The nineteenth book in the Anita Blake series, Bullet, rocks. Haven fans won’t want to miss this one, with the tension between Anita and her Lion coming to a head at last. With far less talk and police work than recent Anita novels, Bullet is nonetheless packed with action. Anita and Richard grow far more at peace with themselves and one another, even reaching some level of normal, or at least as normal as Anita’s animator and serial killer life will allow. Anita, local werewolf king Richard, and the master of St. Louis, Jean Claude, spend less time analyzing and agonizing over the triumvirate they’ve created and more time acting to secure their power base in St. Louis, which can’t happen a moment too soon.

“I knew better, but sometimes the illusion of safety is all people have. I didn’t even have that, and hadn’t had it for years.”

In short, Bullet packs the heat, including a girl fight, tigers and lions but no bears to speak of, but metaphysical disasters, shapeshifter workouts, and a few bloody massacres, the worst being Anita’s heart as she fights to protect those she loves and those depending on her, a list that’s growing all the time along with the power in St. Louis, against the Mother of all Vampires, who isn’t as dead as they thought.

Reviewed by Axie Barclay

In the novel Hominids, author Robert J. Sawyer offered a fascinating idea–a world where Neanderthal man survived and Homo sapiens went the way of the dinosaurs. When a single Neanderthal scientist, Ponter Boddit, appeared in our world from an alternate dimension, he offered a wonderful outsider’s perspective on our society.

Now, in Humans, the second book in his Neanderthal Parallax series, Sawyer takes us one giant leap further, by describing in vivid detail the Neanderthal society. Not only does character Mary Vaughan explore their world as Ponter explored ours, but a budding cultural exchange is born, highlighting the many differences between our worlds. What will this mean for both societies?

I have said in the past that Robert J. Sawyer is probably the most accessible science fiction writer working today, and I feel confident in striking the world “probably” from that statement. Humans is at once a thoroughly enthralling look at our past, our present, and our possible future, and a wonderful examination of what makes us human. It is like one incredibly detailed Venn diagram, comparing and contrasting our best and worst qualities, all under the guise of telling one tremendously good “What If…?” story.

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas

Though Steven Guarnaccia’s classic pig tale begins with the expected “Once upon a time…,” his version puts a new spin on pigs, houses, and big bad wolves. The three pigs in question are, in this case, architects—Frank Gehry, Phillip Johnson, and Frank Lloyd Wright—and the houses that are ultimately endangered by the wolf are the famous works of Fallingwater (1935), Gehry House (1978), and The Glass House (1949). Pig Gehry’s house of scraps does not fare well when the wolf huffs and puffs, nor does Pig Johnson’s house of glass. Only Pig Wright’s house of stone and concrete remains standing—which enrages the wolf and leads to a series of attempts to trap the pigs.

Astute readers will find in Guarnaccia’s illustrations many representatives from the world of architecture and design, including Gerrit Rietveld’s Berlin Chair, Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Dining Table, and Philippe Starck’s Voxan GTV 1200 motorcycle, on which the wolf makes his entrance. The flyleaves provide images, names, designers, and dates for each of the works, making this not only a pleasingly illustrated version of a classic story, but also a wonderful introduction to architecture for children.

Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell

The Carne family – a widow and three daughters – live in 1930s London.  Dierdre, a journalist in her twenties, is writing a novel.  Katrine, also in her twenties, studies Drama.  Shiel is young enough to have a governess – the distraught Miss Martin, ever befuddled by this family’s favorite entertainment.

The Carnes have invented a game turning actors, literary figures, even their dog and a doll into imaginary friends who ring them up and give them birthday presents.  They invent dialogues for these characters, quoting them in a heartbeat.  Miss Martin never is sure what’s real and what isn’t.

Then Dierdre accompanies her mother to jury duty.  When Judge Toddington sweeps into court, he becomes woven into the game as “Toddy”.  One day Dierdre covers a charity bazaar where the real Lady Toddington has a stall.  Lady Toddington takes a liking to Deirdre, inviting her home.  Very funny scenes unfold as a friendship develops between the two families, just when Miss Martin is sure the relationship is fictional.

In this sly tale, all of the characters captivate, including the governess and the Toddingtons.

A séance brings the Brontes into the story.  So as not to be a spoiler, I’ll say no more.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan

Any young reader going through the “Ew, gross. Neat!” phase will love Micro Monsters. The book profiles 16 insects and other small creatures with extra pages of additional gross stuff like dangerous bacteria and tiny creatures that live on humans.

“There are rougly 200 different species living on or in you. For microfauna, the body is a vast terrain of oceans, mountains, and crevices that constantly changes.”

This book is a combination of familiar pests like bees and ones the average reader never heard of before. But even when profiling the old standards of insects books, like ants and ticks, Micro Monsters manages to share surprising tidbits. The info on each micro monster is divided into sidebars and intriguing headlines making it a fun read—not unlike a website page. There is so much information scattered across the page a reader will discover something new each time they read Micro Monsters. The larger than life photos of these tiny creatures are incredible. You can see every hair, antennae, and tiny pincer. The photos alone would land Micro Monsters on the top ten for young insect lovers—add in the creative arrangement of the information and it jumps to the top of the list.

