Hounded(The Iron Druid Chronicles Book1) by Kevin Hearne Book Review

Endless Blue 

By: Kevin Hearne






Hounded is a funny story about an immortal Irish druid, who goes by the name of Atticus O'Sullivan, in the American Southwest.  The story has gods, monsters, talking dogs, and special herbal elixirs.  I found this book hard to put down in part because of the wit of the main character.  The other part is that the story is awesome.  You are not only introduced to the immortal irishman but an entire community of supernatural beings that he exists within.  He may be the last of the old line of druids still alive, but he has plenty of company when it comes to magical power.  The best way to describe this book is funny, and exciting.

There were a few things that bothered me about the story at first but they ended up being plot points.  Basically it was a bit unnerving the casual way that he treated most of the Celtic gods in the story, and the way they treated him in return.  The book makes it clear however that the Iron Druid, as Atticus is known, has powers that they respect.  In the story the gods and Atticus see themselves as more equals than deity and worshiper though he does keep his original faith.  Overall this is one of the best modern fantasy books that I have read recently, and I think most people would enjoy it.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan Book Review

The Lightning Thief 

By: Rick Riordan






This book is a fun ride through a landscape of Greek myths and legends in the modern world.  The Greek gods are very much alive and well, and still up to their old tricks including having children with mortals.  Most  modern people never see this world, or rather they see it but they rationalize it away.  This is helped by the fact that most demigods and monsters use the aura of awe and confusion around them to keep hidden.  The book is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and does a good job of introducing the world.  The book is intended for young adults, but anyone who can get over the fact that many of the characters are very young has a good chance of enjoying this book.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Season 1 anime review

The first Season of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is a very good modern fantasy anime.  Yokai are Japanese spirits/paranormal creatures that are often considered evil.  The Yokai are not necessarily evil though and it all depends on the person.  They are however powerful, and fond of tricks some of which can prove fatal.  Their relations with humans are often strained if not outright hostile because of this. Rikuo Nura is the grandson of the supreme commander of the Nura Yokai Clan, but he is also three quarters human, and cannot maintain a Yokai form at all times.  In this series Rikuo must come to terms with both the different parts of himself, and the different worlds he must live in.  Oh yeah and become worthy to be the leader of the Nura clan so he can protect his human friends.  I really like this series and I will admit that I have stayed up later than I wanted to because I had to see what happened next.  In fact that is the only thing about this series that I find I did not like.  Its just too hard to stop watching.

The story follows Rikuo as he tries to balance two worlds, and very different sets of expectations.  That of his human friends and classmates, and his Yokai companions and vassals.  In addition for much of the series Rikou the Yokai and Rikou the human seem to be desperately trying to work out how to act in harmony.  Since Rikou is the heir to the Nura clan he must prove himself to both the Yokai of the clan and the other clans in the area.  At stake is the peace of his city, and the safety of his human friends.  Every few episodes he must take on a new challenge or intrigue, and these challenges constantly push him to come to terms with his inner conflicts.  In the end to prevent a neighboring clan from conquering his town and terrorizing the humans he cares about both halves of Rikou Nura must work together to become more than either of them can be apart.

This anime will appeal to anyone who likes modern or paranormal fantasy.  It is very well done and the plots of the individual episodes have a lot of good messages about self acceptance, and perseverance in the face of massive discrimination.

You can watch this anime as a stream at www.hulu.com.

Fangs for the Mammaries by Escher Friesner Book Review

Fangs for the Mammaries is the third suburban fantasy anthology by Escher Friesner.  As with the other two anthologies it is a collection of short stories by different authors with a common theme.  For this book the theme is vampires living in suburbia.

Like the other two books the stories in this one explore the trials and tribulations of vampires in our modern world.  Whether its a vampire field trip to the mall with werewolf security guards or the poor confused undead after the twilight movies bring teenage snacks, I mean girls, to their doors, these short stories are a funny, entertaining, and thoughtful look at vampires in the burbs.  In addition much like its predecessors this book contains continuations of the previous books short stories.

This book is good for anyone who loves vampires, and modern fantasy.  It is particularly good if you want a story that you don't have to devote a lot of time to since they all stand alone.

This book can be purchased as an e-book or in print at www.amazon.com.

Strip Mauled by Esther Friesner book review.

Strip Mauled is the second anthology of short stories by Escher Friesner that mashes up myths and legends and modern suburbia.  Like the first book Witch Way to the Mall the short stories are by many different authors, but they all have the same theme.  This books Theme is werewolves in suburbia.  The stories are all hilarious, and are individually lightweight bits of good entertainment.

These stories look all take different looks at how your local moon loving furry friends would have to adapt to modern life, and how modern life would adapt to them.  From the lone human who accidentally joins an all werewolf software firm, to the security guards at the local mall you don't want to mess with around the full moon one tale after another has a humorous or ironic take on just how well, or poorly, werewolves would fit into our modern lifestyle.

These books are a good read for anyone who enjoys humorous paranormal stories.  They are fun bite size chunks of modern day myth and legend fried up suburban style.  Also anyone who read Witch Way to the Mall will want to pick this one up as some of the stories are continued.

This book is available at www.amazon.com as an e-book or in print.

Witch way to the Mall by Esther Friesner book review

This book is an anthology of short stories by different authors so I cant follow my standard format on this one.  All of the short stories in this book follow the same theme:  witches in suburbia.  The various authors use their own take on witches of folklore, and project them into modern times in the suburbs.  The result is hilarious and all of the stories were a lot of fun to read.  This a great book to pick up when you don't have a lot of time to devote to a story but still want something good and funny to pass the time.  It is also good for introducing you to many authors at once.

Witch Way to the Mall is the first book in a series of three so far and if some of the stories leave you wanting for more just pick up the next book.  Many of them have sequel stories with different themes.  The books in this series are Witch Way to the Mall, Strip Mauled, and Fangs for the Mammaries.  I will be writing reviews for them next.

These books will appeal to people who enjoy modern fantasy,  I would say urban but by their nature they are suburban.

The books can be purchased in print or as an e-book at www.amazon.com