Cover Blurb:
     After a decade of piloting interstellar patrol ships, former captain Chasidah Bergren, onetime pride of the Sixth Fleet, finds herself court-martialed for a crime she didn’t commit–and shipped off to a remote prison planet from which no one ever escapes. But when she kills a brutal guard in an act of self-defense, someone even more dangerous emerges from the shadows.
     Gabriel Sullivan–alpha mercenary, smuggler, and rogue–is supposed to be dead. Yet now this seductive ghost from Chaz’s past is offering her a ticket to freedom–for a price. Someone in the Empire is secretly breeding jukors: vicious and uncontrollable killing machines that have long been outlawed. Gabriel needs Chaz to help him stop the practice before it decimates Imperial space. The mission means putting their lives on the line–but the tensions that heat up between them may be the riskiest part of all.

Cover Blurb:
     After a decade of piloting interstellar patrol ships, former captain Chasidah Bergren, onetime pride of the Sixth Fleet, finds herself court-martialed for a crime she didn’t commit–and shipped off to a remote prison planet from which no one ever escapes. But when she kills a brutal guard in an act of self-defense, someone even more dangerous emerges from the shadows.
     Gabriel Sullivan–alpha mercenary, smuggler, and rogue–is supposed to be dead. Yet now this seductive ghost from Chaz’s past is offering her a ticket to freedom–for a price. Someone in the Empire is secretly breeding jukors: vicious and uncontrollable killing machines that have long been outlawed. Gabriel needs Chaz to help him stop the practice before it decimates Imperial space. The mission means putting their lives on the line–but the tensions that heat up between them may be the riskiest part of all.

I really liked this. When I started, I didn't think I was going to like it as much as "Finders Keepers", partly because I'd really liked that one, and also because there seemed to be an early focus on physical attraction, which is one of the things that annoys me about romance novels when they go overboard on the "fire though the veins" stuff and the like. However, the story quickly settled down into a complex plot and and even more complex relationship.

Chasidah (how the heck am I supposed to pronounce that?) is a solid character with far more back story than I expected. Or for that matter, than Sullivan expected. Things kept popping up that we hadn't know that showed what had shaped her into the person she was. The same was true for Sullivan, and I particularly liked it that some of those things slotted them solidly into the world Sinclair created for the novel. Sometimes, characters seem to sort of float across the background but remain aloof in their own story rather that rooted to their surroundings. I didn't feel that in this case, for all that they were fugitives on the wrong side of the law - or at least the establishment. I think Sinclair did a better job of world building in this book than in "Finders Keepers" (where some of that floating feeling existed for me) and I'm delighted to hear there is going to be a sequel. There's so much going on in the politics etc that it would be criminal not to explore it all further.

The same is true for Chaz and Sully's relationship. At the end of the book, they had reached not an ending but a starting point and I'm pleased I'll find out what comes next. They still have a lot of work on, not so much in their relationship itself, but in how it and they fit into the universe.

I saw a comment on a mailing list that said a reading hadn't liked the book because she didn't like the power imbalance between the hero and heroine. I read that when I was about a third of the way through and it made me hesitant about carrying on reading, but I didn't find that at all. Yes, on one level there is a big imbalance, but it is an external thing rather than an internal one. The pain Sully carries about what he is and what he can do is a great leveller, that keeps him human and grounded - and careful. If he had been arrogant about his abilities and used them without care for what was right or wrong, or even what others thought, I wouldn't have liked him and would have want him brought down in size. In fact, he needs building up rather than pulling down, and that is what Chaz can do for him, making her just as strong as he is in her own way.

Some of the minor characters are strong and alive - mostly Ren, along with, surprisingly I thought, Phillip and Thad. The rest of Sully's crew and the monks from the beginning, while significant to the plot, aren't so well established, but I've really only noticed that now I'm thinking about it, so it didn't really hurt the story at all. The villains are vague and shadowy, but since the main characters are opposing their actions rather than the individuals, it is appropriate for the story. In the sequel, I hope we may find out more about them, and whether their reasons and motivations are as simple and venal as indicated here.

