Neverwhere

Loyal to his tradition of urban fantasy, Gaiman brings us a very interesting steampunkish story. On the surface, London seems to be a normal place, but people that fall through the cracks find themselves in London Below, a dangerous place of magic and marginality. When Richard helps a scared and wonded girl called Door, he could not imagine that he was going to become invisible to the people of London Above and finds himself running for his life and helping the young noble girl to figure out who killed her whole family.

Gaiman is an excellent storyteller, he relates the wonders of London Below in an easy way, engulfing the reader in the plot and adventure. The characters are interesting and dark and the plot complex.

This book would be perfect for any urban fantasy lover, and ideal for anyone that enjoys good writing.

Understanding the Koran

Mateen Elass is a Presbyterian minister, son of a muslim father, that lived many years in Saudi Arabia. He has first hand experience with and understands islamic traditions very well. The book however should be titled “Koran  boosters” since it is not so much about understanding the Koran as to how to argue with islamic people and show them that they are wrong. There is even a guide in the back of the book that contains arguments, questions and counter-arguments to present to islamic people.

I bought the book to understand more about Islam, and instead I was faced with a “them vs. us” argument, and while Elass respects muslims and holds no grudge against them, he emphasises that they are wrong in their vision of God, that they have an imperfect and mistaken perception of Allah. The book is an exhaustive study on how Mohamed was wrong and all the contradictions present in the Koran. And while these facts might be true (I still need to read the Koran) the way that they are presented do not bring people from other faith closer to understand muslims. The title is misleading and the book is not what it promises to be.

I cannot truly recommend this book very much. If you think you can separate religious opinion from facts then go ahead and buy it, it does not show animosity toward muslims, but it is terribly biased and does not shed light on their culture and religion.

Female Force

I got this comic book (sorry, graphic novel) because artist colleague Vinnie Tartamella worked on many of the covers for it and I wanted to support him

I have to admit that I am not very much into politics… especially since I cannot vote because I am not an American citizen, and I bought the book because Vinnie made the covers. My husband laughed at me when I showed it to him. But then I found myself fascinated by the biographies of these four women. I really enjoyed learning about their lives and the decisions they took that brought them to be leading figures in the modern American political scenario.

The author leads the reader through the lives of these women (Michelle Obama, Caroline Kennedy, Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin) starting in their childhood and youth and going through the decisions that they made in te early stages of their political careers, and how those decisions influenced their later paths. He keeps an objective stand point and presents the stories in a very factual way adding interesting sparks of humor.

The illustrators are different for the different stories and they also add their touches of humor. And though everybody has done a great job, the covers by Vinnie shine in the book for their exceptional quality.

This is a very recommendable product. I had to wait for seven months to get it and I am happy that I did not cancel the preorder when I grew tired of Amazon’s apologies. I recommend it to anybody that feels curious about these ladies and would like to know more about them as women and people besides of what we know of them as public figures.

Master of Crows

In the first place, this is a romance novel and I do not read romance novels. I got it because the Grace Draven is a friend of a friend and she commissions artist friends to do artwork for her, so I thought I’d give my support to a person that supports artists. I am glad I did.

I am not into the romance genre and most often than not it revolts my stomach, but Master of Crows is about the story not about the sex. Silhara the outcast mage is being tempted by the god Corruption, he fights being possessed by the god, but each day is harder. The Conclave (priest-mages that hate him) are ready to kill Silhara at the first sign of him being a danger to the world so they plant a spy in his castle. Martise, the slave that is set to spy on him, is a very intelligent woman who will help him to translate ancient scrolls in order to discover how to kill the god. In return, Silhara will help her to find the source of her magic and teach her to control it.

Of course there is a lot of sexual tension, but that is the nice part, we don’t read hundreds of pages of needless sex. The tension between the characters grow, turning from fear and disdain to fascination and attraction. Grace Draven builds the plot to the point in which the reader is wanting them to consummate their love.

The character development is very well done, and this is probably what made me really like the book, I am a huge fan of complex characters that are not stagnant. Both Silhara and Martise are strong characters that are explored throughout all the book. The secondary characters are also attractive and add dimension to the story. Draven’s description of the orange fields is so well done that I crave going back to my teenage years neighbourhood to smell the orange blossoms again.

I doubt I will keep buying romance books, but Grace Draven sets herself apart from an unimaginative crowd of authors that rely on vulgarity and lack of good ideas. I recommend this book to people who like romance books, or that like some fantasy and are not afraid of some explicit sex pages.

Stardust

Located in Victorian Britain, Stardust tells the story of Tristan, a sweet and courageous boy, and Yvane, the beautiful but bad tempered star that fell from the sky when the princes of the faery land were disputing the throne after their father’s death. Tristan promises Victoria, the woman he loves, to get the star that fell for her in turn of her hand, and sets to find it, not knowing that she will be a real woman. At the same time, three evil witches set to find Yvane to take her heart so they can regain their power and youth.

Neil Gaiman is an excellent story teller that relates this fairy tale masterfully. The tale is beautiful, and the feeling of it is very different from the movie adaptation. People seem to be more compassionate in Gaiman’s original book, especially Yvane, who’s temper is short but her heart big, and it fits the character better. Since it is a fairy tale, the story telling is based more on action than anything else, and I missed character development, but it fits the genre… we never get to know how Snow White felt when working for the dwarfs in their cottage, right?

