Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

Assassin's Apprentice takes place in a mythical kingdom where some are gifted with the Skill and some perhaps gifted with the Wit. The former allows mind to mind communication between humans. The latter mind to mind communication between humans and animals. The apprentice in this story is the product of the king's son and a peasant women of unknown origin. Fitz is a bastard and none let him forget it. However he's and blessed or cursed with both the Skill and the Wit and he's pulled into court intrigue that keeps the story very interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy. Highly recommended.

Liberty - Stephen Coonts

Liberty is a Jake Grafton novel. This time the admiral gets a tip that there are four Russian nukes on the way to America. The president puts Jake in charge of finding them before they explode. The plot is nice and twisty. There's plenty of action and you never quite know what's going to happen next. Highly recommended.

Already Dead - Charlie Huston

Already Dead is a vampire novel. Huston has a very unique outlook on vampires. It's different from any of the current popular novels I've read and certainly isn't the traditional Transylvania style vampire story. Huston is a very gritty story teller. He pulls no punches, so if you're put off by brutal or gory this is not the author for you. However, he tells a story that pulls you in and keeps you reading if you give him a chance.

Joe Pitt is Huston's vampire protagonist. Joe's walking a tightrope between various vampire factions to maintain his independence. Meanwhile he's killing zombies, trying to rescue missing girls, and fighting to keep his girlfriend. He has his hands full. Very highly recommended.

His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik

His Majesty's Dragon takes place in an alternate history where dragons are real and have been put to work as the military's answer to air service. They're intelligent creatures, depending on the breed, and speak and understand. They can be quite large too, again depending on the breed, and can carry a captain and large crew on missions for surveillance, offense, or defense.

His Majesty's Dragon takes place in the time of Napoleon and his attempt to take England from across the channel. This book follows the tale of Temeraire, a dragon who's egg was captured from the French and hatched aboard a British ship. That ship's captain was chosen by the dragon to be his rider and the story unwinds from there. I really enjoyed this book and intend to follow up with others by the author. Highly recommended.

The Bourne Betrayal - Eric Van Lustbader

The Bourne Betrayal is a followup to the series of Bourne books and movies. It has all the action and suspense you expect. Some pretty unbelievable escapes too. I expect Jason Bourne to be wearing a cape in the next book. And there will be more. He's alive and well and ready for more adventure. Highly recommended.