"Where Angels Fear to Tread" by Thomas E. Sniegoski (Roc)

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Where Angels Fear to Tread
Thomas E. Sniegoski
304 pp. Roc. $14.00
Pub. Date: 3/2/2010
ISBN-13: 978-0451463142

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Let’s get biblical, let’s talk about Angels. And not the ones with baseball mitts on their hands and a Rally Monkey on their back. No, these Angels play for another team, Heaven’s Sluggers, owned and managed by the Big Divinity himself; it’s the team most Angels spend their entire career with. Forget free agency, no team can offer bigger bucks or higher visibility. But maybe an enterprising angel decides they want to try humanity on like a pair of pressed khaki Dockers, burying their angelic nature under the threadbare cloak of mortality. Turning in their wings to become human and putting their halo six feet under.

Almost. They still get to keep their wings along with some pretty nifty parlor tricks, their heavenly DNA corked up like a genie in a bottle, waiting to be unleashed. Then maybe a day comes along when they find themselves in an unpalatable situation, when danger’s about to French kiss them, and they pull the cork, effectively releasing two tons of Heaven’s fury up alongside danger’s head, sending it whimpering and scuttling back into a dark corner.

And like the genie, the angel loves being free, loves being in control, its desire for freedom burning hot with Napalm intensity. And once the angel has had a little tasty-taste of heaven’s power, it doesn’t want to be put back in the bottle, doesn’t want to be stuck in a dead end job with humanity as their boss. Nobody puts this baby in the corner. Yet back in the bottle it goes. Sometimes. Because it takes a strong man to put the angel down.

A man like Remy Chandler, the world’s second favorite Remy after that Martin character. An angel slumming in the guise of humanity. And what does an earthbound, humanity-embracing angel do for a career? Why become a detective; solve cases, find missing people. Or more specifically, handle cases that border on the weird and tiptoe through the mythological; cases no cop or other detective could comprehend.

Like his latest case: a sick young girl abducted by her father; her mother desperate for Remy’s help. But Zoe isn’t like normal six year olds, she has the special ability to foresee the future, documenting her visions with a box of Crayolas and paper. Including a drawing of the man who will try to save her, a man with wings, a man that can only be Remy Chandler.

Where Angels Fear to Tread is a fast-paced, detective noir fantasy, both refreshingly gritty and imaginative, a dark realism mixed with intriguing fantastical elements. Realism and urban fantasy aren’t often bedmates, but author Thomas E. Sniegoski gets them to cohabitate in Where Angels Fear to Tread. If angels really wore a human guise, Remy Chandler acts and thinks like you’d probably imagine. Sniegoski’s ability to ground his fantastical narrative in a somewhat believable reality is well-executed, right up their with Charlie Huston’s fantastic work in the Joe Pitt series. It’s an exciting noir-flavored world with a grittiness that feels like chomping on sandpaper, a beautifully crafted world that I’d definitely like to revisit.

Sniegoski cribs freely from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files playbook, though he amps up the violence and cuts much of the humor. Chuckles are rare, while the atmosphere is dark and brooding. The detective aspects of the story were underwhelming; Remy’s case is just too straightforward and linear. There really wasn’t much to it, nothing that dropped your jaw on the floor or made you check your undergarments. I would have loved a better mystery at the heart of the novel; it’s just not there.

Make no mistake, Where Angels Fear to Tread is a solid fantasy noir with nice characterization and an intriguing pseudo-realistic urban fantasy feel. It’s just missing that story that punches you in the face, the one that shocks and offends you. Missing the story that spits in your eye and steals all your lunch money while cackling evilly; a nasty, brutish devil of a narrative. Because every angel needs a demon to cause trouble and give them a hell of a time. Remy sure could have used one here.

Final Grade: 70 out of 100

Winner of the Drood Giveaway

I have a winner to announce in the Drood Giveaway. The winner will receive a copy of Drood by Dan Simmons, courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

So if I can get a drumroll...

