August Review Round Up

August sure has flown by. The end of the month snuck up on me almost before I was prepared for it.

Anyway, here's my round-up of my reviews for the past month:

The most recent book read and reviewed was Curse of the Tahiera by Wendy Gillissen.

A snippet from my review:

The characters grew on me quickly and I had to know what was happening to them next. I still haven't quite shaken them out of my head yet.

The book starts out as a typical fantasy/journey, but takes on it's own dimensions and character quickly, growing into it's own storyline.

Hunting Ground, by Patricia Briggs was a book I've been looking forward to since I finished Bone Crossed back in March. It's the latest book set in her Urban Fantasy world, the sequel to Cry Wolf.

A quote from my review:

One thing I like about all the books set in this world, and Hunting Ground is no exception here, is the way the author sets up her mysteries so you think the bad guy is one character, and then throws in a twist or two, to fool the reader. So far, every single time, the villain has proven to be someone else at the end of the book.

Defenders of the Faith by James Reston Jr.
This was the first book I've been offered to review, which makes it a bit special. It examines the years between 1520 and 1536 in both Europe/The Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Definitely an interesting read.

A snippet from my review:

Overall though, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I feel like I learned a bit more about history, and about this period in our history especially. I'd recommend this as a good overview/introductory book about the years between 1520 and 1536. Defenders of the Faith is going to stay on my shelves as part of my "permanent" collection of books.

Stargate SG1 The Barque Of Heaven by Suzanne Woods is my current favorite of the Stargate SG1 novels I've read to date. This was definitely a five star book, and I think I'm going to have to implement that kind of rating on All Booked Up soon.

A snippet from my review:

The story is non-stop, and I found that I didn't need to have seen any of the later episodes in order to understand it (still haven't gotten past episode nine of season one). I just couldn't put it down. The characters seemed true to the series as well, and there were several points where I could "hear" the dialogue in the voices from the series.

Stargate SG1 City Of The Gods by Sonny Whitelaw. Another of the Stargate SG1 novels. A nice, quick read for a change of pace.

A snippet from my review:

City of the Gods is set within the Aztec/Mayan cultures of Mexico/Central America, which I found quite interesting. The story links with the little I know about the region/period well, although I'm sure that the story would drive anyone who really knows the cultures crazy (as have some stories set in the periods and areas I'm more familiar with).

Stargate SG1 the First Amendment by Ashley McConnell. The first Stargate novel I read.

A snippet from my review:

Ashley McConnell seems to have the character "voices" and attitudes matching the show as far as I can tell. Looking at the list of her other novels, novelizations for TV shows seems to be her particular niche. I saw a Highlander novel, Quantum Leap and several other Stargate novels listed under her name as well.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran was a very good novel, and a good introduction to her books. I'm now reading The Heretic Queen, and I'm looking forward to reading her new book Cleopatra's Daughter as well.

A snippet from my review:

With a rich and detailed landscape, Nefertiti paints a wonderfully fascinating picture of Egyptian life during the time of Nefertiti and Akhenaten. Nearly as much as King Tut, Nefertiti has captured the imagination of the world, and Michelle Moran has created a captivating picture of this powerful woman and the events of the time. Nefertiti is told from the perspective of Mutnodjmet, her sister, and a figure I hadn't heard of before I read this book.

Order in Chaos by Jack Whyte is another book I'd been looking forward to for a while. Ever since Standard of Honor came out, to be honest.

A snippet from my review:

Jack Whyte writes incredibly vivid and exciting books. On the other hand, I found that I still couldn't quite picture any of the characters in my head.

Anyway, Order in Chaos was well worth the read, and if you like historical fiction, I recommend it strongly.

Standard of Honor by Jack Whyte is one of the books I bought when it first came out, and never got around to reading. That was a mistake! The book was really good. On the other hand, waiting until now meant that I didn't have to wait for the next book to come out for very long.

