Cold Fire by Dean Koontz

Title:  Cold Fire
Author:  Dean Koontz
Pages:  421
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Publisher:  Berkley, 1991
Series:  Stand Alone

Synopsis:  Reporter Holly Thorne is intrigued by Jim Ironheart, who has saved 12 lives in the past three months. Holly wants to know what kind of power drives him, why terrifying visions of a churning windmill haunt his dreams, and just what he means when he whispers in his sleep that an enemy who will kill everyone is coming.

Review:  Well, this was one odd story.  I can't really say too much about what is going on with Jim Ironheart without giving a major plot twist away.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what was going on.  And then, I found out....along with the main characters....and was a little let down.  The ending wasn't half as scary or half as good as the rest of the book.

Mr. Koontz writes great, scary stories.  He just seems to have trouble with the endings sometimes.  They either tie up to neatly or else don't tie up at all.  This one was one of the former.  I would have given it a better score if the ending wasn't also completely unbelievable.

Rating:  6.5 / 10

Spiritwalk by Charles de Lint

Title:  Spiritwalk
Author:  Charles de Lint
Pages:  398
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher:  TOR, 1992
Series:  Moonheart, Book 2

Synopsis:  Tamson House, in modern, urban Ottawa, is a rambling, eccentric curiosity of a house -- and a place of hidden Power.  Built at a point were the leylines meet, upon land that was once a sacred site, it is the gateway to a spirit-world where Celtic and Native American magicks mingle and leak into our own.

In the overgrown garden of Tamson House, a Coyote Man waits, green children walk, and music rises to greet the moon.  From the garden, a vast and primal wood is just one spirit-step away...and in that wood is something that threatens the very existence of Tamson House, and all who dwell within.

Review:  There are four short stories and one novella in this book.  They are all based on the same house and most of the same characters as Moonheart but they are additional stories, which all take place after the events in Moonheart.

I have a really hard time with short stories and novellas for the most part.  I do love Charles de Lint, but this book took me just over a full week to read.  That's really a long time for me to be on one book.  I've got to find some books that move a little more quickly if I'm going to meet my goals for this year.  I love the ideas and the fantasy in this book, but I didn't love it anywhere near as much as I did Moonheart.

Rating:  6.5 / 10

Moonheart by Charles de Lint

Title:  Moonheart
Author:  Charles de Lint
Pages:  447
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher:  Tom Doherty, 1984
Series:  Moonheart, Book 1

Synopsis:  When Sara and Jamie discovered the seemingly ordinary artifacts, they sensed the pull of a dim and distant place. A world of mists and forests, of ancient magics, mythical beings, ageless bards...and restless evil.

Now, with their friends and enemies alike--Blue, the biker; Keiran, the folk musician; the Inspector from the RCMP; and the mysterious Tom Hengyr--Sara and Jamie are drawn into this enchanted land through the portals of Tamson House, that sprawling downtown edifice that straddles two worlds.

Sweeping from ancient Wales to the streets of Ottawa today, Moonheart will entrance you with its tale of this world and the other one at the very edge of sight...and the unforgettable people caught up in the affairs of both. A tale of music, and motorcycles, and fey folk beyond the shadows of the moon. A tale of true magic; the tale of Moonheart.

Review:  This is book is fabulous.  It's easily in my top five all-time favorite fantasy novels list.  Set in Ottawa, Canada and the Otherworld, there are quin'on'a (fairies) and little mysteries and Indians and an ageless, horrible evil.  There are ties to Myrrdin (Merlin) through his apprentice, Taliesin the Bard.

This story takes place in the present, with the Tamson House and its secrets and the RCMP and its inspectors.  It also takes place in the distant past, where Taliesin meets Sara on a beach.  History and the future are changed by their meeting and hope blossoms -- perhaps this time, the evil can be vanquished.

It was a glorious ride and I so want to visit the Otherworld and hear the drummers.  I want the Summer Country to be real.  And I want to meet Pukwudji, the little mystery with the heart of a lion.  All of the characters, even the 'make believe' ones, were drawn with such precision and such emotion that I believed.  And that's good because I really, more than anything, want to believe in this tale.

The best news is -- there's a sequel -- and I'll be starting it tomorrow.

Rating:  10 / 10

And Then You Die by Iris Johansen

Title:  And Then You Die
Author:  Iris Johansen
Pages:  322
Genre:  Romance / Thriller
Publisher:  Bantam, 1988
Series:  Stand Alone

Synopsis: She expected sunshine and balmy breezes. What she saw was everyone's worst nightmare.

Bess Grady has heard the unmistakable sound before. She knows what it means. But not even the eerie lament of the howling dogs can prepare her for what has taken place in the small village. The seasoned photojournalist had been sent there on an easy assignment, and now she has stumbled upon something she was never meant to see. Amid chaos and fear, she joins forces with an intimidating stranger, a man whose alliances are unclear but whose methods have a way of leaving bodies in his wake. For what she has witnessed is only the first stage in a plan of terror that may kill us all. And she has no choice but to stop it--or die trying....

Review:  This was an extremely fast-paced and exciting thriller.  Bess and Kaldak must stop a mad-man from releasing his horror on the United States.  There was also quite a bit of romance, some of it pretty sizzling, which I didn't enjoy as much as the other parts, but then I never have cared much for reading romance.

I picked up this book and read it compulsively.  I finished it in less than 24 hours.  It really was quite wonderful.

