theirresponsiblereader's Reviews (607)

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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First Things First 

I can’t talk about this one without spoiling the end of Fight and Flight. This entire book is built on the foundation of that last chapter. Read at your own risk. 

What’s Out of Spite, Out of Mind About? 

Let’s get the subplots out of the way (at least one of which is going to turn out to be important for the next book, and one will be important for this one). Gary hires a local peasant—and then several others—in a misguided, but surprisingly good-hearted, attempt to help them out. This is almost entirely a comic storyline, and I love that Meyer takes the time to do things like this. 

Martin and Gwen are fighting (which happens a lot, sure)—because they both want to get married, but not right now, and things are awkward because Martin raised the subject. If that seems odd to you, imagine how poor Martin feels. It feels very sitcom-y—if the sitcom is in a later season and is trying to come up with some low-stakes conflict because the writers can’t figure out how to keep happy couples interesting. I rolled my eyes at this stuff a lot—but found it a little amusing. Where this storyline resolved, however, might end up being the most grounded, mature, and admirable thing in this series.* 

* Wow, I’m supposed to keep my evaluative-powder dry in this section. Whoops. Feel free to call our Customer Service line for a full refund. 

The third subplot also involves Martin (he’s our point-of-entry character for this series, so it makes sense that he gets 2 storylines)—he’s convinced that Phillip is being stalked by some sort of masked figure who keeps launching stealth-attacks at him. None of the attacks are particularly successful—especially once Martin susses them out and works to prevent them. But they’re also not at all lethal, at best they’d be impediments to his activities, irritations, distractions—ridiculously elaborate pranks, really. Phillip thinks that Martin is seeing things. Gary, Gwen, and the rest of the gang aren’t really convinced either. It’s Martin vs. the Masked Meddler. 

But the main thing is this—in the last book, we learn that Britt the Elder has different memories of the events of Fight and Flight than Britt the Younger does. And we’re not talking about how two people who were at the same event recall details differently—we’re talking about different outcomes here. As Britt the Elder is—ask anyone who isn’t Phillip—the older version of the Younger, who co-exists with her younger-self in a way that only works in silly time travel stories, that should not be. 

Britt spends some time pondering this and trying to get to the bottom of it and ultimately determines there’s a problem in the Code, and she’s going to need help figuring all this out. While she’s doing this pondering, she starts to develop some physical glitches as well. She’s really going to need help. Sadly, the only person she can really rely on here is Phillip—who’s dating her younger-self and really can’t spend time with the Elder without getting the Younger upset. Things get stranger and worse from here. 

How was the Narration? 

This is about an audiobook, so I need to say something about the work Luke Daniels put in. But…but…it’s Luke Daniels. I’ve run out of things to say about how great a narrator Luke Daniels is. I literally have no idea what to say here. 

This is the best I can do—my first exposure to this series was the eBooks, and I read the initial trilogy that way, Only coming to the audiobooks as a way to review the trilogy before getting to the second trilogy. I don’t change formats for a series—if I listen to a series, I listen to a series. If I read a series, I only listen to re-read (and then not exclusively). After listening to Daniels narrate the first three, I’m not going back to the print version. I switched to audio-only for the remainder of the series (however long that is). 

So, what did I think about Out of Spite, Out of Mind? 

So all my complaints and concerns and whatever from the last book are gone. This might be the best book in the series since the first. Meyer and the characters brushed up against exploring the whole philosophical underpinning of the series premise—but don’t get bogged down in it. And they fully embrace—and exploit—the silliness of time-travel conceits. 

Earlier in the week, I talked about Chu’s fantastic fight scenes in his new book—there’s a fight scene at the end of this book that is almost their equal in execution and description—but far surpasses them in hilarity. The only way I can think of to describe this adequately is to say: “imagine a fight scene starring Lucille Ball, magic, and medieval weapons—with a soundtrack of ‘Yakety Sax’ (but not really, because the book specifies a different soundtrack).” 

We get a dangling plot point resolved (and, boy howdy, do I wish we hadn’t), we get some great comic stories, some strong emotional moments, and a good set-up for the next book (it’s not as tantalizing as the set-up for this was, but it does make the next book sound pretty appealing). 

If you’re on the fence about this series after the first trilogy—get back to it. If you haven’t read the series at all (how did you make it this far in this post?)—change that, but go to the beginning or it won’t make any sense. These books are a great hybrid—Meyer got his comedy chocolate in his SF peanut butter and wrapped it in a candy-coating of Fantasy—and this is one of the more enjoyable installments in the series. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s The Art of Prophecy About? 

