Hades' Daughter

Sara Douglass
0765344424
2003

The first of a trilogy.  Brutus, the last of the Trojan kings, rounds up his people and takes them to the island of Albion to rebuild Troy.  As the original was, his new city was to be founded on the Game, the labyrinth that traps evil and protects the city above.  He would build it with the help of Genvissa, a powerful priestess with her own agenda.

I found this a little hard to read; it's an enthralling story, but the nature of the characters and the storyline itself just weren't that easy to like.  Still, the whole ultimate showdown between good and evil kept me going, and it paid off.  The story draws you in, and you spend the entire length of the story trying to figure out who is on which side, or even how many sides there are.

Date finished: 16/12/08
Year Total: 38

The Margarets

Sherri I Tepper
978-0-57508-0-478
2007

Margaret, the only child on a station orbiting Mars, invents other selves to pay with - a queen, a healer, a warrior... a whole collection of roles to lose herself in.  And without her knowing it, each of her selves find themselves living their own lives, while strings are pulled from much, much further away.

This is a big book, in size and scope.  Each Margaret has her own story and own cast of supporting characters, so I found I really had to concentrate to keep track of what was going on, even more so as things fell into place.

The story was well-told and not rushed, and was hard to put down.  I thought the end, with the final Margaret, was a little saccharine, but maybe she deserved that; I personally preferred the quieter fate of Sophia, but it was nice to see the promise of real progress.

Date finished: 10-12-08
Year total: 37

The Nosy Neighbor

Fern Michaels
074347749-9
2005

Romance, but at least there is a dog on the front cover and not a half naked male model, which was encouraging. A lot of this book is conversation, which meant I had to slow my regular reading speed right down, or the characters seemed to consist of deranged babbling – random sentences thrown together with no kind of pause in between.

Girl has a guy, who turns out to be the Bad Guy. Cue nosey neighbour, who is the Good Guy, add a sidekick, three dogs and a blizzard, and you have this story.

There were annoying bits throughout, not least the fact that for a couple of pages they changed the spelling of the Good Guy's name, and the overall tone was like a TV movie – too much implied emotion and the feeling that the book was rushed. Maybe if they'd added another five thousand words things would have slowed down to a more believable pace.

Year total: 36

The Oracle's Queen

Lynn Flewelling
0-73227749-3
2006

Tamir - formally Prince Tobin - has announced her intentions to restore Skala to its former glory.  Allegiances are declared, but Tamir must face her cousin Korin, touched by an evil wizard and convinced that he is the rightful king.

This series was great - the first and second books were absolutely riveting (I stayed up to midnight just to keep reading), while the third wrapped up the story convincingly.  There was one thing that I was wondering about that revealed how cunning the author was - a tiny thread woven through each book was revealed at the end to be part of a new series of books, which amused me and got me interested as well.

Year Total: 35

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