The Hidden Warrior

Lynn Flewelling
0-732-27712-4
2003

Book Two of the Tamir triad.

Tobin, the nephew of King Erius, is finally told of his heritage - he is a girl, hidden by magic from the lethal ambitions of his uncle, and destined to fulfill the prophecies of a new queen.  But between her and the throne is Erius, a formidable and terrifying king, and her beloved cousin Korin, who she has sworn to serve and protect.

Year Total: 34

The Bone Doll's Twin

Lynn Flewelling
0-732-27035-9
2001

First book of the Tamir Triad.

Skala, ruled by King Erius, is an unsettled country.  The prophecies speak of a queen, but after Erius' female relatives all die, what hope is there?

The king's sister, the last woman with royal blood, gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl.  Through magic, one child dies, and one lives.  But who is who?  And what is the demon that haunts the surviving child?

Year Total: 33

Bill, The Galactic Hero

Harry Harrison
1965
1-85798-805-8

The adventures of Bill, drafted into the troopers to fight the Chingers, a fearsome seven-foot-tall lizard (which turns out to be seven inches instead).  Quickly disillusioned with the army he was drugged into joining, he finds himself in all sorts of trouble with all sorts of people.

This is hilarious, and the technology imagined from the 60s is a welcome relief from the technical jargon that goes with most modern science fiction.  I wouldn't mind reading the rest of the Bill series, if I can find them.

Date finished: 05/11/08
Book Number: 32

Nobody True

James Herbert
1-405-04173-0

Jim True had a habit of leaving his body and wandering around London as a spirit, looking in on an oblivious humanity.  One night, his physical body is murdered while he is out and about, and he returns to find that he has nothing to come back to.

Unable to influence anything or communicate with anyone, and sunk in the misery that accompanies the realisation that he has left his wife and daughter alone, he hangs around, and learns more about his life and family than he could have imagined.  But why is he still here?  Is it simply a case of a haunting?  Or is he able to stop the serial killer that is stalking the city?

Some of the things he discovers were predictable - there are only so many family secrets that you can guess about - while some of Moker's habit took me by surprise.  While some of the digressions were interesting and revealed more about the main character, I thought that the ending was a little feel-good; the imparting of wisdom on forgiveness rang a little sugary, especially after the horrific events throughout the rest of the book.  Still, this was a good read; not too gory, but still unsettling and thought-provoking.

Finished: 04/11/08
Number: 31

No Flame but Mine

Tanith Lee
2008
ISBN 978-0-330-41311-4

From daughterofthenightcom, "Searching for the beautiful witch Jemhara, the magician Thryfe
at last finds her in the reinvented town of Kandexa, where a strange and passionate wooing begins. From this union
a son is born - golden-skinned, red-haired, blue-eyed - and thus the Lionwolf returns to the world of men.

Unaware of his birth, his original mother, the goddess Saftri has begun her own search for her lost love Althluan ...
while elsewhere the black and shining ones, the children of Chillel, seek to establish claims on the ice-locked planet.
Beyond, over, under all, the evil god Zzth rages and plans the ruin of these separate immortal lives.

Meanwhile, strafed by the tumult of such conflicting powers, the be-wintered Earth of mortals can only wait to learn
her destiny.(back cover copy)"

This book sort of wrapped up loose ends, but I didn't really follow the thread of Chillel's children very well, and glossed over that to some extent. 

All up, this trilogy was more enjoyable than most of the books that I've attempted lately, and has reignited an interest in Lee's books.

Not sure when I finished it (will really have to work harder at keeping track), but that was number 30 for the year.

Here in Cold Hell

Tanith Lee
2005
ISBN 0 330 41310 4

Book 2 of the Lionwolf Trilogy, and better than the first, if only because there is no 'perfect' hero riding around ruining it for everyone else.  In fact, his hell is more intriguing than Lionwolf himself.

Cast a Bright Shadow

Tanith Lee
2004
ISBN 0-330-41309-0

Finished last week sometime; have been really lazy and not reviewed it, but it was good enough to hold my interest, which is saying something at the moment.  Currently reading book 2 of the trilogy.