Briefly (cuz, boy howdy, I could go on and on and on about this): There’s a prophesied Champion who will save his kingdom from the Eternal Khan, but he’s a spoiled brat who is not as skilled a warrior as he believes—and he’s even less skilled than he needs to be. But that’s okay, because the prophecy is broken—or wrong. The greatest living practitioner of magically-enhanced war arts has decided to take over his training and protection. Two incredibly dangerous women from very different backgrounds and for very different reasons have decided he needs to die. 

Taishi 

Taishi is almost certainly my favorite new character of 2022*. She’s elderly—exactly how old, I don’t think we’re told. In her prime, she fought the Eternal Khan to a stalemate more than once. Somewhere along the line, she lost the use of one of her arms. Her age and the loss of her arm have slowed her down and made her less effective. But not so slow that anybody but her can tell. She’s practically a force of nature. Since then, she’s pretty much retired but is strongarmed into checking in on Jian’s training. It’s hard to say what she’s less-impressed with—him or the work of his expert trainers—she’s spreading the scorn all around. 

* Sure, it’s possible the next four months will bring someone better across my path, but not really likely. 

She’s opinionated, set in her ways, cantankerous, and stubbornly determined. Pity those who try to get in her way. Once she determines that she needs to shepherd and educate Jian, nothing (including Jian) is going to stand in her way. 

Taishi’s voice—both in dialogue or as it comes across in the narration—is strong, sardonic, and sarcastic. I loved every second of her point-of-view chapters (seeing her through other characters’ eyes was just as good, though). I was mildly annoyed every time the point-of-view changed, while still being curious about the other arcs. 

Wuxia 

Wuxia is my new word for the month—from at least one article online (so it must be true), I’m not a total novice when it comes to this genre—I watched the first two Kung Fu Panda movies with my kids when they first came out. But that’s it. So I don’t know how much of this story/world is Chu using or playing with or subverting the conventions of the genre. But it looks like he’s using several of them, and seems to be having fun with them (at least he’s getting the reader to have fun). 

I can say that I’m pretty curious about the genre now—and intend to keep an eye out for more opportunities to expose myself to it. 

Obviously, one of the defining characteristics of wuxia is the martial arts, and what’s the point of a martial-arts-based fantasy without fight scenes? The Art of Prophecy delivers those in spades. Maybe even by the bucket. I’ve always enjoyed Chu’s fight scenes, but these make the stuff in the Tao books look basic. They’re just fantastic—and littering them with the quips from the point-of-view character (either expressed or kept internal) made them all the better. I could read these all day. 

So, what did I think about The Art of Prophecy? 

I don’t know that I can really express how excited I am about this book. The last time I was this enthusiastic about a Fantasy novel was Kings of the Wyld, and I’ve read some really good Fantasy since then. But this is a whole different level. 

I’m going to leave it at that—if I went into the kind of depth I want to, I’d either spend another week or so trying to get it all out (or would never finish because I was dissatisfied with it). I could do a couple of hundred words on the nature of prophecy and free will in this universe alone (and someone smarter than me had better do that soon)—or even the importance of honor, role, and manners (do not try to cut in line around these people). So I’m going to go shallow with this post—this is a great premise—and the execution of the premise is as great. The world-building is fascinating, and the history that’s hinted at is some of the best I can remember. I loved every one of these characters (none as much as Taishi, but that’s nothing against the others) and feel like I could’ve read a version of this book that was 50% longer just for more time with them. Probably the best action scenes I’ve read this year. It’s too long to read in a single sitting, but it’s the kind of book you want to read in one. 

Stop wasting time reading about it, start reading The Art of Prophecy. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s Down the River Unto the Sea About?
Ten years ago, for reasons he’s still unsure about, King Oliver was framed for a crime that ruined his career as an NYPD Detective, destroyed his marriage, and put him in jail for months.

Today, he’s keeping a PI agency afloat with his teenage daughter as an admin assistant. He’s really never recovered psychologically (aside from some scarring, he seems okay physically) from his incarceration and the accusation. His daughter and the work are what keep him going.

When he receives a letter from his accuser, offering to help him clear his name—everything changes. He has a glimmer of hope, a renewed sense of purpose—and a new client. This client works for a defense attorney—he’d been representing a convicted cop killer and had vowed to free him. Suddenly, the attorney has changed his mind and is going to tank the case. The convict is a journalist/activist who claims to have been acting in self-defense, and this associate believes him. She wants Oliver to discover what changed the attorney’s mind—but more importantly, she wants help clearing the journalist.

