The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Review by R E K. (bigstone)

Science fiction novels are usually very good or very bad.  One of the best is The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.  The author takes concerns of today and projects a bleak future of consequences.  He blends a fascinatingly creative story with reduced natural resources, global warming, gene splitting of crops and manipulating human development.

The location is Thailand, one of the few remaining thriving countries in a world devastated by mutating diseases destroying both humans and the food supply.  Thailand has its own seed bank from which it is able to raise crops resistant to the diseases and rapidly emerging insect populations which in turn destroy plant life.  Many seek access to the carefully guarded seed bank.  In a world where resources are limited, supplies are guarded and treasured.  Country after country and company after company seek to control what is available stimulating power struggles and war.  In addition, global warming is raising the seas and strong sea walls must keep the water at bay for coastal areas.

The characters weave the concepts into a tale that flows flawlessly.  Anderson Lake is an American working for a large agricultural company called Agrigen headquartered in Iowa.  His goal is to tap the Thailand seed bank and reap profits for his company and himself.

Captain Jaidee works for the Environmental Ministry defending the country and its people against foreign interests.   He and his teams go so far as to destroy foreign cargo after cargo.  Thais view him as a folk hero.

The most important character is Emiko, a genetically altered individual called a windup girl.  She was  developed in Japan where young people and servants are rare but her skin pores are so small that she overheats easily.  Her jerky movements are so obvious that she must concentrate to move like others in the society.  Brought to Thailand by her patron, she is abandoned when he returns to Japan.  Instead of being destroyed when her patron leaves, he sets her free.  However, Thai society does not allow windups in their country and as an illegal she is forced to work as a prostitute where she undergoes degrading experience after degrading experience.  Her dream is to escape to a New People village in the north where other windups reported live.

Kanya is a surviving village woman working for opposing political Thai groups as Jaidee‘s second.  She rarely smiles but she admires Jaidee for his foresight, bravery and values.  Having survived a raid on her own village, she strives to exist by working both sides.

Hock Seng is an immigrant Chinese known as a yellow card who works for Lake as an accountant.  As long as he doesn’t speak  he can pass for  a Thai.  However, yellow cards are not well accepted in Thai society.  Hock Seng lost his thriving business and his family in a violent struggle, so he schemes to find a way to regain face and prestige even if it means stealing factory secrets from his boss, Anderson Lake.

Thus the stage is set for a dramatic story on several fronts, not the least of which is the political struggle between the Environmental and Trade Ministries.  I found this read so fascinating that it was hard to put aside.  If you like science fiction, I highly recommend this one.

The Killing Ways by Tony Hays

Review By Cheryl R.  (Spuddie)

First of a series set in Britain not long after the Romans left the decimated island to itself. Told by Malgwyn, a soldier in Arthur’s army who lost most of one arm in a battle and turned to drink to drown his sorrows for many years until Arthur, set to become ruler of Britain, charges him with solving the murder of a young serving woman–who also happens to be Malgwyn’s dead wife’s sister. The girl is found near Merlin’s cottage with her heart cut out and Arthur fears his political enemies, aware of his friendship with Merlin, are seeking to frame Merlin for the crime and blacken Arthur’s name by association before the election to diminish his chances of becoming the country’s leader.

Malgwyn, who has long harbored a grudge against Arthur for not allowing him to die an honorable warrior’s death in battle, also respects him greatly and knows that Arthur possesses something special that would make him the best leader for the now war-torn Britain, and so he pulls himself out of his cups to solve the dastardly crime against his own young sister-in-law.

There is plenty of political intrigue, historical detail and engaging characters, and I very much enjoyed this first entry in this new historical mystery series. It is well-researched and has an easy-to-read style that gives plenty of information without being dry and boring. Also, there were a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming which added to the mystery later in the book.

Many of the legendary Arthurian characters are introduced, although this is written as historical fiction rather than fantasy, so there isn’t the magic and sorcery present in the fantasy-based Arthurian tales. I like the main character a lot–foibles and all– and look forward to continuing this intriguing and interesting series.

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles, Bk 1) by Kevin Hearne

Review by reacherfan1909

Urban fantasy is a particular favorite of mine, ranking up there with mysteries and action thrillers as my most frequently read books.  The three genres have a lot in common.  The best urban fantasy has action, humor – often dry and self deprecating, and frequently a mystery involved – though not necessarily a murder.  The absolute best of urban fantasy being written today would have to be Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series.  Complex, detailed, rich in plot and character, his books are perhaps the best example of an archetype of urban fantasy genre – or UF to fans.

