Victory of Eagles

The first hardback edition of Naomi Novik's wonderful Temeraire series is VICTORY OF EAGLES. As with the previous three sequels to HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON, this book picks up soon after the events of the preceding novel - in this case EMPIRE OF IVORY.

Temeraire is under arrest at the dragon breeding grounds in Wales and Will Laurence is a prisoner on a ship in the Channel. Their unfortunate circumstances are the result of their actions in EMPIRE OF IVORY, but neither is broken by the situation. I hate to add more because it would ruin the fun of the book, but all of our favorite characters are there as well as some historical figures. Additionally, the characters continue to grow and change before our eyes. These are not the pulp novels like Doc Savage and the Avenger where nothing ever changes and no one evolves. Those may be fun reads, but this one stays with you and continues to challenge your curiosity.

Novik describes the passions and prejudices of Napoleonic-era England very well - particularly with the military and the Navy. Her story moves along crisply and reads much better than the previous two novels. This one could almost stand as the capstone to the series, but the possibility for adventure is still there. The customary abrupt ending does give credence that there will be more stories in the future.

This series is one that I recommend to my friends who may not like science fiction or fantasy because it intersects with the historical world very well. I may have won a convert last night when I described it to my neighbor's grandson.

While this book works better as part of the series, there is enough exposition, along with a solid ending, that it could stand alone. Thus it is a perfect read. The only drawback is that I now have nothing to read on my train ride home.

The Tomb

F. Paul Wilson's THE TOMB introduces the character Repairman Jack. Jack is the enigmatic loner who fixes things for a price. He believes in being armed and letting no one dictate how he lives his life - this is especially true for the government. He pays no taxes and has no identification. He lives off the grid and avoids authorities. But he is honest and loyal to his friends. In some ways he is similar to Lee Child's Jack Reacher except he doesn't travel.

In this book, Jack is contracted to find the necklace stolen from an old woman in a mugging and to help find the missing aunt of he former girlfriend. These may seem like standard private eye plotlines, but Jack's world intersects with the supernatural. There are forces working against him that he does not understand nor believe. But he still fights the good fight and comes to know the enemy.

This is a fun little read and I will try more adventures of Repairman Jack in the future. But I need to devour some other long-standing titles in my library before devoting time to the dozen stories Wilson has out there.

On an interesting note, THE TOMB was written in the 1980s, but when the series restarted in the 1990s, Wilson went back and reedited this to reflect the more modern sensibilities rather than age the character or backdate the other books. This is the opposite of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series where the character is definitely stuck in the same decade in which the novels began. Also by doing this, he can place young Jack in 1983 for the Jack: Secret Histories young adult series. This is good strategy and great marketing.

Iron Kissed

So I put down F. Paul Wilson's THE TOMB again to read the next installment in Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series. IRON KISSED looks at the world of the fae in Mercy's world. I really enjoyed this book, particulary the conclusion of the Mercy-Adam-Samuel triangle. Ms. Briggs ended this perfectly - especially avoiding the cliches she could have easily used. All in all, I like these books and will read the next one when it comes out. But I imagine my complaints with the covers (This time with Mercy in a midriff-baring mechanic's shirt with a tattoo (commonly called a tramp stamp) revealed above her hindquarters.) will continue as well. It's almost funny because there is only the mention of the single tattoo for our heroine as well as her own statements that she is not that good looking. Maybe I find it funny that the covers are so PG-13 and the content of the book goes no farther than PG - at least in terms of romance.

Now back to THE TOMB.

Blood Bound

Patricia Briggs continues her Mercedes Thompson series with BLOOD BOUND. As implied by the title, this one deals with vampires. More details are added into the mythos and Mercedes' powers are expanded. My only real complaint is the cover again and I see this will be continued with the next book. Nothing wrong with sexy, tattooed women, but Mercy spends most of the book trying not to be objectified so why should the publisher do the same on the cover. (Other tna to sell books of course.) All in all, this is a fun little series and makes for entertaining reading. I'll get the next one from the library when it is available.

Jack: Secret Histories

This is the second Repairman Jack book I've ever read. The first was HOSTS which at the time seemed like a strange cross between science fiction, horror and crime novel. But the character intrigued me enough to maintain a small amount of interest - one of those series you want to make time to read when you have time. For those who don't know, Jack as an adult lives off the grid. He keeps a low profile, pays no taxes and keeps to himself. Literarily, he is similar to Vachss' Burke and Child's Reacher - a loner with a sense of justice and the need to be right. Or in the words of Boston Blackie, "Enemy to those who make him an enemy. Friend to those who have no friend."

Jack in this book is a high school freshman. He is not yet the man he will become, but the road ahead is clear. Set in 1983, Jack and his friends discover a body and an artifact that leads them into a conspiracy and murder. It is a nice crisp book and perfectly acceptable for the YA audience. Adult readers will enjoy it, but it is not at the same level as Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER or Westerfeld's various series. Still it was fun. My only complaints would be the little winks and nods to the future world, such as dreams of a 2-way TV which could browse all the libraries in the world.

Devotees of Repairman Jack will definitely enjoy it. Me...I've added THE TOMB - the first RJ book - to my reading pile and I'll find a way to shoehorn the rest of the series in before Christmas.

If you are a true collector, don't forget the Gauntlet Press special edition. These guys do wonderful copies and are fully worth the extra cost.

http://www.gauntletpress.com/cgi-bin/gauntletpress/perlshop.cgi?ACTION=template&thispage=SecretHistBk&ORDER_ID=259671989