Oliver agrees to look at the files but makes no further promises. He’s quickly intrigued by some of what he reads and It’s not long before he starts working the case as well as working to clear his name. The letter has changed everything for him.

Melquarth Frost
Before he was framed, Oliver arrested Mel Frost, and earned his respect from the way Oliver treated him during the arrest and trial. After Frost’s release, he came to thank Oliver and the two have struck up a strange near-friendship over chess games and the occasional meal.

Oliver realizes he’s not going to be able to handle everything in these investigations—particularly when things get dicey, so he hires Mel to help him.

Mel fills the Hawk/Joe Pike/Bubba Rogowski/Nate Romanowski role—he’s dangerous, he’s skilled, and really has no moral compunctions about anything. He is aware of it, and knows he should follow a different path—and attempts, but will resort to his former ways in a heartbeat.

I’m Such a Sucker
Shortly after that opening quotation, Oliver cites Tecumseh Fox. Fox was the protagonist of a short-lived series by Rex Stout, alongside Nero Wolfe. Elizabeth Breck gets big bonus points from me for her frequent citations of Wolfe, but a Tecumseh Fox reference is a heckuva deep cut. If I hadn’t already decided that I really liked Oliver, this would’ve pushed me over the edge. Not only am I a sucker for Stout, but referring to a 3-book series that ended in 1941 really underscores Oliver’s description as being someone who reads a lot.

So, what did I think about Down the River Unto the Sea? 

 
I really enjoyed this book—most of the plot seemed pretty predictable, but I never minded for a second because of the execution. Also, there were a couple of twists that caught me flat-footed. I don’t mind if everything plays out as you’d pretty much expect as long as the writer delivers a good story and characters (I know if I get on the freeway headed west, I’ll end up on the Pacific Coast. I just want a smooth drive with maybe a couple of interesting sights and snacks along the way)—and there are few as good at that as Walter Mosely.
 
This wasn’t really an origin story, this was more of a renaissance, a reawakening. Now that King Oliver is back—he’s invested in life, his career, and people again—further books in the series are going to have a different feel, a different focus, and I can’t wait to see where Mosely takes this character.
 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s the Front-Inside Flap Say? 

I’m going to say too little or too much if I try to describe the setup, so I’ll just appropriate this from the Book Jacket: 

 
The Firefly-ness of it All
In this series so far, Lovegrove has walked a tightrope of making enough references to ground this in the television series while just telling good stories in this ‘verse and keeping it from being a Ready Player One-esque reference-fest. He does a great job of that here, too—some of the references are so subtle that I had to go back and double-check (and I loved those all the more). It’s entirely possible I missed a few of the subtle ones, which bugs me.

At the same time, we’ve got plenty of Badger, a nice amount of Niska, and some Reavers. Good references to the canon and foreshadowing of the movie. Firefly fans should be well satisfied.

The Niska appearance filled me with dread for what lay ahead—as it should. The way Lovegrove caught me off-guard and left me very happy.

So, what did I think about The Ghost Machine?
I hate the premise. There’s just something about it that bugs me—most of the action takes place in dreams, and those stories always seem pointless. Longer-running TV Shows frequently resort to this, and I almost never really like those episodes either.

That said? The execution redeemed the stupid premise. I particularly enjoyed the Simon and Kaylee dreams, and thought the Zoë one was brilliantly done (her nightmare version was the best). I have no complaints about the others, either, but those three stood out. The whole thing felt like a justification for a chance to let River shine—and who’s going to complain about that?

I do think that the first couple of chapters seemed to lean too hard into the Firefly patois, to the point of beating the reader over the head with it. But then it settled down, or I acclimated to it. I don’t remember having that issue with the first two books in this run, which made it really stand out to me. But other than that, Lovegrove stuck to making me happy to be in this world again.

Like I always say when I read one of this series, I don’t know why it takes me so long to get to the next one—I have four more sitting on my TBR-shelves. These books are too much fun to delay reading them.

Ignore the premise, enjoy slipping into the psyches of the characters, and relish a little more time in the Black with the crew of Serenity.
 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s Final Heir About? 

The Vampire War in Europe is over—and the old guard seems to be defeated. Edmund is on his way to NOLA to be crowned and then some stability–and whatever passes for peace with the Mithrans should settle in for some time. 

