Skinwalker by Faith Hunter Book Review

Skinwalker 

By: Faith Hunter






Skinwalker is a fast paced paranormal adventure novel.  The book takes place in a world that is a step away from our own.  The cities and settings are almost the same as our world, with the major distinction being that Vampires, Were-Creatures, and witches are not only real but publicly acknowledged.  Faith Hunter does an excellent job of creating this world that is at once so close and so different from our own.  In particular this book explores some of the societal changes from having vampires exist in the light as it were.  For example master vampires will pay for vampire hunters to take care of rogue vampires in their territories.  Jane Yellowrock, the main Character of the story, is one of these rouge vampire hunters, and you find yourself drawn in to her own unique heritage.  She is a Skinwalker ( a native american shapeshifter) and shares her body and soul with a mountain lion known as Beast.  This allows her to hunt down rouge vampires for the bounty on their heads and survive, but not everything in this world is out in the open and she would rather her powers remain in the shadows.

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.

Out of the Dark by David Weber Book Review

Out of the dark is a near future Alien Invasion science fiction book.  Like many books of this type the aliens invading earth wipe the floor with us.  I am talking most of our cities gone, our military forces wiped out,  complete subjugation of the populace kind of wiped the floor.  Then as is common with this type of novel something turns the tide.  Whats different about this story is that its not some fancy new technology the government was hiding, or an ancient alien spaceship hiding out on the moon that turns the tide.  In this case the aliens find out the hard way that there is a reason humans fear things that go bump in the night, and they have just pissed that reason off.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the destruction of a good chunk of humanity was too well described.  The first part of the book was good but depressing.  On the other hand it was worth it because the payback in the second part was awesome.

When the Alien Shongairi  invade the earth they pretty much hit the high points of the alien invader handbook and with most of the population wiped out things look pretty grim for humanity.  Part of the book follows a resistance cell in the United States that is doing what it can to fight back and keep the human race alive.  The other part of the book follows Master Sergeant Stephen Buchevsky through the balkans after he and some of his people narrowly escape destruction.  The master Sergeant does what he knows best and begins resisting the invaders and linking up with local forces doing the same.  One of the locals he befriends named Mircea Basarab is a little bit strange, but willing to help.  When most of Stephen's group gets destroyed defending Mircea's homeland, the terrifying truth is revealed.  By the time Mircea gets to Stephen his new friend is nearly dead and he must reveal his true self in order to save him.  It turns out that he once inspired a book by the name of Dracula and he was called a vampire for good reason.  For years he has been holding back the monster inside, and now the Shongairi have woken it up.  You heard me right its aliens vs Dracula.  As crazy as that sounds it is done really well, and I can't think of a better use for the horde of vampires that gets made to combat the aliens than what the author does.

This book will appeal to science fiction fans that can take a little bit of the paranormal thrown in, and any others that give it a chance will probably find it a good read.

This book can be purchased at www.amazon.com in print or E-book form.

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.

Good Luck Girl Anime Series Review

Good luck girl is a hilarious comedy about a spoiled girl who has an overwhelming overabundance of good fortune, and the misfortune god who is sent to restore balance.  Through the series the girl with the good fortune slowly learns to trust people and become a better person.  The whole series is a good illustration of the yin-yang concept of balance because Ichiko ( the mortal with outrageous fortune energy) and Momoji (the misfortune god) have the same amount of opposing energies.

I really like this series, but as with many anime's there are a lot of dirty jokes, and quite a bit of sexual tension.  This comprises a lot of the comedy, and while it is tame for its type it may offend some people which is a shame because it is a good story.

As I said the plot is about the conflict between Ichiko and Momoji and Ichiko's personal growth because of it.  At the beginning of the series Ichiko is not easy to sympathize with.  She seems to be extremely spoiled by everything always going her way, and she feels she is better than everyone else.  It quickly becomes clear however that everything is not as it seems.  While really bad things can't happen to her, she is very isolated and not well liked by any of the people around her unless they are worshiping her.  About the time she realizes that she is lonely Momoji shows up and throws her life into an uproar, which turns out to be just what she needs.  Since their energies are on par with each other Momoji must try to either trick Ichiko out of her fortune, bargain with her for it, or get her to distribute it voluntarily.  They fight throughout the series, and have some awesome battles, but they come to be friends by the end even if Ichiko will not admit it.  Through their interaction Ichiko becomes a good person, and makes lots of friends.

This anime is supernatural in nature so would probably be enjoyed by people who like fantasy and paranormal stories.  It is not really the best show for young kids because there are a lot of dirty jokes and sexual humor, but it is fairly tame compared to some anime I have seen.

This series can be purchased at www.amazon.com on disk or as a stream.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs Book Review

This book is a a paranormal urban fantasy novel set in a world a step away from our own.  Not only are there werewolves, vampires, and other paranormal species, but the Fae have gone public with their existence.  The history of this world before that point is largely the same as our own, and so far the Fae are the only group to come out.