The winner is: Laura Gerold from Wisconsin. Congratulations Laura! Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

"The Light of Burning Shadows" by Chris Evans (Pocket)

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The Light of Burning Shadows
Chris Evans
384 pp. Pocket. $26.00
Pub. Date: 7/28/2009
ISBN-13: 978-1416570530

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Elves. They’re the epic fantasy equivalent of the ubiquitous urban fantasy vampire. Alien, pale, brooding, occasionally sparkly. (Dwarves, on the other hand, tend towards werewolves, both breeds hirsute and odor-challenged.) Elves can run the gamut from monstrous, sneering pointy-eared balls of evil and malice to the cute and cuddly tree-hugging, drives-a-VW-van-with-a-peace-sign-painted-on-the-roof variety that appears to be straight out of a Build-A-Bear store. They cause serious heart palpitations in role-playing game geeks. The even cooler sounding and looking dark elves have these same gamers involuntarily geysering all manners of bodily fluids.

And like vampires, the majority of authors who incorporate elves in their novels do them wrong. Making them more cringe-inducing than an Eddie Murphy movie. Making them as cool as your parents were when you were a teenager and your friends came over. (Mom, put away the Yahtzee! And do you have to fold my underwear now?)

Occasionally though, a teenager gets a rock star for a parent, an icon of pure bitchin-ness, a rental unit who’s cooler than a six pack of Clearasil to his puberty-wrecked friends. And sometimes a writer gets elves right, or at least, doesn’t get them horribly wrong.

Now Chris Evans doesn’t reach an Ozzy-as-your-Dad level of coolness with his elves; he’s just below that, but his characterization is also no where near a Vanilla-Ice-as-your-Dad level of ineptitude either. For the most part, Evans’s elves are pretty badass.

Evans’s A Darkness Forged in Fire, the first volume of the Iron Elves saga, was a solid, entertaining book mainly held together by some nice characterization and intriguing world building. But I was disappointed in the wandering-through-the-woods nature of the storyline which ultimately left me underwhelmed. Evans clearly showed promise; A Darkness Forged in Fire just wasn’t the book that fulfilled it.

So did The Light of Burning Shadows, the second volume in the series, better fulfill the promise Evans showed in A Darkness Forged in Fire?

The answer is clearly yes. The Light of Burning Shadows is a significant improvement, particularly in terms of plot, to the previous book. Where A Darkness Forged in Fire felt clichéd, The Light of Burning Shadows feels fresh and imaginative, like Evans created an entirely new and interesting world which is both convincingly dangerous and mysterious. The world building is quite adequate; especially considering it’s not the focus of the book.

Tremendous pacing keeps the action moving, and the battle scenes don’t suffer from the redundancy that the battles in the first book did. The action scenes are kept short and concise; detailed description is sacrificed for pacing. Those who enjoy detailed battle descriptions will be disappointed by the abrupt nature of most of the confrontations in The Light of Burning Shadows. This abruptness has the tendency to make the battles, particularly the final one, seem anti-climatic.

Characterization is still Evans’s strong point, and his work in The Light of Burning Shadows is solid. Konowa Swift Dragon and Private Alwyn Renwar, in particular, are multi-faceted, introspective and intriguing; both of their character arcs are the hook that drags the reader through the novel. That said, because of a growing darkness infesting the hearts and minds of both Konowa and Renwar, it can be slightly unpleasant to read about them. Overall Evans adopts a darker tone in The Light of Burning Shadows, and it’s a bold choice. It will be intriguing to see where Evans takes the story from here.

The Light of Burning Shadows like its predecessor is a solid, entertaining fantasy novel. Evans’s writing is much improved, showing off a more imaginative plot as well as successfully introducing a darker, more adult tone. What keeps The Light of Burning Shadows from achieving greatness is the lack of detailed battle descriptions, which makes the final battle feel terribly anti-climatic. If Evans shows a similar improvement between this book and his next as he did between A Darkness Forged in Fire and The Light of Burning Shadows though, I eagerly anticipate what’s next.

Final Grade: 75 out of 100

"Dead Matter" by Anton Strout (Ace)

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Dead Matter
Anton Strout
336 pp. Ace. $7.99
Pub. Date: 2/23/2010
ISBN-13: 978-0441018444

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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I’m not a fan of the urban fantasy genre. Scratch that. I’m not a fan of the paranormal romances that play dress up in urban fantasy garb. Stories featuring a super-powered, magically well-endowed chick playing tonsil-hockey with a vampire or mummy (if she’s into older dudes) makes me want to run my tongue across a cheese grater. Twice. It’s that painful for me. And I’m not even the one playing love connection with the supernatural.

