Surrounded by enemies

Book Review:  Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Linnet seems to have it all -- she's smart, beautiful, and wealthy.  She cherishes her independence and scoffs at the idea of marriage -- until she meets her best friend's fiance, Simon Boyle.  Within a few months, Linnet and Simon are married -- and Linnet's former best friend Jackie is furious.

Hercule Poirot is on holiday in Egypt when he encounters Linnet and Simon on their honeymoon.  Jackie is there as well; she's been following them everywhere and it's wearing on Linnet's nerves.  Jackie even manages to book herself on the same Nile cruise, even though Simon booked passage under an assumed name, in the hopes of losing her for a short time.

Linnet attempts to employ Poirot to convince Jackie to stop following them but he declines.  He feels sorry for Jackie, however, and tries to convince her to let go of the past, to no avail.  And then, one night after Poirot has gone to bed, Jackie shoots Simon in front of witnesses.  It's only a leg wound but later that night, Linnet is shot in the head.  Jackie is under observation, so she couldn't have done it.  Who did?


Once again, stereotyping is an issue -- ugh.  That said, this was another fascinating mystery.  Christie excels at making all manner of distracting circumstances plausible; there's no shortage of crimes or suspects.  Poirot keeps at least one significant clue to himself, which is annoying, but there are enough clues to allow an attentive reader to arrive at the same conclusions he did.  Unfortunately, that reader was not me -- once again, I needed him to spell it out for me and then it made perfect sense.  One of these days, Poirot, I will figure out a mystery before you reveal the answer . . . .

It's better to give than to receive surprises

Book Review:  Taltos by Steven Brust

The fourth book in the Vlad Taltos series, Taltos, takes us back in time to the events before Yendi.  So, if you're keeping track, the fourth book in the series is the first book chronologically -- so far. While I'm normally a stickler for seeing characters develop in a linear fashion, I also enjoy a good flashback.  This was an excellent flashback.

When we first saw Vlad, Morrolan, Sethra, and Aliera together in Jhereg, they were friendly, despite the fact that Vlad was both an Easterner and a member of the House of Jhereg, and the other three were Dragaerans of the House of Dragon.  Well, Morrolan and Aliera at least -- I'm not sure which House Sethra was born into, but she's two hundred thousand years old and a force to be reckoned with.  Dragaerans typically look down upon members of other Houses; Dragaerans also typically despise Easterners so it's a toss-up as to what they'll find most offensive about Vlad.  Having been regularly beaten by Dragaerans since he was a young child, Vlad generally hates all of them on principle.  So, how did this foursome become so friendly?

It all began when Morrolan and Sethra needed an Easterner who could handle a difficult task.  Why an Easterner?  Because Dragaerans rely a great deal on sorcery for protection and they don't think to include Easterners among the things they need to protect themselves against.  That difficult task led to another, this one likely impossible, a journey to and return from the Paths of the Dead.  The journey there was merely tricky -- it was the journey back that was the problem.  And it was the journey back that forged the bonds among them.

I've been curious about Vlad and Morrolan's trip to the Paths of the Dead since catching the mention of it in Jhereg and I wasn't disappointed.  It's an eerie place.  Vlad offers description of it, of course, but his, Loiosh's, and Morrolan's reactions to it bring it to life.  As creepy as this place is, there's still humor -- Vlad is simply an entertaining narrator, even when he's scared out of his wits.

A second storyline gives us more details about Vlad's relationship with both his father and his grandfather (love Noish-pa!).  Noish-pa refers to the Dragaerans as elfs and creatures of Faerie; he also remembers his home in the East as having a blue sky, white clouds, and a yellow sun (the Empire has an oppressive orange-red sky).  So many questions!  One -- what happened to the sky in the Empire?  Two -- why are Easterners leaving the East, with its pretty skies, to live in a dreary land where they are despised for being Easterners?  Three -- the specific mention of elves and faerie makes me think of our mythology -- is this fictional world set on Earth in the future?  Or, are the Easterners transplants from Earth?  *Jhereg informs us that aliens were up to all sorts of shenanigans, way back when.  Perhaps Dragaerans and Easterners began as the same race?  They both refer to themselves as human but there are clear genetic differences between them.