One of the most appealing parts of UF is the fact that it blends the familiar with paranormal and/or  legendary characters. This gives the reader a frame of reference that is then overlaid with paranormal elements.  Like mysteries, UF ranges from dark gritty noir to frothy light romantic suspense, though purists would dismiss the lighter work as not true UF, but lines blur.  Walk down the aisles of a book store and even they are uncertain where certain books should be shelved.  Some are in Science Fiction, some in romance, some in mystery.  Go to Amazon, you’ll find Changes (The Dresden Files, bk 12) by Jim Butcher under Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic and Wizards.  On PBS it’s  Science Fiction, Fantasy, General.  Neither has a class called ‘Urban Fantasy’.   Users of both sites tag it UF.  Spider’s Revenge by Jennifer Estep, same thing – tagged UF on both sites by users.  Makes shopping for books in this category hard.

Wizards, witches, and paranormal in general was declared on life support in the 90’s, then in 1997 along came a bespectacled young man named Harry Potter and hundreds of imitators were born.  Then it was declared dead again – it’s not selling, the market is saturated – No more vamps, werewolves, shifters, and then came Twilight in 2005.  I’m sure J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyers are laughing all the way to the bank. 

Such success is rare for authors, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of excellent reads out there for the finding.  It takes a lot of weeding through the average, generic, and mundane, but you find gems along the way.  Kelly Gay‘s Charlie Madigan series, Linda Robertson‘s Persephone Alcmedi series, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill, and Diana Rowland‘s Kara Gillian’s series, Jennifer Estep‘s Elemental assassin series was a surprise for me, and and so on. In 2011 – one of my favorite finds was the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne.  An engaging and personable lead character/narrator, Celtic gods, and his side kick is an Irish wolfhound with a movie fixation.

Atticus O’Sullivan looks like your typical barely drinking age Save the Earth type from his red hair and pale skin, to his Birkenstocks.  A modern day hippie, or maybe a better muscled Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, he looks harmless  and acts that way too, at least when the police are around. He and his wolfhound Oedipus, even run together – except he runs as a wolfhound.  He can also change into an owl.  Atticus is a Druid – the last druid – and over 2,000 years old.  In his long life, he’s lived all over the world and knows the ancient gods, and he has a magic sword that one of the Irish gods is trying to get back at any cost.   He also has a very odd ally of sorts in the Morrighan, the Celtic goddess of war, death, and fertility.  

The day starts like any other with breakfast and a mental chat about sausages and movies with Oedipus, then off to Third Eye Books and Herbs to make tea and sell useless books on various types of magic, but none on the very real magic Atticus wields.  At lunch the day goes to hell when he’s jumped by some fae sent to kill him by his moral enemy, Aenghus Og, Celtic god of love to most humans, but anything but to Atticus.  The fae are little better than cannon fodder and he easily dispatches them.  But the Morrighan comes to the shop as a crow to tell him of a vision she’s had of his death.  The Morrighan is rather fond of visions of his death.  But Atticus is tired of running from Aenghus.  He likes his life in the American Southwest.  Let him come.  It was time to end this.

Hearne proceeds to write a very entertaining narrative that weaves some well worn mythical characters from Celtic lore, with Norse gods, vampires, werewolves, and the southwest’s own Coyote – the sly but dangerous joker of many Native American myths. The attacks keep coming and a local coven of Polish witches gets involved – but are they friend or foe?  Atticus even strikes a bargain with a witch spirit, Laksha, that possess his favorite barmaid, Granuaile – who wants to become his apprentice Druid.  Going up against a Celtic god, especially one that is striking bargains with witches, demons, and other creatures in his mad quest to become the ruler, is no small matter, but he has more than the pack and Laksha on his side, Flidais, Celtic goddess of the hunt, is there too.  Maybe.  At least a bit.  He hopes.  For once, the denouement actually holds up and works.

I haven’t read many UF books that I enjoyed so completely.  I also read Hammered (Iron Druid, Bk 2) and Hexed (Iron Druid, Bk 3) and both were as well done as Hounded.  It has everything, hidden agendas, twists, deception, humor, excitement, even death.  The 290 pages flew by.  The mental exchanges between Atticus and Oberon were a highlight of the book and had me laughing out loud.  His current obsession is Genghis Khan and, naturally, well, female French poodles.  And the Widow MacDonaugh, Atticus’ elderly Irish neighbor, is a delightful character. 