A snippet from my review:

Running through all three of the books, Knights of the Black and White, Standard of Honor and the newest one, Order in Chaos is a thread that seems as though it were straight from the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Jack Whyte is playing with the idea of an inner order that pre-dates the Templars in this series. Overall, I'd have to say it works too. The "Friendly Families", as he terms this, certainly do seem to add an extra air of mystery to the story. Perhaps it lessens the historical accuracy, but that's why its termed "historical fiction", after all.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Aug. 31

J. Kaye's way of keeping us all on track with our reading goals each week is the It's Monday! What Are You Reading meme. Thanks. It works so well.

Last week I met my goal from the previous week:

1. Chalice

   A young adult fantasy by Robin McKinley. Definitely a good story, and one I've seen a few recommendations for in the last year. My review won't be up here for a while though, as I read the book to guest post over at Royal Reviews at the end of next month.

2. Curse of the Tahiera

   A fantasy novel that I was sent for review by the author, Wendy Gillissen. This was a bit of a surprise at just how much I ended up loving the book.

3. Hunting Ground

   Patricia Brigg's latest novel in the Alpha And Omega sequence, the sequel to Cry Wolf. A good read.

This week's goals:
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran and Graceling by Kristin Cashore, both books I picked up last week at the library. Both books look really good, so I'm looking forward to them. I'd also like to get a book finished for either the Pre Printing Press Challenge , or the Arthurian Challenge. Ideally it would be a book that fills both. Perhaps Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

Mailbox Monday - August 31

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page. She describes the meme as leading to growing TBR piles and book envy. I say it's a great way to find out about new books. Either way, it's fun.

I only got the one book this past week, and technically, it should have gone in last Monday's post, as I bought it on Monday. I was too lazy though, and leaving it for later it gave me something to post this week.

The book:

Hunting Ground
Patricia Briggs

The jacket description:

Anna Lathan didn't know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son - and enforcer - of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn't know how dangerous it could be, either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran's controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan - and it seems like someone else might be, too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all - or risk losing everything...

I really enjoyed reading Hunting Ground, and my review is up already.

Curse of the Tahiera - Wendy Gillissen

Curse of the Tahiera
Wendy Gillissen
Booklocker.com
Copyright Date: 2009
978-1601458391

The jacket description:

A journey through haunted forests, through dreams and time.
A story of love, magic and the power of forgiveness.
Rom, a young Tzanatzi outcast and Yldich, a mysterious Einache shaman are on the trail of an ancient curse.
Will they save their people from destruction?

Curse of the Tahiera is a book that was sent to me for review. I might not have bought the book on my own, had I seen it in a bookstore, but once I started reading it, I found that I really liked it, and I'm pleased there will probably be a sequel.

The story is suitable for more or less all ages from older teens to adults of all ages (provided they like fantasy). The book certainly has it's exciting moments! It managed to keep me up past one in the morning one of the days I was reading it.

It's different, because the true quest of the story doesn't become clear until well into the book, unlike those where the goal is known from the start. Makes for a different read, where I thought one thing was going to happen, when it all turned out to be caused by something else.

I found the start of Curse of the Tahiera to be a bit iffy, but I think that's as much because the book seemed at that point to almost be setting up to have some form of overarching message that I was supposed to be seeing. Soon enough though, I was into the story proper. The characters grew on me quickly and I had to know what was happening to them next. I still haven't quite shaken them out of my head yet.

The book starts out as a typical fantasy/journey, but takes on it's own dimensions and character quickly, growing into it's own storyline. Who is Yldich? What's going on in Rom's personal history? They're all questions that grow out of the beginnings of the journey, and need answering before the story is through. And the answers will take up much of the rest of the story. We're discovering the truth of the answers at the same time the characters are.

Wendy Gillissen has created an interesting landscape for Curse of the Tahiera, and the characters fit in their world well. I liked the way we learn the history of the world as the characters do and as the story goes by, rather than having it lumped in all in one place as is done quite often.

I should note that there are a couple of typos in the book, and a couple of times where things could have been phrased better, but overall, they don't affect the story (and I've seen the same things in other books, just not very often).

Overall, I'd say Curse of the Tahiera is definitely worth reading at least once, and I can see myself rereading it at some point in the near future.

Weekly Geeks - Collecting

The Weekly Geeks question this week is about collecting.

...do you have a collection, (or are you starting a collection,) of one particular book title? If so, what's your story? Why that book, and how many do you have, and what editions are they? Share pictures and give us all the details.

