Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

Not as rich or compelling as Odd Thomas, but enjoyable. I was intrigued reading about how a man who can see and interact with the dead deals with his own grief, but the plot premise itself was very thin.

One thing I did really enjoy, both in this book and it’s predecessor, is the lightness of the protagonist’s voice. Even when he’s discussing weighty matters like death and what comes after, Odd Thomas has a light, serious, but not taking-himself-too-seriously voice that is unlike anything I’ve read in Koontz’s other work. I like the sharp observations and quick wit, even with a thin plot and an ending that read like it was produced by an author who really didn’t want to write this sequel and does NOT want to be called upon to revisit this character a third time…

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

*more later*

Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner

I love the concept, a Buffy-like character growing up, retiring from the business, and keeping her past career a secret until the day it comes looking for her in the form of a demon at Walmart (I don’t know if that was intended to be ironic, but it was to me… Demon WalMart…*giggle*). I even like the background info, that the demon hunter was trained and guided by the Vatican – it makes a lot more sense than a shadowy group of Brits and slayers being born rather than made…

Sadly, I just couldn’t get into this. It was a slooow read and I kept skipping ahead to find a good part.

THe thing that drove me abso-friggin-lutely batty about this book, though, was the damn product placement…er…pop culture references. The book is only a year old and already dated by its waaaaaaaaay overused references to popular culture. Seriously, Starbucks was mentioned so many times in this book I was beginning to think they’d sponsored it and found myself checking the back cover for their logo. I understand pop culture references can help make a book more accessible to readers, but they date it, quickly. Granted, I don’t think Carpe Demon was written to be a masterwork of literature, but it’s shelf life is unlikely to be more than 2-3 years as fast as pop culture changes.

There was an EXCELLENT article on pop culture references in fiction in a recent Writer’s Digest or The Writer, I forget which one.

Net result: I’ll read the sequel when the library gets it in, but I won’t buy it.

Capt. Hook – The Adventures of a Notorious Youth by J.V. Hart

I really, really liked this book, but was a bit disappointed at the ending.

I spent a lot of time pondering the book during the moments when I wasn’t reading it trying to figure out if Hook was a villain. Obviously, in this book, he is the lead and so is LESS villainous than usually portrayed. What I spent all that time trying to determine was whether or not any of his actions in the book were truly evil. The answer I came to was NO. Definitely he’s a dark anti-hero type character, and some of his actions are questionable, but no more so than those of any other fictional 16yo.

I was annoyed, however, that there was no turning point. He has a past, now, and a future in Peter Pan, but nothing telling of the change from anti-hero to out-and-out villain.

Off to get a copy of PP and re-read it to see just how villainous Barrie’s Hook really was…

The House of Thunder by Dean Koontz

I read this because someone on a listserv suggested that “LOST” may be a situation/scenario similar to the one in this book (and another of Koontz’s books, I’ll have to go look up the message again for the title). That’s the ONLY reason I read it. The book was originally copyrighted in 1982 and the story has aged badly since the world has changed so much.

Aside from the above, it was just *D-U-L-L* dull. I cheated early on and read a bit of the end to see if they were building up to anything remotely exciting. No, not really. It took waaay to long to hit its first tension point, and then sat there, more or less, for way too long.

Heh – and I was afraid it was gonna be scary.

The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison

*sigh* I really wanted to get some practice in doing reviews, but if the story catches my attention, I don’t notice the writing. I know, from an author’s perspective, that’s a ~good~ thing, but I’m trying to teach myself to be a more critical reader.

I failed, completely. I stayed up waaay past my bedtime finishing this one, but I just HAD to know how it all worked out.

That said, the build-up to the big event was pretty slow. It’s also patently obvious that it is a series book and designed that way from start to finish. There were so many issues and plot points left hanging when this one ended I just wanted to scream, but it was 2am and the 5yo was asleep so I refrained.

All in all, a good, enjoyable read. Like most supe series I’ve read the violence quotient is slowly creeping up, not major, but definitely more than the first one. Sex, too. I may be the only supernatural series fiction fan out there who DOESN’T think more people need to die in a more gruesome manner or get laid more often and more creatively each book, but I doubt it. I’d love to interview a bunch of these authors and ask about this, since it seems to be a trap that they all fall into.

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

One of the book blurbs calls Rachel Morgan, the MC, a cross between Anita Blake and Stephanie Plum. Early Anita Blake, I assume. And she’s not as laugh-out-loud funny as Stephanie, but, well, I snuck out to B&N after the kid was asleep last night to buy the next two books in the series…

Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea by Diana Marcellas

I really like this book (this was the 2nd time for me). I’ve been waiting two years for the sequel and found out this week (Thanks Barnes & Noble.com!) that the 2nd and 3rd of the trilogy have been out for a while. All are ranked as being less than this one, but I’m reserving judgement.

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

Excellent.

I read A LOT of vampire fiction and have for years. To read a book that puts a spin on them that I’ve never encountered before was a thoroughly unexpected pleasure – particularly since it was both logical and not completely outside the realm of possibility.

The Novelist by Angela Hunt

As an agnostic I expected to be turned off by this when I realized, early on, that it was going to take a strong Christian bent. I was pleasantly surprised at the authors’ (both Ms Hunt & her protag) ability to express their faith in their Faith without driving me off. Overall, it was okay, not great, but I give it kudos for not putting off this agnostic.