Customer Comments

To put it simply, I loved this book. Jacqueline Carey's writing continues to amaze me in its exquisite detail, graceful prose, and fascinating characterization. Naamah's Blessing is a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy, and I am completely satisfied with Moirin's story. Much like the first two books in the trilogy, it's impossible to summarize the story without spoiling the twists and surprises, so I'll let the publisher's summary up there stand on its own. In Naamah's Blessing, Jacqueline Carey continues Moirin's epic adventure into new and far-flung locales-namely Terra Nova, just recently "discovered" by the Aragonians. Prince Thierry of Terre d'Ange disappeared into the jungles of Terra Nova with an expedition, and Moirin, acting on advice from a vision of her dead lover Jehanne, sets out with her husband Bao and a second expedition to prove that the prince is still alive and bring him home. Interestingly enough, her adventures in this book do not start off on a particularly adventurous note. The structure of the story reminds me of Naamah's Kiss, the first book in the trilogy, in that it begins with small steps into a larger world. Moirin and Bao return to Terre d'Ange from their adventures in Ch'in, the Tatar lands, and Bhaktipur, and the first half of the book runs at a much slower pace than that of Naamah's Curse. Moirin is once again wrapped up in court politics and intrigues, having taken on the role of young princess Desirée's oath-sworn protector. I have to admit, I'm just not as much of a fan of the court intrigues as I am of the far-flung adventures. Moirin, to me, is a character who is at her best navigating dangerous situations and making use of her instinct and her ability to inspire trust in others. I suppose you could think of the court intrigues as yet another dangerous situation to navigate, but it just didn't catch my interest as much as what happens to her in the Nahuatl and Quechua kingdoms in Terra Nova. In Terra Nova, she has to find a way to atone for her earlier mistakes and set right the horrible aftermath of her infatuation with Raphael de Mereliot. To me, Moirin finding a way to both fix the problems caused by her actions in the Circle of Shalamon and also finding a way to forgive and absolve herself for those sins was much more interesting. That quibble aside, I adored this book and devoured it in two days. Carey's descriptions of the landscapes and cultures of Terra Nova are vivid and absolutely lovely. I was very pleased to find Moirin and Bao together more in this book. I really like their relationship, but unfortunately much of Naamah's Curse was spent with the two of them trying to find each other. It was good to get a bit more interaction between the two as they try to find a balance between their love, intensified by their shared diadh-anam, and their duties. I also like that Carey develops characters who were rather incidental earlier in the series. Balthazar Shahrizai in particular grew into a fascinating character, and I never would have expected it of him. Each character that Carey introduces is important in his or her own way, and I really like that they are all given complex personalities and motivations. Even if they appear only for a short time, they're not cardboard cutouts standing in for characters. You can really believe that they have a life outside of the immediate story. So with Naamah's Blessing, we come to the end of Moirin's tale. I'm sad to see it end, but I'm also completely satisfied with it. This is a wonderful book (and such a beautiful cover!), and I think it's a worthy conclusion to the trilogy.

While the SF aspects of Spin were pretty fascinating (the ongoing mystery of the Hypotheticals and why the Earth was shrouded in a time-bending cloak--the Spin--more than held my interest; it made me read the book all in one sitting), what impressed me the most was Wilson's masterful blend of hard and "soft" SF elements. The science is equally important as the human relationships that make up the backbone of this excellent novel. Tyler Dupree, the narrator, is very believable and human in his reactions to the world and the people around him, and even Diane, the character we don't see much but who always occupies a place in Tyler's mind and heart, is fleshed out and intriguingly complex. The characters are always at the heart of the story, and Wilson communicates most of the science through Jason, Tyler's genius friend, another strong character who is willing to accept the role for which his father has molded him but who desires more; he wants to know, and doesn't want to die ignorant of the reason behind the Spin. Even the minor characters, from Jason and Diane's parents to Tyler's mother and even Tyler's brief love interests over the years, are much more than simply flat side characters. They all have complicated motivations and reactions. Spin was a treat to read. I love SF that masterfully combines speculative science with the human element that sometimes goes missing in hard SF.

I’ve had one of Diana Pharaoh Francis’s fantasy books on my bookshelf for ages, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. So I jumped at the opportunity to review this book, and I’m very glad I did. The story is tense and gripping, and the characters are fascinating and likable even in their flaws–of which there are many. But the characters, even the most fantastic of them, are all very believable and realistic. Max’s bitterness at being bound to her witch, Giselle, is well-constructed and believable in its intensity. She is comfortable being angry and hating Giselle to the point where it has blinded her to how important her impromptu family of Horngate Shadowblades and Sunspears–and even Giselle herself–is to her. Alexander, on the other hand, is almost alien in his detachment from others around him, and it was very enjoyable to read his attempts to integrate into the Horngate group. After discovering that the last hundred years of his existence have been pretty much a lie, he finds Max and her relationship with her group fascinating and alluring. He wants nothing more than to be a part of a group that close knit. The story itself definitely reads as the first chapter of a much larger series, and the ending isn’t so much an ending as it is a pause before the next shitstorm. It left me impatient for the next book, heh. I really enjoyed this and think it’s a great entry into the urban fantasy genre. Some of the action does get very gory, so if you have a weak stomach, there are a few scenes you might want to skip (the torture scene at the Conclave, in particular), but the violence never seems gratuitous. It adds to the tension that pervades the narrative and winds the reader up as tight as Max and Alexander. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