Or perhaps you dream about starting such a collection. What title would it be and what would it take for you to get motivated to start collecting?

Or maybe it's the works of a particular author you collect (or want to collect) instead a certain book title?

For me, the third question comes the closest. I collect the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, but not just the books by Tolkien. I also buy the books about Tolkien and his writings. My family says I'm obsessed with Tolkien and Middle-Earth. Given my website on the subject, Finduilas's J.R.R. Tolkien Page, they may have a point LOL (it's been growing for over ten years now).

I don't know what it is about Tolkien's Middle-Earth that's so inspiring to me, but I do know that my reading of Tolkien's books has had a positive impact on my choices and interests, so his books are something I'm glad to collect.

I definitely do collect, as I have over eighty books by or about Tolkien at last count, including multiple copies of the core books (the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion). I don't have any photos of my collection though, as it's overflowing from the shelf, double-shelved and in dire need of re-organization (as are the rest of my books). For that matter, much of it is in dire need of reading as my buying has outpaced my reading.

I dream of getting copies of the first editions for the Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit, but I know how expensive they are. The same thing is true for a lot of the early minor things Tolkien wrote, such as some of his poetry.

Book Rambling: Novels and Graphic Novels

This is something that's confused me for a while now. Lately there's been a trend (so far as I can tell) towards making graphic novel versions of already existing novels. I've known about a graphic novel adaptation of The Hobbit for a while now, but until the last year or so, I thought it was more or less unique.

Lately though, I've noticed quite a few other books being made into graphic novels: Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series being the first ones I found. Now there's Sherrilyn Keynon's Dark Hunter books being made into manga, and also her Lords of Avalon series as a graphic novel. And, just yesterday, I noticed in the back of Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs latest novel, ads for graphic novels based on both the Alpha and Omega series and the Mercy Thompson series.

While I have gone out and bought the first two graphic novel adaptations of the Anita Blake book Guilty Pleasures, I haven't managed to finish reading one in the more than a year I've owned them. I will admit that the art was pretty spectacular though in the first of the Guilty Pleasures adaptations (and a bit more explicit than the book, IMHO).

What I don't understand is why there's such a market for adapting novels to graphic format. It's everything from urban fantasy to Shakespeare. The last one honestly makes me shudder. I guess I'm somewhat of a purist. I can understand adapting things from other media, such as T.V. shows and movies, but I just don't see the appeal of reading something that was already a book in the first place. Perhaps someone who's a fan of graphic novels can explain the appeal to me.

TBR Challenge Lite - Completed

Just now, I've been recording challenge end dates (among other things for this blog) into an agenda book, and I discovered that I have completed the TBR Lite Challenge for this year. My first challenge completed (and I've got lots of work to do for some of the others).

The requirements for the TBR Challenge Lite were to read six books that have been on my TBR pile for over three months.

The books I read for this challenge were:

1. Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
2. The Shadow of Saginami by David Weber
3. Island In the Sea of Time by S. M. Stirling
4. Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton
5. Bess Of Hardwick by Mary S. Lovell
6. Standard Of Honor by Jack Whyte

Nearly all of the books had been on my TBR list for at least a year by the time I got around to reading them.

Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega 2) - Patricia Briggs

Hunting Ground
Patricia Briggs
Ace Fantasy
Copyright Date: 2009
978-0441017386

The jacket description:

Anna Lathan didn't know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son - and enforcer - of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn't know how dangerous it could be, either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran's controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan - and it seems like someone else might be, too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all - or risk losing everything...

Hunting Ground is the sequel to Cry Wolf and continues the story of Anna and Charles Cornick. There's still been only a short time since the two werewolves first met (which is told in a short story in the anthology On The Prowl), and as a result, they're still feeling out their relationship and getting to know each other.

Patricia Briggs has created an interesting world here. The Alpha and Omega series shares the world with the Mercy Thompson series, although the characters from each set of book hardly interact, so you don't have to have read the Mercy Thompson series to understand and enjoy the books of the Alpha and Omega series. So far, the world seems to have been very internally consistent, with no gaping holes that I can see. The author has incorporated all sorts of different strands of mythology and legend: Werewolves, the Fae, Vampires, and even elements of North American legends (although those are mostly in the Mercy Thompson books).