If you’re look for the next Cat and Bones, World of the Lupi, or Guild Hunters, this isn’t it.  No romance, though there is sex.  Hounded and the next 2 books in the Iron Druid Chronicals get a very rare A- (4.3*) and a Recommended Read from me and they are damn good reads.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Review by Rebecca (rocky1)

The Secret History was author Donna Tartt’s first novel. Nearly two decades later, it remains a superb, cautionary coming-of-age tale.

Set in the 1980s, college student Richard Papen is disillusioned with his life, which seems to go nowhere. A former pre-med student who falls in love with the Greek language, Richard leaves his unhappy existence in central California to transfer to prestigious Hampden College in Vermont.

Once there, he becomes enamored with a group of students studying the Classics. Their air of superiority and mysteriousness to everyone else at the school intrigues him. Richard manages to weasel himself into their group, and come under the tutelage of their equally mystifying teacher, Julian Morrow.

Now, as one of the students, Richard is privy to an event they partake in that changes their lives-forever. And try as much as he would, he finds he cannot turn back the clock and escape to the lazy college days they once shared together.

Tartt does an excellent job of capturing Richard’s feelings: his distaste for his hometown of Plano, California, his broken relationship with his father (and thus likewise desire for Julian to act as his father figure), his friendships with his classmates, desire of love and acceptance of Camilla that is sadly, never returned, and the scenery and life of rural Vermont.

The characters of his professor and classmates Henry, Bunny, Francis, and twins Charles and Camilla, are fleshed out and they thoroughly have their own personalities. One comes to regard them as real flesh and blood beings, which furthered my own appreciation of the story. They are wealthy, educated and disdainful of almost everyone else at the school. Consequently, some individuals may complain that Richard is too bland, not an interesting or exciting enough character, but here I disagree: I think of his classmates as the interesting people we (himself included) all wish we could be, but I think of Richard as the wonderfully realistic everyman (what most of us really are).

The Secret History may seem like a daunting read because it discusses ancient Greek and the Classics. However, I personally found the stories and information given in the book as interesting and piqued my interest in all things Greek. No prior knowledge is needed to enjoy the setting in which Richard and his classmates develop their well-thought out (and often pretentious) plans.

The climax of the story occurs in the middle-at this point Book I ends and Book II begins. This may seem rather long and drawn out, but slowly we see the sad downfall of our remaining group of scholars-and how it creates a long lasting effect on Richard’s life that he will never forget.

A Honeybun and Coffee (Honeybun Hunks, Bk 1) by Sam Cheever

Review by Cynthia F. (frazerc)

Great contemporary read with an action plot.  To sum it up in a phrase:  No good deed goes unpunished…

Angie Peterson takes a break from the counter of her coffee shop and has to use the men’s room due to plumbing problems.  The person she asks to ‘guard the door’ gets busy and two men enter.  Embarrassed, she hides her presence – only to overhear them planning to kill someone with the unlikely name of Alistair Honeybun.

Once they leave, she rushes to call the only listing in the phone book and finds him at home – sick with bad cold and in no mood for what [he assumes] is a prank phone call.  He hangs up.  She decides to go to his house to make him listen – she just can’t face finding out about his death on the news.  He listens this time and they’re about to leave when the baddies show up – and now both of them are running for their lives.  Make that all three of them, as they take off on a motorcycle that Angie is terrified of [and that’s before he even starts it up], complete with Alistair’s pet dachshund, Jaws, in a one-dachshund-sized pouch.

Along the way they repeatedly hide out and then are found and attacked by the bad guys, spend a lot of time trying to figure out why someone wants to kill Alistair, and repeatedly terrify Angie by driving too fast, too recklessly and much too dangerously.

I found the dialog laugh-out-loud funny, the suspense was good (although the hero and heroine do occasional really dumb things), and the characterization was strong.  The Honeybuns could be the poster family for overachievers everywhere, but they are people you’d like to know – especially if you’re having problems with bad guys.

It’s charming and it’s funny – and I immediately went out and picked up the next two.