But first…there’s the Heir to deal with. The last hope of the Sons of Darkness, the old ways—and possibly a turn to a darker time for humanity—still needs to be dealt with. Years ago, Leo Pellissier was given a prophecy about the defeat of the Heir and after Jane came to work for him, he decided she was at the center of the prophecy. Jane, as the Dark Queen, could defeat him. So Leo set to work organizing things in the way that only he can. 

Now it’s the endgame—time for the rest of the dominos that Leo set up to fall, for Jane to end the Heir, and change everything for the Mithrans. And possibly the rest of the supernatural world. Assuming she can. There’s no certainty about that. There’s also no certainty about who will survive this endgame—even if she manages to vanquish the Heir,* she may not survive the attempt. Even worse (in her mind) family, friends, and allies may die. 

* He’s a significant enough power that I don’t feel too silly using a word like vanquish. 

This isn’t going to be easy. This is for all the marbles—and that’s a great way to end a series. 

The Youngers 

Of all the characters we met along the way, I may miss Alex and Eli the most (as soon as I say that, I start to think about Angie, and question myself—but I really don’t have time to go into that). Eli hasn’t changed much since we first met him—he’s opened up a bit more, he may be a bit more emotionally mature, but he’s essentially the guy we met at the beginning. Faith Hunter’s answer to Joe Pike. He knows his business, he enjoys the work (as grim as it is)—maybe finds a peace in a fight that he can’t find elsewhere. He’s also incredibly loyal, he takes care of his people—first and foremost, his brother. 

Aside from Jane, no character in the series has changed—grown, developed, and matured–than Alex Younger. He started off as a rebellious, unhygienic, hacker—focused only on what he could do with his computer. And maybe not letting his brother down (too much) again. He’s now an adult, he’s responsible, he can handle himself in a fight, and there are things/people he cares about in his life—he’s still a wiz with the computers, thankfully. He’s essentially a version of Alex with a different weapon-set. 

Their humanity (Eli is still largely human) is one of the few lasting examples we have in the series at this point, and they keep things grounded in the middle of all the vampires, weres, witches, extradimensional beings, and whatnot. They’re great because of that, they’re great outside of that, too. 

I do feel bad for poor Eli—in the last couple of books, he’s really taken a beating. It’s even worse in this novel. If he survives to the end (I’m carefully not answering), he’s going to have physical and psychological scars that are going to last. I know he wouldn’t have it any other way, he gets them doing what he thinks is right. But still, you can’t help but feel for the guy. 

Beast 

The Beast and Jane dialogue/interchanges in this novel were fantastic. I relished each of them. 

Once again, Beast has her own agenda—as is her right and fitting for her character. But given the stakes here, some of the information she decides not to pass on to Jane is hard to believe. Sure, Beast may not get all the details, but I don’t see how she doesn’t understand the urgency and the importance of what’s going on. 

But you know what? I just didn’t care. I like how Beast is her own creature—she comes through for Jane when the chips are down, but on her terms. 

Homecoming Week 

There are so many supporting characters in this book, that it’s really hard to fathom. There are so few characters from the series (that are still living/undead) that don’t at least get a named drop or a check-in. But several show up for more. There were characters that we’d lost track of—a couple that I’d forgotten even existed played a role in this book. 

Hunter pulled out all the stops for this book. 

I’m probably not alone in spending time reflecting on the series as a whole as I read this book, and bringing up so many names from the past (ones we may have regretted losing track of—and a couple we were probably happy to have lost) really helped with that. 

The Chapter Titles 

I don’t think I’ve talked about the chapter titles in these books before—and that’s a crying shame. I’m not a big fan of chapter titles in general, but this series has featured some doozies. Several of them in Final Heir are amongst the best in the series. I really don’t have a lot to say about them—but complimenting the chapter titles is overdue. There’s a lot that Hunter does right in these books, and this is just one of the more consistent and amusing. 

Final Heir as a Series Finale 

I’m not entirely sure it’s fair to do, but I can’t help but think about other series finales–particularly in the UF genre.* Last year, I compared the Alex Verus finale to the Iron Druid Chronicles. Final Heir doesn’t match up well with either of them–it’s more like the ending of the Kitty Norville series (and not dissimilar to the ending of The Hollows)—Jane and her friends and allies are up against a vampire (and his forces) bent on world domination in a final face-off. Okay, now that I start thinking about it, there are a lot of parallels between the two–but this isn’t the time for that. 

