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52% This book really lacks flow and continuity. I've got the two story lines in hand, no problem. Now within ten pages found at the middle of the book we meet Rachel, Michael, and their child. We add a businessman who searches offshore under the guise of fishing and biological study and his secretary ( secret mistress). We've never connected anything to the prologue? Don't think I want to fight this much further.

Kevin, we are not all as schooled in Norse Mythology as you. Just dropping terms and names on us with no explanation should be a no no. In my case I can hit a dictionary or Wikipedia fast and get back to the story. But, I'm sure many of your avid readers who wish to understand and stay involved have to take the time to research and lose the pace of the tale. Pronunciation guide helps but doesn't cover all. AEsir?

50%. Bacchus has attacked tearing up Tempe, Lief has torn up Chase Field killing the vamps in town to challenge him. With these public spectacles ensuing, it's a good time to blow town. Oberon has been left with Granuaile as she takes on a task set by an elemental. Our trio has made their first 2 jumps and met up with the three who are to join them on their quest. It is now time to form a fellowship and move on.

25%.. Atticus don't go! Don't travel to other planes and don't move out of Tempe. I'll be devastated if you leave the place we both live. Except, I actually live in the area, and you live on the pages of a book. A book, that so far has lived up to expectations with new challenges and old friends. A quick trip to the plane of gods to keep a promise was wrought with danger and provided a glimpse of what follows.

Looking forward to some light, fanciful, and entertaining reading. Going in with a positive feel for this author, his characters, and his setting of choice.

Three new female characters are introduced, the Congressman's wife and two daughters. All three are trashed before a page has gone by. Along with the mothers of the three main characters, Merrin's roommate, and Glenna every female in the story has been presented as worthless or worse. Stephen, your kid has a real problem with chicks, being married or not, its loud and clear in all of his work I've read to date.

Love thy mother? “There was air-conditioning, but it was switched off. Lee had kept it off for weeks, because his mother had a harder time breathing with the humidity weighing on her. When Lee and his mother were alone in the house, he would kill the air conditioner and put an extra comforter or two on top of the old cunt.Then he’d cut her morphine, to be sure she could really feel it: the weight and the heat.”

Describing the Virgin Mother: “A china Mary—a really quite foxy Jewess in blue—was sunk down on one pious knee before an angel of the Lord .....She was reaching up, presumably for his hand, although the figure had been maneuvered so she was touching his golden thigh and looked like she was getting ready to reach for his crank." Not necessary and offensive to many. As I said: Negative on religion and women.

Joe what is it with you and personal violence. You seem to need to beat your main characters senseless at every opportunity. In this book you seem to hate God, religion, and women as well. Get some help man.

50%. Our protag is bouncing from past to present. He knows who killed Merrin and wants to end their life. But the guilty party, unlike everyone else, seems unaffected by Ig's suggestions. Ig appears to be getting more demonic. He is being followed by snakes and manifesting more powers. The second quarter of the book was almost a coming of age story. Now the devil is back and in a quandary about how to proceed.

25%. Nothing special about this book but it is entertaining and a fast read. The present was set out for us to see, now we're in the past filling in the background of boy meets girl, boy loves girl, girl dies, boy gets accused of murder. To embellish the usual tale we add: boy grows horns, reads minds, can make people do stuff. It is truly sad and shocking to our protag to hear how much his loved ones despise him.

“With her tattoos and her paste-on nails, her bookshelf full of Dean Koontz novels, her cigarettes and her rap sheet, etc.". Hey Joe, why down on Dean? You should write as well!

Don't mean to beat a dead horse but I just had to consult my slang dictionary for some terms. JK make it easy, huh?

Too much gratuitous profanity. Granted, profane language is rampant in common street talk, but Rowling over does it. The story could be told with less profanity, slang and multiple descriptive adjectives per noun. Rowling had to know that she would eventually be linked to this book, thus, drawing the Tweens she attracted through Harry Potter. She could have been more responsible about the text she presented to them.

50% not much new...story developing. Run of the mill crime drama/ mystery nothing special easy solve but entertaining to read. Too much descriptive language and still very British which can be a mystery to the non-Brit.