So it’s often with great trepidation and monstrous tears in my eyes that I pick up an urban fantasy novel, knowing most likely I’m wasting my life on vampire smootchies and mummy sex scenes. (Please no raising the dead jokes.) Really, why can’t these spunky hormonally-charged heroines just log on to Match.com and advertise that they’re desperately seeking werewolf? Or wanting long shuffles on the beach with a zombie? Please, keep me out of your romantic fumblings. Makes the bile hum in my throat.

So I’m horribly biased against urban fantasy (I know, color me shocked, too); it’s a problem—so I decided to work on it. Rehabilitate my attitude. Get a sponsor. Change my mindset. How so? By employing my super-duper urban fantasy twelve step program—which is really twelve steps condensed into one step—namely read more urban fantasy. Read more with an eye to finding the good books hiding among the piles of bad, the hundred dollar bill under a truckload of dirty baby diapers. Essentially finding the needle in a haystack.

Luckily, I found a needle. (Yay me!) It might be a slightly rusty needle, but it’s still a needle. Pointy in all the right places. And I didn’t get a hay bale stuck in an uncomfortable place.

Dead Matter by Anton Strout isn’t going to knock you on the floor, steal your kidney and leave you in a bathtub filled with ice, but it is a fun, fast-paced read that brings a hefty heaping of the entertainment factor. You definitely won’t be bored, because the intrigue is right up in your face. There is no supernatural sucking face, because—check this—Strout writes characters who act like real people and not hormone-crazed clichés. Well, the characters are as real as you can expect from urban fantasy. (Realistic urban fantasy characters—oxymoron much?)

Department of Extraordinary Affairs agent Simon Canderous and his girlfriend Jane are picking up some groceries for Taco Night when they’re rudely interrupted by a beastie that nightmares have nightmares of. Only some quick thinking and even quicker reactions (along with a fervent belief in the sanctity of Taco Night) keeps Simon from being a human taco (crunchy on the outside, meaty in the middle). The creature escapes, but a question remains: what kind of supernatural boogeyman was that?

Meanwhile, Simon’s partner Connor Christos is using his extensive vacation time to track down information about his missing brother. The mystery trail leads Connor into a situation that eventually requires the timely intervention of Simon, who decides to keep a closer eye on Connor since “Trouble” seems to have become his middle name. One night, Simon stumbles across a man staring into the window of Connor’s apartment, a man who looks quite a bit like Connor. Simon chases Connor’s peeping tom clone to the Gibson-Case Center only to be turned away by security. Well, that’s a big bag of curious with a side order of the mystery deepens. Further research reveals that the Gibson-Case Center isn’t quite what it seems. In fact at the heart of the building may lay the answers to all of Simon’s mysteries.

Strout develops and furthers the mystery nicely throughout the novel, teasing the reader with some clever misdirection. They are a few juicy suspects in the story, all incredibly viable until the final reveal. One of the cool choices Strout makes is to have characters that are good or bad regardless of their supernatural taxonomy. There are good vampires, and there are bad vampires, each with a unique rationale behind their moral choices. Strout writes each character as an intelligent entity able to string thoughts together like a popcorn band on a Christmas tree, which was refreshing and added to the believability of the story.

If Taco Night didn’t clue you in on the humor in Dead Matter, it should have, like a shot of seltzer water to the face. Strout has a natural knack for having his characters riff on something like pepper jack cheese and the entire conversation feeling completely natural and real. As well as being charming and funny. Damn funny.

Fans of Jim Butcher and Thomas E. Sniegoski will find a lot to like about Dead Matter. It’s tight, humorous and utterly engaging entertainment. And it doesn’t have vampire smootchies. Thanks Anton for saving my tongue from the cheese grater.

Final Grade: 70 out of 100

Collector's Corner - Joe Schreiber

Years ago Joe Schreiber was signing Eat the Dark ARCs at San Diego Comic Con. I happened to get one. Now Joe is getting good pub for bringing horror to the Star Wars universe in Death Troopers. Crazy what happens in a few years.

