Hired by a Demon, by Gypsy Madden

Hired by a Demon, the debut novel by indie author, Gypsy Madden, takes us into a paranormal reality, and entertains us well. Hired by a Demon is an action-packed adventure that bodes well for her future works. I found it to be  creative, ingenious, and a roller-coaster of adventure.

The Blurb:

Three years without a word from the magical half of the planet, and suddenly there was a demon in Vara’s bedroom. Samanith, the representative of the sinister Kendrick & Clarke Temp Agency, had come to offer her a simple baby-sitting position. What Sam neglected to mention was that the ‘baby’ was a headstrong teenage girl, heir to a fortune, the only daughter of the Agency’s most influential client, and she had been bitten by a werewolf.

Dogged by guilt over her father’s mysterious disappearance, which she suspects has been caused by the demons to keep her in line, Vara finds herself facing her brooding former boyfriend, currently working as the heiress’s bodyguard. He still harbors a grudge over their breakup and has resolved to make her job an unpleasant one.

Will Vara survive the rabid wolf instincts growing inside the teenage heiress who hungers for her magic? Or the lecherous tabloid reporter determined to turn the situation into a front page scandal? Or the pack of wolf hunters who want the heiress dead, and possibly Vara too, and all because she had been HIRED BY A DEMON.

My Review:

Vara’s charge is the daughter of an extremely wealthy, powerful man, Lord Stadler. The family is nobility, and don’t you forget it. Arrogance and privilege ooze from their pores.  Just keeping track of Laris is a trick—she does as she pleases, and those who wish to save her must somehow work around her willful misbehavior, or woe unto them.

Sam, of course, has an agenda of his own, and his meddling goes well beyond his messing with Vara’s life. But he’s a demon, so what do you expect?

The action is non-stop and the mood swings from dark to funny and back to dark, keeping the very original plot moving along. I enjoyed the attraction between Laris and Vara, and Laris and Austen, and Laris and Richard. In fact, the attraction between Laris and nearly everyone quite intense, and appears to be a fundamental part of her magic.

There are some quite hilarious moments. Can I just say that I LOVED the gargoyles?   But even with the humor, this book isn’t all fun and games by any means. There is a real, compelling dark tale here with a deep plot for the reader to sink into, and many tantalizing threads that finally come together in the end.  

I had a great time reading this book.  I highly recommend Hired by a Demon for a great weekend read!

Heart Search 2 - Found, by Carlie M.A.Cullen

This week we taking a little trip off the beaten path and this time we are stepping into the world of paranormal romance Heart Search 2 - Found, by indie author Carlie M.A. Cullen.

The Blurb:

One bite started it all . . .

Another mysterious disappearance sparks a frightening chain of events for Remy and her family. Events foretold come to pass, and more strange and alarming occurrences assail her life. Where can she turn?

Coven politics continue to threaten Joshua’s existence, but an even bigger menace looms.

And Remy’s life hangs in the balance – can Joshua save her?

Fate still toys with mortals and immortals alike, as hearts torn apart by darkness confront perils which could lead to their doom.

My Review:

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and was not disappointed in this book. The story picks up where it left off in Heart Search 1- Lost, but you don’t have to have read the first book to follow the plot.

As in the first book of this series, Carlie M.A. Cullen takes you into the minds and the eyes of her characters. Her descriptions are thick with visuals and layered with emotion. Joshua is sexy and compelling and is most definitely not a two-dimensional vampire, as the male leads in many paranormal romances can be.

Samir, Joshua's maker is loving and cares for his ‘children’ and they in turn adore him – but he has an agenda of his own and a side he carefully hides from the others, and this definitely emerges in this book. As individuals the vampires are inherently selfish and uncaring of anyone but their own society, and Cullen portrays this just as well in this book as she did in the first book. There is a great deal of turmoil in the coven, and there is intense jealousy lurking just under the surface.