One thing I like about all the books set in this world, and Hunting Ground is no exception here, is the way the author sets up her mysteries so you think the bad guy is one character, and then throws in a twist or two, to fool the reader. So far, every single time, the villain has proven to be someone else at the end of the book.

The other unique thing about this world is that the mythological/fantastical aspect is slowly being acknowledged by the rest of the world. It's neat to see the process in progress. Most of the urban fantasies I've read to date follow one of the two premises: that the world of the fantastical is kept secret from everybody, or that it's widely known about, and has been for years. Patricia Briggs has taken the middle road here, and it makes for a nice change.

In Hunting Ground the focus of the story is as much on the relationship between Anna and Charles as it is on the events of the conference and outside problems. As a result, I kind of felt that I needed the refresher that rereading Cry Wolf would have been (it's been a few months and a lot of books between then and now). Rereading the other books has been moved farther up my priority list.

Almost unrelated is the fact I found the Darque Reviews quote on the back cover to be really neat. Darque Reviews was one of the first book review blogs I subscribed to when I got started doing this. I can't find the full review of the book, or I'd link to it.

Overall, I really liked Hunting Ground and I recommend it to all lovers of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Weekly Geeks

I've never participated in a Weekly Geeks post before, but this one is right up my alley:

I think just about every reader has a least one book that they've been meaning to read for awhile (months or even years) but, for one reason or another, they just haven't gotten around to it. Maybe it's a book a friend recommended last year, or a title you've flirted with in a bookstore on more than one occasion, or maybe it's a book that's sitting right there on your bookshelf, patiently waiting for you to pick it up -- but the thought is always there, in the back of your mind: Why haven't I read this yet?

This week, tell us about a book (or books) you have been meaning to read. What is it? How long have you wanted to read it? And, why haven't you read it yet?

I've got almost too many books to chose from to answer this question. Enough so that I've made a list of the books and posted it to try and prune it down.

The book I've chosen for the answer to this is Diana Gabaldon's A Breath Of Snow And Ashes.

I've had it since the week it first came out in hardcover. According to Amazon.com, that was back in 2005, so the book has spent about four years and counting on my TBR pile. The reason I haven't read it yet is because A Breath Of Snow and Ashes is the sequel to The Fiery Cross, and I feel like I need to re-read that book before I can read this one. And, I just can't seem to get through the other book again. I'm going to have to read A Breath of Snow And Ashes soon though, as it's created a bottleneck in my reading. There's two other Diana Gabaldon's waiting for me to finish this one, and now, her next one is due out at the end of September.

Anyway, this book is the next one in the story of Claire and Jamie Fraiser, the series that began with Outlander. The other books in the series are: Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, The Drums of Autumn, and The Fiery Cross. There's also a series of stories about Lord John Grey, a recurring figure in the Outlander series.

Bookshelf Giveaway

The first giveaway for my blog!

CSN Office Furniture has offered me the chance to give away the bookshelf displayed in this post to one lucky commenter.

The giveaway runs from today until September 30th 2009.

I had fun poking through the CSN stores. They sell everything from office furniture to fireplaces. It's a lot of fun to look at them and dream.

Given how we readers tend to collect books and the shelves for them, I think this is a particularly neat shelf. It hangs on the wall, and takes up a corner (normally often wasted space). Who doesn't need another bookshelf?

The rules of the contest are:

1. This contest is open to residents of the U.S.A. and Canada only.
2. You get one entry for commenting on this post, a second one for becoming a follower of this blog (and telling me so), and a third for posting a link to the giveaway on your blog.
3. Please include your e-mail address in your entry so I can contact the winner to get their shipping information.
   

Whoever wins, I'd love to hear what you think about the shelf once you've tried it out as it's been tempting me (lack of wall and suitable corner space is what's holding me back at the moment).

Library Loot - August 26

Library Loot is hosted each week by Marg of Reading Adventures, and Eva from A Striped Armchair. It's also a great way to find out more about different books.

After a couple of weeks where I wasn't borrowing books, I went back to the library yesterday. Only got two books out, but with the number of books I've bought recently, two should be plenty.

