BOOK REVIEW: Into the Fire (Samantha Kane, Book 1) by Patrick Hester

Detective Samantha Kane just saw a ghost, a werewolf eviscerated her partner, and she burned down a building with magic. But not a bad day…all things considered.

[Affiliate Link]

*3.5 STARS*

Patrick Hester’s full length debut novel is full of the characteristic humor that you’ve grown to love on his multitude of podcasts and in his written word. An admitted fan of Butcher’s Dresden Files (shall we say Devoted Fan?), Detective Samantha Kane’s world is Hester’s own playground built in mimicry of Butcher’s. For fans of the genre he hits all the right points and has his own style and touches to make it authentic.

Read the rest of my review at MYLIFEMYBOOKSMYESCAPE

Author's Book Page
For the person looking to support someone other than the Mighty Zon (Amazon), you can buy non DRM locked content for reasonable prices on Baen’s website

Full Disclaimer: I know the author from online interactions and collaborated on the ShadowBytes.com webcomic with Hester, but this has not factored into my review or rating.

Book Review: Low Town, by Daniel Polansky

(This is a repost, of my review that appeared on SF Signal recently - reposted here for posterity)

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (August 16, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0385534469
ISBN-13: 978-0385534468

Low Town has lords with hidden agendas, willing to kill on a whim even as they smile behind veils of lace; gang lords with blood on their hands that riff poetry about their beloved deity; and artisans of magic that are powerless to stop the horrors of life. Low Town is a conundrum that tries to portray reality, with a touch of compassion, in an age where little was pretty.

Book Review: Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2) by Jim Butcher

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Roc (January 9, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0451458125
ISBN-13: 978-0451458124

The book starts with the loveable, hard-bitten, wizard detective Harry Dresden, having dinner with a sometimes-apprentice of his, that is picking the depths of his brain for dark magic. From there it takes a frenzied run from scene to scene, dragging poor Harry down the wrong rabbit hole further and further. Perhaps this one is a badger hole? (Do badger’s dig holes?)

I digress.

The characters get more developed. There is mystery to uncover and there are some great battles. One action scene is particularly memorable, though it unbalances the flow of the book some by appearing midway through and overshadowing the ending. But then the ending isn’t this books strongest point anyway.

As you might guess by the title, or maybe not due to the play on words, werewolves are a big factor. For a fan of the mythical beast, this may either make the book fantastic, or make it blasphemous. There are four different types of werewolves, with one type composed of two varieties and a fifth revealed at the end (though you probably guess it for at least half the book—especially if there are any Eddings’ readers out there). Is that enough for ya? It was a little confusing to keep track of all the different types and was needlessly complex. If you look up loup-garou (one of the types) it is an actual term, but just means "werewolf" in French. There are another couple types that you’ll read of that are just made up (as far as I can tell). There’s nothing wrong with that, I was just so convinced by the book, that when I looked them up I fully expected them to mean the same in "real life" (I put that in quotes, because we all know there are no such things as real werewolves... Right? Anybody that raised their hand to contest that statement, please see a therapist.)

I’m starting to notice that Butcher follows the simple but effective premise to subject your characters to as much punishment as possible. Believe me, Dresden gets his fill.

This brings to mind the quote (not sure from whom) of how to do the Three Act Format. You’ve seen it elsewhere no doubt, but it makes me chuckle: Act 1: send your characters up a tree; Act 2: throw rocks at them; Act 3: chop the tree down.

TIMBER!!!!

Overall I liked this installment. It was often formulaic, and the magnificent, multitudinous variety of werewolves seemed a stretch, but it ultimately worked. I’d put it on nearly the same level with the first book, making me interested in reading more in the life of Dresden, but not until I put a couple more books under my belt first. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. (Keep in mind that I am a pretty tough reviewer. But then I feel that a 10 should be nearly unattainable and a 9 be reserved for only the very best. Which is why I disparage the 5 star format mostly used—really limits your options.)

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, I’d start there first. Read my review of Storm Front here.

For everyone else what did you think? I hear that Butcher more or less started the urban fantasy genre. Does that mean we should "thank" him for Twilight? No, no. Don’t hurt the man. He seems nice.

Book Review: Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Roc; First Edition edition (April 10, 2000)
ISBN-10: 0451457811
ISBN-13: 978-0451457813

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files have long been a book series I've heard of but never investigated. Through the continued harassment of reading about it on twitter and hearing about it elsewhere I decided to finally rectify that.

Interesting, with a quirky wit, the book starts very strong. It's told in first-person, from the perspective of Dresden himself. Dresden is a hardened wizard, and Chicago resident, openly advertising his services in the phone book.

At 322 pages I flew through the book. This was its one weak point. At least for me. I'm of the class of readers that enjoys reading strongly developed magic systems in my fantasy, which are therefore complicated and can be time-consuming to absorb. Yes, I loved Lord of the Rings—which has no apparent rules—but that is because of how well developed everything else is. Not because of magic. Dresden's magic is what my ill-informed mind conceives of as "typical" magic. (Feel free to correct me, my esteemed witches and wizards.) Using circles, blood, potions made of strange concoctions (including motor oil and bus tickets... Huh?), talismans, and of course force of will. I won't say that it wasn't enjoyable, in fact some of the battles rocked the cool element, but there were other times where the use of bread and honey to catch a faery was cute, but just didn't seem to catch my interest. (However the following, interplay of dialogue was fantastic.) Yes, it is a current day book, so it probably works well within that context, and for at least the first book, magic was not the driving factor...it was the murder mystery.

With some interesting characters in the form of an animated skull possessed of an air spirit and a ridiculously amusing faery by the name of Toot (short for a beautifully long rolling of syllables that, by Harry's own admission, he would not share—names are power and he wouldn't share without good reason. Yeah, I know, it's an excuse. But it WAS funny.).

Butcher really sticks it to Dresden in this first novel: he has to deal with smooth, business-minded mafia, a haunted past, juiced-up magical law enforcers, a seductive vampire, a black mage that walks in the shadows, and to top it off: Dresden gets his apartment trashed and has to fight off a demon—naked! All the while with overdue rent.

As Butcher's first published novel, this doesn't read like a first book...so something went obviously right. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. Go check it out.

What did you think? Have you read the book? I'm onto the 2nd one now, but it's not catching my attention as much as the 1st did. (correction: it started Meh, but has built to Yay!)