Rob Donovan's Blog, page 8

Book Review - Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes – S A Corey

As a rule I am not a big Sci-fi fan. I adore Star Wars but that has more of a fantasy feel to it than most mediums set in space. I always find that the technological babble and science speak gets in the way of the characters and the story.
There are exceptions. I liked “Ender’s Game,” “Retribution Falls” is great and so is “Seahorse in the Sky,” but the classics such as “Hyperion” I found merely okay.
When S A Corey burst on the scene with a highly applauded series that was not regarded as “hard sci-fi” and focussed on characters more than anything else, I was intrigued. Especially as one half of the duo of authors is Daniel Abraham whose work I am a fan of (the other is Ty Franck).
The Blurb:
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.
Leviathan Wakes immediately sucked me in. Its opening chapter is terrific and the story instantly accessible. S A Corey have a way of explaining how equipment works without baffling the reader. There are no info dumps and everything is introduced organically and not to the detriment of the narrative.
The story focuses on two protagonists: Jim Holden and Detective Miller. Each chapter alternates between the two points of view which works well by the end of the novel but struggles initially. The reason for this is that Jim Holden is far more likeable of the two.He is suddenly thrust into a position of authority and responsibility and struggles to find his way. The reader is able to empathise with his situation and root for him. It also helps that he primarily deals with the same crew for much of the first part of the novel. Returning to his chapters are like returning to an old friend.
Holden also possesses a strong moral code. He does not believe in killing unnecessarily and is still somewhat of an idealist. Despite this, he is also heavily flawed. His uncompromising views mean that occasionally he unwittingly makes rash decisions with catastrophic consequences. Throughout though he remains retains a certain charm. His crew adore him and demonstrate this through their unwavering faith in his decisions.
Speaking of Holden’s crew they are all very likeable as well. Naomi is perhaps the most realised of them but Amos also provides comic relief. The only character that slightly suffers from anonymity is perhaps Alex.
Miller’s world on the other hand, is a little chaotic. The scope is vast (literally the whole of space) and as he continues to investigate the disappearance of a young girl he interacts with a range of people. It is through Miller that S A Corey introduces a lot of their worldbuilding. Unfortunately this is a little clunky in places and despite liking Miller I always found my interest levels peak when I returned to the familiar Holden.
Miller is quite a dark character. Divorced and cynical he very much believes in doing what needs to be done. This too is an uncompromising outlook and quite often he clashes with Holden which makes for great reading.
Miller has two partners Havelock and Muss who disappear from the story just as the reader is starting to get to know them.  It is a shame as both were potentially good characters.The contrast between the Holden and Miller is one of the best things about the novel. As one character grows, the other slowly descends. It is a fascinating study on human nature as both characters are inherently good.
The plot is great. The mystery is slowly unravelled and for a large part of the novel it is never clear whether the secret everyone is trying to keep is alien or man-made. It is also not clear who is on whose side which adds to the intrigue.
The action sequences are well handled with just enough detail provided to grasp what is going on, without leaving the mechanics open to any real challenge.
The ending is excellent. Most of the plot is wrapped up nicely but it is clear that this is the start of a longer series. If I am honest I would have preferred a slightly different ending in some respects. One of the characters seemed to be heading for a perfect resolution until events changed. This is only a minor point however.
Overall, I really enjoyed this first novel in the Expanse series. It is not often that I am eager to read the next book in a sci-fi series but this is definitely the exception.
My rating 8.5

Book Review - Dreamlander (JS)

Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland

Review by Jacqui Slaney
I purchased this book on a spur of the moment, as I liked the sound of it. After reading an interview with the author, and having a quick glance at a few reviews, I was even keener to read it, as it sounded so good.
This is the description:
What if it were possible to live two very different lives in two separate worlds?
What if the dreams you awaken from are the fading memories of that second life?
What if one day you woke up in the wrong world?
Only one person in a generation may cross the barrier of dreams to reach the other world—a world of war-scarred countries and fallen faiths. When a Chicago-born journalist finds himself on the far side of his dreams, he must hurl himself into battle to save a princess from her own people, two worlds from annihilation, and himself from a dream come way too true.
Everything I read told me that this was an excellent book, that straight from the start the characters were well crafted, that the story hooked you from the first page. Sounds good does it not?
However, I found myself strangely disconnected from it, I would read a few pages at a time and then make excuses and put the book down, and even at one stage started to read a completely different book.
I cannot put my finger on what I did not like about the book, all the elements were certainly there, but for me when I started reading it, they just did not work.The idea is clever, the main character Chris Redston when he falls asleep and dreams, awakes in a body in another world called Lael.  He is a Gifted and is fated to change worlds. A princess called Allara Katadin looks after him. She is a Searcher, and is linked mentally to him and who has felt him in her mind even before he travelled for the first time to her world.
Chris does not get off to the best start in Lael by bringing someone into the world that is going to start a war. This act of breaking down the barriers between worlds has also had the knock on affect of damaging the structure of the worlds and so Chris has to work fast to try to correct what he has done.
So as I say all the elements are there for a good read, but I came really close to just giving up on the whole thing. I will be honest and say maybe it was me, as maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind for reading a fantasy novel, but then again when I stopped reading this one for a while and started a Scott Lynch, I had no problem with that one at all.
However, I stuck with the story, I am stubborn and hate to give up on books so I persevered.
The character of Chris, I found in the first part of the book as being annoying, he was the classic, - ‘ I think I am going mad so refuse to believe what is happening to me!’ This is fine for a short time, but seemed to me to drag on far too long, and he seemed far to ready to believe everything characters were saying to him, who he had already been warned against.
Things did get better though luckily and I did like Allara who was actually a decent female character, strong but with flaws and doubts and Quinnon the old soldier and Orias who will do anything to save his people.
The book is long, and has plenty of action but I think it could have been shortened slightly which I think would have improved the pace of the book some what.
Please bare in mind that this is just my opinion and I would say give the book a go as though I found the start slow and dragging, it did pick up and get better and came to a good conclusion so is worth a read.
7 out of 10

Book Review - The Touch

The Touch – F Paul Wilson
       

I first started reading F. Paul Wilson as I heard a lot of good things about Repairman Jack. I was surprised therefore when I learnt that said character only appears once in Paul’s first six novels. The first novel was fantastic; the second featured Repairman Jack and was great but not as good. I was excited to read the third.
The Blurb:
After a dozen years of practicing medicine as a family physician, Dr. Alan Bulmer discovers one day that he can cure any illness with the mere touch of his hand. At first his scientific nature refuses to accept what is happening to him, but there is no rational explanation to be found. So Alan gives himself over to this mysterious power, reveling in the ability to cure the incurable, to give hope to the hopeless—for one hour each day.

Although he tries to hide his power, word inevitably leaks out, and soon Alan’s life begins to unravel. His marriage and his practice crumble. Only rich, beautiful, enigmatic Sylvia Nash stands by him. And standing with her is Ba, her Vietnamese gardener, who once witnessed a power such as Dr. Bulmer’s in his homeland, where it is called Dat-tay-vao. And the Dat-tay-vao always comes with a price.

