I can’t talk about the presentation. I might have flashbacks. The fact that BOTH my classes that start next week have group projects is NOT giving me a happy.
However, I did read Kelly Armstrong’s latest Women of the Otherworld book, Personal Demon, yesterday, and then Dana Stabenow’s Prepared for Rage today. They were good.
Personal Demon follows Hope Adams, a half-demon with a chaos addiction, who takes on a job for Cortez Cabal in order to clear up a debt. When her werewolf friend (briefly a lover) and professional jewel thief Karl Marsten, with whom she incurred the debt,1Hope was introduced in the Dates From Hell anthology, with a novella that covered her initial encounter with Karl and the Cortez Cabal. finds out that she’s working without him, he immediately endeavors to extract her. While Hope isn’t as obviously powerful as some of the other characters in Armstrong’s universe, she’s no pushover, and she’s very good at using her talents. Lucas, the wayward son of cabal leader Benicio Cortez, and his wife Paige Winterbourne are also key to the plot.
I enjoyed the book immensely, although it was a light read that only lasted a few hours. I like the way Armstrong is keeping her universe fresh. I do wish she’d put out more books a year, though! I look forward to Living With the Dead, which is scheduled for a November release. Oh! I didn’t know that she was doing a young adult trilogy set in the Otherworld. Cool! Hate the Flash website, though.
Prepared for Rage is not a book I’d normally read. It’s a thriller involving an Al Qaeda terrorist, a space shuttle launch, one of the astronauts on the crew, a Coast Guard cutter captain, and a high-ranking CIA analyst. I’ve enjoyed Stabenow’s Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell series,2Actually, I’m pretty sure I read the first of her science fiction trilogy featuring Star Svensdotter many years ago but didn’t know that there were two more books until after they were out of print. so I gave it a try.
I found the sections told from the terrorist’s point of view truly disturbing. I didn’t really feel that the astronaut had much depth to her, but the captain and the analyst were good characters. I understand the function the astronaut served as a hook, but she should have been fleshed out more fully. I have a feeling that there was a lot of material edited out somewhere.
I don’t know if I’ll try reading Blindfold Game,3Ah—just realized that it’s in the same universe as PfR. Maybe I will. Maybe. Stabenow’s earlier thriller, but I’m looking forward to reading Silk and Song whenever she finds a publisher for it.
