The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

Within O’Malley’s The Rook there is an interesting blending of two fairly popular genres. The first is the spy novel. We are treated to secrecy and intrigue at the highest levels, impersonations, investigations, and infiltrations abound and sufficient baddies and brawls to sate followers of Ian Fleming’s notorious 007. Second, elements of urban fantasy/paranormal, which seems to continue in popularity.

The Rook opens out protagonist (Myfanwy Thomas) coming to in a rainy park with no memory of who she is or why she is so bruised and sore, seemingly from fighting, and surrounded by dead bodies. In fact, only a note from her past even lets Myfanwy even know her name and that her memory and even her personality have been erased. As she tries to grasp what happened and find out who is behind it, we learn that is a high level member of the Checquy, an organization that battles supernatural threats to Britain. As Thomas struggles to impersonate past, wiped-personality, she also learns that there is a plot afoot to overthrow not only the Checquy group, but to also invade England. To make matters worse, it is someone within the Checquy leadership that attacked Thomas and the plot to take over England.

Initially, the concept of this supernatural organization feels a bit like a spin-off of the X-men, with some powers that seem just odd. However, O’Malley does introduce a character by the name of Gestalt, who is one mind in control of 4 bodies and does some rather interesting things with the concept.

Stylistically, we are subjected to letters from the old Thomas giving useful but ill-timed information right as the new Thomas is about to start something dangerous. The effect is very similar to mini-cliffhanger commercial breaks in TV shows.

While The Rook does have the feel of a debut novel, it is still an entertaining read. Also, with some more experience and polish, I can easily see O’Malley taking this spy/paranormal/fantasy genre some very interesting and fun places.

Alif the Unseen

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl ditches boy for another. While this could invariably be the story of my life, it is rather the rollicking tale of a brilliant hacker known only as Alif in G. Willow Wilson’s Alif the Unseen. The novel takes place in an unnamed Middle Eastern security state where Alif uses his talents to shield from surveillance anyone who desires online anonymity, regardless of beliefs or politics. However, a tremor of fear is spreading among Alif’s clients as a mysterious digital presence coined the Hand of God appears responsible for a string of hacked accounts. Add to this stew a pinch of heartache: the sudden ending of Alif’s relationship with the love of his life, the beautiful Intisar, due to her betrothal to another man, and things start to heat up. When Intisar sends him an ancient and allegedly jinn-dictated tome known as Alf Yeom wa Yeom (The Thousand and One Days) and Alif finds himself on the run from the state, this tale kicks into a rolling boil and doesn’t let up until it spills over into a full-blown revolution. Along the way, Alif picks up many unexpected allies, human and otherwise, finds himself in some rather fantastic places, and learns what true love is really all about. While some of the hacker lingo bandied about was a bit beyond me, I found Alif the Unseen to be quite an enjoyable and thoughtfully crafted fantasy. I think what I loved most about it were the characters, from the dangerous and otherworldly Vikram the Vampire to the devout and fatherly Sheikh Bilal, not to mention the ever-faithful Dina and the wise-cracking NewQuarter, whose comic outbursts had me laughing out loud. I felt they all balanced each other beautifully and it was a treat to get to know them. This is not a creature-of-the-month demon-slayer urban fantasy like most seem to be nowadays, but rather an adventure stitched from the myths, magic, and upheavals of the Middle East. I wasn’t familiar with G. Willow Wilson before I read Alif the Unseen, but now I’ll definitely be watching to see what she comes up with next.  

Werewolves, Vampires and Fae

I found a new author, guess she isn't really new, it's just the first time I read one of her books.  I like fantasy, suspense fiction and action packed stories that have well developed characters.  Patricia Briggs offers her readers all that in her Mercedes Thompson novels.  I should know I spent the past few days reading Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, and Silver Borne. Tonight I'll probably read, River Marked (yep, just finished it).  Then I have to wait a year for her next in the series, Frost Burned (sigh) . 

Her books are similar to Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series, except Patty does not include explicit sex scenes. She has vampires, werewolves, fae and of course good old humans. Mercedes is a walker, this makes her not fully human, not a werewolf, vampire or fae but something other. She is still learning what a walker is and it seems no one can tell her what she is or rather those who know are not willing to part with the knowledge.  I am guessing because it will give Mercedes power. Unlike Anita Blake, Mercedes does not heal quickly. Yet she gets in a mess of trouble all the time just like Anita.  They don't usually start the trouble but both heroines end up finishing it.  If you enjoy Urban Fantasy and don't mind fight scenes, give the Mercedes Thompson series or the Anita Blake Series a try.  Another similar title is Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Harris blends horror, mystery and a bit of romance into her own paranormal series, which includes vampires and werewolves.   Her witty style makes her novels a fun read and the touch of horroe hooks you and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Need a New Read?

