This was a fantastic anthology, something I rarely say about anthologies as they are usually a bit uneven. Although I didn't love every story, the stoThis was a fantastic anthology, something I rarely say about anthologies as they are usually a bit uneven. Although I didn't love every story, the stories that worked, regardless of whether I knew the world, far outweighed the couple of stories that I wasn't crazy about. As many others have suggested, Patty Briggs's contribution about Asil, the Moor, was outstanding and lead all of devotees into paroxysms of need for more, including me. Kelley Armstrong's story was set in her YA Darkest Powers universe. Jim Butcher included a Harry Dresden short told from Toot-Toot's point of view. Kevin Hearne gave us a story from the Iron Druid Chronicles. Chloe Neill proved another glimpse inside the Heirs of Chicagoland. Charlaine Harris gave us a Southern Vampire Mysteries series entry though I didn't recognize it as such. The other entries were either stand-alone or from series I didn't recognize. Most of them made me want to seek out the author's other work, which I would do if I didn't already have a TBR longer than I can ever finish. Definitely worth reading. ...more
**spoiler alert** I had a hard time getting into the story at first so it took me a while to really read it but once I did, it was really good. The me**spoiler alert** I had a hard time getting into the story at first so it took me a while to really read it but once I did, it was really good. The members of a small commune in northern California have disappeared and the FBI had called on their werewolf sources to investigate. Something happened there even though it looks like they just disappeared. It turns out that Leah, Bran's mate owns the land, so Charles, Anna and another wolf named Tag, go trekking out there. We learn how Leah came to be Bran's mate and how Sherwood Post lost his memory. And once we get to Wild Sign we learn what else is there. The Singer in the Woods. The Singer uses music to entice, entrance, control and otherwise use humans. It is an old god. A very powerful god. It turns out there is someone else in those hills. A young man selling sno-cones. Zander. He is also a phenomenal photographer and his works are collected in coffee table books. He's shy and a little reticent and takes a liking to Anna. They find coded letters in the belongings of one of the inhabitants of Wild Sign and they take them to his next of kin, the only person wondering what happened up there. They also find undelivered mail with checks for storage units and therein find grimoires and other witch magic. They are also led to an assisted living home in the middle of nowhere which reeks of black magic. Charles finds an old enemy being treated badly. It will be a fitting end. But it is Anna who is most affected and she doesn't even know it. When she leaves in the middle of the night and takes the SUV she is under a compulsion that seems to override everything. But Anna has always been stronger than she looks and she has a very unlikely ally. The epilogue is a great ending that should take the series in a different direction. Makes me want to reread the whole series....more
This series keeps getting better. In this installment Mercy is faced with a husband hiding a secret; Underhill releasing something/someone into the woThis series keeps getting better. In this installment Mercy is faced with a husband hiding a secret; Underhill releasing something/someone into the world that kills by infecting them with smoke that takes over their minds and body; and some rogue werewolves who think Adam's pack is ripe for a takeover. These three disparate problems are remarkably interrelated. Mercy also has a stalker. Wulfe. He even goes so far as to save her when the smoke monster bites her. He throws her in running water and it does save her life. But in the guise of a jackrabbit the smoke monster bites Ben and others. Adam is another problem. He is holding something back and Mercy knows it but he won't tell her. Luckily for Adam, Mercy is stronger than she looks, particularly emotionally, and she is willing to go out on a limb for the people she loves. It was fast-paced with lots of emotional tugs and energy to spare. I hate that its over, but at least I can enjoy it again and again....more
I selected this book because it had a Patricia Briggs story that it turned out I had already read. But I am happy I read it because I had never read SI selected this book because it had a Patricia Briggs story that it turned out I had already read. But I am happy I read it because I had never read Seanan McGuire and her October Daye story put that series on my TBR series pile for 2020. Some of the other stories were good, some were fair. Anthologies are often hit or miss and this one was no different. The premise was exactly what the title stated- Home Improvement - supernatural style - well, undead style, which provides a remarkably large array of situations. Each story was about 20-25 pages long but some never captured my attention either because I didn't know the series to which it related or because it just wasn't very exciting. Short story writing is an art and is much harder than it looks. Glad I finally read it, if only to find Seanan McGuire....more