Help arrives from an unexpected quarter—Senator James McCready offers the use of his family’s medical foundation to investigate Alan’s supposed power. If it truly exists, he will back Alan with the full weight of the Foundation’s international reputation. Feeling that he has reached bottom and that things can only get better, Alan accepts McCready’s offer. But he has only begun to pay.
I had no idea how diverse F. Paul Wilson is. “The Touch” continues his standalone novels loosely tied together under the umbrella of the “Adversary Cycle.” As the blurb indicates this is a story of a doctor who suddenly finds himself with the ability to heal people (Dat-Tay-Vao). However each miracle he performs has a consequence.
Alan Bulmer is a great character. Wilson portrays him as a good natured empathetic man and who chooses to care for the welfare of his patients above the need to hit quotas of patients seen by the end of the day. As a result the people he treats love and trust him and he is both scorned and resented by his peers.
Wilson captures the character perfectly. The reader automatically identifies with Alan and fully invests in the character and his good intentions. Whereas some weaker people would seek to take advantage of the gift of the Dat-tay-vao, Alan’s intentions are pure and he wishes to only do "good" with the power that he has obtained.
Sylvia Nash is great as the pure hearted woman that selfishly has adopted a disabled child. However, Wilson cleverly flips this persona on its head in how others perceive her. The majority of the characters see her as a rich, slapper. It is a nice twist on her character and makes for an interesting dynamic, especially as she flirts outrageously with Alan on every occasion which makes both sides of her character believable.
The other characters are also strong. Ba in particular is mysterious as the strong, silent driver of Sylvia’s and Axelford is suitably repugnant as the jealous on/off boyfriend of Sylvia.
The plot moves away from the horror elements of Wilson’s previous two books and becomes a medical drama/mystery. As such rather than a slow burn the pace is quite frantic. Wilson inserts a plethora of medical terminology into his prose but it never feels out of place or difficult to follow.
The Dat-tay-vao is a really intriguing plot device. The reader is aware that Alan’s gift is far from the wonderful opportunity he sees it as, but they are not aware of the consequences of abusing the gift too much. Wilson expertly reveals the mystery of the Dat-tay-vao piece by piece without the mystery becoming frustrating.
Inevitably news of Alan’s miracles gathers momentum and several sinister organisations begin to take an interest. These leads to exciting tense scenes towards the end of the novel which sees several characters personalities develop in interesting ways.
If there is a criticism, it is that the main characters always seem to have someone that is need of the miracle cure. I am not talking close friend or a neighbour but always either themselves or a very close family member. I get why this is necessary in order to keep the plot hurtling forwards but sometimes it does get a little too unrealistic.
The ending is great. The novel manages to project just enough chaos without unravelling or losing its focus. So often in novels the supernatural elements are introduced and by the end of the novel someone finds a way to change the properties of the said element, for example the prophecy which is set in stone is suddenly changed. The Dat-tay-vao retains its mystery but also stays true to the rules Wilson sets out for it whilst still providing a suitable conclusion. At the end of the day this is all you can ask for.
Overall, F Paul Wilson has written another winner with “the Touch.” I urge you to go out and try his work if you haven’t already done so. It is worth noting that this version also contains a short story on the origin of how the Dat-tay-vao came to America. This also works well and adds to the overall experience of the novel.
My rating: 9.1

Book Review - The Dragonbone Chair (JS)

The Dragonbone Chair: Book One (Memory, Sorrow & Thorn) by Tad Williams

Review by Jacqui Slaney
For anyone who reads fantasy novels then the name of Tad Williams is probably very familiar,  I came across him early on when I was searching for decent authors to follow, and came across this series.
This is the description:
A thrilling, heart stopping quest that blends the machinations of a king gone mad with the politics of empire, breathtaking suspense with the pity of war, a brilliantly conceived world of ancient days with the joys - and terrors - of magic
First, let me warn you this is no small book, no thin paperback that you can quickly read and then move on to the next. This is a lengthy novel and takes time and attention to read.
The main character of the tale is Simon, a scullery boy, with a mysterious past who lives in a castle- The Hayholt, where John is High King. Unfortunately, John is dying, and the people worry about his heir Elias who is an unknown quantity and there are whispers about his strange aide Pryrates and the lights at night from the deserted tower.
There is another son, Joshua, but he is not popular and is hated by his brother who blames him for the death of his wife.
Simon though leads almost an ideal life looked after by the staff in the castle, he is given the job of looking after an old advisor who lives in one of the towers. Simon at first resents this, but as time goes on Morgenes and himself become good friends until the day, his friend dies at the hand of Pryrates.
Awful events are now taking place and Simon flees the castle and out into the wilderness hoping to join with Joshua who has also fled for his life. He meets along the way a servant girl who it seems is in disguise and a dwarf like figure called Binabik who also has a wolf as a friend.
The story follows these four in their attempt to get to relative safety although it seems the whole world is steadily getting darker.
This is only the briefest of brief rundowns and barely does justice to the story, as I am conscious of the fact that some of you may not have read this book. However, I hope it gives you a taste of the excellent book and series that you have waiting for you.
As I said at the start of the review this is a long novel and the pace of this first book is necessarily slow, which can be off putting to some. This world though is created carefully with the different characters and races developed for the reader as they go along. There are many of these, but the writer carefully guides you through this enjoyable maze, as there are some great characters especially Simon and good evil baddie.
The scenes that are described are believable and though there is magic, it is necessary, not over done in any sense, and fits seamlessly into the tale.Though Simon is the main character and you see the events mainly through his eyes, there are chapters where the view point changes, these are cleverly done and give a good different perspective.It has been a while since I first read this book, but having reread it again, I found much to my pleasure that I still found the same enjoyment from it.Though it takes a while to read, it is definitely worthwhile, and now I cannot wait to start on the next.
8 out of 10