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
Interestingly, I can only seem to find the upcoming paperback release on Amazon to link to.

The cover blurb:

The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family–with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.

Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history.

I just finished reading Nefertiti last week, and loved it. This book looks to be just as good.

Graceling
Kristin Cashore
Amazon.com product description:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

This one I'm borrowing on the strength of several reviews I've seen on other blogs. The descriptions make it look like it'll be a really good read. Again, I've linked to the upcoming paperback release.

Mailbox Monday - August 24

Mailbox Monday is my other regular Monday post. The meme is kindly hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page each week.

This week I got several books despite my best intentions to not buy more books:

Dewey The Small-town Library Cat Who Touched The World
Viki Myron and Bret Witter
Jacket Description:

How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch? How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world? You can't even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.

Dewey's story starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility, (for a cat) and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.

As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state, and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming town pulling its way slowly back from the greatest crisis in its long history.

Dewey was a lucky find at the local library. On the sale shelf, but not a mark on the book. I'd swear it hadn't been read before. And, how can you resist that cover?

Celtic Myth
James Harpur
One of the books from the World Of Mythology series. Beautifully illustrated.

Jewels A Secret History
Victoria Finlay
Jacket blurb:

Throughout history, precious stones have inspired passions and poetry, quests and curses, sacred writings and unsacred actions. In this scintillating book, journalist Victoria Finlay embarks on her own globe-circling search for the real stories behind some of the gems we prize most. Blending adventure travel, geology, exciting new research, and her own irresistible charm, Finlay has fashioned a treasure hunt for some of the most valuable, glamorous, and mysterious substances on earth.

With the same intense curiosity and narrative flair she displayed in her widely-praised book Color, Finlay journeys from the underground opal churches of outback Australia to the once pearl-rich rivers of Scotland; from the peridot mines on an Apache reservation in Arizona to the remote ruby mines in the mountains of northern Burma. She risks confronting scorpions to crawl through Cleopatra’s long-deserted emerald mines, tries her hand at gem cutting in the dusty Sri Lankan city where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires, and investigates a rumor that fifty years ago most of the world’s amber was mined by prisoners in a Soviet gulag.

Jewels is a unique and often exhilarating voyage through history, across cultures, deep into the earth’s mantle, and up to the glittering heights of fame, power, and wealth. From the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond, to the disturbing truths about how pearls are cultured, to the peasants who were once executed for carrying amber to the centuries-old quest by magicians and scientists to make a perfect diamond, Jewels tells dazzling stories with a wonderment and brilliance truly worthy of its subjects.

Jewels is another book that looked interesting, and was a good price. Just flipping through it in the store brought to light all kinds of neat things, like the story of the first synthetic emeralds.

Dictionary of Mythology
J. A. Coleman
This is a book I've been looking at off and on for a while. I finally broke down and bought it. Historical figures, legendary figures, gods, goddesses, mythical creatures (I hope), all of them arranged in alphabetical order, with brief descriptions, name variants, and originating region. Bought for reference, but it's actually turning out to be an interesting read/skim.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Aug. 24

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is kindly hosted each week by J. Kaye of J. Kaye's Book Blog. Now that I've participated for a few weeks, I'm finding that the meme is not only fun, it helps me set out some goals for the week.

Last week I thought I was being far too ambitious when I set out the list. It turns out that I wasn't so out of line after all.

Books I completed:

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran.
Historical fiction, the story of Nefertiti, her husband and the mysterious Amarna period in Egyptian history. I liked the book a lot.

City of the Gods by Sonny Whitelaw.
One of a number of Stargate SG1 novels I've bought. Not bad, and makes for a nice change of pace after the longer books I've been reading lately.

The Barque Of Heaven by Suzanne Wood.
My favorite of the Stargate novels I've read so far.

Defenders of the Faith by James Reston Jr.
Non Fiction. A good overview of the years between 1520 and 1536 from both the European perspective and that of the Ottoman Empire.

Currently, I'm reading Chalice by Robin McKinley, so I've met all of last week's goals.