Mercy takes on a new foe in this book, one that makes werewolves, vampires and fae look weak by comparison. Witches. There are three types of witches Mercy takes on a new foe in this book, one that makes werewolves, vampires and fae look weak by comparison. Witches. There are three types of witches - white, gray, and black. Black witches are the evil ones. Their magic is death magic. Adam's pack has had a witch on retainer for generations. Elizaveta. She's out of the country when the first zombies appear. Adam is trying to arrange security for a meeting between the US government and the Grey Lords and is out of touch. So Mercy takes on the zombies, only they keep coming. When a witch called Death shows up and issues some threats and challenges things get bad fast. This also impacts a wolf that the Marrock had sent to Adam's pack. Although Bran has ostensibly cut off Adam's pack that doesn't mean he isn't aware. The wolf that he sent doesn't remember anything before a certain point and yet he understands about the zombies. It becomes difficult to tell allies from enemies and the sides change in fascinating ways. I am only sorry I have to wait for the next one....more
It has finally occurred to me the biggest difference between the Alpha & Omega books and the Mercy Thompson series. In Mercy's books it is all about tIt has finally occurred to me the biggest difference between the Alpha & Omega books and the Mercy Thompson series. In Mercy's books it is all about the characters, particularly Mercy and how she interacts with the world. The A&O books are about world building. They give the author space to build the werewolf culture without having to worry as much about the characters. Charles and Anna are not caricatures by any means, but with few exceptions, they are not dealing with the same people twice. The characters don't have to be fully fleshed out although certainly there were some in this book that were. While Bran is away, Charles has the pack and he gets a call from one of the wildings. The wildings are wolves that are so broken that they cannot live with the pack but not so broken that they must be killed. By the time Charles and Anna get there, it is basically too late and it quickly becomes too later. (deliberately poor grammar.) The story, which involves magic, was very interesting, but because it involves world building will not appeal to people who want character-driven stories. There are some important revelations that will undoubtedly leak into Mercy's stories and it is always interesting to see the wolves react to Anna but there is a reason why there are two separate but connected series. Enjoy them on their own merits....more
I love seeing Mercy save herself just because of who and what she is and in Silence Fallen she does that from beginning to end. That doesn't mean thatI love seeing Mercy save herself just because of who and what she is and in Silence Fallen she does that from beginning to end. That doesn't mean that Adam isn't intimately involved but Mercy must rely on her magic, on her skills, on her sense of self, in a way that she hasn't really done in a while. Mercy is kidnapped near her home and transported to Europe by vampires. She has no idea why. The only thing they tell her is that Wulfe told them she was the most powerful creature in the tri-states area. She doesn't actually deny that, it just isn't the kind of power that most supernatural creatures think of as power. It's a type of force of personality rather than physical power or magic. This results in Mercy almost dying before the book gets much past chapter 1. Since you can't keep a good Coyote down, Mercy uses her own inventive skills learned as part of growing up with the Marrock's pack to keep herself alive until Adam can rescue her. In Mercy's case, that just means, making it possible for Adam to find her. We see a lot of the story from Adam's eyes, which was very interesting and new facets of Honey, Marsilia, Stephan and others. It's a page turner that weaves a variety of mythologies and religions into a satisfying conclusion....more
I was proud of myself for not starting this book immediately after downloading it. I waiting a couple of days. I wanted to savor the magic. It was worI was proud of myself for not starting this book immediately after downloading it. I waiting a couple of days. I wanted to savor the magic. It was worth savoring. This is a fae story. The fae may have locked themselves on their reservations and thrown away the keys but that doesn't mean that all is well inside their lands. In fact, only a changeling boy, one taken so long ago he barely has memory of life before Underhill, is one of the few things she favors. And he escapes. Along with Tad and Zee. The boy asks for sanctuary and Mercy grants it on behalf of the wolves. In doing so she opens up a whole different can of worms. A can which sets Mercy and Adam against Bran, the Marrock. It's a good story. Mercy stays true to who she is and Adam finally brings the pack to heel. Mercy also proves herself to be both brains and brawn, albeit not in the brawn-league of werewolves. Briggs remembers all of Mercy's past, which is useful because this book was ripe for continuity errors and there weren't any that I spotted. Now I have to wait forever for the next book. Sigh. ...more
