Reading List Update: # 18 - 22
Feb. 17th, 2008 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedibuttercupFive more books since my last update, January 28th. All are from the same series, in the medieval fantasy slash vampire subgenre. (It would have been six, but the newest one's still in hardback, so I haven't bought it yet).
18. Dhampir by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 375pp. 1st of Noble Dead series. Reread. The cover of this says "A mix of Lord of the Rings and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of course I found it irresistible. The star is a "hunter of the undead", her half-elf partner, and their dog, who go 'round back-country villages in a fantasy land reminiscent of medieval Eastern Europe swindling them out of money by convincing them they're slaying the native ghosts/vampires/etc. Until they run into some real undead, and make some interesting discoveries about her heritage. Full of standard genre cliches, but interpreted in new ways; I really like the main characters.
19. Thief of Lives by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 410pp. 2nd of Noble Dead series. Reread. Magiere and Leesil thought they were done vampire-hunting. But their exploits have made them popular; and there's someone pulling strings to make sure they get brought out of retirement. More vampires are slain, more discoveries are made, and they pick up a new compatriot: a scholar. The world gains more complexity, and Magiere and Leesil connect more deeply with each other as things grow more uncertain around them. The characters are still the best part of the story, though the world-building is pretty good, as well.
20. Sister of the Dead by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 405pp. 3rd of Noble Dead series. Reread. The voyage of discovery begins, as Magiere and Leesil go back to her home village in hopes of discovering more about her dhampir (half-vampire) nature, and who's been pulling strings around them. By this point, it's pretty clear that she was bred to be an Evil Superweapon-- but was babynapped by a lesser evil to spoke the bigger evil's wheels, and ended up raised by a loving aunt. Certain behind-the-scenes powers are still trying to put her on the Evil path, but others are in motion, as well-- and Leesil has a part in their plans.
21. Traitor to the Blood by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 396pp. 4th of Noble Dead series. Now that they have some answers about Magiere's past, they turn north to find out what happened to Leesil's family: half-elves are nearly as rare as dhampir, and it's becoming obvious he was bred for a Purpose, too. This is where the string-pulling, recurring minor evil starts to feel annoyingly superfluous, and the scholar feels like a tacked-on Mary Sue aggravant a lot of the time. The basic story, though, is good, and the main characters' frustration and anguish along their path of discovery is conveyed very well. Some questions are answered, more questions are posed, and facing consequences of actions taken-- no matter how belated-- is a major theme.
22. Rebel Fay by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 416pp. 5th of Noble Dead series. Magiere, Leesil, their dog, and their scholar finally reach the Elven lands. The dog's heritage-- as the "Rebel Fay" of the title-- and subsequent intelligence have played a part all along, but in this book he, too, is forced to face his past and his choices. More of the machinations that have driven Magiere's and Leesil's lives from birth to meeting are uncovered, and add to the stressors on their relationship, but they manage to overcome the obstacles in their way and complete the next step on their Quest. The Elven culture in this series is interesting and different from any I'd seen before; I hope we see more of them in subsequent books.
Next up: Not sure yet. Last year, it took me until April 28 to read this many books-- and my mood's kind of crashed due to recent events. I think I might peruse the shelves for something well-worn and comforting to get me through the next few days.
~
18. Dhampir by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 375pp. 1st of Noble Dead series. Reread. The cover of this says "A mix of Lord of the Rings and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of course I found it irresistible. The star is a "hunter of the undead", her half-elf partner, and their dog, who go 'round back-country villages in a fantasy land reminiscent of medieval Eastern Europe swindling them out of money by convincing them they're slaying the native ghosts/vampires/etc. Until they run into some real undead, and make some interesting discoveries about her heritage. Full of standard genre cliches, but interpreted in new ways; I really like the main characters.
19. Thief of Lives by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 410pp. 2nd of Noble Dead series. Reread. Magiere and Leesil thought they were done vampire-hunting. But their exploits have made them popular; and there's someone pulling strings to make sure they get brought out of retirement. More vampires are slain, more discoveries are made, and they pick up a new compatriot: a scholar. The world gains more complexity, and Magiere and Leesil connect more deeply with each other as things grow more uncertain around them. The characters are still the best part of the story, though the world-building is pretty good, as well.
20. Sister of the Dead by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 405pp. 3rd of Noble Dead series. Reread. The voyage of discovery begins, as Magiere and Leesil go back to her home village in hopes of discovering more about her dhampir (half-vampire) nature, and who's been pulling strings around them. By this point, it's pretty clear that she was bred to be an Evil Superweapon-- but was babynapped by a lesser evil to spoke the bigger evil's wheels, and ended up raised by a loving aunt. Certain behind-the-scenes powers are still trying to put her on the Evil path, but others are in motion, as well-- and Leesil has a part in their plans.
21. Traitor to the Blood by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 396pp. 4th of Noble Dead series. Now that they have some answers about Magiere's past, they turn north to find out what happened to Leesil's family: half-elves are nearly as rare as dhampir, and it's becoming obvious he was bred for a Purpose, too. This is where the string-pulling, recurring minor evil starts to feel annoyingly superfluous, and the scholar feels like a tacked-on Mary Sue aggravant a lot of the time. The basic story, though, is good, and the main characters' frustration and anguish along their path of discovery is conveyed very well. Some questions are answered, more questions are posed, and facing consequences of actions taken-- no matter how belated-- is a major theme.
22. Rebel Fay by Barb & J.C. Hendee. Paperback, 416pp. 5th of Noble Dead series. Magiere, Leesil, their dog, and their scholar finally reach the Elven lands. The dog's heritage-- as the "Rebel Fay" of the title-- and subsequent intelligence have played a part all along, but in this book he, too, is forced to face his past and his choices. More of the machinations that have driven Magiere's and Leesil's lives from birth to meeting are uncovered, and add to the stressors on their relationship, but they manage to overcome the obstacles in their way and complete the next step on their Quest. The Elven culture in this series is interesting and different from any I'd seen before; I hope we see more of them in subsequent books.
Next up: Not sure yet. Last year, it took me until April 28 to read this many books-- and my mood's kind of crashed due to recent events. I think I might peruse the shelves for something well-worn and comforting to get me through the next few days.
~
