How to Vex a Vampire by Alice Winters
How to Vex a Vampire by Alice Winters reads like a cross between a script for Will & Grace and an early Laurell K. Hamilton novel, with a side of True Blood thrown in for good measure. Honestly, I can’t decide if I love it or hate it. Maybe a bit of both. Finnigan is an enormous flirt who is apparently a wee little man blessed with the capability to make just about anyone like him. He’s also a human homicide cop who has […]
Undeading Bells by Drew Hayes
The “yay for Drew Hayes” streak continues. Undeading Bells is book 6 in the Fred series and a lot of the fun continues. The main challenge comes in the form of the alluded to wedding of the title, between Krystal and Fred. Of course there are several obstacles to overcome before getting to the altar. There are basically 3 things the House of Fred and Fred have to work through: first, wedding planning and then pulling off the actual ceremony, Fred further working on his […]
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula as a phenomenon has pretty much taken on a life of its own to the point where I thought I knew all about it.I mean, Dracula is Dracula right?! Turns out I don’t! Dracula isn’t at all what I expected. It is told through a collection of diary entries, letters, notes and telegrams following various people through the novel. The story opens with Jonathan Harker traveling from London to the estate of Dracula in Transylvania. It’s all very spooky and mysterious, Dracula doesn’t eat, […]
Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
The Simon Snow books are fan fiction of fan fiction, from a fan fiction about fan fiction (or something like that), meaning that they are both adherents to and parodies of the Chosen One genre of fantasy story. They do this very well, and are very entertaining reads. In addition to clearly having fun with tropes and stereotypes, Wayward Son in particular adds what could almost be called a brand of emotional realism to the character and story types. In stories like Harry Potter (which […]
Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman
I admit it, I am a Neil Gaiman fanboy. There are two shelves in my library devoted to his works and this short story, Snow Glass, Apples, sits among the greatest pieces he has created. So what is it about? Take the story of Snow White, keep all of the elements of the story we are familiar with (the stepmother, the dwarves, the stepmother’s attempt to kill Snow White, the Forest, etc.), then invert some, distort others and create a whole new perspective on a […]