So many questions!  But back to a general overview of the book -- there's a reason why this book takes its name from its protagonist rather than one of the Great Houses of the Dragaeran Empire -- not only does it offer more detail about Vlad's childhood, but it also offers more detail about Vlad's transition from working in his dad's restaurant, to becoming an enforcer, to becoming an assassin.  We're given given insight into the first time Vlad *knew* he killed someone, as well as the first time he accepted work as an assassin -- and his reactions to both events.  And we're left with questions about Vlad's mother and Kiera.  Who was Vlad's mother and what happened to her?  Can Kiera see the future?  I suspect she can.  What is Vlad's ultimate role in the Empire?  There must be a reason Kiera looks out for him.

A third storyline, and the only one that bothered me as such, was the extended scene of Vlad working a spell.  Each chapter begins with a snippet of that scene, which actually takes place at the end of the book.  I imagine the glimpses of Vlad working a spell were meant to foreshadow the gravity of the situation at the end but I personally think it would have worked better in one piece, at the end.  I re-read those bits, all together, after finishing the book, and I stand by that opinion. 

You say you want a revolution

Book Review:  Teckla by Steven Brust

The third book in the Vlad Taltos series immediately follows the events of the first book, Jhereg.  Vlad is contemplating what to do with his new wealth, maybe build Cawti that castle she's been wanting?  Their domestic bliss is interrupted by Cawti's involvement with a determined group of revolutionaries who want better lives for two of the Empire's most downtrodden groups -- the Easterners and the Teckla.

I love the relationship between Vlad and Cawti, so this was a tough read for me.  Cawti is committed to this cause and Vlad is not.  However, he is consumed by the fear that her involvement with this group will get her killed and he does what he can to protect her -- even if it means the end of their marriage.

The nature of this storyline also forces Vlad to examine his life's choices much more closely than he cares to.  It has me wondering what lies next for the snarky assassin.

 

Between love and madness lies obsession . . .

Book Review:  Prized Possessions by L.R. Wright

Two plots collide in the 5th Karl Alberg mystery.  The book begins with a tense scene between Charlie O'Brea and his wife Emma -- and then jumps ahead, one year later.  Emma seems content, Charlie seems . . . haunted.  One stormy night, Charlie doesn't return home and Emma is worried.  When there's still no word from him the next day, Emma contacts his office, only to discover that he no longer works there.  On compassionate leave after the death of his father, Staff Sergeant Karl Alberg agrees to investigate.

Outside of town, a troubled young man loses his temper when he thinks that a pretty college girl has insulted him.  He tries to make amends afterwards but, again feels slighted.  He wants to teach her a lesson.  A devastating series of choices will bring him directly to Emma.

Another excellent story from Wright.  The Charlie/Emma storyline slowly reveals its secrets through reflections on the past, mostly from Emma, whose only goal in life was to be the best wife ever.  Eddie's storyline is simply horrifying.  Karl faces questions about his future and his relationship with Cassandra.

If you like atmospheric, psychological suspense, this is an excellent series to try.  I reviewed the first 4 titles on my wordpress blog if you'd like to check them out.  Here are the links:

Karl Alberg 1:  The Suspect

Karl Alberg 2:  Sleep While I Sing

Karl Alberg 3:  A Chill Rain in January 

Karl Alberg 4: Fall From Grace

Relationship Status: It's Complicated

Book Review:  Yendi by Steven Brust

Sometimes people fall in love, get married, and later wish the other person dead.  Assassins Vlad and Cawti went about things differently.  Cawti was hired to kill Vlad and succeeded -- luckily she didn't make it permanent and he was revived -- they both were.  Impressed with one another, they fall in love.  And they discover that there's more to the turf war that brought them together than it appears. 

The second book in the Vlad Taltos series takes us back before the events of Jhereg, to his early days, when he first began expanding his role from merely assassin to boss of an area.  The Jhereg is known for its criminal activity and it's not a surprise that Vlad is challenged by another area boss.  But it's not good for anyone that their turf war captures the attention of the Empress -- or is it?

As with the first book in this series, there's an intricately plotted mystery at the center of the story.  We learn more about Vlad's complicated relationships with dragaerans Morrolan, Aliera, and Sethra.  We learn what led to him becoming an assassin.  And we learn more about yet another of the 17 Great Houses of the Dragaeran Empire:  the House of Yendi.  Each House has certain characteristics -- while there's nothing distinctive about the appearance of the Yendi, they have a reputation for elaborate schemes, manipulations, and deceptions.  Only a Yendi can unravel a Yendi's schemes . . . . 