Comic Break - "Ball Peen Hammer" by Adam Rapp and George O'Connor (First Second)

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Ball Peen Hammer
Writer: Adam Rapp
Artist: George O'Connor
144pg. First Second. $17.99
ISBN-13: 978-1596433007

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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There aren’t many graphic novels that really get to you, that burrow themselves deep inside your consciousness like a repressed memory, scarring you cerebrally. Not many graphic novels that are unforgettable, completely indelible like the smell of birth, still rattling your brainpan days, even weeks, after having experienced them. Some graphic novels you just can’t forget; they present images you can never un-see.

Ball Peen Hammer is one of these types of indelible and scarring reading experiences; a shocking tour de force that rips at your soul like a jagged and rusty knife. Writer Adam Rapp and artist George O’Connor have crafted an incredibly bleak vision of a dystopian society in which two lovers, separated after a night of passion, come to grips with the profound horror growing in their lives.

Most graphic novels have a narrative that is reminiscent of a summer blockbuster, a popcorn movie cluttered with bold action followed by moments of explication when the visuals fail. In comparison, Ball Peen Hammer feels more like live theater, reminiscent of a dramatic play, which is unsurprising considering Rapp is a well-renowned playwright. It’s an introspective and intimate character examination that demands response and thought from its audience; it’s impossible not to be affected by the story. Love it or hate it—you will have a reaction to the material. As I read I consistently imagined what a theater production of Ball Peen Hammer would like look, and subsequently found myself yearning to see such a production.

Rapp infuses the dystopian society of the novel with a depth and complexity even though the reader only sees it in the reflection of the characters. The reader knows little about the world; it’s the unknown lurking outside. Yet it’s difficult not to keep asking yourself how this world got so screwed up, and in what kind of world does events like this happen. By knowing so little, this bleak society becomes increasingly intriguing. This is a universe I’d love to see Rapp and O’Connor revisit in the future.

O’Connor’s artwork is perfect for the book; it feels bleak without feeling dark and heavy. It’s the light of hope buried in a suffocating coffin, lively with the hand of death on its shoulder. The expressiveness of each of the character’s faces is wonderfully done, the emotions beautifully rendered and realized.

I really enjoy comics that are happy surprises. But I love comics that are knock-your-ass-on-the-floor system shocks. Ball Peen Hammer is clearly the second kind of surprise, a beautiful and bleak piece of graphic novel gold that will chomp on your psyche like the lovechild of Freud and Pac-Man. So grab your hammer, and brace yourself. Hard. Because Ball Peen Hammer will knock you out.

Final Grade: 85 out of 100

"30 Days of Night: Light of Day" by Jeff Mariotte (Pocket Star)

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30 Days of Night: Light of Day
Jeff Mariotte
336 pp. Pocket Star Books. $7.99
Pub. Date: 9/29/2009
ISBN-13: 978-1439122273

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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The 30 Days of Night graphic novels have always been a guilty pleasure for me, a trip on the ultra-violent side with vampires that are portrayed as actual bloodthirsty monsters. (No sparkles here!) And being a bloodthirsty monster, these bloodsuckers only wanted to do one thing: tear a few new orifices in folks, often in the most gruesome and grisly manner possible. (Sure it’s not the Disney Channel, but not everything can be that terrifying. I mean, really, have you watched Hannah Montana?)

So having enjoyed the 30 Days of Night comics in the past, I decided to try the latest novel set in that horrific universe, 30 Days of Night: Light of Day by Jeff Mariotte. So would I be sorry? How much was this going to hurt? See, usually I’m wary of shared universe books, never really expecting much, and getting just what I expected. Most of these books deserve to be doused in gasoline and invited to a bonfire as the special guest of honor.

I also harbored doubts about whether an ultra-violent comic like this would translate well into a book; too much grisly mayhem could get old rather quickly, the reader becoming desensitized to vampire shock and awe. One or two decapitations might be a bucketful of gruesome giggles, but three hundred pages filled with heads being popped off like champagne corks at a rapper’s birthday party would be tiring.

