though we get brief looks from other characters too) but I didn’t come away feeling that I knew him particularly well. In part this is because of how radically he changes over the course of the story. Both Tenybris and Olumé are effectively avatars for the Light and the Dark. People who prefer all shades of grey may not appreciate the more absolute nature of the evil on display here, but  I had no problem with it.

Did You Like It?

Yes, I love this sort of fantasy. It seems to have gone a little bit out of fashion but it’s the sort of stuff I grew up on and it’s nice submerge myself in it again. Plus there are dragons and who doesn’t like dragons?

I already have the next book loaded on my Kindle and will be reading it as soon as I can find a gap in my To Read list.

Buy, Borrow or Skip

Assuming you like epic fantasy (with dragons and elves) I think this is at least worth borrowing. If your taste runs more towards grimdark this may not be your thing. The series itself is billed as Young Adult so it’s not aiming to be too dark.

Origins of the Never: A prequel to The Tales of the Neverwar series, a story of Dragons, Elves and Faeries.

by CJ Rutherford [-]

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Vilde and the Sword of Ice: Part 1

This is post #1 of 1 in the series “Vilde and the Sword of Ice”

This is the first part of my three part swords and sorcery story. The first of what I hope will be a series of stories. I’m releasing it early to anyone who has subscribed to my free newsletter. You can find a subscription form at the bottom of this post.

Part 1

Vilde had been looking forward to planting her feet on solid ground after weeks at sea. But, when the moment came, all she could think about was the intense cold. The air was so frigid it made her eyes water and breathing was almost painful. She wondered how long a person had to live in this climate before they adjusted to it. Far longer than she was prepared to certainly.

She tugged at the hood of of her animal skin jacket trying to burrow deeper into it. They had been waiting several minutes for the Wreshe tribe to show and she could see that the captain was getting impatient. Not that it took much to make Tukka impatient.

“Do they know we are here?” She asked her words evaporating in the bitter cold of the air.

“They’ll have been seeing us approach days ago.” Tukka spat the words out. “No storms to block their view, thank the Goddess.”

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Free Fiction Roundup April 4th 2015

There’s a lot of high quality fiction available on the internet these days. So much that it’s hard to keep up with it, never mind read it all. Each week I publish a roundup of science fiction, fantasy or horror stories that I’ve read and think are worth a few minutes of your time.

Below and in no particular order are the stories I enjoyed this week:

The Only City Left by Andy Goldman

Genre: Science Fantasy Novel

I strode across the narrow beam, tens of stories above the ground floor of the derelict mall. Bundles of lights hung below the beam, providing dim, off-hours lighting for a workforce destined never to arrive. Above me, a geometric rat’s nest of girders criss-crossed the dome ceiling, more for decoration than support, I guessed.

The lights buzzed beneath my feet, and somewhere fans hummed as they circulated air carrying the scent of mildew. I stuck out my tongue and could almost taste it. Green. Life. I smiled. Humans hadn’t done so well with Earth, but the mold didn’t seem to mind our neglect

Read the rest of the story...

Your Daily Dose of Fiction: Ice World Truckers by MICHAEL MEDEIROS

Genre: Science Fiction

Jax sat at the controls of the Earth Cargo Union hauler, Mari Kait. “Are the docking clamps ready?” he called over his shoulder without taking his eyes from the panel displaying the ship’s position in relation to the Depot’s docking port. They appeared to be perfectly aligned, but he wasn’t going to leave it to chance.

“Standing by,” Hershey replied from behind Jax. The small but powerful craft groaned as metal pressed against metal. “Engaging clamps.” Hydraulic presses latched on to their ship and the craft squelched under the pressure. “Docking clamps secured.”

Read the rest of the story…

 

Pathfinder Tales: The Gem by Gary Kloster

Genre: Fantasy Serial

Outside, the children of Thirty Trees laughed and their parents talked, monkeys chattered in the canopy and birds sang to the morning sun. But inside the little house that Jiri shared with Oza, the only sound that mattered was the muted clicks of the clay pots her teacher was packing into his bag.

"They think I'll burn the village down." Jiri swung her feet and her hammock stirred beneath her, an unsteady motion that matched her mood.