Remy is deep and intense, and her best friend Jakki balances her well. Remy relies heavily on her for emotional support. All of the supporting characters have clearly defined personalities, making them interesting in their own right. The environments surrounding them are vivid and clearly drawn, and the two parallel stories intertwine well, making a good contrast.

The mood of this tale is dark and foreboding, yet there is occasional lightness as Remy strives for some sense of normalcy in the face of terrifying events that occur almost daily in her very unusual family.

The ending is satisfying, and while it leaves the door open for a third book, many threads are brought together, so I felt it ended well.

Kain (Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk),by Brie McGill

Once again we are daytripping (and I do mean tripping) into the realm of science fiction, this time a cyberpunk treat, Kain (Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk) by Canadian author Brie McGill.

The Blurb:
Counting days is irrelevant in the life of a well-to-do man, unless he counts the days passed in total service to the Empire. Salute. Submit. Shut up and scan the wrist. Therapists armed with batons and brass knuckles guide the derelict along a well-beaten path to Glory.

When human experiment Lukian Valentin escapes the Empire to save his crumbling sanity--through a grimescape of fissured highways, collapsing factories, putrescent sewers--he realizes the fight isn’t only for his life, it’s for his mind. Torturous flashbacks from a murky past spur him on a quest for freedom, while the Empire’s elite retrievers remain at his heels, determined to bring him home for repair.

Lukian needs one doctor to remove the implanted chips from his body, and another to serve him a tall glass of answers. Lukian attempts a psychedelic salvage of his partitioned mind, gleaning fragments of the painful truth about his identity.

A scorching, clothes-ripping rendezvous with a mysterious woman offers Lukian a glimpse of his humanity, and respite from his nightmarish past. It also provides the Empire the perfect weakness to exploit for his recapture.

To rise to the challenge of protecting his new life, his freedom of thought, and his one shot at love, Lukian must reach deep into his mind to find his true identity. To defeat the Empire, he requires the deadly power of his former self--a power that threatens to consume him.


My Review:

Wow! Where to start? This book had me up to 2:00 a.m. on a Sunday night, making for a rather cranky Monday morning.

Lukian is a compelling, deep character. As what he believes he knows about the world begins to crumble around him, Lukian finds one really good friend, one person he can trust, Aidan. Underneath his veneer of compliance Aidan, just like Lukian, is a rebellious citizen, and Lukian is drawn to him against his better judgement.

The evil characters are not simply evil, they are depraved. Brigham is cold, intent on his own agenda, even to sacrificing his own family with little thought or compassion. Skirra is Cruella deVille on steroids. Krodha—what can you say about a sadistic mental health professional in love with his cattle-prod and endowed with the tender mercy and empathy of Heinrich Himmler?  The psychopaths are running the asylum!

There is a real atmosphere in this tale, and depth to both the characters and the two environments Lukian finds himself in.

Glorious Empire Daitya is a complete reflection of those who built her—cold, eternally dark and rigidly unforgiving, a teeming slum built on an arctic continent where the elusive sun rarely breaks through the smog.

Jambu is a tropical paradise, rather like a post-apocalyptic Jamaica, full of chaotic life and free spirits. Both countries on this world are vividly drawn without the author devolving into excessive detail.

There are ample quantities of intense sex, drugs and violence in this tale, balanced by an incredible plot and compelling characters that carry this book beyond sci-fi-erotica. Kain is a stellar example of the indie author breathing new life into the genre of science fiction. It is over the top, and wildly entertaining. There is a quality of plot and environment that reminds me of an immersive rpg. That sense of immersion is what I loved the most about this book—it was an rpg on my Kindle, with all the cutscenes and good parts and none of the grinding.

This is an adult novel, and it is not for every reader. This is a thinking person's sci-fi novel, deep, violent, erotic, and occasionally hilarious. All in all, Kain is a breath of fresh air in a genre that frequently takes itself too seriously.

Martin, by Andrew Weaver

Today I am reentering the realm if science fiction, with a book by an indie author. Martin, by Andrew Weaver. I am not sure what to think about this book, if you want the truth. There are many positive, wonderful points about it, and yet…but I believe any book that keeps you thinking is well worth reading and this book most definitely does that.