All of these stories are set in Mercy's world, although only in the sense that it is the world of werewolves, Fae and vampires. Most of the stories diAll of these stories are set in Mercy's world, although only in the sense that it is the world of werewolves, Fae and vampires. Most of the stories did not involve familiar characters. But that didn't stop the excellent storytelling. We get the true story of Ariana, pieces of Ben's backstory, and random stories of random characters mentioned or alluded to in the Mercyverse. Each story was fascinating on its own and brought the characters to life. Briggs is quite talented. You do get the feeling she isn't particularly enamored of witches, though. Not even when she is writing about the good ones. I would recommend savoring this collection rather than rushing through it, enjoying each story on its own merits. ...more
It is impressive to me that a series set in the same world as the Mercy Thompson books, with some of the same characters, can have an entirely differeIt is impressive to me that a series set in the same world as the Mercy Thompson books, with some of the same characters, can have an entirely different feel to it, but it does. The latest Alpha and Omega looks like it's about one thing but is really about another. Charles doesn't let many people into his inner circle. When you are going to live a very, very long life, it's hard to watch mere mortals live and age and die. But Charles did have a friend, Joseph, who is aging and who wants to see him and by coincidence, breeds Arabian horses. Charles had been looking for a gift for Anna for her birthday. What Charles didn't know was that Joseph was dying. Joseph's father, the alpha werewolf for the local pack, wanted his son changed, but Joseph didn't want that. But when Joseph's daughter-in-law nearly kills herself as a result of fae magic, changing her over is the only thing that might save her. She can't give her consent but Joseph's son, another non-werewolf, does it for her. Now Charles and Anna have a new problem. Not the new werewolf but a dangerous fae who likes to kill children and seems to have set its sights on Joseph's grandchildren. It dovetails nicely with the conflict that Charles and Anna are having. Anna wants children. Charles does not. As they work through that problem, largely non-verbally, they come to understand one another better. While I missed Mercy and crew, this will hold me for a while....more
**spoiler alert** When Adam's ex-wife calls and asks to move in because she's in deep trouble, neither Adam nor Mercy have the heart to say no. They m**spoiler alert** When Adam's ex-wife calls and asks to move in because she's in deep trouble, neither Adam nor Mercy have the heart to say no. They might have felt differently if they knew what Christy had gotten herself mixed up in. Her one night hookup wasn't with a human, it was with a volcano god, a god with stalker tendencies. And the first thing he does is go after Mercy. It was much like the scene in the garage when Mercy was raped but Mercy thought this guy was human and she was not going to run from a human when the pack could watch her on camera. She fought with everything she had but if Adam and Tad hadn't shown up, they all would have lost. Meanwhile, a Gray Lord stopped by asking for his walking stick back only Mercy gave it to Coyote and she doesn't know how to contact him. The Gray Lord suggests she had better learn quickly. He gives her a week. That puts her into the path of another coyote skinwalker. He is not a fan of Coyote but agrees to help. He tells her to be "interesting". If being chased by a volcano god isn't interesting, heaven only knows what is. To make matters worse, Christy is wrapping the pack around her finger again, cooking great food, crying big tears and encouraging a helpless persona but Christy has chosen the wrong coyote to fight with because Mercy isn't letting Adam go without one and she plans to win at all costs. It's a good story with strong mythology and stronger characterizations....more
**spoiler alert** When Adam and the entire pack are captured, poisoned and nearly killed, they escape through a combination of Mercy, Bran and others.**spoiler alert** When Adam and the entire pack are captured, poisoned and nearly killed, they escape through a combination of Mercy, Bran and others. No one escapes unscathed. A packmember is killed. Mercy nearly poisons herself trying to prevent Adam from doing so. The Fey are mostly out of touch, including Zee, but Mercy has friends. Lots of them. But it doesn't become clear that Mercy is the target until the very end. It's well plotted with some interesting world building. A visit from Asil, a wolf we've met through the Alpha and Omega books. Tad, Zee's son has a larger role. Briggs has done a great job of creating a character, Mercy, who could so easily be hated everyone but is simply too true to herself in all the right ways that even the bad guys have a grudging respect for the sheer fact that she won't die. As for Mercy, she has powers she doesn't understand but that's mostly because there are so few Walkers and even fewer elders. No one actually knows that they can do. But in the tri-cities confluence, she is getting a huge opportunity to find out. ...more
In this sequel to Masques, Aralorn goes back to her Father's keep after she learns that he has died but when she touches his body she realizes that heIn this sequel to Masques, Aralorn goes back to her Father's keep after she learns that he has died but when she touches his body she realizes that he is not dead, he is bespelled. For Aralorn, coming home means facing a lot of things she has avoided, like her brother-in-law's deep revulsion of her shapeshifting ability. When Wolf looks at the spell, he realizes that it was not a single spell caster who wove this spell and what is scarier is that it appears as though Wolf's father is still alive, if that's possible. While still not quite the quality that we have grown to expect, it was nevertheless highly entertaining. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Aralorn and Wolf....more
Briggs had a nice style even when she had no idea what she was doing. This book marks her first effort and has been edited for its reprint. You can seBriggs had a nice style even when she had no idea what she was doing. This book marks her first effort and has been edited for its reprint. You can see her influences and where she has grown as a writer. She did a decent job world-building. Aralorn is a part shapeshifter, mercenary and spy. She is also noble born. Wolf is, well, Wolf except when he is a human Mage. Something that makes no sense because human mages can't shapeshift. The two unlikely partners band together to overcome the most powerful Mage in the land. Lots of action and character growth. I can't wait for the sequel. ...more
Patricia Briggs is on my must-read authors list. I think she's might be in second place. It's books like this that explain why. Although I prefer her Patricia Briggs is on my must-read authors list. I think she's might be in second place. It's books like this that explain why. Although I prefer her Mercy Thompson series, Anna and Charles are always fascinating. Since werewolves "came out", Bran has been using Charles as his enforcer more and more frequently. No more second chances. And it's slowly destroying Charles. Anna sees it but no one is listening to her. When a serial killer of werewolves and fae is discovered in Boston, Bran sends Anna and Charles to work with the FBI and other agencies to help find the killer. What they uncover is so much more. There is so much love in this book that it makes the serial killer piece almost take a back seat. The Fae pieces will have serious reprecussions to this world in general and it will be interesting to see how it impacts Mercy and Adam because they have plenty of dealings, good and bad, with Fae. I look forward to seeing FBI agent Leslie Fisher who is one of those humans who is simply more by being who she is....more
Mercy Thompson has easily become one of my favorite urban fantasy heroines. Her spunk and courage and stubborness make her easy to like. In her latestMercy Thompson has easily become one of my favorite urban fantasy heroines. Her spunk and courage and stubborness make her easy to like. In her latest adventure, she discovers a river monster that is tied to Native American legends and stories. Mercy hasn't focused much on her father's heritage, despite that she is a Walker because of him, but in this book she has no choice. It's a solid story but I never felt connected to it. I liked the characters, I liked the concepts, I liked that we found out Yo-Yo Girl's name. But while Mercy was connected to this story by her background, it didn't hook me in deep enough. ...more
I really enjoyed this look into the Marrok's pack and into Charles Cornick. We have seen the pack only through Samuel and Mercy's eyes and this was diI really enjoyed this look into the Marrok's pack and into Charles Cornick. We have seen the pack only through Samuel and Mercy's eyes and this was different. I liked Anna. She reminds me a little of Kitty from Carrie Vaughn's series, though Kitty was a submissive wolf, the kind of packs that they were in were very similar, dominated by alphas who were actually very weak. Anna's wolf gave her the power to live through what was happening to her but it's her own personality that gives her power over the pack. While an Omega wolf wasn't fully described, it's like a mystic healer or peacemaker. She calms people without even meaning to. Charles turned out to be a very interesting character himself and Bran has always been fascinating. I look forward to reading book two. This isn't as compelling as the Mercy Thompson series but it's great to see another fully developed series in the same world with semi-familiar characters....more
This graphic novel is a prequel to the Mercy Thompson series and shows Mercy's arrival in the Tri-cities. In short order, she manages to call attentioThis graphic novel is a prequel to the Mercy Thompson series and shows Mercy's arrival in the Tri-cities. In short order, she manages to call attention to herself in the worst possible ways. From a reader perspective, we meet all the key players except Samuel. We get Adam and Stefan and Zee. Some of the artwork was great but some was too sexualized for me. It was also a different story from what I expected but it rounds out the universe. I gather the books are going to be graphic novels but hopefully she'll have the time to do a few original shorts....more
Loading...
