WebMage by Kelly McCullough Book Review

This book is a very fun and fast paced read.  It has just the mix of fantasy/mythology and modern or futuristic setting that I really like.  This story navigates through a cyberpunked version of Greek mythology where the fates run giant magical computer networks to keep track of all the threads, and the fury's are Necessitiy's system admins for reality.

If there is anything that I don't like about this book it is the fact that you don't want to put it down to go to sleep at night.  There is always something going on in the book and it kept my interest the whole way through to the point that it was hard to find a good place to stop.  Be warned you may want to have the time to finish this book in one or two sittings if you are anything like me.  Thankfully the book is not too long.

The main character in this story is named Ravirn.  He is literalally a descendant of one of the fates, and he is a hacker of reality.  He has a webgoblin familiar that helps him with his magic or code named Melchior that can shape shift from goblin to laptop.  Ravirn's special bit of divinity is to find the loopholes, and cracks in any spell or code, which makes him a great hacker but his clan matriarchs(the fates) see him as the ultimate debugger.  When Atropos asks him for help he has no choice but to see what she wants.  It turns out she has a bug in her latest program to remove that pesky free will from the world which would make the fates jobs much easier.  Before he can say no and send out a warning she lays the Pandora curse on him as the ultimate non disclosure clause.  Sure he can tell people whats going on but nobody will believe him.  So he sets off to save free will with Melchior and the few friends who will help him no matter what.  In his quest to save free will Ravirn bounces all around the multiverse and makes a lot of enemies and a few friends along the way.  In the end its hard to catch or stop the demigod of loopholes, and with the help of Eris and a webgoblin underground he manages to save the day.

 In my opinion this book is appropriate for anyone who likes a great adventure story with a few exceptions that I can see.  First science fiction or fantasy fans who don't like to see the two genre's mix are not going to like this.  Second people who are fans of Greek mythology will either love it or hate it depending on their perception of who and what the Greek gods are.  Ravirn does not treat the gods with much reverence, but to him they are family so it makes sense to me.  Most of us don't revere our great uncles and aunts very much either.

This book can be bought in print or in e-book form at www.amazon.com or check your local bookstore and ask them to order it.

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.