The Blurb:

This is a story told through the eyes of Martin a recently retired banker. Within weeks of returning to his home village he meets up with Alistair – an old school friend. Unsure how he will make use of his free time, Martin agrees to take up the intriguing offer from Alistair and get involved in his secret project.

Martin has never married, nor has he had any children. These are all facts and part of his life memories. At least, that’s what he thinks he remembers. However, since his involvement with Alistair’s project, Martins life changes forever – and continues to change in all manner of inexplicable ways. As the weeks go by, Martin comes to realise that he can no longer be sure of anything, anybody, or even his past life. Is he really losing his mind and going mad? Or are others now controlling his life and possibly manipulating his destiny?

My Review:

I loved the character of Martin. He is inquisitive and analytical, and yet he is a bit of a romantic. Martin is open to new experiences.  I enjoyed the science aspects of the dream project, and I like the way the author connected the world of dreams with interdimensional travel and the projection of the personality of the traveler into another similar but slightly different dimension. With all the recent scientific theories it seems to be a common theme in sci-fi tales nowadays, and I like the twist that Weaver gives this plot in that his subjects’ bodies remain but their consciousness travels. The interweaving of Martin’s dreams with his reality is quite well done.

All of the characters are clearly drawn, and the environment is logical and well-crafted. If I have any complaint it is that the editing was somewhat lacking, which interferes with the flow of the story at times. There are some places where an unbiased eye could have brought out the real potential for greatness this book has—but that is the curse of the indie author. None of the flaws were enough to make me stop reading it, and I enjoyed it.

I believe the fact that it doesn’t really have a satisfying end is a setup for another book. This may turn readers off; I admit I felt a bit let down by the non-ending.  Over all, I give this book four stars, and will definitely read the sequel when it is published.

Books that Rocked My Reading World

I turned 60 this last Monday. 
I know!  
Who would have thought I'd still be alive after all I've been through! Well, I personally haven't been through a lot, but the books I've read have taken me on quite the journey, and I lived to tell about it! I have lived my life in two parallel universes--one in the real world working a job and raising kids, and one immersed in strange worlds, talking to dragons and fighting the good fight.

My parents were a bit eccentric. (Understatement of the year.)

Dad thought we should read what ever we want to read and of course we wanted to read what Dad read, so my sister and I cut our reading teeth on E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman Series.

This presented a problem at times in elementary school when we brought the book we were reading and it was deemed  to be 'lurid and unsuitable' by our teachers, frequently with negative consequences. My sister's teacher went so far as to tell my mother, "A third grader should not be reading such trash!"  My mother's response was that children should read whatever they wanted if they understood the words.

The series begins with Triplanetary, two billion years before the present time. What a great notion THAT is! The plot devices developed in this series of serialized tales forms the core of what we think of as traditional science fiction.  George Lucas liked it so much he used it in Star Wars.

The other great influence on what I instinctively thought of as 'Literature' was written by Lester Dent -- yes folks, my sister and I adored 'Doc Savage'. 

 Clark Savage (or "Doc" to his friends), had no special powers, but was raised from birth by his father and other scientists to become one of the most perfect human beings in terms of strength, mental and physical abilities. Oh yeah! Prime reading for a ten-year-old!

Then, holy-what-the-heck! My sister, Sherrie, and I discovered Fritz Lieber! That is when we really got into trouble. 

Swords and Deviltry was first published in 1970, by Ace books.  One of the true pioneers of the genre of epic fantasy, Fritz Lieber originally wrote the three main tales that comprise this book as short-stories for several now defunct Science Fiction and Fantasy magazines, with ‘Induction’, appearing in the 1957 collection ‘Two Sought Adventure’ which was later expanded without ‘Induction’ as ‘Swords Against Death’. In ‘The Snow Women’, Fafhrd is introduced as a young barbarian of eighteen years who is still living in his mother’s tent. More than anything he wishes to see the world, and longs to hear any news of ‘civilization’, and especially the fabled city of Lankhmar. Fearing the dark magic of his mother and obsessed with the need to see the world, a series of events leads Fafhrd to abandon his wife, whom he marries as a last defiant gesture simply because she is carrying his child.  The curses of his Mother and his spurned wife follow him.