"They don't think that." Oza, shaman of Thirty Trees, pulled the ties of his bag tight. "Well, not all of them."

"Most of them." Jiri's feet kicked too hard, and her hammock tipped. Used to its treachery, she dropped out before it could dump her. "They don't trust me. They only made me a Mosa because you wanted them to, and they love you. But I'm not you, Oza."

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Monsters of Pittsburg by Kate Whitaker

Genre: Paranormal

Most demon hunters were morning drinkers. Alcohol washed away the terrors after a night of killing monsters. At ten o’clock on a Friday night, Rita’s bar should have been empty. Instead, the glossy, wooden chairs were filled with people who had nearly as many scars as Sam himself.

He should have been out with his werewolf, Mina, and her brother, killing reavers to keep the population down. Instead, he was here on a wild goose chase.

He ran a finger over two of the scars that crisscrossed his right cheek as he considered the crowd. The usuals were sprinkled among people he’d never seen before. He thought about pushing over to Mina’s friends to get the skinny, but the full bar was a minor mystery tonight. Something bigger had him here.

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Voices in Solitude by A. T. Greenblatt

Genre: Fantasy

Kaylee's first act as sorceress was to bring the voices back.

The rain thrummed on the shingles of her quiet home as she lit the candles, drew the diagrams, and read out the names of each dusty ancestor, carefully laboring over the subtle inflections of the gh's and é's. One by one, she called the raspy, aged voices back from their silence.

There was a great groan from the townspeople who had got on quite well without them for generations thank-you-very-much. But their complaints were soon lost in a sonorous clamor of freed voices conversing in hallways and under streetlamps and in old Fredrick's pub where the taps still leaked and the smell of stale beer perfumed every seat cushion.

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Dragon Hoard Part 8: Wolf on the Prowl

This is post #8 of 8 in the series “Dragon Hoard”

The werewolf howled again.

It was coming from the back area somewhere which meant there was a reasonable chance that no one had died yet. I glanced at Cassandra, bracing myself for further argument, but there was a look of fear in her eyes, as though she knew something about what was happening.

I wanted to press my sudden advantage and find out what was going on, but there wasn’t time. There was a fox in the henhouse and if I didn’t do something quickly there would soon be a lot of dead hens.

“Drago will have to wait.” I said and ran towards the sound of the wolf without giving her a chance to respond.

Running towards werewolves is borderline suicidal, but I’m a trained professional which meant my chances of survival might have made it into double digits. The thing is though, there’s a lot of staff only halls and rooms in the casino. I mean this is a place with a race track and restaurants, you have to be able to get employees from place to place. So just running after a noise isn’t a very effective way to find anything.

As soon as I got off the main floor I stopped running and started using my head. I’ve had some dealings with werewolves you see. I’ve studied them and I’ve learned a few things, including how to mimic some of their heightened senses.

I can only do it for short periods and I usually end up with a severe headache from the sensory overload, but it can be very useful. I muttered a few words and released a spell I'd had waiting. Suddenly the world was alive with smells.

The stink of unwashed humans, an odor of raw beef that made me salivate, harsh, choking gasoline from all the cars in the parking lot. All these smells and more swept over me. It was almost too much, but I forced myself to remain calm and go through each smell one at a time looking for that one unique scent, a strange mixture of human and wolf. The scent that would lead me to my prey.

It took more time than I could afford, and I could feel the wolf mind pushing at my conscious brain, trying to break free, but finally I located it and set off again and a slow but steady pace. A feeling of excitement spread through my body as I began the hunt. It would have been so easy to just give in to the sensations, but I gritted my teeth and maintained control.

Now that I had something to follow it didn’t take me long at all to find the wolf. He was in one of the service tunnels near where the food was prepared, but I wasn’t the first person to find him. Rick had been cornered by three of the casino’s security guards and he stood in full wolf form, hair on end, ready to fight.

The guards weren’t complete idiots, none of them was ready to take a step forward and challenge the wolf, but they also knew they couldn’t just walk away and let it wander around the building, and so there they all stood. As soon as someone moved there was going to be blood.

