Rynn Cameron

The third in the Beka Cooper series is even better than the second. Beka is now an adult, barely, and the tone of her journals reflect that. In Mastiff Beka is assigned to a Hunt along with Achoo her scent hound and her fellow Dog, Tunstall. Pounce, the purple-eyed cat, comes along as well, of course. The Hunt takes them into politics and slave traders and how a sense of privilege and expectations contrast with duty and honour. It's the sort of book that you want to reread because you missed some layers in the first read through. Yes, it's a young adult book, and yes, you can read it as a straight adventure: no problem. But Pierce, like Terry Pratchett, uses the story to examine human nature and what's good and what's harmful, and on that level it's equally absorbing.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes traditional fantasy, as well as those who are interested in police stories (for the Dogs are the Tortall police force) or in cross-cultural stories, for Beka has to travel a long ways on this Hunt.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Mastiff-Legend-Beka-Cooper-3-Tamora-Pierce/9780375814709-item.html?ikwid=mastiff+pierce&ikwsec=Home

This continues the saga of the Gales, focusing on Charlie the musician. She is a wild one, bedding whom she wishes, when she wishes, and won't be tied down for anything or anyone. And plays a mean guitar. And mandolin. And sings. She starts out playing with a country band up in Fort McMurray and soon finds herself rejoining one of her old bands out East and playing the Celtic circuit. There's just enough music to keep a musician interested but not so much that this opera fan felt left out. (I know there's a difference between reels and strathspeys, but that's about it.) (Interesting that this dictionary doesn't list strathspey. Definitely no Scots in its editors!)

The major plot involves near-shore drilling and Selkies and the fascinating personal assistant to the head of an oil company. The head of the oil company is a little sketchily drawn, but it works for the story. The book starts with a rough wander through the plot elements but settles down after a bit and takes a great ride with a lot of wry humor (a lot of it very Canadian). If you try reading this late at night you might wake up your bed partner with your laughter, no matter how quiet you intend to be.

The resolution is satisfying enough and the characters are great. Definitely recommended if you like paranormals or anything by Tanya Huff (author of Blood Ties, the Quarters, etc.)

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Wild-Ways-Tanya-Huff/9780756406868-item.html?ikwid=wild+ways&ikwsec=Home

This is a suspense romance, part of a series about the agents of a secret Save the World agency. This one moves from Los Angeles to Japan and is less desperate and grim than the other "Ice" book I tried. I enjoyed this one, especially the intersection with Japanese culture. Good escapism from whatever you need rest from in your life.

I know--just yesterday I reviewed the first of Hoyt's Four Soldiers series, and here I am having read another. Well, it was the fourth and final in the series and solved the mystery introduced in the first book. As an Elephant's Child, I have Curiosity, and wanted to know.

Again, well-written, lots of sex scenes (not to my taste, though, but easy to skip), exploring treatment of and for veterans. I wanted light distraction during my lunch and this provided it. Nice clothes described. Did exactly what I wanted, so a success. Rather like eating candy, though, and getting the coffee flavored Jelly Belly when one really wanted root beer.

I picked up this book based on the description in the catalog my local science fiction/fantasy bookstore produces every quarter:(http://www.deadwrite.com/sfk11.html)

After being exposed to radioactive particles as part of a clean-up gang in the depths of space, Tanyana is told she has developed a hitherto-unseen ability to understand the apparently sentient stuff. Powerless, penniless and scarred, Tanyana must adjust to a new life collecting magical garbage - 'debris' - but starts to realize debris is more important than anyone could guess.

That doesn't quite fit, as it all takes place on the ground, but it did its job and convinced me to try the book. Especially as it's published by AngryRobotBooks.com, which publish interesting reads that are not quite like anyone else's.

It was wonderful.

I was afraid it would be dry and distant, as Horrible Things Are Happening books tend to be, but it wasn't. It made me care about Tanyana, and about her coworkers and those she meets and those incidental characters who may or may not survive the story. It wasn't an intimate tale, but it has a similar feel to "Canticle for Leibowitz" best as I recall, being about someone you could never be but you still admire and care about. Or like "Dune" but with a Paul Atreides that you have sympathy for.

This book could be classed as steampunk, as machinery works in non-normal fashion, but I don't like steampunk. It could be urban fantasy depending on what you're expecting, even though it's not set on Earth. Or science fiction, where magic and science are indistinguishable as Clarke claimed. Or future history, as it seems you could make a case for this world being a lost Russian colony. Regardless, it's a good read.

There's a second book in the works, although it stands alone nicely.

Give it a try.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Debris-Jo-Anderton/9780857661548-item.html?ikwid=anderton&ikwsec=Books

(Great cover.)