Reviewed by  Jodi M. Webb

Magic Bleeds is book four in the Kate Daniels series and it doesn’t disappoint. Kate Daniels works for the Order, a paranormal protection agency, as a liaison between them and the mercenary guild. She’s an appealing blend of toughness and vulnerability, and though her stubbornness can be frustrating, Kate is intelligent and very layered. In Magic Bleeds, her secret heritage comes back to haunt her in the form of an egomaniacal killer, who wreaks havoc on the supernatural creatures of Atlanta. Also haunting Kate is her relationship with Curran, the Beast Lord and master of the city’s weres, and their struggle to make room for one another is the bulk of Kate’s inner turmoil, even as her very existence makes it difficult for her to open up to others.

The primary strength of Magic Bleeds lies in the world-building, and that it is so self-contained, a new reader can pick up any book in the series and never feel lost. Also, the cast of characters around Kate are just as interesting and flawed as she is, making her tech/magic world so colorful and well-written that there are times where it seems modern-day Atlanta is full of beasties and knights. The plot of Magic Bleeds is intricate and page-turning, and the action is thrilling. In a sea of kick-butt, take-charge women, this is definitely one of the top urban fantasy series, and Kate Daniels is a unique and very human protagonist.

Reviewed by Angela Tate

It would take a pretty hard heart to not love Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah, the tale of one puppy’s special day when he grows to “doghood.”  When I first read the title, I feared that this might be one of “those” children’s books – too cute by half, groping for the cheap joke over any real substance. I cannot remember the last time I was so glad to be wrong about a book!

“A new meaning of life
Now came Alfie’s way
The passing down of tradition
on this his special day.”

Combing charming dreamy illustrations of the various breeds that make up Alfie’s family, an entertaining rhyme scheme, and a positive message about the mitzvoth, my kids and I were all hooked on this book.  Author Shari Cohen understands the need to treat her young audience with respect and never writes in a manner that might be mistaken for condescension.  Instead, combing her duel responsibility both to entertain and teach, she weaves together the importance of acts of kindness and devotion with visual and textual humor.

Beyond this quality of the book itself, the enclosed CD is filled with delightful music and lyrics composed by Cantor Marcello Gindlin.  Most of the songs are tied to the story, and all offer a wonderful upbeat addition to the reading experience.  Full of heart, humor, and joy, Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah is a party at which everyone will want to dance and dance again!

Reviewed by Jordan Magill

Author Chris Bradford knows how to hold a reader with riveting action from the first page to the last. In this five-star book, he sets up his story introducing Dealthstalkers, poisonous scorpions, and culminates it with 180 pages of death-defying action where you wonder how the hero, young Jack Fletcher, can still be alive.

“Despite it being the tail end of summer, … in the sharp light of morning, the burned-out temples that could be seen scattered over the mountain’s forested slopes glinted like broken teeth.”

In The Way of the Sword, Jack finds himself in his final year of samurai training. A white outcast, few befriend him. And he’s not sure who he can trust when he notices his friend Akiko sneaking off alone at night, and she denies the action. We follow Jack through his training, learning the philosophy of a Samurai, until he reaches the first test to identify the six best students. Jack believes someone is setting him up to fail. Drawing upon every Samurai skill and thought perfected, Jack miraculously earns his place in the challenge for the final three who will be Samurai. At this point, Dragon-Eye, the man who killed his father, enters the story and Jack fights for his life. There is hardly enough space on the page to breathe before the next action rivets him deeper into danger.

Reviewed by Susan Roberts

In fairy tales and myths, one reads of a dragon or a mermaid, a minotaur or a unicorn, or some other fantastical beast.  But have you ever wondered what you would call more than one of a kind?  This delightful picture book takes a reader (or a listener) into a fantasy world, where groups of magical beasts have just such nomenclatures.  Firebirds, mermaids, chimeras, werewolves – all are classified with names that reflect their legend, their environment, or simply Ogburn’s joy in playing with language and lore.

“According to Egyptian and Greek legend, their song is so beautiful that the sun god stops his chariot to listen, causing the sun to pause in the sky.  After several hundred years, the phoenix bursts into flames and a new phoenix rises from the ashes.”

Consider, “a confusion of chimeras”.  Or, “a tangle of gorgons”.  And, of course, “a dignity of dragons,” the book’s intriguing title.  Glee and humor weave all through the book.  Ceccoli’s illustrations richly convey the quirky charm of each creature.  The sphinxes wear “I’ve got a secret” expressions.  The gorgons are obviously having a bad hair day with their snakes.  The cockatrices have icy stares.