* Benedict Jacka’s been talking about ending his series recently, and a lot of what he’s had to say is helpful when thinking about things like this. I’m not going to use his categories to talk about Final Heir because of spoilers, but if you haven’t read these posts (even if you haven’t read the Alex Verus series)—go check it out after you read Final Heir. 

Hunter has spent several books lining things up for this confrontation—not unlike Leo Pellissier’s machinations in getting Jane to this point. Looking back at all the ins and outs from this perspective really is impressive. Final Heir is filled with combat and battles—maybe more than most novels in this series, they’re definitely more savage and meaningful. I don’t have a word-count, but I’d wager the final battle is longer than any we’ve yet encountered in the series. Hunter really gave her fans what they’ve been wanting (and will be missing). This is an epic villain, with giant stakes, it has to be an epic scene. 

Better yet, following the battle, the novel’s dénouement also serves as one for the series—and if the final battle gave fans what they wanted, then they’re going to be knocked for a loop by the dénouement. We get the few dangling threads tied up and a good look at what the future offers for most of the characters. 

I had expected a lot from the finale aspect of this book, and Hunter surpassed it. 

So, what did I think about Final Heir? 

I think this is a bit more rambling than I want to be—it’s also longer than it necessarily needs to be. Part of that is because there’s so much to talk about in this novel—and I’ve barely scratched the surface so I don’t give it all away. Part of the longer-than-usual nature of the post is also that there’s part of me that knows I’m pretty much done with these characters when I hit “Schedule.” Sure, I’ll listen to the audiobook sometime next year, and I’ll likely re-read/re-listen to the series sometime after that. But all of that is revisiting. Finishing here is finishing the series, so I’m trying to drag it out. 

For the first four or five books, this series served to fill the time while I was waiting for other Urban Fantasy books to come out. But around then it took on the role of being something I needed filler for while waiting for the next Yellowrock book. And lately, it’s one of those series I organize my reading schedule around. Listening to the series on audio over the last year has really helped me see all the ways Hunter’s been preparing the characters and the readers for these events, and it’s truly impressive. As it now stands, the Jane Yellowrock series ranks near the top of the UF pantheon for me (completed or on-going series), beating out stiff competition. 

But let’s set that aside for a moment and just focus on this book—it’s full of all the action, the heart, the magic, and sense of family we’ve grown accustomed to. Jane Yellowrock finally finds her place in this world (sure, she found it before, but it’s more solidified now), her priorities are intact, she’s doing good in ways she hasn’t been able to before–and those that she cares about (many she’d never have considered caring for 15 books ago) are in good places. Just for the character work alone around Jane, this book is worth the time. 

I think someone new to this series would come away from this one entertained and impressed—I don’t know why someone would do that, but I’m sure someone will.
 

From the jaw-dropping (whoa, Hunter’s taking no prisoners!) first chapter to the last lines that genuinely made me misty, Final Heir was a great ride. If I have to say au revoir to Jane, Bruiser, Eli, Alex, and the rest—especially Beast—this is was quite the way to do it. Bravo, Faith Hunter. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s Roses for the Dead About? 

Seven years ago, Erika Piper is one of the detectives that arrested the rock star, Johnny Mayhem, for beating his wife to death with a baseball bat. It’s not one of those cases that haunts her, they had solid evidence, made a good arrest, and moved on. 

But now, new evidence has been made public that casts doubt on that arrest. Enough doubt that Mayhem is released. He’s angry about the last seven years and the way “the real killer” got away with things, so he’s making not very subtle threats against those who were involved in his arrest and conviction—and the man who held onto that evidence until now. 

Under the shadow of Mayhem’s release, Piper returns to work after maternity leave—to a nice, safe, and stultifyingly boring desk job. Which she’s going to make work, she’s committed to the idea—she regrets its necessity, but she wants to be a good mother, and she has plenty of evidence that the DI role is dangerous. 
But on her first day back—the new DCI offers her old DI position. She needs someone with the experience that only Piper has. Just mentioning the offer causes problems at home, her partner, Tom is dead set against it and makes that very clear. Eventually, she agrees—for one case, and then they’ll re-evaluate. 

That one case? The death of Mayhem’s drug dealer—the man who held on to the evidence for all those years. There’s evidence at the scene that ties it to the death of Mayhem’s wife, too. Could this be her chance to redeem herself for the work on the original case? 

This is the End? 