This week I want to get Curse of the Tahiera by Wendy Gillissen read. I'm also skimming a Dictionary of Mythology that I bought yesterday. Beyond that, I have no set goals for the week.

Defenders of the Faith - James Reston Jr.

Defenders of the Faith
James Reston Jr.
Penguin Press
Copyright Date: 2009
978-1594202254

The jacket description:

A bestselling historian recounts sixteen years that shook the world— the epic clash between Europe and the Ottoman Turks that ended the Renaissance and brought Islam to the gates of Vienna

In the bestselling Warriors of God and Dogs of God, James Reston, Jr., limned two epochal conflicts between Islam and Christendom. Here he examines the ultimate battle in that centuries-long war, which found Europe at its most vulnerable and Islam on the attack. This drama was propelled by two astonishing young sovereigns: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Turkish sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Though they represented two colliding worlds, they were remarkably similar. Each was a poet and cultured cosmopolitan; each was the most powerful man on his continent; each was called “Defender of the Faith”; and each faced strident religious rebellion in his domain. Charles was beset by the “heresy” of Martin Luther and his fervid adherents, even while tensions between him and the pope threatened to boil over, and the upstart French king Francis I harried Charles’s realm by land and sea. Suleyman was hardly more comfortable on his throne. He had earned his crown by avoiding the grim Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide. Shiites in the East were fighting off the Sunni Turks’ cruel repression of their “heresy.” The ferocity and skill of Suleyman’s Janissaries had expanded the Ottoman Empire to its greatest extent ever, but these slave soldiers became rebellious when foreign wars did not engage them.

With Europe newly hobbled and the Turks suffused with restless vigor, the stage was set for a drama that unfolded from Hungary to Rhodes and ultimately to Vienna itself, which both sides thought the Turks could win. If that happened, it was generally agreed that Europe would become Muslim as far west as the Rhine.

During these same years, Europe was roiled by constant internal tumult that saw, among other spectacles, the Diet of Worms, the Sack of Rome, and an actual wrestling match between the English and French monarchs in which Henry VIII’s pride was badly hurt. Would—could—this fractious continent be united to repulse a fearsome enemy?

This is the first book I was offered for review. That said... On with the review:

The sixteenth century isn't the time period I'm the most familiar with, but overall, that didn't affect my reading of Defenders of the Faith. In fact, it may have helped.

Overall, I found the book to be very readable. Although I put it down a few times to read another book, I found that I didn't lose the thread of the narrative at all. James Reston has done a very good job of making sense of a large period of time and events that crossed continents, tying them together.

James Reston has also managed to avoid focusing on one side of the conflict or the other, spending equal time on the European rulers, although focused on Charles V, as he does on the Ottomans, telling of events from both perspectives.

As an overview of those tumultuous years, I'd definitely recommend Defenders of the Faith. It reminded me very effectively that there was more going on than just the events around Tudor England and Henry VIII (which seems to have become a very popular period to write about right now, both fiction and not). I've never seen the divorce of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon referred to as a "side plot" before, the way Reston does in the Foreword. This was, though, apparently one of the author's goals.

For all the positives of reading this book, there are a few things I'd quibble with in Defenders of the Faith. The biggest is the lack of citations and footnotes or endnotes. Time and again, Reston quotes writers of the period, but doesn't give names or sources. For example he describes a quote as "wrote one humanist" on page 20. Written by whom? and where can the quote be found? This happens again and again, and it makes the book stand out from other histories, even those written for the "popular" market. Other writers include citations, so why not this book? I will admit though, this is something I know bothers me, and I've commented on it in other reviews. It may not be an issue for other readers. There is, however, a good bibliography included, with both primary and secondary sources, as well as journal articles.

The other thing that I found a bit disappointing in Defenders of the Faith is that the illustrations are all in black and white. While I can see this not being a problem for the engravings included, there are also reproductions of a number of paintings of the various rulers, which it would have been nice to see in color.

Overall though, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I feel like I learned a bit more about history, and about this period in our history especially. I'd recommend this as a good overview/introductory book about the years between 1520 and 1536. Defenders of the Faith is going to stay on my shelves as part of my "permanent" collection of books.