My inner wolf howled in triumph, its prey in sight. I forced it back down and hurriedly ended the spell before I lost control. It was important to get control of this situation before it all fell apart. I also needed to get these people the hell out of here.

“Okay guys, I’ve got this.” I said, trying to project both authority and confidence. They glanced at me briefly, but no one moved.

“On you go.” I said. “Let the expert handle this.”

I could claim that my colleagues were so impressed by my capabilities that they just assumed I was an expert wolf handler, but in truth I gave them just a little nudge.  It’s very hard to change a person’s mind, but encouraging them to do what they really, really want to do… run like hell… is much easier.

All three men backed away down the hall. I nodded to them and waited until they were out of sight before turning my full attention to the snarling wolf.

A cornered wild animal is dangerous. A cornered magical animal is lethal. I’m still not clear exactly how smart werewolves are in their transformed state, but they’re at least as intelligent as your average wolf. Rick clearly knew that the odds had changed in his favor.  If possible he grew even bigger, snarling threateningly as he pawed at the ground.

“Doug’s been looking for you.” I said in a slow and calm voice. Was that a glimmer of recognition in the wolf’s eyes? I knelt down and then pulled a sharpie from my pocket, every movement as slow and deliberate as I could make it. No surprises, nothing threatening, no reason to attack.

“I can’t help noticing that it’s not full moon.” I continued to talk as I took the sharpie in my hand and started to sketch out marks on the concrete floor of the tunnel. “So what triggered your transformation hmm?”

“No, I don’t know either.” I scanned the markings on the floor and added a couple of further lines. “That’s what bothers me. Still, it’s fixable.”

With one final pen stroke I completed the pattern I had been drawing, then I poured just a little bit of energy into it and held my breath. Rick changed. It was impossibly quick, no gross distortions of body or muscles, one moment he was a wolf, the next, a naked man.

“Much better.” I said, as though I’d know that was what was going to happen the whole time. I’d certainly hoped for something like that, I’d been working on the spell ever since my first encounter with Doug’s pack, but it had never been tested. “So, Rick, what happened.”

Rick stared at me in confusion. “I… don’t know.” He said finally. “Where am I?”

I was just trying to figure out an appropriately witty response when I heard footsteps behind me. Rick’s eyes immediately snapped from me to whoever had arrived, his muscles tensing. You can’t take the wolf out of a werewolf it seems.

“Mr. Brodie you need to come and see Mr. Drago now.” Cassandra’s voice was like steel. “My colleagues will take care of your… friend.”

As she spoke some of those colleagues, all wearing expensive looking suits, walked past me and effectively surrounded Rick who looked both scared and angry. I couldn’t help but notice the bulge in their suits where they were carrying their guns.

Next: Part 9 - The Dragon’s Lair

Dragon Hoard is a weekly serial sequel to The Wolves of West Virginia, which is available on Kindle.

The Wolves of West Virginia: An Urban Fantasy Novella (The Case Files of Douglas Brodie Book 1)

by Eoghann Irving [-]

Price:
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Book Review: The Thief’s Gamble by Juliet E. McKenna

This review was originally written in September 2000 and is being reposted here as part of a project to get all my reviews hosted in one place.

This, you won’t be surprised to discover, is a fantasy novel. It's also “The First Tale of Einarinn” although quite what that means isn’t clear. It might be interconnected stories or it may be a full blown series ala Jordan. Its also the author's first published work so make whatever allowances you feel appropriate.

The main viewpoint character is Livak, a thief. She’s also rather full of herself, very cynical and bitchy. Given that so much of the story is seen through her eyes this can become rather wearing.

The plot itself goes something like this. A new form of magic has been uncovered and the Archmage is a little nervous about its origins. So he sends out some people to gather artifacts from the past. They quickly discover that someone else is also gathering these artifacts, for reasons unknown. When one of the group is kidnapped, finding out who these strange men are and dealing with them becomes the primary goal.

Nice touches to this book are the way that magic works. The basics are outlined clearly, but without making it sound like a rulebook. Wizards are powerful, but not omnipotent. And they seem particularly vulnerable to this new “aetheric” magic.