At this point, the series feels lived in—we’re comfortable with all of the characters and this world. If McDonald hadn’t been making so much noise about returning to it lately, this is where I’d be complaining that he jumped off at the wrong time. We needed more time with Piper’s new boss and partner, and that it’d be good to see Piper functioning in a stable environment for a bit (like she was in the beginning of Whispers). But since it looks like he’s at least thinking of #4, I guess I can spare us all that. 

So, what did I think about Roses for the Dead? 

If I was ranking them, I’d put the second in the series, Whispers in the Dark, a little higher—and not just because of the shocking mid-book scene. But just a little—I’d have preferred a little more time spent with a couple of the threads in this book (and one more proofreading pass). Those are just quibbles, though. This is a gripping story and McDonald got me chasing a couple of red herrings—I was fully committed to one of them until the moment it became impossible. 

I thought the conflict over Piper leaving the desk job for the DI role so soon was resolved a little too easily—but I do appreciate the way that McDonald handled it overall. I just wanted it fleshed out a little more, I think. 

That’s twice I’ve said something along the same lines in this section—essentially, I guess what I’m saying is that I liked the book, but it was a bit too lean. Several scenes were a bit too brief, conversations could’ve gone on a little longer—especially the arguments over Piper’s work (and too often she and Tom are just repeating themselves). I’m not asking for another 100 pages, but maybe 20? This is the shortest of the three and it felt like it. 

I cannot say enough for both the premise of Roses for the Dead and the resolution of that story. McDonald’s take on this idea was fresh enough to make it stand out among other procedurals. Even if it feels impossible to talk about without spoiling just about everything. The pacing is strong, I can’t get enough of these characters, and the investigation was well-executed—everything you want in a police procedural. 

I’m glad I finally got to reading these books, and encourage crime readers out there to pick them up, too. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s One Decisive Victory About? 

After the calamitous events at the end of With Grimm Resolve, the Alliance Navy is raring to strike back, but the government has another plan. The last thing they want is another war—they’re still torn over the last one, and they’ll snatch any excuse to avoid the next. 

Naval Intelligence’s Admiral DeBeck can’t believe this and can’t stand it. He knows he can’t do anything. But he has a plan that centers on Lt. Commander Jacob Grimm, but Grimm’s going to have to be sacrificed for it to work. 

The Caliphate has struck a massive blow to the Alliance and they need to respond or DeBeck (and most of the Navy) is convinced that they’ll be emboldened to attack again and again—until it’s too late for the Alliance to effectively defend itself. 

So they’re going to follow through on the plan to dismiss Grimm from the Navy when the Interceptor is taken out of service. Then Grimm is supposed to steal his former ship, head to Caliphate space, free a bunch of their slaves and wreak havoc on the planet that serves as the center of their slave trade. Then he’ll come home and spend the rest of his life in military prison. 

It’s a plan so crazy that it just might work. Or it’ll go down in history as one of the dumbest things humans have tried. If it’s the latter, it’s good that only a handful of people will know about it. 

Its Place in the Series 

I talked about this with the last book, too, but I think I need to touch on it again. 

So this is definitely the end of a trilogy—Haskell might have had an idea for a fourth book by this time, but it’s clearly the end of something. Yes, there’s a way for more stories to be told featuring at least some of these characters—I knew that had to be the case going in. But Haskell writes this in a way that you can’t take for granted that anyone is going to survive this book. You can’t guess how successful this mission is going to be until the closing pages. 

This is a hallmark and a strength of the series so far—even coming to it when I did, with multiple books released/scheduled to be released, not knowing just how safe any character would be (arguably with the exception of the title character, but I don’t know that you can count on that). 

So, what did I think about One Decisive Victory? 

Ooh boy, this is about as action-packed as you can ask for. Not that the previous volumes were think-pieces. But One Decisive Victory is able to build on the work already done in establishing the world and doesn’t need a whole lot of new work to set up this novel. Once that little work is done, the brakes come off and it’s all action. 

There’s a lot of good character work in the middle of it all—I’d argue it’s the best character work he’s done in the series—but this is about things happening. Grimm and the Interceptor have their work cut out for them and we don’t need to waste time with much else. 

The novel was fast, the action was furious, and the story did exactly what you want. I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entire novel and I loved it. I did think the closing pages came close to being cheesy—but Haskell avoided it, and at this point, he’s earned a bit of cheese anyway. 

This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and the fact it’s become a longer-running series is nothing but a positive. Jump on board. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. 

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What’s 1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm About? 