25% The characters are laid bare and the plot set. Rowling's writing still lacks the universal plainness necessary to court an international market. Just as in "Casual Vacancy", if your not a Brit you'll be lost in much of the dialogue: "She dun gerron with ’er, though". I lived there and get it, most non-Brits will not. Who really left the club in the wolf mask? What's John Bristow's agenda? Is Wilson honest?

Well we're down to our core of heroes, all others eaten. Our murderer has a plan that will soon bring him near the other protag's and the Brit Doc is on the way. Dean has the pieces in place for the final part of the story. My guess is freezing as a methodology of death. It could just be the old standby: Electrocution? As we move into the final part of the story I am still enthralled as I turn the pages. Read on...

We're moving now. Professor on the move, prisoner escaped and on the move, time for Dean to put the pieces together.

Classic Koontz from 1983. Fast paced page turner with a unique monster to entertain us. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop with the British professor and his wild theories yet to be related but merely insinuated. The caves? What is it that ties all the sites he alluded to with each other. Our heroine is holding up well as is the sheriff. Romance in the air. Sis is not a brat. Our prisoner remains locked up.

Oh, and my lawyer's name is Hal. But I don't think he's a werewolf. Somewhat of a vampire though. Thank God!

Liking the personal familiarity. I live near Tempe where the story is set. I share his surname and frequent his favorite pub. The only things missing is my dog is not an Irish Wolfhound and I'm not good with a sword. The story builds as he fears both the assassins sent for him and the law. His werewolf lawyer is at hand to protect him from at least one of these. I think the law? We'll soon see.

Many compare Hearne to Butcher I heartily agree. Had the same thought before I read others saying it. Most of the criticism is that it is light - "cheesy", as one person said. So what? It's escapism after all. I could read Dickens if I wanted "Dickens". I'm happy with some occasional cheese, although that is not my opinion so far. Light and fanciful is fun sometimes. Geez! Lighten up with the literary snobbery.

Truly enjoying it so far. Have to struggle a bit with the Gaelic but since I am planning to read the series it is worth the time. I especially enjoy the humor: "You are telling me that your lawyer is a bloodsucking vampire?”..had to laugh out loud at that one. (He is a vampire by the way) I had a hard time not to think "aren't they all?" Hearne builds his story and characters carefully with just enough detail.

Sleigh House: well, Joe killed off another and beat up Vic one more time. His imagery of language may be the best I've ever read. Grew up in New England but never thought that Mosquitos smelled like "...an odor a bit like stripped wire, a bit like rain.” Or that “Fantasy was always only a reality waiting to be switched on.” Back to the story....the final showdown about to happen in Christmasland.

Here, IA: Here (no pun intended) we go again with Vic getting beat on. This time more self inflicted than assault.This should be a major part of the story. Also: As you read about Manx, picture Monte Burns, as in the Simpsons but taller and you've got him down: Overbite, bald, spotted, nose, chin, age it's all there. His sidekick, Bing, was different physically from Smithers, but the relationship was about the same.

Christmasland: Bored by Vic continuously being assaulted. How stupid is she not to see it coming? She is beat up again and again but never seems to stay hurt. It's unbelievable & not contributory to the plot. Even in this genre the constant abuse is redundant to the point of Absurdity without adding to the story. One would have to be a masochist to not be put off by this recurring theme. Enough gratuitous violence.

Forgot to say something about Wayne's hallucinations that apparently started in the night? The villain hasn't yet arrived with his can of sleep, what's happening to Wayne? Does he have some of his mom's psychic power?

The lake House: the twists and turns are dizzying now...Hill's descriptive language is superb. You can hear or see or smell what he is describing because he makes comparative generalizations of his script that anyone can recognize. The plot has taken another turn and we worry about Wayne's safety. Does Hooper bite? Hope so.

Interlude...."well dead, not to mention well done". Some really black humor about a burning man. The story has picked up and is becoming a real page turner. With so much left I'm wondering where the story will take me.

Other end of the Bridge....starting to come together, finally! I think I'll finish it after all. Slow start lets see how the first half of the middle goes. At least we've identified the protag as the brat.