Orphan's Alliance

Time for another sequel. (I think that's three in a row) In this case, it's ORPHAN'S ALLIANCE by Robert Buettner. Unlike the Scalzi Old Man books, this story is part of a sequence that is dependent on the rest of the series. Sure there is a lot of exposition that refreshes the returning reader and helps to explain for the beginner, but there is just too much back story to catch up on.

I'd have to say this is the weakest book of the series so far. The action is lacking and the complaint of politics is getting old. And Jason is rapidly running out of friends. But that does not keep the story from flowing. Buettner knows how to pace and keep the reader marching right through the book. According to the indicia, there is one more book in the series and I am looking forward to the resolution. This book started off as a clone of Heinlein's STARSHIP TROOPERS, but has become a better story because it is wiling to take the war all the way to the end.

Antiques Flee Market

Max Allan Collins and his lovely wife Barbara take us once more into the lovely hamlet of Serenity for more adventures of Brandy Borne and her mother, Vivian, as they get embroiled in yet another murder in ANTIQUES FLEE MARKET. While the mystery doesn't seem as compelling in this book and the cliffhanger from the previous book isn't part of the mystery, there is still plenty of enjoyment to be had. Vivian gets two chapters this time around and Sushi the Shizh Tzu has a near death experience.

The screwball comedy of these books serves as a nice counterbalance to Collins' hardboiled books (of which there are two out now - THE FIRST QUARRY and THE GOLIATH BONE - the next Mickey Spillane book finished by Collins) The humor is never forced and the plots move right along. This book just reaffirms why Collins is one of my favorite authors.

Zoe's Tale

So John Scalzi wrote a fourth book in his OLD MAN'S WAR series, but if you were numbering them, this would be 3.5. ZOE'S TALE looks at the events surrounding THE LAST COLONY from the perspective of Zoe, John and Jane Perry's adopted teenage daughter. I have no complaints with this book. It felt a lot like THE LAST COLONY and Zoe sounded like a female John Perry, but readers familiar with the series should have no problem with that. And like Scalzi's other books, this one stands on its own so that a new reader does not need the rest of the series to enjoy it. Go out and read it - or better yet read OLD MAN'S WAR and then read the rest of the story.

On The Prowl

This is a bit of a cheat. I only read the first story in this book - Patricia Briggs' "Alpha and Omega." That said, I had no interest in any of the other stories or authors and felt it best not to waste my time, particularly between school readings and Scalzi's ZOE'S TALE. This story introduces Briggs' new series starring Charles, son of the American werewolf leader and Anna, a new wolf who has been beaten down by her pack. The story is set inside of the events of MOON CALLED and lends itself to answer some of the questions from that novel. I'm sure that all of these details will be explained again in the novel CRY WOLF, but for now it meets the need for a Briggs fix. We'll see if this series is up to the standards she set with the Mercedes Thompson books.