30 Days of Night: Light of Day embraces its comic book roots like lovers entwine around each other on Valentine’s Day. It’s a non-stop, action-packed geyser of intestine soup; gruesomeness piled upon gruesomeness like a stack of Sour Cream Pringles, a hot-sticky-copper-flavored-going-to-need-three-school-janitors-to-clean-it-up mess. Now copious amounts of gory, squirting bodies aren’t a problem if there’s a story behind the mayhem. Unfortunately, there’s hardly even a tweet of story in 30 Days of Night: Light of Day.

And what there is is standard fare, an utterly tired cliché lounging on three pillows of unoriginality. Vampires seek a vaccine that will get rid of their pesky aversion to daylight, while a super-secret group of vampire hunters tries to stop them. Mariotte adds nothing new to the vampire mythos, never rewarding the reader with a new thought or a new angle. It’s like watching a rerun of a TV show you’ve seen a hundred times before, totally mindless.

There are subplots and scenes in the novel which prove to be completely unnecessary, as they don’t further the narrative. One scene late in the novel has a group of vampires descending on a mall, slaughtering shoppers. It’s a throwaway scene that adds nothing to the book, only an excuse for more gore and comic mayhem; it could have been removed and the reader would have lost nothing. Another subplot featuring losers Walker and Mitch, who are trying to get a vampire to turn them, ends with a final twist that is more laughable than shocking. It’s a surprise twist that smacks of desperation, of trying and failing to be cool.

All the characters are clipped from cardboard, and most of them get by without showing a single intelligent thought (much like my reviews.) Sure, characters in horror stories aren’t known for showing much wit, but they need to have at least one crazy aunt in the attic to make me believe they can even feed themselves. I doubt whether these characters could even leave their house without being an immense danger to themselves and society.

30 Days of Night: Light of Day is a train wreck of a novel. It adheres to its comic book roots maybe too well, but what works for a graphic novel doesn’t necessary translate into an enjoyable book.

Final Grade: 30 out of 100

Collector's Corner - Timothy Zahn

Here's an autograph I got a few years back in San Diego from science fiction/fantasy/Star Wars author-extraordinaire Timothy Zahn. Enjoy.

"The God Engines" by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)

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The God Engine
John Scalzi
136 pp. Subterranean Press. $20.00
Pub. Date: 12/31/2009
ISBN-13: 978-1596062993

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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One of my favorite things about John Scalzi’s books is that the man is funny. Along the lines of I-barfed-a-pink-gelatinous-quivering-lung-out kind of funny, which is an incredibly hard thing to accomplish when you are dealing with only the written word. His signature mixture of humor and space opera have always made for entertaining and vastly enjoyable reads. (Especially if killing someone with your flatulence is your idea of high comedy.)

But my absolute favorite John Scalzi scene is the first chapter of an Old Man’s War, where John Perry visits the grave of his wife, realizing this would be the last time he would visit. The writing is so poignant, and heartfelt, and touchingly human. There is so much soulfulness and life bursting from that scene. It’s utterly unforgettable.

But it is also a scene that has been singular in nature; a high that Scalzi has never reproduced in my eyes in subsequent novels. Humor has seemingly won the day in his most recent books, and those moments of profound gravitas have slowly dwindled away, winking out faster than cupcakes at a Jenny Craig meeting. Which is disappointing, since that first chapter of an Old Man’s War showed so much potential for sci-fi greatness. If only he could re-ignite that spark once again.

In The God Engines, a new limited edition novella from Subterranean Press, that’s exactly what John Scalzi has done, re-igniting that spark with an arsonist’s glee. The God Engines is unlike anything he’s done before, shockingly different, both new and completely unexpected. It’s the book Scalzi needed to write in order to mature as a writer and to take his considerable talents to the next level. It’s the book that shows he’s more than just a writer of humorous space operas; he’s also one of the best science fiction writers currently working.

A vastly rich tale set in a theocratic universe, The God Engines is a modern sci-fi classic, an intriguing examination of faith and worship and godhood. Intelligent and provocative, the narrative reminds me of a classic Twilight Zone episode, well-written, multi-leveled and rich with ideas. The God Engines is the best thing yet from John Scalzi and worthy of award consideration.