After Fritz, we discovered Anne McCaffrey (do you hear the angels singing?)

And Heinlein!

And Tolkien!

Avidly, I read Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Piers Anthony, M.A. Foster, Roger Zelazney--so many of the great masters of the genre that I can't possibly name them all in one blog-post. When I read a book today, my unconscious mind judges it by the standards of the masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

A great book must have a great plot. It must have compelling characters, who are a bit larger than life. The worlds it is set in must be vivid and colorful! Don't give me a rehashing of J.R.R.--take me someplace new and wonderful and introduce me to new people. Take me into your mind!

Having spent my formative years fighting with my sister over who got to read dad's Analog first, and having eagerly shared every crumb of any book, from Tolkien to McCaffrey to Heinlein with her, my notion of what constitutes a good tale was formed.

So now you know the underpinnings of my lust for literature-of-the-fantastic variety. I suppose it is clear where my love of swashbuckling bad-boys and bold women originated. And I thank you all for giving me the opportunity to talk about that love here! 

The Best Fantasy Art Book Covers

Sometimes the books I read are good, but not so good that I want to blog on them. That gives me the opportunity to blog on the gorgeous art that covers fantasy books! This weeks post is on that one thing that will sell me a book no matter how bad the blurb--the cover. Since Christmas we have seen some really wonderful  covers go through here...and some not so wonderful covers, but we only say nice things here, right?  All of the books I read that make it here are really wonderful reads that I enjoyed, in some cases despite the bad blurbs and dismal cover art! For me, the book is what counts, and an indie author 's resources often don't stretch to include purchasing fine art for the cover!  Some, however do, and a few of those covers on books I've seen since January are featured today's post.


The two best covers of the year so far for me are on Jeffrey Getzin's wonderful novellas, Shara and the Haunted Village, and  A Lesson for the Cyclops. The artwork for both novellas is by the amazing Carol Phillips.

Both covers really represent the stories well and the attention to detail in the artwork is amazing.  For an indie author to put his resources into such fine covers for novellas is quite unusual, and I applaud his decision to do so.

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Next on my list of eye-candy book covers is The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey. This is a book published by Baen, so one would hope the art would be lovely, and it is. It has been out since the mid-nineties.

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Another book that I bought for it's cover was The Winds of Khalakovo, by Bradley P. Beaulieu. It is a debut novel and bodes well for this author. The art represents the tale beautifully, and creates just that hint of mystery that sells books to people like me!

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Another book that was intitally purchased for the cover was Magnus Opum by Aussie author Jonathan Gould. I LOVED this cover, because the stark simplicity reminded me of J.R.R. Tolkien's original artwork for his Lord of The Ring series.

The amazing simplicity of of Gould's cover hints at Magnus's story, and just as the picture by Tolkien of Bilbo on the Barrel coming to the huts of the Raftelves, it entices to you just look at it and think about the story.

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Of course, A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson gets a gold star for the cover. TOR publishing never fails us when it comes to great fantasy artwork.

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My final offering today is the cover of Tad Williams wonderful fantasy, The War of the Flowers.  I was moved to buy this book off the rack just by seeing this cover, and the book more than lived up to it. It was mysterious, and made me wonder about the tale.

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For me, good fantasy does not have to be covered with great artwork. Many times indie authors don't have the resources to invest in art for covers; I should know! But if there is a fine picture on it, even if the blurb is bad or nonexistent, I will always buy the book for its cover.

Blood Numbers, Dean Frank Lappi

This week I read Blood Numbers, book II in the Aleph Null Chronicles, written by indie author Dean Frank Lappi. The Aleph Null Chronicles has to be the most unique fantasy series ever written. The first book is the reissued novel, Black Numbers.