Rating:  8 / 10

Bloodhype by Alan Dean Foster

Title:  Bloodhype
Author:  Alan Dean Foster
Pages:  246
Genre:  Science Fiction
Publisher:  Del Rey, 1988
Series:  Humanx Commonwealth, Book 22

Synopsis:  It caused instant addiction, followed by an excruciating slow death, and there was no known antidote. It was a killer. Supposedly the drug had been totally eradicated from the humanx galaxy years before. At least that's what everyone thought. But somehow, mysteriously, that dreadful substance was back in circulation on Repler and threatening to wreak havoc throughout the known galaxy. Someone somewhere was secretly manufacturing Bloodhype, but nobody seemed to know where or who!

Review:  Yes, this story is about a merchant who is selling the immediately addictive drug, Bloodhype.  It's also about an unknown and incredibly strong alien force that lives only to kill.

The usual hero, Flinx, plays a role, but it's a fairly minor one.  The main characters are a great deal of fun.  There are Mal Hammurabi, a merchant freighter captain; Kitten Kai-sung, a special agent; and Porsubah, Kitten's partner who also happens to be a large, intelligent racoon-type of creature.

There were plenty of laughs and plenty of thrills.  I knew the good guys would come out alright, since the series isn't done yet, but it didn't take away from the story at all.  The reptilian Aann are present too and, while they are usually not on the side of good, they are always enjoyable to read about.

I love this series best for one reason.  Each story follows the next chronologically, but I can stop and start as I see fit.  It's almost impossible to lose my place or forget what happened last.

Rating:  7 / 10

The Appeal by John Grisham

Title:  The Appeal
Author:  John Grisham
Pages:  324
Genre:  Legal Thriller
Publisher:  Doubleday, 2008
Series:  Stand Alone

Synopsis:  Politics has always been a dirty game.  Now justice is, too.

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.

Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.

Review:  John Grisham outdoes himself this time.  I was so ready for a happy ending, or at least a fair ending.  This book isn't fair.  It isn't happy.  It's a story of what could (and probably has) happened.  The story made me angry, sad, and upset and I'm sure that's exactly what the author had in mind.  In this instance, the truth does not set you free -- it's just plain horrible.

The main characters were all very human.  Some were good, some were bad, and the rest were somewhere in between.  I ended up feeling the most sorry for the justice of the Supreme Court that Carl Trudeau buys.  He was idealistic and had no idea the monster he'd aligned himself with until it was far too late.  His family winds up facing a tragedy and then he realizes what he's done by supporting 'big business' over real people.  So sad because this really very well-meaning man has to look himself in the mirror every day and know he sold out.

I loved this book.

Rating:  9 / 10

Sorcerer's Legacy by Janny Wurts

Title:  Sorcerer's Legacy
Author:  Janny Wurts
Pages:  246
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher:  Ace, 1982
Series:  Stand Alone

Synopsis:  The sorcerer beckoned to her from a land of ice and snow and, stricken by the death of her husband and the loss of the lands they had ruled together, she followed his call.  He led her to a world ruled by wizards who played a deadly game of court intrigue, with a kingdom as the prize.  He brought her to their court wrapped in the protection of his sorceries -- and then he died.  And she was left in the center of the game, with no knowledge of the rules or the players, no way of knowing who played with White magic, and who played with Black...

Review:  A very nice and short fantasy story, complete with princes and wizards and demons.  Impossible to put down in some places, this story tells a harrowing tale of a woman torn from her home and her time to try to save a prince from death.  She pays a heavier price than she ever thought possible to give herself a chance at life.

I'd have given this book a higher rating if there weren't quite so much sappy romance in what was otherwise a very solid fantasy tale.  I really like this author and only have one more of her stories left to read.  I have to find more of her novels.  Time to discover what other books she's written and get copies!!

Rating:  7.5 / 10

Desolation Angels by James Axler

Title:  Desolation Angels
Author:  James Axler
Pages:  314
Genre:    Action / Adventure, Sci Fi
Publisher:  Gold Eagle, 2014
Series:  Deathlands #118

Synopsis:

BETRAYED BY TOMORROW
A hundred years after the nukecaust, the tortured landscape of post-apocalyptic America offers a brutal fight for survival. Yet tech secrets lie hidden, useful to those brave and strong enough to believe that hope can carry them toward ever-elusive peace.

BAD TO THE BONE
Violent gangs, a corrupt mayor and a heavily armed police force are the hallmarks of former Detroit, a mutie-infested, rubble-strewn metropolis. When Ryan and the companions show up, the Desolation Angels are waging a war to rule the streets. After saving the companions from being chilled by gangsters, the mayor hires Ryan and his friends to stop the Angels cold. But each hard blow toward victory proves there's no good side to be fighting for. As Motor City erupts into bloody conflagration, the companions are caught in the crossfire. In Deathlands, hell is called home.

Review:  Well, this book wasn't as bad as I expected since I don't like the particular author that wrote it.  But, it was no where near as good as the last one.

It was still full of plenty of action and adventure and thrills, but some of the interactions between the characters just seemed forced.  The characters are a major part of what I love about this series and to see them take second place to the violence and killing just makes me sad, especially now when the series is almost over.

This author has written three more of the last eight novels in this series.  Thankfully, he didn't write the next few.  This novel wasn't horrible.  It just wasn't great.  And, I'm ready for a small break.  I'm determined to finish this series this year if at all possible.  But, these fairly poor examples of the series are really slowing me down.

Rating:  4 / 10

New URL

Way back in 2010, I had no idea whether or not I'd love blogging...or still be doing it six years later.  And, really, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.  I'm not sure I know what I'm doing any more now than I did then, but...

  Lately, I've disliked my old URL, especially because one of the challenges I am in has me listed as 'Julie's Reading Room'....which I just don't like any more.  I couldn't have just readinglife but I got jreadinglife which is close enough for me.

~Reading Life~

Hopefully, the followers I have can still find me!!