This is a very strong anthology with some absolutely excellent pirate fiction. The stories range from traditional pirate tales to genre spoofs to tales with a touch of fantasy to space pirate stories, and I enjoyed the heck out of nearly all of them. Just a couple fell flat for me, but overall, this is a fantastic anthology that would be a great addition to the pirate section of your bookshelf. You don’t have a pirate section? I can’t be the only one who does. I think my favorite stories are “Boojum” by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette, “The Nymph’s Child” by Carrie Vaughn, and “Pirate Solutions” by Katherine Sparrow. “Boojum” is the aforementioned space pirate story, narrated by Black Alice, a junior engineer on a living ship. Boojums are strange space creatures that allow humans to use them as transports; they will allow their crew to pillage ships as long as the boojum gets to devour the ship itself–and whatever crew is left on board. Alice develops a bond with the ship, and when they’re attacked by the vicious Mi-Go (yes, that is a Lovecraft reference), Black Alice must do something desperate to survive. This is a very strange story, but it is incredibly imaginative and very well-written. “The Nymph’s Child,” written by Carrie Vaughn of the Kitty Norville series, is about a woman who had sailed with pirates disguised as a man. When they are captured, the captain–who is her lover–tells the Marshal that Gregory Lark es actually Grace Lark and is with child. Years later and Grace keeps a tavern and has a proud teenage daughter who seems desperate for adventure. When an old face shows up and asks the secret to crossing the Strait of the Iron Teeth, where a dragon is rumored to dwell, Grace must face up to her past and come to terms with her daughter’s desires. I adored this story; the blend of fantasy with a more traditional woman-in-drag pirate tale is very well done. “Pirate Solutions” is another genre-bending story with three hackers named Jack, Anne, and Mary finding a bottle of bone rum and setting sail with their group of cyber pirates. And I mean that literally, they set sail on a semi-restored sloop with the uncanny knowledge of their pirate forebears: Calico Jack Rackham, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. The story is a strange blend of sailing-the-seas and cyberpunk piracy and a ragtag group of pirates looking for a home. It was really difficult to pick just three favorites; I could go on and on and on about how great the stories are in this anthology, but I unfortunately have papers to grade and other stuff to write, alas! But you! I know yer not a yellow-bellied landlubber, so get thee to a bookstore and pick up this anthology! Just don’t pillage it. Bookstore managers don’t look too kindly on those bent on plunder.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale... is certainly strangely beautiful, and I had to force myself to put the book down so I could sleep. Set in an alternate Victorian England, where spirits roam the streets and six chosen people safeguard the mortal world from dangerous ghosts, this book is richly imagined and constructed, with fascinating characters and an engrossing storyline. I think my favorite thing about this book is the incredible romantic tension that develops between meek Percy and arrogant Alexi. Have any of you seen North and South (the BBC production of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, with Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe, not that Civil War miniseries from the 80s)? You know how the tension between Margaret and Mr. Thornton builds and builds and builds with no release in sight, and when there finally is a release, you're practically panting even if it's just a kiss? Well, I spent every page of this book from the moment Percy met Alexi in that state. It's really a fantastic take on the destined-to-be-together storyline; I was surprised that I liked it so much because I usually don't care for that type of romance. It just worked really well in this context. Percy is an unusual heroine for me to like, because she is very meek and uncertain. I lean toward the tough chicks, and while Percy does have incredible inner strength, she is very timid on the outside. There were a few times when I wanted to shout at her to stand up for herself, but she does come through when it really matters (and I cheered). Alexi, on the other hand, pushes all of my brooding hero buttons. I have to admit that I pictured the aforementioned Richard Armitage as Alexi; a Twitter conversation with the author revealed that she imagined Alexi as Alan Rickman when she started writing the novel. Either way, he's brooding and isolated, having devoted his entire life to seeking out the Prophecy revealed to him when he was a teenager, and he's the perfect picture of a lonely romantic hero. I think the thing I found most fascinating about this novel was the mythology that surrounds the characters. Alexi and his five companions were chosen as young teenagers to serve as the Guard, and they were granted specific powers that would allow them to police London and send dangerous spirits packing. Alexi has spent the twenty years since that time struggling to balance his beliefs as a scientist with the memory of the goddess who appeared to them through a portal in the air. I won't give away the mythology itself, but it was well-integrated into the story and was definitely an interesting twist on what could have been a simpler ghost story. The only complaint I have is that the end seemed to happen really swiftly, and I wish it had been drawn out a bit more. But otherwise, I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend it.