Tag Archives: Reviewer Kim Morgan

Review: “Down These Strange Streets,” Edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

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“Down These Strange Streets”
Edited by: George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0441020747
Hardcover: 496 pages
List Price: $26.95

Very often, when I read books of short stories, I skip past the introduction. Typically, they’re little more than name-dropping, self-promotional prattle that does little to entice me as a reader and, in fact, makes me a bit ashamed to be so easily swayed by a few big names.

This one, however, is worth reading in its own right, easily as compelling as some of the better book blogs out there. Have a taste, titled, interestingly enough, “The Bastard Stepchild” (rather than “Introduction”):

“The heroes of urban fantasy come out of the hard-boiled mystery, while the villains, monsters, and antagonists have their own roots in classic horror… but it is the combination that gives this subgenre its juice. For these are two genres that are at heart antagonistic. Horror fiction is a fiction steeped in darkness and fear, and set in a hostile Lovecraftian universe impossible for men to comprehend…”

There is a fair amount of name-dropping here, too. Notably, Jim Butcher and his champion Harry Dresden (the other wizard named Harry), are mentioned at least twice in the intro, and never appear in the collection itself (something of a let-down). Don’t let that discourage you from picking up this book: there’s plenty of gritty street grunge to keep you happy here.

Notably, Patricia Briggs makes an appearance with her short piece, “In Red, With Pearls,” in which a familiar werewolf marks his own debut as a detective. You’ll be disappointed when you remember, toward the end of it, that it’s only a short story.

Other welcome and familiar names include Diana Gabaldon, and, of course, Simon R. Green, whose numerous series keep me forever amazed at the depth of his nightmarish pool of wit and mystery.

Of course, Charlaine Harris’ character vampire, Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, enjoys a second life in this collection. You’ll enjoy her, too. Enchantingly vicious and smart, it doesn’t rest on Harris’ laurels—the story is one worth recommending.

There’s not a single weak piece in this collection. If you haven’t time to sink your teeth into a lengthy book, “Down These Strange Streets” provides substance with the added advantage of giving you room to breathe—even if many of the main players don’t (breathe, that is).

I’m glad I picked this one up… hoping that Ace Books has another collection of similar heft and quality available soon.

 

Let the kind reader note I was not compensated in any way for this review, nor did I receive “Down These Strange Streets” for the purpose of writing said review.
–Kim Morgan

 

Society of Steam #1: The Falling Machine by Andrew P. Mayer

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The Falling Machine
Pyr, 2011
ISBN-10: 1616143754
Paperback
285 Pages
Science Fiction/Steampunk
$16.00 at Amazon

I found this book at the library and snapped it up, compelled by the cover art and the fact that it’s billed as the first book in a trilogy. Typically, a series that’s worth investing in books as a set are worth looking into, and my experience with Pyr publishing is that they’re discerning and have a good eye for steampunk.

In the checkout it went. By the time my husband pulled into the driveway, I’d already gotten through the first 60 pages and was annoyed at having to be pulled from my reverie.

Here’s the most important thing I can tell you without ruining the plot: it’s a superhero book, make no bones about it. As for who the heroes are is something for you to decide.

The Falling Machine reads like a graphic novel. A solid structure takes it where it needs to go because it’s got a great support staff, and a talented author. Characters are compelling, the settings are familiar things turned on their ear and tweaked.

Whether it’s a fault or a credit is a matter of personal taste, but the novel is sci-fi light, focusing more on setting up the heroine for the following two installments of the series. Teens will love the book, and parents will feel good about passing this one on. Fans of more tech-heavy steampunk may find themselves a bit hungry for more meat.

It’s a quick read and doesn’t spend too much time on background material that doesn’t directly impact the very next scene that rubs shoulders with it.

However, Mayer’s exceptionally good at getting into the head of his heroine, particularly impressive since she’s a young woman in a post-Civil War-era America. A scene involving said heroine trying to literally navigate a tight spot while wearing her assorted restrictive undergear was especially well-written and funny.

It’s at once campy, endearing and reminiscent of a Doctor Who episode in which you get a glimpse of America just before the turn of the century, where caped crusaders stand toe to toe against metal men.

And if you like that sort of read for a rainy Saturday, you’ll love this book. Can’t wait to find out what happens in Hearts of Smoke and Steam, the follow-up.

Grave Goods, by Ariana Franklin

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Grave Goods
By Ariana Franklin
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-23233-0
Paperback, 334 pages
Language: English
Price: $15

Buy it here: Amazon

Any book about a woman called “The Mistress of the Art of Death” that is neither about bondage nor vampires, but still manages to make the sixteenth century simultaneously sexy and terrifying, is worth a second look.

Take my word for it that Franklin’s heroine (the aforementioned Mistress) is both brilliant and compelling, and Franklin herself is one hell of a researcher.

You could waste time on hack fantasy and hope that the author worked something interesting in between the knights and the bandits and the occasional murder… or you could read this book. What you get in the bargain is fantastic fiction, characters with staying power (the main cast carries the plot through this, the third in the series).

You might even learn something abut history along the way.

The Mistress

Meet Adelia Aguilar, a woman trained in the forbidden medical arts. She’s a doctor, and a specialist in forensics, and has been retained by King Henry II to provide counsel in such matters. In this particular adventure, Adelia and her family (a nurse, her daughter, and Mansur, her friend and childhood protector) travel to Glastonbury Abbey to prove — or disprove — the identity of a set of bones, which are suspected of being the remains of King Arthur and Guinevere.

To do this, she maintains the cover that has allowed them to live in relative safety in a Britain that would never accept a woman who practices medicine: that Mansur is the Muslim doctor, the Saracen skilled in medicine, and that she, Adelia, is his assistant and interpreter.

Invariably, in investigating these deaths, they become involved in further murder, betrayal, secrets and danger.

Love and Sin and Medicine

There’s a lot of sin happening in the Abbey and the surrounding environs. Possibly one of the most endearing characters is Adelia’s lover and father of her child, the Bishop of St. Albans, assigned (to their mutual frustration) by Henry II to a life dedicated to the Church and his service. Henry is forever in the middle of their lives; his character gives a completely new framework to the perception of Henry as little more than the man who killed Thomas Beckett (or so history has remembered him, despite the reality of the situation, but I digress).

Between them, they create some of the most memorable cast of characters I’ve fallen in love with, wanted to strangle, and followed with great interest throughout the series.

And, as usual, the woman can’t get through a book without doing something (or a few somethings) that nearly get her killed.

Bones Talk

Adelia gets bones to talk. History and death make natural companions. However, don’t expect rich forensic detail in these books, because, quite frankly, it wouldn’t make a believable premise. How much did even the best-trained doctor know about dating bones and analyzing soil samples? Answer: not much, and he’s the father who taught Adelia everything she knows (back in Salerno). This book is less about the secrets of the grave than it is about the people who live around the grave, and what their secrets are.

And that, in a nutshell, is the crux of this book.

It’s a no-brainer lead-in to another book about the Mistress of the Art of Death and her next investigation.

While the blood, death and violence of this book kept me intrigued, it was the relationships and the character development that kept me turning pages well into the small hours.

-Kim Morgan