I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Final Grade: 87 out of 100

"The Conqueror's Shadow" by Ari Marmell (Spectra)

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The Conqueror's Shadow
Ari Marmell
448 pp. Spectra. $26.00
Pub. Date: 2/23/2010
ISBN-13: 978-0553807769

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent remarks that “…you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Thanks for the foreshadowing, Harvey. But let’s change this statement up, going for the opposite approach. Namely, you either die a villain, or live long enough to see yourself become the hero. Now what would that look like. (Hopefully not like Darth Vader, his change of heart was the lameness.)

One day you’re out conquering the land, putting people to the sword, working on your evil genius cackle—the one that has chickens across the land dropping their nuggets and maidens fainting dead away—before finally making enough stupid tactical decisions that a hero or group of heroes can put a stop to your nefarious deeds. Which usually means getting put down for a dirt nap—cue the worms. Oh, nefarious deeds, I hardly knew you.

But maybe you got lucky like an Irishman and survived. Maybe you split as the heroes stormed the walls, tucking your bushy tail between your legs like a squirrel and sprinting for a tree. Better to pony up and run than getting pointy thing-ed to death. Live to fight another day, right?

Surprisingly, hiding in solitude suits you; you eventually settle down, start a family, rear some children, and feed copious amounts of slop to pigs. Decades pass, and then another evil conquering yahoo starts terrorizing people, one of whom happens to be you; the pigs, thankfully, are left alone. Well, that just burns your brisket and smashes your sweet potatoes. So you put your best boots on, shine up your armor, kiss the wife and kids goodbye, and set forth on a heroic adventure, intent on doling out some retribution.

Ari Marmell’s debut original novel, The Conqueror’s Shadow, uses this idea as its foundation, taking the villainous (at least in the Prologue) Corvis Rebaine, Terror of the East, and transforming him into a hero for the rest of the book. It’s an intriguing setup, and Marmell does a solid job in breathing life into the idea.

But Rebaine’s transformation is hardly from villain to hero; there is no moral epiphany that causes him to change his life. He is the same person, just viewed from a different perspective, an anti-hero, an example of one man’s freedom fighter being another man’s terrorist. The horrendous acts attributed to Rebaine in the book are perpetrated by truly evil minions who are operating outside of Rebaine’s knowledge and without his assent, providing Corvis with a buffer that allows him to never become morally unpalatable to the reader. He’s essentially the evil conqueror version of the hooker with a heart of gold cliché; he’s Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, except with scary skull armor.

This moral hedging was disappointing. I would have preferred it if Marmell had transformed a truly evil character into a reluctant anti-hero, but that would have required a darker, more pessimistic approach to the book. The Conqueror’s Shadow ultimately needs to be grittier, meaner than a junk yard dog chewing rusty syringes; this is material that would have sparkled in the hands of a dark fantasist like Joe Abercrombie or George R.R. Martin.

Instead, Marmell attempts a treatment along the lines of Scott Lynch or Brent Weeks, using sarcastic humor to mask the unpleasant and dark thoughts. Unfortunately, he never captures the magic of those two authors, though he is closer to Weeks. Fans of Brent Weeks should appreciate the pacing and minimalist approach to world building in The Conqueror’s Shadow, but will miss the grand theatrics and rollercoaster ride that made the Night Angel Trilogy so memorable.

Make no mistake; The Conqueror’s Shadow is a solid epic fantasy. It’s just disappointing since it had the potential to be a great one.

Final Grade: 72 out of 100

"A Dark Matter" by Peter Straub (Doubleday)

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A Dark Matter
Peter Straub
416 pp. Doubleday. $26.95
Pub. Date: 2/9/2010
ISBN-13: 978-0385516389

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Award-winning horror author Peter Straub examines the metaphysical nature of evil in his uncompromising and genre-transcending novel, A Dark Matter.

The year is 1966 and charismatic guru Spencer Mallon has converted a small group of teenagers into devoted followers. One night, the group performs a secret ritual that goes terribly wrong, resulting in an inexplicable and mind-shattering terror and one member brutally dismembered.

Decades later, Lee Harwell decides to interview members of the group, many of them Lee’s old high school friends, about that fateful night. Each provides their own unique perspective about the day’s events including someone very close to Lee—his wife.

Intelligently written, provocative and philosophical, A Dark Matter speculates on profound issues like the nature of evil, destiny, narrative and love; each character’s unique perspective of the fateful event acting like the Socratic Method, revealing the truth piece by piece. But this is not truth that is uncovered rationally.