Every summer this family goes to grandpa’s farm—there are several things around this farm—crops, animals, and so on—to count. We spend some time looking at those things, learning a bit about the farm—and as the title suggests, counting them. 

Special Features 

Since none of the intended audience for these kind of books spends time reading book blogs—especially book blogs that feature as much Crime Fiction as mine does—I tend to focus on how things will be for adult reading to/with the intended audience. 

On that front, this book excels. Counting the number of horses or tomatoes is easy enough to do, and the book provides plenty of opportunities for that. 

But after the story part of the book are 3 pages of bonus materials designed to help the grown-ups use the book more effectively and to apply the skills practice in the book outside of the book. There are general prompts and specific questions to use. 

I love both the idea and the execution of this—more people need to do this kind of thing. 

A Word About the Art 

Biscoe’s art walks the line between cutely exaggerated and realistic. Let’s see if I can explain that (long time readers will know this is not a strength of mine). 

All the animals and people are drawn in a true-to-life manner, they’re not cartoonish, nothing’s overblown. But everyone from people to horses and deer are smiling. 

I think it’s catchy and attractive. 

So, what did I think about 1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm? 

The only negative I can think of is that the text might be a little small—but it’s hard to tell that sort of thing with a PDF. I might have no complaints if I was looking at a hard copy to have a better idea of scale. Basically, this is designed for the adult to read and guide the child/children. 

When read by the adult—especially using the helps provided—I think this’d be a fun and educational read. I think the interactive nature of the book plus the art will grab the attention of the child and will bring them back for more. 

Parents/grandparents/caregivers who are wanting a little more out of story time will do well to give this a try. If my kids were a couple of decades younger, I know I’d be grabbing a copy. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s Persecution About? 

DI Charley Mann is looking into a murder—one of those killings that make you despair for anyone’s humanity—and it’s a complicated case—just establishing the identity of the victim is difficult. The motive for the killing is impossible to pin down. And there’s a dearth of viable suspects. 

But she and her team keep plugging away, making slow and steady progress—in a great touch of realism (as per usual for this series). 

At the same time, she’s overseeing the investigation into some break-ins at a local university. Someone is breaking into the rooms of single women and staring at them while they sleep. Campus security hasn’t been paying attention to the reports until some police officers take a report seriously. The invader hasn’t crossed the line into violence, but the police know it’s only a matter of time. 

There’s no evidence to support it, but Charley’s gut feeling is that these are connected. But even if she’s right, it doesn’t do her any good—she has no evidence to point to a suspect for either. There’s a break out there for her team to catch, they just have to keep working at it. 

I Finally Put My Finger On It 

This is the third book in the series that I’ve read, and I’ve talked about the problems I have with a lot of the dialogue. I’m not sure I’ve done the best job describing it, but I’ve tried. I think I finally put my finger on it, now. 

There was something about a conversation in the first chapter that rang a bell with me, but it wasn’t for another 10-20% that it came to me: these characters—crime scene officers, PCs, detectives of all ranks—they talk like they’re in an HR training video. 

If you’ve ever made it through a training video, you know what these people frequently talk like. 

So, what did I think about Persecution? 

This isn’t important at all, but this is a bad title. It has nothing to do with anything in the book. Really, it doesn’t matter, because most people are going to think of it as Charley Mann #3 or something like that. But, blech. 

On to more substantive things—I don’t have a lot of new things to say about this book. Actually, I have nothing new to say. Like its predecessors, I really liked the story, I think the characters are interesting, and the police procedural aspects of the novel (the crime, the investigation, the twists, the original victim’s backstory, etc.) are exactly what I look for in a procedural—but the writing isn’t quite there. If Bridgestock took a little more time with the writing and editing, I’d be a huge fan. 

As is, this is an entertaining enough diversion—frustrating when it misses, satisfying when it hits. 

 This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s Divine and Conquer About? 

We know that Silver’s Order has been trying to get him back to HQ for some time, and for reasons he’s not been terribly clear about (as I recall, anyway), he’s been reluctant to listen. So they force the issue by arranging a wedding between him and another Paladin. If he’s going to break it off, he has to be there in the flesh. 

But he’s going to need more than a “I don’t want to,” so he enlists Ketayl in an undercover effort—they enter into a courtship relationship and he can say that he can’t get married because he already has an intended. Ketayl has some misgivings, but goes along with it—primarily to help Silver, but she’ll also get a chance to look through the Order’s library and maybe find some info on necromancy that’ll help. 