THE BLURB

Sid is the Aleph Null, his power of Black Numbers awakened, but he cannot yet manipulate those numbers. He journeys with his friends Crowdal, Melinda, Mrs. Wessmank, Maelon and Writhgarth to a faraway land that may hold the key to his powers. Along the way he meets a powerful woman who awakens his first feelings of true love, but who may also be the one destined to destroy him.

Sid is pursued by evil forces from all directions. His former childhood friend, Tris, now rules the Oblate and commands a power of numbers equal to, if not greater than his own. He also controls the seductive yet violent Korpor, and together they are weaving a plot to capture Sid and take control of his Black Numbers.

Sid is also hunted by a sadistic and violent warlord and his death squad who has his own plans for Sid. But worst of all, a forgotten and ancient evil has been unintentionally freed from its millennia-long prison, a nightmarish being that has one purpose...

To destroy the wielder of Black Numbers

MY REVIEW

I read Black Numbers when it was first published and I was gobsmacked. The writing is beautiful, the plot is devious and seductive, the characters are deep and fully formed. Blood Numbers follows and delivers the same raw emotions with a punch just as elegantly delivered.

These books are in many ways a traditional fantasy, in that they are peopled by both humans and non-humans, magic is involved, and setting is a beautifully detailed place that could never exist.  But Lappi crosses the line into horror without losing the any of the qualities that I love in an epic fantasy.  We have a true Good versus Evil plot, a completely believable system of magic, incredibly frightening creatures and a plot that doesn’t stop.

I want to say at the outset that in this series, magic is expressed both sexually and through mathematics. This is a series where sexuality is central to the expression of the magic, and it is at times explicit. This tale is not always nice, at times it is brutal. This is not erotica; this is a tale with uncomfortable plot twists, but plot twists a true fan of horror will not be able turn away from. These books are not for the faint of heart, or for those who shy away from explicit and at times, violent sex. Yet the sex is not for prurient purposes. Lappi’s magic is created by melding high mathematics (the sort that explain the universe) and that most powerful of human drives, sex.

The central protagonist, Sid (Sidoro) grew up with a hard, uncaring father.  Sid's father taught him how to use mathematics, believing with all his heart that Sid was the Aleph Null—a prophesied wielder of the Black Numbers who will rule The Oblate. It is central to the plot that for the Oblate to control Sid, they would have to control his sexuality and the Korpor is central to the Oblate. Sid's violent and frightening encounters with the Korpor are the stuff of nightmares.  To top that off, many people want to see Sid dead, because of what he is, and how he threatens their position and power.

Tris, the man Sid always thought was his friend rules the Oblate and controls the Korpor, and is now pursuing him, intent on killing him. Fortunately for Sid, he attracts friends who are willing to risk their lives to protect him. Sid inspires great loyalty in his friends. Crowdal, Mrs. Wessmank, Writhgarth, Crowdal and Maelon are each uniquely individual and have their own stories. All the characters are wonderful in this series, but Crowdal is bold, witty and, dare I say it? Sexy in his own right. Indeed, all of Lappi's characters are clearly visualized and compelling.

It is a dark series, and there are some very disturbing moments, but it is also an amazing journey into those most basic of human emotions--friendship, love, loyalty, lust for power, and boundless ambition. For Sid, there is danger in falling in love. For me as reader, this was an unparalleled adventure.

  

The author has said in an editorial disclaimer, “The mathematics in this series were intentionally described without going into any mathematical depth. I wrote it this way because I wanted the math to be conceptual as a way to explain magic, for it to be more visually spectacular than mathematically precise.”  I have to say that this makes it MUCH more enjoyable for me, as I am most decidedly NOT a mathematician.

As with the first book in the series, Lappi has created another tale that makes you both afraid to turn the page, and terrified not to.  You want to see what will happen next. When I reached the final page, I couldn't get this book out of my mind.  I could never have predicted this ending—and now I must have the next book!