A Dark Matter embraces a more postmodern deconstructionist stance, doubtful of reason as the key to enlightenment on these thorny issues, doubtful of reason as an explaining force. Some ideas just cannot be explained rationally, or as Straub points out, some ideas like the duality of evil have been misunderstood by taking a rational approach to them.

The characterization in the novel is highly clinical and introspective, making the characters often feel sterile and like intellectual constructs. Personalities suffer, seemingly not fully realized, so becoming engaged with the characters is difficult.

Less a horror novel and more of a psychological literary examination, A Dark Matter is intensely speculative and intellectually rewarding. An undeniably fine read from a literary master at the top of his game.

Final Grade: 80 out of 100

Young Adult Spotlight - "Daniel X: Watch the Skies" by James Patterson and Ned Rust (Little, Brown)

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Daniel X: Watch the Skies
James Patterson and Ned Rust
288 pp. Little, Brown. $19.99
Pub. Date: 7/27/2009
ISBN-13: 978-0316036184

Reviewed by Lindsay Stotts

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Bestselling mega-titan James Patterson, along with co-author Ned Rust, continues the story of super-powered, alien-hunting teen Daniel in the second volume of his Daniel X young adult series, Watch the Skies.

Continuing his mission of destroying the alien and its brethren that are responsible for killing his parents, Daniel sets his sights on Number 5 on his hit list this time around. Said alien is trying to turn sleepy little Holliswood into the latest must-see reality television; the problem is once he’s done with the contestants, he melts them.

If that wasn’t enough, something odd is also going on with all the pregnancies suddenly popping up in Holliswood. Once again it’s up to Daniel and his friends to save the world.

Patterson and Rust write with a simplicity and smoothness that allow your imagination to feast on the details. Daniel is relatable to teens, suffering the typical awkward teenage moments, but still utterly charming to the point you want to see him succeed; he’s both realistically portrayed and believable despite being a super-powered alien hunter.

Humor shines through in the novel with Patterson and Rust providing plenty of “laugh out loud” moments. The plot is well-executed, filled with twists and turns that will have the reader salivating for the next page.

Entertaining, engaging and humorous, Watch the Skies has me eagerly anticipating the next one in the series; an excellent read.

Final Grade: 80 out of 100

"Unperfect Souls" by Mark Del Franco (Ace)

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Unperfect Souls
Mark Del Franco
352 pp. Ace Books. $7.99
Pub. Date: 1/26/2010
ISBN-13: 978-0441018383

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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Unperfect Souls marks the fourth installment in Mark Del Franco’s ongoing urban fantasy series featuring druid qua detective Connor Grey.

This time around Grey is investigating a grisly decapitation in a fey-populated neighborhood of Boston called the Weird. Clues are uncovered, and Grey eventually finds himself caught between powerful rival political factions warring for supremacy.

While Unperfect Souls tries to be a Dresden Files clone, it lacks the goofy charm and humor, as well as the high-octane action, which has made Butcher’s series such a fan favorite.

Though Del Franco displays a refined and literate writing style, flat characterization and unimaginative plotting hamper the narrative. Grey is as colorless as his surname, lacking the personality necessary for an engaging protagonist.

The story is further bogged down by a ridiculous amount of dull and uninspired political maneuvering; the action scenes too sparse and non-dynamic to revive the narrative. The mystery behind the grisly murder loses steam quickly, leaving Grey seemingly aimless in his pursuits.

Del Franco teases the reader with an examination of prejudice and bigotry throughout the novel, but never fully capitalizes on what could have been an intriguing allegory.

Overall, Unperfect Souls is pedestrian urban fantasy fare.

Final Grade: 45 out of 100

Book Giveaway - "Drood" by Dan Simmons

Thanks to the wonderful people at Hachette Book Group, I have a copy of Dan Simmons's Drood to giveaway in celebration of the upcoming release of Simmons's latest book Black Hills.

Drood is the name and nightmare that obsesses Charles Dickens for the last five years of his life.

