Tag Archives: magic

Shadows of a Dream by S.L. Harby

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Whew! This book starts off running and doesn’t let you go until the last page!

I am a gamer, so I was very excited to get into this story about a player who can go into his game world – but this is such a fresh take on that idea. The players and avatars are “reflections,” and I am trying not to say too much because I’m really bad at avoiding spoilers. 🙂

From the book description: Stephen’s existence has become a wash of malaise, from the job he despises to the life that somehow has spun out of his control. He has grown apart from his wife, her respect for him having faded many years ago. As an escape, once a week, he and his friends get together to play The Game, exploring the magical world of Taerh through role play. Stephen soon learns there is more to Taerh than he ever imagined.

The Game, which he thought to be a construct of imagination, was actually based on visions of a world beyond his perceptions. In his dreams, Stephen sees the world of Taerh through the eyes of his ‘reflection’, Hollis, who lives a life which Stephen could only imagine. When tragedy strikes, Stephen must work with his reflection to unravel a mystery that spans both Taerh and Earth. New comrades in both worlds offer to aid them; although some are true allies, others are motivated by their own selfish desires. As Stephen draws closer to Hollis, he must track down the murderers of his closest friends before he joins them in death.

The world is well fleshed out as are the characters in this novel, and the action is just fast paced enough to keep you hanging on without burning you out too quickly – just like a good DM in a captivating campaign. This was a fun book, and I would highly recommend it. Also, the author is a pretty nice guy – I can’t wait to see what comes next for/from S.L. Harby!

The Black Magician Trilogy, by Trudi Canavan

SciFi/Fantasy, ,

It has been several months since I finished this trilogy and I’ve been purposefully waiting to add it to the blog because I wasn’t sure what I was going to say.  To be honest I’m still not sure, but I’m going to go on and try to put into words what I’m thinking…I mean, why should this post be different than any other, right?

This trilogy was recommended to me by a co-worker and I can say on a very basic level that I did enjoy it.  The characters are well developed and I felt like I knew them and cared about what happened to them, a vital part of storytelling.  The plot…well, I found myself getting bored a few times because it would crawl along and then BAM! Lots of action!  There would be a plot twist that didn’t really go where I thought it would and not in the “Wow, I didn’t see that awesomeness coming!” kind of way.  It was more the “hmmm, wonder why she decided to go THAT way with the plot” kind of way.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all three books, but felt it was a bit more of a sophomoric effort than the sci-fi/fantasy I normally enjoy.

Sonea is a street kid who runs with a gang of boys in Imardin.  Every year, the magicians from the Guild hold the Purge to drive the undesireables from the city.  This year the gang is front and center at the line of magicians and they launch an assault against the barriers the magicians put up.  None of their weapons or missles make it through save one: Sonea’s stone knocks one of the magicians to the ground.

This means, of course, that she has magic, but the only ones with magic are from the esteemed families, and they are inducted into the guild.  A hunt begins in the first novel, The Magician’s Guild, for Sonea, to bring her into the Guild and train her.  What she does not know is that if she isn’t trained the magic within her could kill her, so she resists the Guild and goes into hiding with the assistance of the Thieves.   Book two, The Novice, follows Sonea’s training in the Guild and leads her to discover a horrible secret about the High Lord.  The third book, predictably enough entitled The High Lord, further investigates that secret as well as brings Sonea into her own as a magician.

There are many characters in the book that I found myself really liking.  Lord Dannyl, Ambassador for the Guild, is one of them.  The relationship that he forms while in the field on assignment with one of the people he meets (I’m purposefully vague here, so I don’t spoil it) is one of the most genuine I’ve found in a novel not set in the real world.   Lord Rothen is the classic father figure, and when Sonea leaves his immediate guardianship I could feel his heartbreak and worry for her.  There were also characters that I didn’t like…the High Lord Akkarin being one of them.  My feelings for him changed by the third book and I felt a bit cheated…here is a fabulously faceted man that we don’t get to know until the end.

If you haven’t read any sci-fi/fantasy before this is a great read to pull you gently into the genre.  Terry Goodkind/Robert Jordan/Mercedes Lackey she is not, but Trudi Canavan did manage to spin an intriguing story in this trilogy.  Grab a copy and let me know what you think.

13 Treasures, Curses and Secrets, by Michelle Harrison

Children's 9-12, Fiction, Paranormal and Supernatural, , , ,

(edited from a review originally posted on Goodreads.com)

To be honest, I chose this book because I am a part time bookseller (at the time, in the children’s section) and I want to be well versed in what I’m selling. What I found was a gem of a book that, while a bit shaky in parts, overall has fascinating cast of characters that I truly came to care for as the story progressed.   Michelle Harrison, former bookseller with the same company for whom I now work, has hit the mark in this series and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the third book in the series, 13 Secrets, will be even better than the first two.

Tanya is a young teenager with the second sight, and has been plagued all her life by the fey that she can see. She experiences many of the same feelings all teenagers do, not being understood by her parents, that she is somehow different…but Tanya’s feelings are based in fact. It’s only when she is sent to spend summer holidays with her grandmother that she finds out just how different she is.

The twists and turns in the story kept me guessing and involved in the book until the very end.   What started out as an exercise in good bookselling turned into a lovely story that I can read over and over.  Now to wait until February for the next one!

Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman

Fiction, Paranormal and Supernatural, , ,

Practical Magic is a beautiful book. The characters grab your attention from the very start and hang on until the end. While I haven’t read anything else by Alice Hoffman, I like the style and pace of the book.

Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age and go live with their eccentric Aunts.  They find out that for generations the Owens women have had magic, and are generally blamed for everything bad that happens in the New England town where they live.  Each generation the locals basically shun the Owens women, but some unlucky men find themselves in love with an Owens woman and that relationship never ends well.

Sally is determined to change the fate of the women of the Owens family.  Gillian revels in being different and ends up leaving home.   The story unfolds as each girl pursues their own destinies that eventually lead them back to each other and to the town that has a lot to learn about the strength of the  Owens women.

This book speaks to that relationship that happens only between sisters and girlfriends, and I can pick it up time and time again and find new things.  It is beautiful and dark and uplifting and strange, and it has heart.  A truly great read, far far better than the Kidman/Bullock movie, this book is definitely not to be missed.