In the mood to read a good, solid fantasy trilogy, I picked up the Farseer series by Robin Hobb. It was highly recommended on every “Top Fantasy Reads” list I looked at. That’s really saying something, eh? “Assassin’s Apprentice” (Book 1) begins with the main character as an old man recalling his life story, starting at the tender age of six. Right away, the reader knows she’s in for an ambitious story. Being a writer myself, I appreciate the foreshadowing that Hobbs deftly employed here as well as the organization that goes behind it. The author has a straightforward  style […]

Good, but… I first read The Black Prism, book one of The Lightbringer series, and found the political intrigue gripping but the characterization weak and repetitive. Good news: The Blinding Knife carries on—and deepens—the political action, and the characterization flaws have been improved. Particularly, Gavin and Kip no longer sound like the same person in their “self talk.” Gavin shines as his own very strong-willed character, fulfilling a potential hinted at in Book #1 but never delivered, while Kip shares inherited traits to which he gives his own little twists. I like that. I like seeing the growth of the […]

Official AE Marling Website Get your copy of Fox’s Bride A desert fox. An enchantress. And a sacrificial marriage.Everyone in Oasis City worships the fennec fox as a sacred animal, except for the one woman forced to marry him. Enchantress Hiresha believes her fiancé is possessed by nothing more divine than fleas, and she also objects to the wedding venue: the afterlife. Priests will trap her in an airless sarcophagus with the fox. She has only four days of engagement left to live.Her escape attempt ends in disaster, leaving her at the mercy of the city’s vizier as well as […]

For just an indulgent second, let me take a moment to whine. The week did not go at all the way I’d planned. I was attacked by a ruthless, brain-sucking spider. Or maybe a virus. Same thing, right? Whichever it was, it clogged my sinuses, provoked horrendous headaches, had me sneezing constantly, plagued me with a low-grade fever, and generally robbed me of the will to do anything but slog about the house like a zombie. My husband said, “Really?? I felt the same way. Took me weeks to recover, but now I’m feeling fantastic!” He’s such a sweet, sharing […]

I don’t often post book reviews here on my blog, but I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, and thought I’d afflict the world with my opinion of the most recent. I picked up “The Sheepfarmer’s Daughter” by Elizabeth Moon(via Baen’s free book library) because I’d heard many good things about this epic, alleged fantasy. It begins very well, establishing the main character Paks’s independence, her dedication and enviable determination, her passion, her desire to do what is right and good. The story then devolves into a daily account of How to Become a Soldier and, once she’s received […]

It’s horrifying how cooking your brain at 102° for three days can completely turn it to mush. Fortunately, it’s a temporary condition. I think… Alack and alas, I got clobbered with the flu, which was quickly followed by a sinus infection, and then other assorted and unpleasant Uglies that decided to take advantage of the situation. I am wildly grateful for antibiotics, health clinics that are open in the evening, and for Hubby & Co. taking care of the household stuff for the first three days. I am also pleased to report that after nine days I am beginning to […]