Stargate SG1 The Barque of Heaven - Suzanne Wood

Stargate SG1 The Barque Of Heaven
Suzanne Wood
Fandemonium
Copyright Date: 2008
9781905586059
The jacket description:

Through the underworld...

Millennia ago, at the height of his power, the system lord Ra decreed that any Goa'uld wishing to serve him must endure a great trial. Victory meant power and prestige, defeat brought banishment and death.

On a routine expedition to an abandoned Goa'uld world, SG1 inadvertently initiate Ra's ancient trial - and once begun, the trial cannot be halted. Relying on Dr. Daniel Jackson's vast wealth of knowldege, Colonel O'Neill mst lead his team from planet to planet, completing each task in the allotted time. There is no rest, no respite. To stop means being trapped forever inthe farthest reaches of the galaxy, and to fail means death.

Victory is their only option in this terrible test of endurance - an ordeal that will try their will, their ingenuety, and above all their bonds of friendship...

I'll admit it right off. I've gotten myself hooked on the Stargate novels. However, from the moment I bought this one, I thought it looked like the most interesting. I have to say that thought turned out to be true, and The Barque of Heaven is my current favorite.

The story is non-stop, and I found that I didn't need to have seen any of the later episodes in order to understand it (still haven't gotten past episode nine of season one). I just couldn't put it down. The characters seemed true to the series as well, and there were several points where I could "hear" the dialogue in the voices from the series.

From the start the SG1 team finds themselves in a race against time, having to solve different problems in order to get to the next planet before the time runs out and they're trapped. Each character has his or her time to shine, with puzzles that rely on their specific skill sets. Early on in the book it's made clear that the trial is a life or death matter.

Thing is, in a tie-in novel, you know that all of the main characters are going to come out of the book in the same condition they started it, or at least that's been my experience. With The Barque of Heaven, I completely forgot that little fact, I got so involved.

It's a bit of a longer read, but a very satisfying one, and I think the rest of the Stargate novels I have are going to have a lot to live up to after reading this one.

Grasping For The Wind's Book Reviewer Meme

This is the list compiled by John of the Grasping For The Wind blog.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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A

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7 Foot Shelves

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All Booked Up

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B

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Barbara Martin

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M

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N

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Neth Space

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O

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OF Blog of the Fallen

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R

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things mean a lot

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Romanian

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Chinese

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Foundation of Krantas

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Danish

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Interstellar

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Portuguese

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Aguarras

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Romanian French Chinese Danish Portuguese German

Stargate SG1 City of the Gods - Sonny Whitelaw

Stargate SG1 City Of The Gods
Sonny Whitelaw
Fandemonium
Copyright Date: 2005
9780954734336
The jacket description:

My Enemy's enemy...

When a Crystal Skull is discovered beneath the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, it ignites a cataclysmic series of events that maroons SG1 on a dying world.

Xalotcan is a brutal society, steeped in death and sacrifice, where the bloody gods of the Aztecs demand tribute from a fearful and superstitious population. But that's the leat of Colonel Jack O'Neill's problems. With Xalotcan on the brink of catastrophe, Dr Daniel Jackson insists that O'Neill must fulfill an ancient prophecy and lead its people to salvation. But with the world tearing itself apart, can anyone survive?

As fear and despair plunge Xalotcan into chaos, SG1 find themselves with ringside seats at the end of the world...

Asheley McConnell's novel The First Amendment got me hooked on the Stargate novels so I went out and bought more of them. This was the second one I read. It was good, but not my favorite. I think it's because I didn't have as much of the background for the story this time around.

City of the Gods is set within the Aztec/Mayan cultures of Mexico/Central America, which I found quite interesting. The story links with the little I know about the region/period well, although I'm sure that the story would drive anyone who really knows the cultures crazy (as have some stories set in the periods and areas I'm more familiar with).

All of the characters seem to be in character, so far as I can tell. However, I'm still watching the first season of the TV series, and I think that City of the Gods is set near the end of the third season, or even into the fourth or later.

The Stargate novels are making a nice change of pace: they're quick reads, taking no more than a day or so each, and they're science-fiction, something I haven't read a lot of in recent weeks.