In all, thirty-six creatures are grouped and named, some sharing the same page, but each brilliantly illustrated.  At the back of the book, Ogburn provides a rich glossary, giving a short paragraph for each creature and the lore associated with it.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan

In this book, the main character, Victor, who is a murder for hire, finishes a job and within a few minutes finds out that there’s a contract on him. Victor must figure out who would put out a contract on him while trying to elude several teams of would be assassins.

The book starts out simply enough, an early morning murder on a quiet street and then after that there’s nothing simple about the plot line. Hinshellwoood keeps the story moving at a quick pace as the his main character is involved in many harrowing situations. The plot line grows involving other nations, continents, conspiracies and it grows in a way that’s plausible.

Each new chapter starts with what time it is so that the reader can tell how much time has elapsed between once scene in the story and the next. My only  concern is that Hinshelllwood moves Victor around geographically without clueing the reader beforehand. It leaves the reader to figure out why he’s just gone from one country to the next.

Hinshellwood’s writing style is crisp and clean, and he keeps the reader interested. Outstanding elements for a first time novelist. Not only did the story keep me reading on the writing style made it that much easier to read and not want to put down.  The Killer is a killer read.

Reviewed by Marc Filippelli

Everyone knows the prophesy of the human that will one day break free of his elven oppressors and free the world of the cruel tyranny of the Rhonas Empire, but few think of it as anything more than a story.  In fact, the elves’ Devotion spells ensure that the slaves of the empire remember none of the discontent that comes along with their status.  But the latest spoil of the bloody elven conquests, a dwarf named Jugar, is determined to bring about the end of the empire, and his actions may give an enslaved human warrior named Drakis the courage to fulfill the prophesy.

The first volume in this epic fantasy series, Song of the Dragon promises good reading to come.  The world imagined by Hickman is not your typical fantasy realm, with power-hungry elves that resemble aliens more than the traditional ideal and an empire based on conspiracy and lies, held together only by a powerful magic.  The plot twists will keep readers guessing and completely enthralled in the story, while the imperfect characters are inherently likeable.  The next volume in this series will definitely be anticipated!

Reviewed by Holly Scudero

Megan’s life is a carefully controlled mess; her marriage remains intact only because of her desire to do what’s best for her kids, and her friendships are all superficial at best.  But this is what she has chosen, and she believes herself to be happy enough until her new tenant, Elizabeth, abruptly pushes Megan out of her comfort zone.  Elizabeth thought she had found the life she always wanted in Comfort, North Carolina, but she soon discovers that drama is everywhere, even if it is not immediately apparent.  Megan and Elizabeth are destined to change each other’s lives.

Knit in Comfort is a wonderful little novel, rich with historical references and packed with complex characters and circumstances that might be more common than readers realize.  Megan’s sham half-marriage is heartbreaking, and her consequential broken spirit even more so. Her long-in-coming confrontation with her husband will have readers rooting for her.  The diverse group of women that makes up Megan’s knitting group provides more context and depth for the story.  This is a relatively quick read, but definitely worth picking up.

Reviewed by Holly Scudero

Jeremy Davis comes from a small city in Texas and graduates – first in his class – from a small college we’ve never heard about.  Then to his surprise, he is accepted at the greatest law school in the world.  At the school, Jeremy soon learns about the existence of the V and D – no one is sure exactly whether it’s a secret society or an exclusive club, but the students selected for membership are assured of great success when they graduate.  Three students are selected for membership each year – no one knows precisely who selects or on what criteria – and this year there are four prime candidates; one of them being Jeremy.  When it appears that he has not been selected, Jeremy and his friends start digging for information about V and D and find more than they’ve bargained for.

“We won’t let her go, Jeremy.  You know we can’t.  You’d only be torturing us for sport.”

Danny Tobey’s The Faculty Club is a well put together and well-paced book with a plot that moves from the believable to the unbelievable, from a campus society to a criminal conspiracy to the supernatural to voodoo.  The primary characters are well-developed and likable.  This is an easy, enjoyable, highly recommended and fun read.

Reviewed by Douglas McWilliams

Recovering Apollo 8 and Other Stories collects nine tales by award winning author Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Perhaps best known for her novella of space-faring treasure archaeologists and treasure hunters, “Diving into the Wreck” (which appears in this collection), this compilation shows the unique versatility and consummate skill of this former editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. This collection highlights its focus on human relationship, whether in the character-driven alternate history tales of “Recovering Apollo 8” and “G-Men”; the clever urban fantasy filled with wizards and magic of “The Strangeness of the Day” and “Substitutions”; the hauntingly sad “June Sixteenth at Anna’s”; the short but poignant Christmas story of “Taste of Miracles”; the racially-charged tale of lost aliens in “The End of the World”; or the warning tale of “Craters”. Enhanced with an afterword that elucidates the sources and histories of each story, this is a must-have volume for fans of Poul Anderson, Charles de Lint, or any reader interested in exploring that ethereal and elusive creature we call human.

Reviewed by John Ottinger