Hmmm, what else? Ren is a delightful character, solid and stable and essentially serence, despite his disability and everyone around him's reaction to his presence. Now that Chaz, and with her the reader, knows things are not as simple with the Storloth as it initially appeared, I rather hope that truth will begin to be uncovered in the Empire and some prejudices removed, or at least reduced. However, the world is solid enough that I can see that may not happen and our heroes will just have to remain unaccepted fugitives.

Lastly, with Chaz being the narrator, we only learn the full truth about Sully at the end, when he opens up enough to take the risk and explain things to her. The whole thing is fascinating and I hope will be further explored in the sequel. The major question that kept nagging at me through the story, one of only two things that marred the flow of the tale, was where he got his training. He's very skilled not only at what he does, but at hiding it, and I doubt we managed that on his own. Who did he trust enough to train him and will we meet that person or persons?

And, really lastly this time, that other thing that marred the flow. Like I said above, how the heck am I supposed the pronounce Chasidah?

Cover Blurb:
     In the year since Tempe left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. But when an unidentified female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in garbage bags, Tempe detects an alarming pattern within the grisly handiwork -- and her professional detachment gives way to a harrowing search for a killer in the city's winding streets. With little help from the police, Tempe calls on her expertise, honed in the isolated intensity of the autopsy suite, to investigate on her own. But her determined chase is about to place those closest to her -- her best friend and her daughter -- in mortal danger....

Cover Blurb:
     A private detective who picks up people's memories through touch, Artur Loginov isn't entirely surprised when he's kidnapped and imprisoned in an asylumlike facility; his former days as a Russian mobster taught him to believe he'd come to a bad end. But he's surprised to find the other prisoners are paranormally gifted as well—including Elena Baxter from Wisconsin, able to perform miraculous healings and now stunned to realize she's no longer alone in the world. Aided by a pair of shape-shifters, Elena and Artur escape only to discover their captors' sinister goal—and that they are the only ones who can thwart it.

Cover Blurb:
     She was born without caste or position in Arukan, a country that prized both. Then a chance encounter lead her to a better life. But it also brought her to danger and destiny. Because Kevla Bai-sha's fevered dreams -- looming threats to their land and visions of dragons that had once watched over her people -- held the promise of truth.
     Now Arukan -- shadowed by mountains and myths -- might be overcome by eternal darkness. Kevla, together with Jashemi-kha-Tahmu, rebel prince of the ruling household, would defy all law, all tradition, to embark on a daring quest for the half-forgotten elemental parts that will save the world.
     And so Kevla must sacrifice everything . . .only to be reborn in dragon's flames...

I have been checking out upcoming Luna books from the beginning, and when I originally read the blurb for this one, I decided it wasn't for me. I don't remember exactly why now, but it was a decision I was perfectly happy about. After the sequel, "In Stone's Clasp" came out, I pretty much ignored it, because of the original decision not to read the series.

Then, more recently, I started hearing good things about the series. I asked around and had it recommended to me. So I looked at "On Fire's Wings" again and through maybe I would read it - if I could find an affordable copy. This is not easy in New Zealand, so the whole idea languished again for a while. Until I found a nice, cheap copy in an Amazon zShop and decided to take the chance.

I'm glad I did, as I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Kevla is a good character, and her supporting cast are generally all solid and well rounded. The character development could have been a bit deeper and stronger, but their characters as written don't detract from the book. There just could have been a bit more. I had seen a warning on a message board just after I had started the novel, that there was a major taboo broken - incest - and that it was simply sad, rather than icky. I was far enough into the book to figure out the characters involved and trusting enough to keep reading and see for myself. That poster was right. There are forces at work beyond humanity here - things like fate and destiny and bonds through time - and they must see themselves through regardless of human beliefs. In this case, other characters decisions in earlier years leave only one way for destiny to take. It is indeed sad, and in its own way beautiful and almost right. If handled differently, this relationship could have been disgusting or icky, and certainly gratuitious. Golden makes it none of those things; she sets up the situation neatly and resolves it with care and compassion.