On June 9, 1865, Dickens and his mistress are secretly returning to London, when their express train hurtles over a gap in the trestle. All of the first-class carriages except the one carrying Dickens are smashed to bits in the valley below. When Dickens descends into that valley to confront the dead and dying, his life will be changed forever. And at the core of that ensuing five-year nightmare is...Drood...the name that Dickens whispers to his friend Wilkie Collins. A laudanum addict and lesser novelist, Collins flouts Victorian sensibilities by living with one mistress while having a child with another, but he may be the only man on Earth with whom Dickens can share the secret of...Drood.

To Enter to Win: Send an email to pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "DROOD" and include your name and mailing address in the body of your email. Multiple entries will be disqualified. Winners will be selected at random. No purchase is necessary. Contest is open to residents of U.S. and Canada only. Contest ends: February 20, 2010 at 11:59pm PST.

For more Blood of the Muse giveaways: click here.

Bloggers: if you promote this contest on your blog, I will give you an additional entry. Email me at pstotts@bloodofthemuse.com with the subject line "DROOD", and include the address to your blog in the body of the email, or you can leave the address to your blog in the comment section of this post. I'll check it out and make sure you get another entry.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

"Star Wars: Death Troopers" by Joe Schreiber (Del Rey)

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Star Wars: Death Troopers
Joe Schreiber
256 pp. Del Rey. $24.00
Pub. Date: 10/13/2009
ISBN-13: 978-0345509628

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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A personal admission—shocking but true—I’ve never read a Star Wars themed book. Never felt the urge to either. A fact that likely explains why I’ve never gotten a Christmas card, let alone a fruitcake, from George Lucas; I’m definitely on George’s naughty list. Maybe I’m even at the top of the list, big evil Darth Vader black checkmarks next to my name. (That’s okay, George, you’re on my list. Blame Jar Jar, George.)

So what changed my mind, prompting me to take a shot on Joe Schreiber’s debut entry into the Star Wars universe, Death Troopers?

Foremost, the cover—it’s absolutely gorgeous. Nothing screams horror coolness like a Stormtrooper helmet hanging from a meat hook, blood oozing out of the eyeholes. Like some alternate universe Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Tattooine Chainsaw Massacre, maybe. The artwork looks like a movie poster for the latest slasher flick. The visceral nature of the cover art also clues you in that Death Troopers is out of the norm for Star Wars novels, that it’s a book that assumes a darker, grittier, more adult tone.

Which leads to the other reason I picked up the book: horror coupled with Star Wars has the potential—if done right—to be extremely high on the awesomeness scale. And if done wrong—well—hopefully it’s still better than The Phantom Menace.

Schreiber immediately sets an absolutely pitch perfect tone for Death Troopers, dark and brutal with a hint of nastiness hiding underneath, much like the prison barge where the novel takes place. It’s not long before you realize that this is a part of the Star Wars universe you haven’t seen before; like being shown the executive outhouse on the Death Star. And it’s intriguing for its novelty and candid nature.

Along with the tone, the pacing of Death Troopers is fantastic: taut, fast and beautifully executed. The narrative flows from creepy scene to creepier scene, skillfully building the anticipation, never giving the reader a moment to relax. Schreiber establishes himself as a master of the horror genre by being shrewd enough to let the reader’s mind supply most of the horror in the novel. The “evil” plaguing the main characters throughout the book stays hidden until the ending, lurking unseen in the shadows, open to interpretation. It’s up to the reader to puzzle together what may be out there on the prison barge, prowling.

While the pacing never slows, what seems right early in the book, feels wrong in the end. The ending is abrupt and disappointing, never completely capitalizing on Schreiber’s excellent build up. I would have liked to see the climax prolonged. There seemed to be so many more interesting avenues Schreiber could have explored in the novel, rather than going for the quick wrap-up.

Another problem with the ending is a massive change of heart in one of the characters that is completely unbelievable; a change that ultimately is a deus ex machina. Schreiber’s hand becomes too evident at this point. Furthermore, this same character also feels superfluous to the narrative, only necessary to provide a third person point of view for some chapters early in the novel. Once that role had been fulfilled, he no longer has a purpose or credible character arc. Ultimately, these problems with the ending left me disappointed.

For the most part, the Star Wars coupled with survival horror experiment succeeds with only a few cracks showing up near the end. With a better ending, Death Troopers could have been something special. Unfortunately, it’s only a missed opportunity.

Final Grade: 65 out of 100