Things start going wrong from the instant they arrive—the Order isn’t crazy about Ketayl’s presence (many of them aren’t crazy about her existence, and a big prejudice against elves is on full display). Things between the Order and Silver start off contentious and get worse. And then Ketayl finds a whole new batch of trouble—TIO kind of trouble. Things go from bad to worse from there. 

Marzena and Amanda 

There are a whole passel of new characters in this novel—one of the benefits of traveling to a new area and encountering a whole Order. But there are really two characters that we really get to focus on. 

Amanda is the young paladin that has been selected as Silver’s bride-to-be. She’s driven and smart. She’s not much when it comes to combat—and really not much of a candidate for the order, you get the idea that there’s something not that impressive about her. But she’s good at doing what she’s told, and will do whatever she can to accomplish it—including going through Ketayl. 

The other Paladin we really get to know is their Weapons Master, Marzena. She was a fantastic character—the way she quickly embraced Ketayl and resumed the old friendship with Silver in a heartbeat was great. We aren’t used to people outside the TIO knowing Silver so seeing that he has at least one great friend in the world from years ago helps solidify his character. But beyond that, Marzena is exactly what the book needed for the plot, a bit of fun, and perspective on all the events surrounding Ketayl and Silver. She’s definitely the MVP of Divine and Conquer, and I hope we see her again soon. 

Ketayl’s Super Power 

Sure, we’ve known that Ketayl’s a Mage with more power and potential than she realizes. But that’s really not what makes her such an effective leader and agent—we’ve seen this since the beginning, but it’s been emphasized in the last two books in particular. 

Ketayl has this ability to take a rival, critic or outright enemy and turn them into an ally, if not a friend. Divine and Conquer surrounds her with plenty of antagonists—she doesn’t turn them all around, by any means. She doesn’t even try. But there’s one person she does turn around, without really intending to. 

I really appreciate this ability of hers, and am glad Jackson is letting it shine—sure, she’s not the only character in the genre with the ability, but she goes about it in a different way than others do. She reminds me of Kitty Norville more than anyone else in that. Anyone that reminds me of Kitty is a winner. 

The Order of the Paladins of the Holy Son 

So here’s the problem I had with The Order—and therefore the book. It’s a religious Order, sure. But there’s no religion to it. There’s a hierarchy, there are adherents, underlings, traditions—even a couple of group prejudices. But that’s it—it’s the shell of a religion with nothing at the core. 

And if it was the case that the Order had drifted from their former orthodoxy and become an apostatized or agnostic group, that’d be one thing—people’d be talking about that. Silver’s friend is one of the few that holds on to the old ways—but we’re talking about training, loyalty, traditions, not beliefs. 

Instead, for whatever reason, Jackson didn’t allude to their departure from the faith while hanging onto the form, she didn’t even point to a time when the Order stood for something. I get the impression (and I can’t point to specifics to support this, but I still walk away with the impression) that Jackson has some ideas about what the Order used to believe (maybe still believes)—but I’ve got no idea what it is. 

A religious order without a dogma is hard to get invested in—you can’t fault them, you can’t hope they reform for the characters you like to be okay—it’s just a soulless bureaucracy making things difficult for those characters. And hey, that’s a daunting organization to take on, sure. 

But boy howdy, do they want Silver back in the fold and are pulling out quite a few stops to achieve that. Also, I’m not sure I get why that is, I mean, I like the guy, but their interest seems a bit extreme. But I can roll with it for the sake of the story. 

So, what did I think about Divine and Conquer? 

This is the book I’ve been waiting for—possibly for too long, but whatever—we needed the development and background for Silver and some overdue conversations were had. Plus, Ketayl’s achievements with the Arcana Consortium were great to see (at some point, she’s going to start accepting what everyone’s saying about her magic abilities, right?) 

I’m not sure I could buy how long the negotiations around Silver’s marriage took—the sheer number and length of meetings seemed out of proportion. Maybe Jackson could’ve given us some other things for them to have been discussing. But they gave us what the novel needed—a way to get him off-screen so Ketayl could get to know Marzena and Amanda better, interact with others of the Order, and generally get into trouble. 

This is one of my favorites in the series—because of the character arcs and development. Plot-wise, I think it stumbled a bit, but by the time I get my hands on Book 7, I won’t remember that, I’ll remember the character stuff. 

I’m enjoying this series still and am looking forward to the next one. Apparently it’ll be in June 2023, which gives you all plenty of time to read the series.