I confess, this story started off a bit slow for me.  Early in Jhereg, we saw Vlad trying to prevent another Dragon-Jhereg war, so it was easy to cheer for him despite his profession.  Yendi shows us his early mob boss days and there was nothing for me to like there.  It wasn't until he met Cawti that I began to warm up to him this time.  That's also when it was discovered that there was more to the turf war than one Jhereg's desire to move in on another's territory.  At that point, I fell back in love with the series.  Up next:  Teckla.

I read a book about an assassin and I liked it

Book Review:  Jhereg by Steven Brust

Vlad Taltos is a human on a world dominated by dragaerans.  Human in appearance, dragaerans are different from humans in a few ways -- most notably, dragaerans are much taller and live for centuries rather than decades.  While there's a fair amount of prejudice towards members of different dragaeran Houses, most are united in their disdain for humans.  And yet, Vlad has managed to thrive.  There's a good deal of criminal activity in the Jhereg and when you need someone taken out, he's one of the best assassins money can buy.  Which is why a leading member of the council of House Jhereg, known as the Demon, approaches him to assassinate a former council member, Lord Mellar.  For reasons known only to himself, Mellar has placed the house in a precarious position and to prevent further damage he must be taken out.

Wow.  This is one of the most intricately plotted mysteries I've read -- and, genre-wise, the book is somewhere between fantasy and science fiction.  I loved every page of this book.  I'm amazed at the amount of world-building, mystery, humor, and character development Brust managed to blend into a such a slim volume.  And who knew that I would enjoy a story in which the protagonist is an assassin?  It helps that his target in this story is not an innocent.  It also helps that death isn't always a permanent condition in this world -- resurrection is quite common -- sometimes assassination is merely meant as a warning.  That said, the Demon wants Mellar taken out permanently and Vlad is determined to make it happen.

Vlad is likeable, despite being an assassin -- he's sharp, he's honorable, and he's an entertaining narrator.  In addition to being an assassin, Vlad is also a witch and he has a small flying lizard-like creature as a familiar.  Loiosh is wonderfully snarky and the two spend a fair bit of time exchanging good-natured insults (psionically, of course, because that's how they roll).

Vlad's target, Mellar, is an intriguing character as well.  As I said, he's not an innocent -- far from it.  A dragaeran, he's had centuries to plan the events now in play -- and he's every bit as good a planner as Vlad.  To figure out how to carry out the assassination in a way that won't result in another war among the Houses, Vlad first has to figure out what Mellar's end game is.

This may be one of the more complex fictional worlds I've encountered.  It's definitely one of the most tightly written.  I've already checked out the second book in the series, Yendi.  Do yourself a favor and check out Jhereg for yourself -- I've barely given you a hint of just how awesome it is.

Zombies, politicians, and social media, oh my!

Book Review:  Feed by Mira Grant

In 2014, cures for the common cold and for cancer have been found but together they combine to create something far worse: a viral infection that reanimates the dead.  Believing reports of zombies to be hoaxes, the traditional news media doesn’t follow up; bloggers do.  By the time siblings Georgia and Shaun Mason are ready to launch their own blog, blogs have become the news medium most people trust.  Senator Peter Ryman recognizes this and invites their team to join him as he treks across the country, campaigning for the Presidency.  Zombie attacks follow but when it comes to Zombies Vs. Politicians, the politicians are still scarier.

I could not put this book down—I LOVED it, even when it made me cry.  Grant has done an amazing job creating a believable world that includes zombies but it’s far more than a book about the ravenous, reanimated dead.  The heart of the story revolves around Georgia, Shaun, journalism & politics and Grant explores each facet well.  Exceptional world-building, strong characters and snappy dialogue.  I’m definitely reading the next book in the trilogy, Deadline, and anxiously awaiting the third book, Blackout.

*Originally posted on my wordpress blog, Lighthearted Librarian, on November 1, 2011.  Despite my best intentions, I haven't read Deadline or Blackout yet, but they are still on my To Read list.  There's also a corresponding collection of short fiction, Rise, which is now on my list as well.