So if you've heard about that aspect of the book and been put off, don't me. Instead, give Golden and her characters a chance and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

This is a setup book; we only begin to have an inkling of what the world and characters will be facing by the end. I now have book two in transit to me and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here.

As for the dragon, he's just totally cool as a dragon should be.

And the covers are very much of the pretty - as most Luna covers are - and I'm hanging out to see what the last three will look like.

Cover Blurb:
     After hundreds of years secretly manipulating the human race, the Starflyer alien has succeeded in engineering a war which should result in the destruction of the Intersolar Commonwealth. Now, thanks to Chief Investigator Paula Myo, the Commonwealth's political elite finally acknowledge the Starflyer's existence, and put together an unlikely partnership to track down this enegmatic and terrifying alien before it can cause any more damage.
     The invasion from Dyson Alpha continues with dozens of Commonwealth worlds falling to the enemy. The Commonwealth navy fights back with what it believes to be war-winning superweapons, only to find that the alien fleet has been given equally powerful weapons. How the aliens got them and why the weapons are so similar is the question which haunts Admiral Kime. Could it be that the Commonwealth's top-secret defence project has been compromised by the Starflyer's agents, or is the truth even worse?
     For Mark Vernon, mechanic and general repairman extraordinaire, it appears he's landed on his feet when he finds the perfect job on the most secure world in the Commonwealth. He and his family will never be in danger again now he's helping to build the starships that will evacuate the ultra-rich should the war be lost. Until one day when Nigel Sheldon arrives to ask him a small favour. You don't say no to the man who created the Commonwealth. But the problem with small favours is the way they tend to grow...
     With the war going badly and the Starflyer's treachery threatening the very heart of the Commonwealth, only the alien's destruction can turn the tide. As Paula Myo finally begins to close in on her prey the operation is sabotaged from within. If the nemesis is ever to be beaten Paula will have to work out which of her colleagues is plotting to betray the entire human race.

With the TBR pile building again, I just couldn't face the size of this book, so I returned it to the library. I fully intend to read it, as I still want to finish the story, but I'll let it rest for a bit.

Cover Blurb:
     Princess Contessa's dreams of living happily ever after marrying a prince are shattered when her "parents" reveal that she's actually a street urchin they raised as their daughter to thwart assassins from their real target.

Cover Blurb:
     Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, are now lost in an alternate universe where they meet Will Parry, a fugitive from a third universe. Will has found a small window between Cittagazze (a place where children roam unchecked but invisible Specters suck the spirit out of adults) and his Oxford, which, with its Burger Kings and cars, is frighteningly different from the Oxford Lyra knows.

     Will's father, an explorer, disappeared years ago, but recently some odd characters have started asking questions about him, and now, having accidentally killed one of them, Will is wanted by the police. Armed with the Subtle Knife, a tool that cuts any material (including that which separates universes) and Lyra's alethiometer, the children set out to find John Parry, with adults of various stripes in desperate pursuit.

     Lyra's finest qualities, her courage and quick mind, are stretched to the limit as she has to lie, cheat and steal to keep herself and Will out of danger. However, she must also learn when to tell the truth and when to trust, for, though she does not yet know it, she has a huge part to play in the upcoming battle between Good and Evil.

There's so much background in the books that I started looking up on the Internet for more infomation before I even finished. I found the best entries in Wikipedia, although I was actually rather surprised to find that many consider the series to be anti-Christian as it hadn't seemed that way to me. Sure, there was an obsessive and despotic Church, but that doesn't actually reflect on God Himself, just people getting the message wrong. However, on reading futher, I can see where Pullman is going with this. All the same, I'm thoroughly enjoying the story and I'm perfectly capable of reading the book for the story and placing it in an alternate reality that bears to resemblance to reality and the truth of God.