Also good was the authors willingness to make most of the central characters less than perfect. They argue, sulk and misbehave. It should be noted though that the author clearly doesn’t believe that being nice will make you live longer. You have been warned.

The weakness of this book is more with the structure than anything else. Several chapters are seen from the viewpoint of a particularly snobbish and selfish mage. There is no obvious reason for this. It doesn’t add anything to the plot and the characters he interacts with don’t really connect with the pain story in any significant way.

Similarly a number of characters pop up halfway through the book and suddenly become central to the story. Granted that's how real life works, but it a book it feels very arbitrary.

At the end of one chapter we are dramatically told that a wizard can’t do weather magic on his own and yet the party are facing weather magic. There is no follow up on this. It turns out that a single wizard has been doing weather magic, but how is not explained. The characters don’t even think to ask.

This sort of thing is repeated throughout the book and I can’t help feeling that another couple of re-drafts might have resulted in a smoother story.

The conclusion is equally annoying. Despite Livak’s statement that she won’t have anything more to do with Wizards, the numerous unresolved plotlines and of course the cover blurb are screaming SEQUEL.. SEQUEL… SEQUEL at me.

Its not that this is a bad book. The characterisation is good, the dialog works well. Its just a little rough round the edges and besides I get nervous when fantasy series won’t tell you how many books they’re going to take to tell the full story.

The Thief's Gamble (Tales of Einarinn, Book 1)

by Juliet E. McKenna [Harper Voyager]

Price:
$6.61
£0.01
CDN$ 2.36
EUR 7,68
EUR 7,83

Book Review: The Thief’s Gamble by Juliet E. McKenna

This review was originally written in September 2000 and is being reposted here as part of a project to get all my reviews hosted in one place.

This, you won’t be surprised to discover, is a fantasy novel. It's also “The First Tale of Einarinn” although quite what that means isn’t clear. It might be interconnected stories or it may be a full blown series ala Jordan. Its also the author's first published work so make whatever allowances you feel appropriate.

The main viewpoint character is Livak, a thief. She’s also rather full of herself, very cynical and bitchy. Given that so much of the story is seen through her eyes this can become rather wearing.

The plot itself goes something like this. A new form of magic has been uncovered and the Archmage is a little nervous about its origins. So he sends out some people to gather artifacts from the past. They quickly discover that someone else is also gathering these artifacts, for reasons unknown. When one of the group is kidnapped, finding out who these strange men are and dealing with them becomes the primary goal.

Nice touches to this book are the way that magic works. The basics are outlined clearly, but without making it sound like a rulebook. Wizards are powerful, but not omnipotent. And they seem particularly vulnerable to this new “aetheric” magic.

Also good was the authors willingness to make most of the central characters less than perfect. They argue, sulk and misbehave. It should be noted though that the author clearly doesn’t believe that being nice will make you live longer. You have been warned.

The weakness of this book is more with the structure than anything else. Several chapters are seen from the viewpoint of a particularly snobbish and selfish mage. There is no obvious reason for this. It doesn’t add anything to the plot and the characters he interacts with don’t really connect with the pain story in any significant way.

Similarly a number of characters pop up halfway through the book and suddenly become central to the story. Granted that's how real life works, but it a book it feels very arbitrary.

At the end of one chapter we are dramatically told that a wizard can’t do weather magic on his own and yet the party are facing weather magic. There is no follow up on this. It turns out that a single wizard has been doing weather magic, but how is not explained. The characters don’t even think to ask.

This sort of thing is repeated throughout the book and I can’t help feeling that another couple of re-drafts might have resulted in a smoother story.

The conclusion is equally annoying. Despite Livak’s statement that she won’t have anything more to do with Wizards, the numerous unresolved plotlines and of course the cover blurb are screaming SEQUEL.. SEQUEL… SEQUEL at me.

Its not that this is a bad book. The characterisation is good, the dialog works well. Its just a little rough round the edges and besides I get nervous when fantasy series won’t tell you how many books they’re going to take to tell the full story.

The Thief's Gamble (Tales of Einarinn, Book 1)

by Juliet E. McKenna [Harper Voyager]

Price:
$6.68
£0.01
CDN$ 2.61
EUR 7,77
EUR 7,89

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