Honeybun Hunks

#1  A Honeybun and Coffee

#2  Life, Liberty and Pursuit of a Honeybun

#3  Fast Track To A Honeybun

#4  A Honeybun In Hell

#5  Honeybun In A Loin Cloth (only published in ebook format as of now)

Honeybun Cousins

The Shadow of a Honeybun – Book 1

Honeybun Sheik – Book 2  (only published in ebook format as of now)

Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

Review by McGuffyAnn M. (nightprose)

Friendship Bread is a novel of loss, the connection of friendship and the healing power of sharing.

The characters are uniquely different, yet so typically human. One cannot help but identify with them and their lives, struggles and all. Three women in various stages of life, with its sorrows, come together over tea and Amish Friendship Bread. As their stories unfold, bonds are formed and friendship deepens.

The book begins with Julia finding a loaf of bread on her porch one day. It is left there anonymously, with a note to “share the starter packet” with someone. As the starter packets are passed around to the residents of this small Midwestern town, surprising things happen to the recipients. As you begin to know the main characters, you meet the townspeople.

A few years ago, my neighbor and now close friend, gave me a starter packet of Friendship Bread. We had been passing neighbors, but this definitely sealed the deal. I was going through some difficult things at the time, and she thought a sweet treat might cheer me up. It did; and her friendship was the best part!

Initially, perhaps this is what attracted me to this book and connected me to the stories of the women. I think many women will identify. The novel is sweet, like the Amish bread, and very satisfying. There are tantalizing surprises, enjoyable characters, and wonderful storytelling in this gift of a novel. The recipe for friendship bread, and other recipes, is included at the back of the book.

Read this book, and gift it to a friend. Don’t forget to add a starter packet of the friendship bread!

What Beckoning Ghost by Douglas G. Browne

Review by Matt B. (BuffaloSavage)

The shadow of World War II looms over this 1947 mystery. Excited by séances run by a Madame Varché, the mother of a submariner lost in the North Atlantic claims to have met and talked with the ghost of her son in London’s Hyde Park. Wally the Bum also sees this apparition and, seven years later, after he sees it again, Wally is found drowned.

Harvey Tuke, “the rudest man in the Department Of Public Prosecutions,” becomes involved after he witnesses the erratic behavior of re-married wife of the submariner at a dinner party he was dragged to by his own wife.  The excitable wife is later found drowned. Aiding Tuke’s informal investigation are his superior Sir Bruton Kames, a bull in a china shop, and Wray, the sly snippy Assistant Commissioner (Crime) of Scotland Yard. The exchanges among the trio are acerbic but never unpleasantly callous.

As in his novel Too Many Cousins, Browne plots adroitly and delineates characters skillfully. The grandson of the Victorian illustrator Hablot K. Browne, better known as “Phiz,” Browne was trained as a painter before he turned to writing professionally. His descriptions are highly visual. This, on the sitting room of a respectable working class granny:

It was comfortable and scrupulously neat. What light there was filtered through the net curtain on to mahogany polished until it added a lustre of its own. Michaelmas daisies filled a vase on the table. Shelves of well-worn books, Goss china, photographs in plush or silver frames, a match-container resembling a pig and inscribed “Scratch Me”, a clock suspended in a model of the Eiffel Tower, an overmantel with an many pinnacles as St. Pancras station, oleograph and prints of “The Soul’s Awakening” and “Dignity and Impudence” – this handful from a host of ornaments recalled to Mr. Tuke the house in Albert Lane he has so recently left. … Parks and the late Victorian era seemed to be his portion just now.

The beauty of the Web, of course, is that we can go to Google Images and search for “Dignity and Impudence.” I urge you dog fanatics (I married one) to do so. Ditto for James Sant’s “The Soul’s Awakening,” a fine example of mainstream Victorian taste. Run “clock Eiffel Tower” too – and learn there’s more than one way to do everything.

Visual and historical details of London in the late 1940s make the story seem real. Often mentioned are the wrought-iron railings around Hyde Park that were removed and scrapped to provide metals for the war effort. Entire blocks of housing are bombed out, and set to be demolished but not cleared away, a common situation for 10 years in the city after the war. The climax narrates a thrilling subterranean chase in the storm drains under London.

Dover Publications reprinted this book and Too Many Cousins in the 1980s. Doing a search in PaperBackSwap for “Dover Pubns” and choosing the genre “Mystery, Thriller and Suspense” will probably shake loose wonderful mysteries such as Bodies in a Bookshop, Death Walks in Eastrepps, The Piccadilly Murder, and Death and the Pleasant Voices.

Happy reading.