Review of Wen Spencer's Book Wolf Who Rules

This is the second book in the Tinker series, and it picks up right where Tinker left off.  Fair warning there will be spoilers for those who have not read Tinker in this review, since it starts where the previous book leaves off.

Wolf Who Rules jumps right back into the Tinker universe and takes off running.  In the last book Tinker was accidentally married to Windwolf (a cultural misunderstanding that she is ultimately OK with) and turned into an elf(not as OK with).  When Tinker was finished Pittsburgh was stuck on Elfhome due to the resonance she set up between the portal the Oni had forced her to create between Elfhome and Onihida, and the orbital warp gate. Tinker had intentionally built the gate to resonate with the orbital gate to create a distraction.  The resonance ultimately destroyed both gates trapping Pittsburgh on Elfhome.

When the elves ancient enemy the Oni kidnapped his wife Windwolf called his people for help.  Though Tinker freed herself, the help is still needed to deal with the Oni whom the elves thought safely sealed in their own dimension.  As payment for the help of the other elven clans, Windwolf must give up his exclusive title to all of North America on Elfhome, but remains the Viceroy.  The other clans have come and they are there to stay.  Things are made worse by the fact that the treaty between Elfhome and Earth is based on the idea that Pittsburgh goes back to Earth periodically.  With Pittsburgh permanently on  ElfHome the city finds itself unexpectedly subject to elven law.  Tinker and Windwolf must find a way to bring all of their people together as one without the entire city erupting in a civil war that will burn it to the ground.  Oh and they have to save both Elfhome and Earth from the Oni menace.   Did I mention that Tinker cannot sleep and is slowly going mad because of powers awakened by her transformation?

This book has all the twists turns and moments of sheer genius that we got used to in the first book, but now Tinker must learn to play well with others.  In Wolf Who Rules this series continues on and does nothing but get better.

This book is published by Baen can be found at amazon.com as well as Baen's e-book store.

Review of Wen Spencer's book Tinker

 This book is a science fiction/fantasy cross over.  It takes place in a near future Pittsburgh that has been transported to the dimension of the elves as a side effect of an orbital warp gate.  When the gate is on Pittsburgh is on Elfhome, and when it is off it exists on earth.  Because of this side effect the warp Gate is shut down on a regular schedule, that is called shutdown by the residents of Elfhome and Pittsburgh, so that supplies and people can make their way into or out of the city.

The main character is a girl genius that goes by the name of Tinker. At the start of the story she seems to be content creating crazy inventions that fuse science and magic at her scrapyard that she runs to pay the bills.  The problem is that Tinker has secrets, and is more than she appears.  When Windwolf, the local elf lord, gets chased into her scrapyard by strange magical constructs one shutdown eve her life is turned upside down.  Not being the sort to take such things lying down Tinker takes matters into her own hands, and nothing will ever be the same because Tinker is not the only one with secrets.

This book is the start of an awesome series, and the only problem with it is that as with all of Wen Spencer's books you are left wanting more.

 This book is published by Baen can be found at amazon.com as well as Baen's e-book store.

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