Charles Harrington

Fabulous Tale of the Tarot

Revisado: 03-12-22

With any story involving parallel stories there is will usually be one the reader prefers and that is the case with The Fortune Teller. The tale told in the manuscript was more compelling for me than the present day suspense novel but I quite liked Semele and Iona as characters. The climax of the novel seemed a little... implausible after the excellent setup throughout the book but I was ultimately satisfied with his tale. Also Womack gets major bonus points for including the authentic (or at least agreed upon) history of the Tarot alongside the fantastical one that she has created for this novel. I look forward to reading more by her.

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A promising beginning

Revisado: 06-02-21

As the beginning of a brand new era in Stars Wars, this title was understandably a little overstuffed. We meet dozens of new characters and I was very thankful that a number of character profiles have been created by the Stars Wars team so that I was able to get a handle on all of the characters.

Especially noteworthy are the villains introduced in this book. They are a nice departure from the Sith, Imperials and even Hutt-led crime syndicates of previous entries. They’re dangerous, resourceful and just back-stabby enough to keep one another on their toes.

This book also managed to make me care about the mechanics of hyperspace. Who knew?

It’s an epic beginning and I look forward to further titles in this series that can tell more self-contained stories.

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Definitive list - Re-Record with the author!

Revisado: 06-12-19

None of us have as much time to play games as we would like so I loved having a list of the standout titles I shouldn’t miss.

Only complaint: why have anyone besides the author record this? He’s a talented video personality and would have made this even better.

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Old Timey WItchery

Revisado: 11-16-17

Urban Fantasy novels about witches are popping up everywhere but the vintage setting for this one intrigued me and I would say that the setting and characters have been lovingly crafted so that I was able to easily feel like I was there. While all three of our main witches are intriguing Adelaide was a favorite for me with her world-weary, take-no-$#@& attitude and her personal style.

I only gave the story itself three stars as it seems to be trying to set things up to be a longer series. That may pay off in the long run but in this novel it meant that about four storylines were set up, developed and then left without resolution at the end of the book.

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Fun Victorian M/M mystery

Revisado: 05-23-17

As a monster mash-up this wasn't quite what I expected, generally those take a classic book and add monstrous elements (zombies, vampires, sea monsters) but in this case it takes a classic mystery with Edwardian occult overtones and then adds a gay romance.

Where the book excels is the creatively added M/M romance element. The book is conspicuously careful to keep the degree to which the men can express their affection reasonably minimal and I like the slow pace with which it is trotted out.

What didn't work as well for me was the mystery itself. The mystery of what is going on with a group of young men who belong to a fashionable spiritual society makes no sense but in a mystery that can be forgiven if the "I suppose you're wondering why I've called you all here" reveal is especially clever or inventive. But no, the book just lurches to a halt.

Again, the mystery itself seems to have been in place in the original 1912 novel and the romance, which is well done, is the addition but for me I wanted more mystery and more mummy.

I also add that the cover of the book makes it seem like a young adult horror adventure and that isn't the case.

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A perfect read for October.

Revisado: 01-26-17

A masterful narration of a Halloween classic. Pure poetry and delightfully spooky. The narration is quite good, though a few times the narrator performs some breathy whispers that are hard to make out (though the effect is good).

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A great start for Rebels

Revisado: 05-09-15

Perhaps s little long in places but the heroes and villains of this novel pull you in. Stay for Filoni's nite at the end.

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Intriguing collection of stories

Revisado: 01-30-15

The universe of Hyperion is fascinating. I liked each character's story and the trippy "I have no idea what is going on" feeling one has throughout the book adds to the sense of wonder. That said arriving at the last page without any aspect of the book's universe being altered we a let-down for me. I understand that there is a sequel but having no resolution at all to any part of the story felt wrong.

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Scallywags and Ne'er Do Wells

Revisado: 09-15-14

Here's what I love about this book: scoundrels. Fantasy has gotten pretty dark of late and many books feature anti-heroes and dark or grim types but the members of the underworld featured in The Barrow have have uniqueness and panache. They enjoy their dastardly deeds and they carry them out with a bit of flair. Whereas Game of Thrones (which I enjoy) is largely peopled with bloodthirsty pragmatists the heroes and villains in The Barrow like to take risks and have a bit of fun.

Any chapter with Leigh is a good one. The narrator gave him the most interesting voice. The narrator also did very well with Erim who (as the book's description points out is a woman disguised as a man). That's a tricky one to convey but Page did this beautifully

I spent a few moments at one point wondering if there wasn't just a bit too much of the lurid and prurient in this story; it seemed gratuitous and there seemed to be one too many brothel scenes early on but this was balanced out nicely. The characters were surprisingly complex (which is an absolute rarity in Fantasy).

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The Magic of Druids

Revisado: 09-07-14

I typically find M/M romances to be sappy and uninteresting but that is very much not the case with The Druid Stone. The characters are compelling and the plot is quite interesting. The Urban Fantasy stereotype of the plucky, all-powerful ingenue is not to be found here. The characters make mistakes and get hurt.

The erotic scene were very good but what I truly appreciated was the restraint the authors showed in regard to how much of the book would be spent on them. The story and the characters come first (pun unintended) and they don't have an easy road to romance.

Can't wait for a sequel.

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