Book Review - The Wandering Fire

The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay

I went into the Summer Tree with high expectations and was unfortunately sorely disappointed. A third of the way through the novel I nearly gave up and although things did improve, I could not understand what all the fuss was about.
I approached the Wandering Fire with slightly more caution then.
The Blurb:
This is the second book in the Fionavar trilogy. It finds the evil Rakoth threatening the existence of Fionavar. To stop him, Kimberly Ford and her companions from Earth must summon the Warrior. But desperate measures can have desperate consequences when curses and prophecies are involved.
Before I begin I will state two things. Firstly, this is a review of the audio book and secondly, this review will be short. The reason I mention this two things as they impact on my review.I did not enjoy the Wandering fire. I tried, I really did but it did absolutely nothing for me.  You know when you find yourself not really concentrating and then having to go back to the start of a paragraph and remind yourself what you have just read – that pretty much summed up my whole experience with the Wandering Fire.
The book features a comprehensive recap of the events that took place in the Summer Tree. Although I remembered parts of the first novel the recap was very much needed and highly useful. So there was no excuse for me not to be immediately engaged with the novel.  As I mentioned I was listening to the unabridged audio version of the book. However, I must stress there was nothing wrong with the narration, it certainly didn’t impede on my enjoyment of the book. I simple struggled to follow what was going on. 100 pages in and I found I was rewinding the audio book and listening to it again and again determined to concentrate and each time failing to do so. I even stopped listening and went back to good old fashioned reading – the book only marginally improved.
This is a difficult review to write, as I can’t really pinpoint what exactly I didn’t like. The characters did not grab me in anyway. I guess it didn’t help that GGK does not linger on any character for too long before drifting off to another character’s PoV.  Even the injection of Arthur as a character did little for me.
As I recall the book now, the only scene that I truly enjoyed was near the beginning at Stonehenge. I apologise for those reading this review and looking for a firm reasoning for my dislike but I cannot give it. GGK’s writing is fine – although not to my tastes. I guess it boils down to the fact that I found the characters bland and the plot rather dull.
Overall then, I will hold my hands up and acknowledge that I am in the minority but GGK it seems is not for me – which I hate as I wanted to love his books so much.
My rating: 4.5

Book Review - The Final Empire

The Final Empire – Brandon Sanderson   There are three things that I have heard about Brandon Sanderson before reading him: 1) He is a prolific writer, 2) His magic system is excellent and 3) He is actually a very good story teller. His books have sat on my side for ages but it is only now that I have read and enjoyed short story by him that I have persuaded to give him a try. The Blurb:For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity,” reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier “snapped” and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.I love the premise of this series. What if the chosen one had failed? It is such a simple idea but sounds so original.  The story follows two main protagonists: Vin and Kelsier.We spend more time with Vin, a young orphaned girl who has spent her life amongst thieves doing what she must to stay alive. She is mistrustful and skilled. These attributes mean that she is exploited by her master in order to further his limited fortune. She is easy to identify with as she constantly finds herself out of her depth in a world she doesn’t truly comprehend. Other less skilful writers could have easily mishandled the character and portrayed her as a naive and whinny, but Sanderson makes Vin likeable and the reader automatically roots for her.By contrast Kelsier is far more arrogant and assured. Rather than a negative attribute this works in his favour as he is good humoured with it. He has power beyond most humans but these also have their limitations making vulnerable at times. Out of all the characters, Kelsier is perhaps the most complex. Sanderson slowly reveals his past to the reader and provides some insight into his motivation for wishing to overthrow the nobility. This is cleverly done as the reader is never entirely sure if they are being told the truth and are constantly second guessing the character.There are a host of other characters who all feel more fleshed out then your average secondary roles. Elend for example is great as the unique noble out to displease his father and every turn. Then there is Sazed who is charged with looking out for Vin. He is a Yoda-esque type mentor without possessing neither the lofty position nor the same power.Another clever facet to the plot is the chief antagonist. Sanderson keeps the identity of the supreme ruler a secret. We see very little of the man that everyone wants to overthrow and the idea is effective. The reader is desperate to know more about him and although we see elements of his power and the dominance of his excellent henchmen in the form of the Inquistors we don’t ever meet him until well into the novel.I mentioned the magic system as something that received a lot of attention in this book. Generally I dislike magic in fantasy if it is the main focus. I especially hate it when individuals are super powered or it is used as a deus ex machine. The Final Empire is an example of where magic is prevalent but handled well. The rules are clearly defined and the reader is aware of the limitations of the characters. The idea behind the magic system is imaginative and simple. Power is derived from ingesting different types of metals. These metals provide varying properties that enhance the way the body functions. Use too much metal and when the user runs out, their body will not be able to cope. It is a great idea and explained well. There are no large passages where information is dumped on the reader. Instead it is all explained organically through dialogue.Speaking of dialogue, this is another strong point. Conversations feel natural. Banter between Vin and the other members of her team is genuinely funny and it never fills as if Sanderson is trying too hard to get the message across.The ending of the novel is brilliant. It has a suitably epic feel. This may be the first book in a quadulogy but it easily stands by itself. All the main plot elements are answered or wrapped up nicely with enough left over to make you excited for the second novel.Overall, it is my own fault but I feel cheated that I left it this long before reading Sanderson. I loved this book and I will definitely be devouring everything he writes from now on.My rating: 9.3