Not being my Gaiman favourite, this is a very recommendable book for everybody that enjoys a good fairy tale, but is not expecting character complexity, as well as anybody that wonders how the book that gave origin to the movie is.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

… or “Good Omens”, for short, is a collaborative effort between Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The story starts when Adan and Eve fell from Paradise and then fast forwards to the end of times in England, where one angel and one demon that have been left behind ever since the Fall are in charge of finding the Antichrist and get him to work for their ranks in the Apocalypse. Things get complicated when there is a baby swap and the Antichrist is raised by two very normal parents in a small town, surrounded by his little and very normal friends. The four horsepersons of the Apocalypse also show up, and a witchfinder general is out to hunt down Agnes Nutter’s descendant, a witch, bringing destruction and laughter to the book.

Good Omens is one of my favourite books. Kudos to Gaiman and Pratchett for having written this in a long distance that was not solved by internet! The humor is exquisite and the characters endearing, making for a wonderful reading. Rereading it also should be fun, since there are a lot of winks that escape the first reading.

I recomend this book to everybody who is not too serious about the Apocalypse and enjoys humorous readings.

Iron Kissed

Third in the series of Mercy Thompson, the story revolves around Zee, Mercy’s mentor, being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Mercy sets to rescue him, getting involved with the darkest of the preternatural creatures, the fae. While trying to solve the mystery surrounding the crime that Zee is accused of, she has to decide which werewolf she will choose: Sam or Adam, knowing that whatever her choice is she will loose her other dear friend for ever.

This book follows the format and high action of the other two, becoming much darker not so much in the fantasy but in the real side of it. I found the end terribly disturbing and it felt a little like a low blow with high impact effect, plus a little cliche in urban fantasy with female heroines. On the other hand the resolution of the love triangle seemed unrealistic and quite bland. It still makes for an interesting reading, though, and it is quite enjoyable, until the end, where it was practically pure suffering to me.

*spoilers below*

Despite the high suffering, I recommend this book to anybody who liked the series, or the style of Patricia Briggs. I do not recommend it for people that is sensitive about rape. While the rape itself is barely mentioned, the aftermath is highly detailed and heart breaking, it will disturb anybody who has even a mildly sensitive heart.

Favorite Jane Austen Novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion

This set by Dover is unabridged (yay!). It is an excellent value, and I like that the books are separate and you can carry them with you easily.

Jane Austen paints the British Regency middle class with incredible realism, the struggle of families that were not wealthy and their interaction with nobility in an attempt to climb the social ladder, the unfair system that left women with no economic possessions and render them defenseless and needing to marry a wealthy man, are universal topics in her books. Austen, probably trying to show the reality of her world, for the first time brings into literature heroines that are completely human, with their good and bad, neither perfect nor evil indecent women. They are women, simple, human beings.

Pride and prejudice is probably Austen’s most popular novel. The turbulent courtship between the beautiful and prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet and the proud and rich Mr. Darcy has been immortalized in multiple series and movies. The book is witty and delicious, the language is wonderful and along the book we see that Darcy is also prejudiced and Elizabeth is also proud. As much as I liked the book, this is not my favourite novel by Austen.

Sense and sensibility. Another charming novel. The story is based on two sisters: Elinor (sense) and Marianne (sensibility) who are in love with two very different men, and that express their love in very different ways. The two of them are two opposites in behaviour, but they love each other dearly. They will have to learn to be a little bit like the other sister in their struggles with love and society.

Persuasion. Probably my favourite. The story is based on Anne, a delicate and sweet 26 years old woman who has rejected her true love based on his lack of fortune and the bad advice that he followed.  Nine years later, he shows up again and she will have to silently and stoically struggle her own feelings while he is decidedly searching for a wife. This one is my favourite because, unlike in the other novels, the more fortunate people surrounding Anne care for her immensely and just want everybody to be happy.

I recommend these books for anybody that loves some good classics and lovely British English, some people might find them boring because of that reason.

El Secreto de Sofonisba (Sofonisba’s Secret)

Lorenzo de Medici bases his intrigues story in historical characters from the Renaissance. The female Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola finds herself involved in a deadly Vatican plot as the Holy Father tries to use her artwork as a secret code to avoid having a dark plot discovered by the Great Inquisitor. Sofonisba is ignorant of all this and her main concern is to be respected in the Spanish court where she is having a hard time being respected as an artist just for being a woman.

I found the book completely boring. I think the only merit of the author is to be a descendant of the De Medici, since he lacks any talent or skill as a writer. His sentences are simple, his imagery quite unrefined and he fails to bring the book to a climax of mystery. There are multiple inconsistencies in the plot, as when he describes a character after her fist sexual encounter as being ever since after that dragged by her carnal passions, and we learn two pages later that she never had sex after that but she was raped. Additionally, the impossible plot is solved simplistically, and he takes care of any loose ends by killing whoever was involved in the intrigue, either by assassination or accident.  I had a really hard time finishing it. I have to give him, though, that he had me researching about Sofonisba’s oeuvre

If you really like historical based books, and would want to read them all, this might be an OK choice. But I would recommend you to choose something else. I am not aware of the book having been translated to English.

Blood Bound

Second in the series of Mercy Thompson, the mechanic shapeshifter, Briggs continues in her series of urban paranormal fantasy. Mercy finds herself not only irresistibly attracted to Adam, the alpha neighbour, but also being roommates with Sam, his youth love. Stefan, the vampire, requests that she pays back a favor to him and they go face a vampire that is possessed by a demon, getting her in a terrifying adventure of blood thirsty vampires and demons against whom the werewolves are defenseless.

This book is as good as the first one, the action is intense from beginning to end and the descriptions are vivid, recalling strong visual and auditive images. Patricia Briggs is an excellent narrator that will hook you from the first chapter. The one thing that is starting to bother me is that all the sexy guys seem to fall for Mercy, as if there were no other women around the Tri Cities, women that Briggs makes sure that they appear as little as possible.

If you liked Moon Called, you will like Blood Bound. It is a sequel that makes sense.