The Brain Thief by Alexander Jablokov

Bernal is the executive assistant and general troubleshooter for an eccentric millionaire named Muriel, who likes to fund odd projects like populating the Plains with the woolly mammoth. He returns from a road trip to see his boss running off into the darkness in her nightgown and finds a cryptic message instructing him to look into another of the projects Muriel funds. He follows Muriel to see where she ran off to, watches her steal a car next door, and then Bernal is knocked unconscious by the man who is burgling the neighbors' house.

The entire novel follows in much the same vein, with improbable things happening and Bernal trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I, too, was wondering what the hell was going on for quite a while. I got to page 85, realized I was totally lost, and went back to the beginning and started over. However, once I figured out who was who and got further in, I found that I enjoyed it quite a lot.

The Brain Thief is about Hesketh, a prototype planetary rover that has been partially funded by Muriel. Hesketh is not just a remote-controlled unit, it is an artificial intelligence. And now it is missing, apparently roaming around the countryside. And its designer, Madeline Ungaro, is also missing, as is Muriel. Bernal follows Muriel's footsteps as best he can, to try to figure out what she was doing before she disappeared. It takes him to a life coach who used to work for a cryonics firm, and to a diner with a giant fiberglass cowgirl on the roof. The plot is very indirect, and it takes a long time and a lot of wandering around to pull the pieces together and stop Hesketh's evil plan.

I really enjoyed The Brain Thief. The plot is meandering and indirect, and as I said I was completely lost at first, but once you give up trying to understand and just let it lead where it will, it's a lot of fun. The writing is a delight. There are so many funny observations and descriptions scattered throughout, and I often found myself grinning. There are many good ones, but here is one I found when I opened the book at random. It is a discussion between Bernal and the life coach:

Spillvagen examined Bernal sympathetically. "We live our lives. We do what we do. Everything moves smoothly. Then...we don't even know how, but we lose ourselves. It's easy to do. And we don't feel fully alive, somehow. Those we know seem like poorly acted characters in a second-rate movie. Even the items around us seem like props rather than things we own. Does that sound familiar to you?"

A little more than was comfortable. "I guess."

"Sometimes the people around you seem two-dimensional, poorly realized. That's when you recognize that those wooden characters some people complain about in movies and books are totally realistic. Most people we know, in fact, are flat: an interest or two, a couple of catch phrases, and a defining desk decoration."

Dog Days by John Levitt

Gack. So bad. So very, very bad.

Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling

Stalking Darkness is the second in this series, following Luck in the Shadows. It follows the continuing adventures of Alec and his mentor and friend, Seregil, who are spies and agents for the queen. The country is on the verge of war, and Seregil and Alec are still wanted by the dark lord Mardus and his necromancer Vargul Ashnazai, who intend to summon an evil deity to help them take over the world.

There is a prophecy about the ancient evil, and Alec and Seregil, along with their friends Nysander the friendly wizard and Micum the stout-hearted swordsman, each have important roles to play in saving the world. They succeed (of course), but at great cost. The whole scenario is one big annoying cliche, from the prophecy to the kindly wizard who calls everyone "dear boy". And yet it was well done, with likable characters who are put in genuinely dangerous situations, and I enjoyed it.

Where Luck in the Shadows was a surprisingly sweet book, Stalking Darkness is quite a bitter one. The story is told in several storylines, as the major players are not together throughout the book. I kept wondering why we were getting scenes with Beka, Micum's daughter who is in the military, until it occurred to me that she must be involved in the final showdown and the author wanted to make it plausible for her to be there, and not just appear out of nowhere at the last minute. The scenes with Beka were otherwise uninteresting and seemed pointless to the larger plot.

I didn't find Stalking Darkness as pleasant as Luck in the Shadows, but the story matter is much darker. It was a good read, though, and I am looking forward to the arrival of the third book, assuming the Post Office ever gets their act together and gets the rest of my book order to me.

Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco

I seem to be on a bit of a fantasy binge at the moment. I found this book while browsing at Borders. I have since bought the second one, and look forward to reading it.

Unshapely Things is an urban fantasy set in Boston, in a world where fairies, elves, and other supernatural creatures mix, somewhat uncomfortably, with humans. Connor Grey is a druid, once quite powerful. He used to work for the Guild investigating crimes among the fae folk, but a run-in with a terrorist elf landed him in the ICU with most of his powers gone. He now lives on disability checks and doing occasional consulting work for the Boston PD.

Connor is called in by his friend, Detective Murdock, to investigate the murder of several male fairie prostitutes. Because the crimes are human-on-fae, not fae-on-fae, the Guild chooses not to investigate them, and so human authorities must. Each of the victims had his heart removed and replaced with a stone. Connor dives into the case, having to work with much more limited resources than he used to have, and also still trying to come to terms with what happened to him. In the end, he manages to save the world. Which is pretty cool.