All the same, I'm not exactly sure what I'll think in the third book when the characters set out to defeat the Authority who apparently really is petty and despotic. If it reads as a good story that fits within its own reality, then I think I'll be okay. Enjoying fiction doesn't mean I believe everything it says and all its agendas. But if it becomes soap-boxing, that will be different. Still, there doesn't yet seem to be much - if anything - that suggests Pullman is going to do that.

I do like the idea that the Dust is actually the fallen angels who are manipulating humanity for vengeance. I was also reflecting that when I first read that the Church in Lyra's world thinks Dust is original sin, that it was wrong. However, if it was the fallen angels that introduced original sin by convincing Eve to eat the apple, then actually they are pretty much correct, and Dust can be considered to be original sin.

I find myself a little hesitant about The Amber Spyglass. On one level, I'm really looking forward to the end of the story, while on another I'm a bit worried that it will be ruined for me because I don't agree with Pullman's basic premise (that mankind should win the next stage in the war between Heaven and Earth and that that is a good think). At this point, I choose to have faith in Pullman's story telling ability.

Cover Blurb:
     A beautiful, ambitious 30-something widow searches for a lost (and possibly apocryphal) medieval tapestry—and, with a little less self-awareness, for true love. Outside Lyon, France, a convent is slated to become a hotel, its nuns shipped off to a nursing home. But might the ancient convent's contents fetch enough at auction to save the nuns' way of life? American-born Alex Pellier, a curator at Paris's Cluny Museum, is doubtful, until she discovers two drawings that seem to point to the existence of a seventh medieval unicorn tapestry to join the set of six in the Cluny. Enlisting the help of an old art school flame, Jake Bowman, Alex tracks the tapestry down and agrees to help the nuns sell it. The legend behind the tapestries—a star-crossed love between a rich young woman and a lowly tapissier—fascinates Alex, whose marriage to rich Thierry was never happy. Jake fascinates Alex, too, and she fascinates him.

I liked it. It was a nice, pleasant read with engaging characters. Nothing particularly radical happened to any of them, but what did happen was very logical and neatly executed. Alex's daughter, Soliel (or Sunny) was a delightful minor character, who pretty much stole her scenes. This books uses many of the set pieces of the romance novel, but in a beautifully understated way that really worked for me. There are no continual, sighing reflections on the other person's physique, no trembling glances or limbs and definitely no hard and throbbing or wet and tingling places depending on gender. Instead, the growing conbection and relevant doubts etc we worked into the plot rather than taking it over.

I wish I was more of a visual person so that I could visualise the tapestries and Jake's paintings. But I'm not and there's nothing I can do about that. I have a feeling this is Kelly Jones' first novel. I think she's made a great start and I'll happily read more by her.

Cover Blurb:
     Throughout the Free Galaxy, remnants of the fascistic Oligarchy are working to bring mankind back under their cruel and repressive rule. Sixteen-year-old Jerel Telemon holds the key to the weapon that can tilt the balance toward good or evil.

I vaguely remember reading some where that this Beneath Strange Skies series is actually YA, and I have to say that it certainly feels that way while reading it. I was a bit bored at first, but the story does seem to be taking off now. All the same, it doesnt have the same kind of 'punch' that the Liaden books do.

I found the second half a much quicker read. I think part of the problem was that I had expected something with the detail and complexity of the Liaden books - and this isn't like that. Once I realised I was reading a YA book and went back to it with that understanding, the story took off. I think so far I like Kay best of the characters. Jerel is missing something for me, even if I'm not exactly sure what that is. It may just be depth of character. Since she's the POV character for the book - and I suspect for the series as well - I expect more from her than I do the other characters.

I really liked the description of Sumelion's house, but found the rest somewhat lacking. All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable read when taken as what it is designed to be - a pleasant YA novel - but it certainly doesn't approach Lee and Miller's best. I'll read the rest of the series I expect, but I'd really rather have another Liaden novel. I'm tossing up whether to go with six or seven out of ten, but I'm going to choose 7/10 because I don't want a low rating to put off potential readers. This book suffers on comparison to the author's other work rather than being a bad book on its merit. If a reader wants a nice YA SF story, they could do worse than to read this. I don't think they would be disappointed.