Book Review - The Explorer (JS)

The Explorer by James Smyth

I found this book, while browsing for something new to read on my Kindle, I read the description, and thought the story sounded a like ‘Alien’ and as the price tag was low, I thought it was worth a look. 
This is the description:
A tense, claustrophobic and gripping science fiction thriller from the author of The Testimony. When journalist Cormac Easton is selected to document the first manned mission into deep space, he dreams of securing his place in history as one of humanity’s great explorers. However, in space, nothing goes according to plan. The crew wake from hyper sleep to discover their captain dead in his allegedly fail-proof safety pod. They mourn, and Cormac sends a beautifully written eulogy back to Earth. The word from ground control is unequivocal: no matter what happens, the mission must continue. However, as the body count begins to rise, Cormac finds himself alone and spiralling towards his own inevitable death … unless he can do something to stop it.
This book showed me the danger of only reading product descriptions. I have done it before many times, and it has always been fine. As I said, with this one, I thought it sounded like ‘Alien’ but soon found out that I could not have been more wrong.
Without giving too much of the plot away, you have a crew of astronauts sent out on a mission to travel into space, to see things that no other human has seen. At a certain point, the ship would turn and the crew would return home.  The non-scientist on board the ship, Cormac the journalist, would send reports back to show people back home how they were all doing.  The journey starts with tragedy as when the crew awaken from their sleep, they find their Captain dead, but they journey on, determined that this will not alter anything. One by one, the rest of the crew die or are incapacitated until only Cormac is left to cope with what happens next.
Therefore, I started with big hopes of the story, but these soon faded and I found myself being bogged down and actually thought of giving up on it.  Cormac tells the story, now if you are going to have one character left in a story like then you really need to make him likeable or at least interesting. I found him annoying and as later on in the book you are told the back-story regarding his relationship with his wife, I found myself disliking him for most of the book 
Though this is a sci-fi book, do not worry about not understanding the science. If anything the science in this tale, is a little bit odd and you find yourself saying, ‘but that doesn’t make any sense at all!’ I mentioned my dislike of Cormac, well unfortunately there is also no real connection made with the rest of the crew. At first, the reader just is told the order in which they die in, then you see them through Cormac’s interviews, it is only later on in the book that they become more real and you understand what is driving Guy to do what he does. By then though I’m afraid to say that you have lost a lot of the interest that you had as a reader.
The writing through out the book is not the best, with a slow pace, and I found it monotonous at times. Once you reach the halfway point however, it does pick up, and it becomes slightly more interesting, so you find yourself going along with it, just to see what happens next so though I did think about giving up, I persevered, and am glad in a way that I did.
This is the first book I have read of this author, and I must say that after this book, I’m not inclined to read much more of his, it’s also given me a warning about just relying on product reviews.
6 out of 10 Show More Show Less