Stargate Novel: The First Amendment - Ashely McConnell

Stargate SG1 the First Amendment
Ashley McConnell
ROC
Copyright Date: 2000
0451457773
The jacket description:

The right to know...

From the very beginning, the success of the Stargate project hinged on one vital factor - absolute secrecy. The world remains ignorant of the Goa'uld and the war being waged in space, and that's just the way the Stargate command wants it. But their secret may not stay that way for long...

A young reporter has been smuggled into the most restricted area of the Cheyenne Mountain base. He's witnessed the Stargate in action, and wants answers. But he'll get much more than a headline when Colonel Jack O'Neill and his team decide to show him exactly how dangerous the universe can be...

I've recently gotten hooked on the Stargate TV series, and so, seeing this book in the store, I had to give it a try. Even though I'm only eight episodes into the first season, I found that The First Amendment had me hooked almost instantly. I know it's not the first of the Stargate novels, but I found that I wasn't too lost when I was reading it.

Ashley McConnell seems to have the character "voices" and attitudes matching the show as far as I can tell. Looking at the list of her other novels, novelizations for TV shows seems to be her particular niche. I saw a Highlander novel, Quantum Leap and several other Stargate novels listed under her name as well.

Stargate SG1 The First Amendment is a short novel, but that made it a nice change from the other books I've been reading lately (all of which were well over three hundred pages, and usually closer to six hundred). Definitely good for any fan of the Stargate series(es), and lovers of action/adventure/science fiction novels.

Nefertiti - Michelle Moran

Nefertiti
Michelle Moran
Three Rivers Press
Copyright Date: 2008
978-0307381743
The jacket description:

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep's heretical desire to forsake Egypt's ancient gods, overthrow the priests of Amun, and introduce a new sun god for all to worship.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people. Her charisma is matched only by her husband's perceived generosity: Amunhotep showers his subjects with lofty promises. The love of the commoners will not be enough, however, if the royal couple is not able to conceive an heir, and as Nefertiti turns her attention to producing a son, she fails to see that the powerful priests, along with the military, are plotting against her husband's rule. The only person wise enough to recognize the shift in political winds-and brave enough to tell the queen-is her younger sister, Mutnodjmet.

Observant and contemplative, Mutnodjmet has never shared her sister's desire for power. She yearns for a quiet existence away from family duty and the intrigues of court. Her greatest hope is to share her life with the general who has won her heart. But as Nefertiti learns of the precariousness of her reign, she declares that her sister must remain at court and marry for political gain, not love. To achieve her independence, Mutnodjmet must defy her sister, the most powerful woman in Egypt-while also remaining loyal to the needs of her family.

Love, betrayal, political unrest, plague, and religious conflict-Nefertiti brings ancient Egypt to life in vivid detail. Fast-paced and historically accurate, it is the dramatic story of two unforgettable women living through a remarkable period in history.

With a rich and detailed landscape, Nefertiti paints a wonderfully fascinating picture of Egyptian life during the time of Nefertiti and Akhenaten. Nearly as much as King Tut, Nefertiti has captured the imagination of the world, and Michelle Moran has created a captivating picture of this powerful woman and the events of the time. Nefertiti is told from the perspective of Mutnodjmet, her sister, and a figure I hadn't heard of before I read this book.

Unlike some of the books I've been reading lately, such as Hand of Isis by Jo Graham, Nefertiti is straight historical fiction with no elements of the fantastical. It makes for a nice change to know that everything in the book is as accurate as our current knowledge knows.

I'll admit that I couldn't help but compare Nefertiti with Hand of Isis, even though the two books are very different. I think it's because the two are about ancient Egypt, and are also told from similar perspectives.

Details can really make or break a book. In this case, I found that most of the little details about life made the book. I loved reading about the herb-lore that Mutny knew, and the uses she put her knowledge towards. I had to laugh as well at the antics of her cat, Bastet. Mine does the exact same thing, except she's no kitten.

Nefertiti is a book that can be read and enjoyed in two or three sittings, if you don't mind staying up late. However, I found it to be well worth the loss of sleep, being a captivating read. I think I've commented recently about novels making me want to find out more about a place or period. This book has turned out to be another one of those.

I'm looking forwards to the next book, Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran, due out next month.