I like damaged protagonists. I think Connor is probably a more interesting character now than he would have been before his injury, and he grows through the challenges he faces. Connor is not a big badass, and so he has to make do with his limited skill and his brains. The writing is solid, the story interesting, and the whole thing was a lot of fun. I enjoyed most of the characters, and look forward to seeing what else happens with them. Overall, really a solid and entertaining read. I plan to read the next one soon.

Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

Luck in the Shadows is a fantasy novel that came out in 1996. Given that it is still in print, and available at Borders, I can only assume that it has been a solid seller. It's the sort of fantasy novel I gave up reading before 1996: a secondary-world Medievalesque fantasy with a teenaged main character who, with his companions, travels across the continent. Not that these are all bad, mind you--I just overdosed on them in the 1980s, and developed an intolerance for coming-of-age stories and quest fantasy. However I may be mellowing with age, because I really enjoyed Luck in the Shadows.

On the other hand, this isn't really a quest fantasy, and not particularly a coming-of-age novel. Alec of Kerry is a 16-year-old who has landed himself in a dungeon and nearly lost hope for anything but a quick death. when one of his cell-mates, a bard suspected of being a spy, decides to escape the dungeon, he takes Alec along with him. Alec, having nowhere to go, agrees to guide Seregil, the spy, across the wilderness to the city of Wolde. They get along well, and Seregil offers to take him on as his apprentice. Alec agrees.

They have various adventures as they travel south to Seregil's home in Rhiminee, and Alec proves himself capable, determined, and trustworthy. When they reach Rhiminee, Seregil begins training Alec in his trade, and together they uncover a plot to overthrow the queen. I'm condensing the plot down to the bares bones, here--a great deal happens along the way, and it's quite entertaining.

Alec is not a typical 16-year-old, which I think is why I was able to tolerate him. He is quiet and capable. He does not have obnoxious emotional outbursts, he does not sulk, he is not regularly humiliated. When he does try to communicate his frustrations to Seregil, his position is understandable, and he's not a jerk. The flip side of the coin, however, is that the book felt a bit safe to me. Alec proves himself up to all the challenges thrown at him, and I could read comfortably, fairly confident in the knowledge that he wasn't going to fail horribly. Which takes a bit of the suspense out of the experience, but I found my comfort to be quite agreeable and pleasant.

Luck in the Shadows is just as much about the relationship between Seregil and Alec as it is about Alec's reinvention as a royal agent and their uncovering the plot against the queen. They slowly grow to like and respect one another, and it is strongly implied that they will grow closer yet in the following volumes. I enjoyed their development, and look forward to seeing what happens between them. I finished this book on Monday morning, and promptly ordered the second and third books in the series. Luck in the Shadows is a really sweet, fun book. Highly recommended.

Gator a-go-go by Tim Dorsey

I read this one in an advanced readers copy thanks to Librarything.

Gator a-go-go continues the adventures of hyperactive serial killer Serge Storms and his stoner friend Coleman. Serge plans to make a documentary, and decides to do a road trip following the history of Spring Break in Florida. Traveling to Panama City Beach, Daytona Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, they fall in with some college students whose spring break doesn't go according to plan.

Serge is crazy, though he does follow his own unique code of ethics to decide who needs to be killed. He is a tremendously entertaining character, and great fun to run around Florida with, as he lectures anyone available about the history of his state. These novels are funny and outrageous, and I've had a great time reading them over the last year. One of the fun things about these stories is the conversations between Serge and his friend Coleman, who is usually on another planet himself. Here is an example:

"Serge," said Coleman, "what's that funny thing on your ear?"

"A Bluetooth."

"I never figured you for the Bluetooth type."

"That's why it's not a real Bluetooth. I hate Bluetooth types, walking around all self-important like they have to be plugged in every second of the day. Can't tell you how many times I'm in a public place having a pleasant conversation like a normal human being, and one of these fuck-heads walks right between us talking at the top of his lungs."

"If it's not a real Bluetooth, then what is it?"

"A piece of plastic garbage I found on the street that I rigged with paper clips. Got the idea from the smash-hit HBO series Flight of the Conchords. Except that guy had a real Bluetooth, just no receiver. I decided to take it the rest of the way and go completely anti-Bluetooth."

"Don't those paper clips hurt?"

"Yes. A lot."

"Why wear it?"

"Because, like Bluetooth people, I'm also constantly walking around talking to myself, but just because I don't have that stupid crap on my ear, people give me a wide berth and jump to the mistaken conclusion that I'm simply another jabbering street loon. Yet ever since I attached this thing to my head, completely new attitude, no matter what I'm saying: 'I'll destroy that motherfucker for ten generations!'"