Book Review - Rats

Rats – James Herbert   

Anyone my age would know that growing up horror books were the cool thing to read. In particular there were two novels that everyone seemed to read, Stephen King’s “IT” and James Herbert’s “Rats.”
I’ve read a few novels by James Herbert and always enjoyed them with the exception of one. He is best known for his “Rats” trilogy though and so I thought it was about time I honoured his memory by reading his most famous work.
The Blurb:
It was only when the bones of the first devoured victims were discovered that the true nature and power of these swarming black creatures with their razor sharp teeth and the taste for human blood began to be realised by a panic-stricken city. For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time – suddenly, shockingly, horribly – the balance of power had shifted…
First of all this book is short. At 208 pages it positively flies by. It is also unusual in that although there is a main character in Harris, the majority of the book is comprised of introducing a character, providing a little insight into their background and then having the rats attack.
This formula shouldn’t work. I expected the novel to become very monotonous and tedious very quickly. However, the opposite happens in fact. Each attack feels different. Some are gruesome, some are almost comical but all the time the attacks advance the plot along at a frantic pace. Through the attacks we learn more and more about the rats and their sinister behaviour.
A lot of the characters Herbert introduces are very good. In a short space he makes the reader care for them. Some of them I did not want to leave and knowing this is the first book in a trilogy, I hope they will make an appearance again.
Harris is a good protagonist. As a teacher he becomes embroiled with the rats when one of his pupils is bitten. At first he is a reluctant hero, but gradually he develops over the course of the novel. He is a realist and offers a more holistic overview of the situation as opposed to the narrowed view of the government who try to address the problem without fully understanding it.
As I have already mentioned, Herbert does not hold back on his descriptions. The rats are extremely creepy and the images of gore are quite vivid. Herbert shows no prejudice over who he kills off, nor does he shy away from the description. At times I winced at the page which does not happen a lot to me.
The ending of the novel is wrapped up quite quickly. It is satisfying but not epic. I got the impression that this was more of a stopping point that a conclusion to the story and the sequel is hinted at nicely.
Overall, “Rats” is a perfect example of how a short novel can work well. It is genuinely scary in places and well written.
My rating: 9.0

Book Review - Grave Peril (JS)

Grave Peril – The Dresden Files Book 3 by Jim Butcher

Review by Jacqui Slaney
Having read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, I was pleased when this book came to the top of my too read pile and I soon found my self caught up in a tale of monsters, vampires and many ghosts.
This is the description:
Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them do not play well with humans. That is where Harry comes in. Harry has faced some terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only wizard in town. But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: the spirit world's gone loco. All over town, ghosts are causing trouble - and not the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone is stirring them up to wreak havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he might just wind up a ghost himself.
Magic - it can get a guy killed.
You definitely need to have read the first two books to enjoy this story properly, as there are quite a few references to what has gone on before, especially about the incident with the werewolves. However, for those who know Harry, you will find him as good a character as ever. His relationship with the reporter Susan has become more romantic, with Harry trying to say a certain three words, but failing miserably. To be fail to him though he is slightly busy working with his friend Michael, a sword wielding Knight of God, trying to stop a ghost from killing a hospital nursery full of newborns.
In this story, you see a small glimpse into Harry’s younger life and his relationship with his Godmother, who as you would expect is a genuine fairy and not someone who you would really want to mess with. You also read about the other creatures that seem to live in this world, if live is the right word. Again I seem to have found a book stuffed full of vampires, (everything I read lately seems to have a link to them, and I keep finding films about them on the TV!) here you read about the different types- who knew there were more than one! However, you will love to hate Marva from the black court and will like Thomas from the white court I think, whist Bianca from the Red court who the reader has met before from Book 1 is definitely to be avoided
I want to be careful not to give away any of the plot, I know how annoying reviews are that spoil what is going to happen in the book, so  just let me say that the plot line is clever, and the description of what is torturing Ghosts and humans alike is quite gruesome.
The same dry humour runs through the book, and the interaction between Harry and his ultra good friend Michael is well written.
If I have a complaint, it is because for a while at the start of the book, I thought I had somehow missed a book out. There is talk of an event that happened between the characters, which involved the police, Harry and Michael and has a direct link to this book. It is something quite major but it is just mentioned in passing so for a little while I was a bit lost and actually went back to check that this was actually book 3.
This is a small complaint, and as the story goes on, you do find out a bit more about it, the other small annoyance is Harry’s use of the phrase ‘ Hells Bell’s’ , which after a while grated slightly on me. 
These are just minor things, and do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book at all.
8 out of 10

