Thoughts on River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Okay, so when Patricia Briggs released River Marked, I was a tad excited.  I don’t think her work is a good as Kim Harrison, but hey the Mercy Thompson series is was pretty good until River Marked.

First, let me stay that River Marked is boring, yes BORING.  It felt like she had done a bit of research on First Nations culture, and then just had to have it come streaming out in one book.  You see, in all of the other books, though we know that Mercy is Native, Briggs never bothered to really expand upon this idea.  This is something that she could have done over a series of books, but instead used River Marked to accomplish this.  The whole thing reads like one bad long book report.

The only thing that I took away from the book, was how harmful the trope of stalkerish, controlling behavior doubles as love is.  I have always known that Adam was kind of skeevy, and he did after all instal surveillance equipment in Mercy’s garage to keep an eye on her, because he lurved her, but this book took it to a whole new level.  I think that he as actually replaced Edward Cullen as the king of this trope, and believe me, that’s saying a lot.

Mortal Instruments Review: Thoughts on City of Fallen Angels

Okay as I’ve said before that I’m an Urban Fantasy addict. And that Renee, Tami, Dan and I all get together every Monday over at Talkshoe to ramble about what we’ve watched/read (Renee is always wrong and Dan and Tami need to get more Vampire Diaries in their lives). All our past episodes are over there as well.

In fact on my blog you can see the widget sound thing on the right there *points* where you can click play and hear the latest episode and choose past episodes as well.

Anyway, I am plunging through books at a rapid rate, and advised by Renee (who is blamed) we picked up the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

And I have now finished City of Fallen Angels, which means I’ve read all 4 of the current books in the series. I’m told more are coming… Portents of doom indeed. Yes, I’ve set the tone. I was not a happy dappy fan of this series, I have to say

I’m going to try and keep this largely unspoiled but I don’t guarantee it. So if you’re utterly terrified of minor spoilers look away now.

Now I’m going to start positive. Yes, I am going to try.

Marjorie Liu – trying to find the plot

Marjoire Liu’s Dirk & Steele series is one of those that frustrates me no end.

The meta-plot through the books is fascinating. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that is implied and I desperately want to know more. There’s a large cast of characters I want to know more about, their powers, their motivations and big ominous looming in the back ground I am beyond eager to investigate and explore.

There’s also a vast diverse world here. There are psychics of all stripes and shapeshifters and gargoyles and mer people. There are witches and magic and powers beyond our ken. And I want to ken, I really do. I want to see these beings, I want to understand them, I want to see their culture, their powers, their origins.

And, unlike the vast majority of urban fantasy, it’s set around the world. In Russia and China and Taiwan, we see a more global perspective rather than the usual lock in on the US.

Fangs for the Fantasy Podcast - Episode 12

This week we discuss The Vampire Diaries, Kim Harrison's Pale Demon, latest book in the Hollows series, Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series and Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thomphson series

Kim Harrison’s Pale Demon

I am a huge fan of Kim Harrison’s Hollows series.  As soon as I found out that a new book had been  released, I had to get it.  I hate leaving series halfway finished, and that means I raced through The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare so that I could read Pale Demon.  I suffered through the teen angst of the last book (City of Fallen Angels),  knowing that my reward would be Pale Demon.  Sometimes you just need something to keep going.

Spoilers Ahead