"People dig that?"

"No, they still recoil--but in admiration. Now they think I'm a killer in the boardroom." He nodded and smiled to himself. "Yes, sir, total respect."

I love all of the Serge novels, but this is not a good starting place for a new reader. It brings back characters from earlier books, and it makes a lot more sense if you've read the others first. Nevertheless, it's great fun. Highly recommended.

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

The City of Dreaming Books is a fanciful and utterly charming fantasy originally written in German. The author is also an illustrator, and the text is filled with charming and funny drawings of the characters he describes. The main character, Optimus Yarnspinner, is a dinosaur from Lindworm Castle. Like all civilized people, he is educated in literature by an authorial godfather, in his case Dancelot Wordwright, the author of The Joys of Gardening. When Dancelot dies he leaves Optimus a manuscript that is so amazing it caused Dancelot to give up writing because he could never approach its perfection.

Optimus is just as impressed by the manuscript as his godfather was, and so he sets out for the city of Bookholm to see if he can find the author of the amazing document. Bookholm is the city of books, where most of the commerce is in the publication and trade of books. And beneath the city there are deep catacombs filled with old and often dangerous books, which are sought out by the fearsome Book Hunters. Optimus is naive, and begins showing the manuscript to anyone who will read it. He is advised, for his safety, to leave the city at once, wise advice which he naturally ignores, or we wouldn't have a novel. Optimus is directed to a book dealer who turns out to be more than he appears, and soon he is trapped in the catacombs, desperately trying to survive and find a way back to the surface. He has many interesting adventures along the way.

Let me say, first, that though this is a charming book with illustrations, it is not a children's book. It is clever and charming and filled with wordplay. It was also a surprisingly slow read for me. Even though I was enjoying it, this book did not flow quickly and easily. There is a lot going on, and there's a lot to digest in the text. It also took me a while to get into the right frame of mind for the work--sometimes your mood doesn't match the tone of the work, and evidently mine didn't match this one this week.

This is a translated work, and I have to commend the translator, because it read beautifully. Unlike my recent reading of The Stranger, whose prose was leaden and awkward, this one was witty, light, and clever. And given the amount of wordplay in the text, it must have been a challenge.

But though I keep praising The City of Dreaming Books, it was, as I said, a slow read. Whimsical and clever only work if you're in the right mood to receive it, and I spent a good deal of time this last week reading other things instead of this book. Even though I enjoyed it while I read it, I kept finding myself looking for other things to read instead. And when I did read it, my reading pace was slower than an average book. As I said, there was a lot to digest in its paragraphs. I enjoyed it, but I'm not particularly inclined to seek out Moers' other books. Nevertheless, recommended.

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara

The most interesting thing about Cast in Shadow is that, mostly, I enjoyed it. I mostly enjoyed it, even though I shouldn't have. The book has three things going against it:

1) It's published by Luna, an imprint I have been avoiding like the plague. Luna is a paranormal/SFnal line put out by Harlequin, the romance publishers. And maybe I'm a snob for avoiding their books, but I don't think it's really snobbish to avoid something you're pretty sure isn't written to your interests. I don't mind a little romance in my SF, but I want the book to be SF, not romance, and geared toward the sensibilities of an SF reader, not a romance reader. I'm not sure I can explain this clearly, but different genres have different tools and different expectations, and I'm not looking for fantasy aimed at romance readers. Which leads to the next problem:

2) The basic premise is lame, outdated, and simplistic. Our heroine, Kaylin, is the Chosen One. Really. And she has amazing and unexplained powers that she can use intuitively, facing down huge challenges on instinct and luck alone without the slightest bit of training and no real idea what she's doing. Which is really lame. I thought the genre had outgrown that in about 1985, but maybe it was just that I outgrew that in 1985. And then there is the problem of the main character:

3) Kaylin is horrible. Really, really contemptible. Immature, impulsive, illogical, willfully ignorant, rude, thoughtless, bigoted, unreliable, perpetually tardy, and apparently unable even to feed and clothe herself. I am perfectly happy reading about characters who are not like me, so long as I can be comfortable that they aren't fucking idiots who will always do the wrong thing. Kaylin, however, is pretty much a fucking idiot who always does the wrong thing. And that does not make me a happy reader.

And so I am here to report my amazement that I enjoyed the book anyway. Despite the lame plot and the asshole heroine, the rest of the characters and the setting were interesting enough to hold my interest. Despite some of the dialogue not making much sense to me (people kept asking Kaylin questions that I found I didn't understand). Despite, at the end, when they're running out of time and, literally, running to save the world, interrupting it for unnecessary conversation and a flashback. In nearly every sense, this is exactly the sort of fantasy that made me give up on most fantasy quite a while ago. And yet it was oddly entertaining. I might even read the rest of the series.