We are introduced to this world by Mercedes Thompson who is a VW mechanic trying to get by in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state.   Her former boss is a gremlin that moved to the fae reservation when the the fae came out.  Mercy also has some secrets.  She is a walker who can shift into a coyote, and she was raised by werewolves.  While she puts on a good front she is very well connected to the local supernatural community, and can call in some big guns when she finds herself in a fix.

When a stray (not attached to the local pack) werewolf approaches her shop looking for a job, she knows exactly what he is, and that something is very wrong.  The boy is terrified, and seems to have been abandoned by his makers, something that she knows is not accepted among the werewolves, and would not be tolerated by the local pack ( their alpha is her next door neighbor).  Having a soft spot for strays of any sort Mercy takes him in and gives him a job.  His past catches up to him quickly and Mercy has to call the local pack when he turns up dead. 

From her conversations with him she knows that there is more going on than it appears, and with someone under her care dead Mercy will not give up until she has uncovered all of the secrets.  With an angry coyote on their tail no secret is safe, and when the coyote is friends with werewolves the secret keepers will not be in good shape either.

This book is the first in the Mercedes Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs.  I will warn you that this series is addicting, and you may end up buying all the rest of the current series as well.  It can be found at www.amazon.com in print or e-book format.

Good Intentions by Elliot Kay Book Review

This book is a fun ride through its very own take on the paranormal.  When a young college kid named Alex decided to trespass in an old cemetery to impress a couple of girls, he stumbles on a weird and horrible ritual that is intended to give the person who successfully finishes it complete control of both an angel and a succubus.

When he investigates the noises he is hearing he comes upon a the scene of the nearly completed ritual. Both the angel and succubus are bound and mutilated.  They have been obviously tortured, but neither one is giving up.  With the best of intentions, thus the name, he charges in to save the two girls, no matter what they are.  He succeeds somehow, but both demon and angel end up partially bound to him instead of the person who had hurt them.  Whats worse they are bound to each other as well.

The angel, Rachel, can go home, but the succubus, Lorelei, has nowhere to go.  A weakened demon is easy prey for others of their kind.  Having no other choice, he takes her to his home till she can recover.  From there the situations keep going downhill in a a delightful way, and the action of one sort or another never stops.

This book is a good adventure, but is definitely intended for adults.  It has lots of sex and lots of violence.  The three main characters are forced into a position where they have to learn to live with each other, and one of them requires sex to survive.  In addition to the obvious exploration of these situations there is also the question of how the two girls ended up in the position they did.  It should not have been possible.  The main plot of the book is getting to the bottom of that mystery.

I read this book on my kindle, and it can be purchased on www.amazon.com

Strike The Blood Anime Review

Strike the blood is a currently running anime that I picked up last night.  It is currently being simulcast from Japan.  There are only 4 episodes out yet but so far it is a very good series.  The male lead character, Akatsuki Kojo, appears to be a normal high school guy (as normal as they get in anime) but he has also become an incredibly powerful vampire.  The female lead, Yukina Himeragi, has been sent to observe him and told to kill him if he becomes dangerous.  This anime is set on an artificial island built by japan to be the home of the various supernatural creatures that are endangered in the world.

The show starts with whispered rumors of the "Fourth Primogenitor" being on the island.  Shortly you find out that this powerful being is just a high school boy, who doesn't even know how to control the power he has.  His observer, Yukina Himeragi, is very good at fighting, but not so good at anything else.  she has been training to fight vampires and monsters her whole life and is a curious mixture of naive and deadly.  In the episodes so far he struggles with just what he should do with his new-found power, and she struggles with her feelings for him, and becoming a more complete person.  So far they seem to be good for each other.  Oh yeah there are some awesome supernatural fight scenes as well.

The overarching plot seems to be the two main characters growing into their power while trying to save their home from supernatural threats.  This is definitely for a more mature audience and does not have kids in mind.  Minor characters die, and the main character is horribly injured at times.  The violence is extreme in some cases.  I would recommend this show for adults and teenagers, but not children.

 This Anime can be found at www.crunchyroll.com.

Review of Wen Spencer's book Eight Million Gods

Wen Spencer's Eight Million Gods is an great story set in modern day Japan.  The story has a very anime feel to it and the action moves very quickly.  Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down.  I ended up reading it twice.  I really like how the story takes the reader on a up close and personal journey through Japanese spirituality.  As usual Wen Spencer has characters with real problems that still manage to kick some butt.  At this point I should tell you something I didn't like about the book but I cant really think of anything.

   The main character Nikki Delaney has a mental disorder which forces her to write horrible scenes.  She has painstakingly turned this disability into an asset by harnessing it to write horror novels.  The problem is her latest story doesn't seem to be a story, since her scenes keep coming true.  The story follows her as she unravels just what her "disability" is, and what she must do to keep her writing from becoming horrible reality.  This book could be a sad horror story, but Wen Spencer instead made it an adventure through the paranormal side of Japan.  She even introduces some of the eight million gods.

This book will appeal to anyone who likes urban fantasy, or paranormal novels.  Be warned though you may end up a total Wen Spencer fan.  I know I am.

This book is published by Baen and can be found at most bookstores as well as www.amazon.com and Baen's Ebook store baenebooks