I just read, Chicks Kick Butt. It's a compilation of short novellas from many authors. All the stories have female heroines, who (obviously) get the bad guys and save the day. I checked this book out because one of the primary authors is Rachel Caine. I enjoyed her weather warden series and thought this might be a good read. Little did I realize the book would lead me to new authors that I never read before. The short stories allow you a glimpse at the writing style of each author (and man are there authors to choose from!). There are 14 authors/stories in this book. Each story is very short, which makes for a quick read. You don't have to read it all in one sitting.

I can't wait to read a full story written by some of these authors! If you enjoy paranormal fiction, urban fantasy, dark fantasy or paranormal romance give these books a try.


Rachel Vincent's novella has characters from her Werecat Series. The first in her series is Stray. It is an urban fantasy a coming of age story for .


Karen Chance's short story, In Vino Veritas gives glimpses of characters from Midnight's Daughter. The protagonist is a special vampire, called a dhampir (half vamp, half human) can this fighter of evil uphold the senates laws and stay in one piece.

Cheyenne McCray's Double Dead shows us a private Investigator, Nyx, who is oh so much more. You definitely want her on your side if you are in trouble. You can read more about Nyx in Demons Not Included.
Lilith Saintcrow's Monsters seemed like an excerpt (and I would definitely love to read more about Eleni, Wolf and Tarquin), however in researching what story they are from I learned these characters are from some of her unfinished books. Hopefully Saintcrow will get back to them and give us more exciting stories to read. if you'd like to read more of her work you can try Night Shift or Dark Watcher.

Happy Reading! I hope you find a new favorite author.

L. A. Banks (1959-2011) Rest in Peace

It is with a heavy heart that I report the death of author Leslie Esdaile Banks, who wrote urban fantasy as L. A. Banks.  She died August 2, 2011 of cancer at the age of 51. Philadelphia born Banks attended both the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University.
Her first fantasy novel was Minion, which began the Vampire Huntress series back in 2003. She has also written the Crimson Moon series and had just began a new series about angels with Surrender the Dark and the forthcoming Conquer the Dark. She also contributed stories to many paranormal romance and other anthologies. She was a fantastic writer and I would recommend her books to fantasy and romance readers alike.
Try one of her following series and enjoy the talent and wit that she always brought to the page.  We will miss her.

Vampire Huntress Legend series

Minion
The Awakening
The Hunted
The Bitten
The Forbidden
The Damned
The Forsaken
The Wicked
The Cursed
The Darkness--on order
The Shadows--on order
The Thirteenth--on order

Crimson Moon series

Bad Blood
Bite the Bullet
Undead on Arrival
Cursed to Death
Never Cry Werewolf
Left for Undead

Surrender the Dark series

Surrender the Dark
Conquer the Dark

Collections

The Ancestors--813.0873808 Ance
Valentine's Day is Killing Me--813.08505 Vale (by Leslie Esdaile)

What sort of witchery is this?

One of my jobs here at the 'brary is unpacking new books, which is pretty cool because I get to see all the new stuff before it goes out on the shelves. Now, it's said that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but let's get real: the cover is often the first thing about a book that anyone notices. The covers I've been noticing lately are those that belong to books in the urban fantasy genre, and the reason I've been noticing them is that, well, they're all pretty much the same. Let's see if I've got this right: scantily-clad women in tight leather pants holding guns, talismans, or daggers. Here's a sampling: Under Wraps, Mercy Blade, Magic at the Gate, Unclean Spirits, and Web of Lies. I've seen so many of these lately that I've begun to wonder: are hot, young twenty-somethings the only people who can save the world from demons, vampires, and other assorted nasties? I mean, aren't there any average-looking heroines just itching to kick some undead butt? None? Really? Or is sex-appeal the only weapon that counts in the war against devils and diminishing book sales? Sadly, I gather the latter's probably closer to the truth than anything; that, and the implied message that only bad girls can get the job done. I know, it's a losing argument, as I'm sure the trend of me-too book covers will continue for as long as sex sells (i.e., forever). But just once I would love for a publisher of novels of this genre to commission an artist to create artwork that isn't a goth-flavored knock-off of the cover of some racy men's magazine. Think about it: in a deluge of similar books, something truly unique just might stand out.