I’ve just finished reading Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson (who has a blog), the first in her Undead series. It was a good read and it is certainly an interesting departure from the other books in this genre I’ve read (though Betsy did remind me of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse).

I’m not sure if the next book will continue the theme (judging by the excerpt, I think not), but Betsy brought to mind David Eddings’ description of his hero, Garion, as a “Sir Perceval”:

Sir Perceval […] is dumb – at least right at first… A dumb hero is the perfect hero, because he hasn’t the faintest idea of what’s going on, and in explaining things to him, the writer explains them to his reader.

In any case, I’ll definitely have a look at the rest of Davidson’s books.

If you haven’t read the Eddings’ work yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. Get thee to a bookshop and grab The Pawn of Prophecy or The Diamond Throne (book one in the Eddings’ other great pair of series: The Elenium and The Tamuli).

Update: One thing that is different about The Gold Falcon compared to Kerr’s earlier books is a distinct lack of parts and chapters.

Earlier volumes in the Deverry series had, to the best of my recollection, a normal proportion of chapters for novels of their length and were typically divided into several parts each set in a different era as events required, or invited, the introduction of some historical context. The Gold Falcon, on the other hand, has a few pages to reintroduce the central plot (about which is constructed several hundred years of engrossing stories and characters) and a single part spanning the current era and some 400-odd pages. No chapters, no detours through eras past, nothing.

Finally: Having finished the book, I’m struck by just how much I like Katherine Kerr’s writing. I found myself, with every revelation, thinking “I remember him, or her, or that;” I could identify the origins of her characters by their patterns of speech; I could foresee some of the problems the characters encountered but the eventual outcome (of the next few books) is still very far from obvious.

One point that did occur to me is that if I hadn’t been reading the Deverry books for years I might think that certain aspects were somehow inspired by recent events. The desire of the main martyrdom expressed by Alshandra’s worshippers and the problem of dealing with them is reminiscent of fundamentalist Moslem suicide bombers and the problems (or, more accurately, failures) that Western countries have had in responding to them.

All up, this is another awesome book in the Deverry series. It takes a bit of a departure from the previous books in its structure, but the end of the saga is in sight.

This type of book focuses on a female main character who is dragged into (or perhaps is already a part of) the seedy underworld of the supernatural. Some of these books (the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series for example) have a gritty, realistic edge to them: the more or less human characters are caught up in a whirlwind of violence and death managing to survive only by chance, by the sufferance of monsters, or (by the skin of their teeth) by their own abilities.

Others of this genre (the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mysteries for example) sport a softer, less harshly-realistic look at the denizens of the night and their associates. Sporting just as many fatalities, these books offer a lighter, more accessible and more palatable read.

I’ve only read the first two Sookie Stackhouse books, but I found them more enjoyable, if slightly less intense, than the Anita Blake books. If you like the Hamilton, Huff or Armstrong’s books, you’ll probably enjoy Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Mysteries.

The characters, what I’ve seen of them so far, are nice but the most enjoyable aspect of the book (at this point in time) is the language. Gaiman’s prose simply flows off the page. This really, really needs to be an audio book, read by someone like Stephen Fry.

Do yourself a favour and read Stardust.

Happily her latest work, if the rest of the book is at all like the first few pages, seems to have taken a less grating approach to the supernatural. The prologue, an entry from the journal of a character, has about it a charm reminiscent, to my mind at least, of the era in which it is set. The odd turn of phrase seems a little too modern, but the overall effect is most pleasing.

If you like fantasy, and are not averse to a bit of incarnation-hopping, then I’d thoroughly recommend giving Traci Harding a read.

On a related note, Voyager are celebrating their 10th birthday. Part of this (see the link) is a book containing a “sneak peek” of some of this years new books. I’m looking forward to a number of them, especially Trudi Canavan’s new book: Priestess of the White, due for release in November.

Another book on my list of eagerly awaited new titles is Katherine Kerr’s new book: The Gold Falcon. There are two excerpts available on her web site.