Book Review - Last to die

Last to Die – Tess Gerritsen

Ten books in and despite reading scores of books every year, I still am first in line to purchase a new Rizzoli and Isles book. Of course, the fact that I never get round to reading the book until much later when it is greatly reduced in price is rather stupid in terms of my financial situation. Still, I believe in supporting my favourite authors.
The Blurb:
For the second time in his short life, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre. Two years ago, he barely escaped when his entire family was slaughtered. Now, at fourteen, in a hideous echo of the past, Teddy is the lone survivor of his foster family's mass murder. Orphaned once more, the traumatized teenager has nowhere to turn - until the Boston PD puts detective Jane Rizzoli on the case. But no sooner does her investigation begin than Teddy's life almost ends . . . again. Suddenly, what seemed like a grisly coincidence is unmasked as the mission of a relentless killer.

Jane spirits Teddy to the exclusive Evensong boarding school, a sanctuary where young victims of violent crime learn the secrets and skills of survival in a dangerous world. But even behind locked gates, and surrounded by acres of sheltering Maine wilderness, Jane fears that Evensong's mysterious benefactors aren't the only ones watching. When strange blood-splattered dolls are found dangling from a tree, Jane knows that her instincts are dead on. And when she meets Will Kennedy and Claire Ward, students whose tragic pasts bear a shocking resemblance to Teddy's, it becomes chillingly clear that a circling predator has more than one victim in mind.

Joining forces with her trusted partner, medical examiner Maura Isles, Jane is determined to keep these orphans safe from harm. But an unspeakable secret dooms the children's fate - unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer's twisted quest.“Last to Die” sees the return of one of my favourite factions in the series in the Mephisto Club. It is a society that believes evil as an entity exists and they are out to thwart it. The plot focuses on the lives of three children who have all lost their parents whilst surviving the incidents themselves. Two years later they also survive successful attacks on their guardians.
Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles are determined to find the link between the three cases despite the geographical spread of the incidents.
This novel sees a slightly more gentle Maura Isles. Having adopted a boy who she survived an ordeal herself with, she is far more compassionate towards the fate of the three children. The “Ice Queen” is replaced by a more caring woman who is tired of Boston and how others regard her. The Police force still hold her in contempt for the fact that she testified against one of her own and Maura is determined not to put up with the turmoil in her life any longer.
Jane Rizzoli is as tenacious as ever. She knows there is a link in the cases and even when others are happy to close down the investigation she cannot let it go. Her determination sees Jane go behind her bosses back and incur his wrath. It is an interesting situation as she is placed under pressure not just to solve the case before the killer can strike again but also has a time constraint to get a result before her boss discovers what she is doing.We also see a more remorseful Jane. She is guilty of blaming Maura for doing the right thing and it is quite touching to see how upset she becomes at the thought of losing her friend.
The points of view of the children who are the victims are all well portrayed. Each has their own angst and insecurities and you are never quite sure if they are reliable narrators or not.As with all stories in this series the plot weaves and bobs throwing in red herring after red herring. I will say one thing for Tess Gerritsen, if any other author tried to implement a plot element so outlandish that it verged on ridiculous then I would be angry. With Tess though, the idea just made me excited.
If there is a weakness, it is that throughout the novel, Tess provides a random point of view from a character reliving the past. These snippets of information are okay, but they clearly sign post what is behind all the killings. There is a little twist at the end, but I feel the novel would have been stronger without these passages.
The end of the novel is filled with the tension you come to expect from Tess. In some books the conclusion is wrapped up in a page or two, in this novel the tension mounts nicely and the end sequence is well handled, drawn out and exciting.
Overall, this is a great entry into the series. Tess Gerritsen is one author that has not suffered a dip in my opinion. Roll on the next entry.
My rating: 8.9