Frankenstein: The Dead Town - Koontz, Dean

Frankenstein: The Dead Town is apparently the last in the Frankenstein series by Koontz.  I only say apparently because I thought it was over once and, like the original monster, the series keeps coming back from the dead.  This is a great retelling of Frankenstein.  Koontz can elicit a spine chill like nobody else, and there are plenty of them in this book.



The chaos in Rainbow Falls, that started in Lost Souls, continues with more replicantes and more builders that can't be stopped.  But something is starting to unravel and there's hope.  The question is, will Deucalion be able to find Victor in time?  Very highly recommended.

To Say Nothing of the Dog - Willis, Connie

To Say Nothing of the Dog is a time travel novel with a twist. Most of the story takes place in Victorian England as a pair of historians try to manipulate romance to avoid what could be a serious temporal incongruity.



The historians originate from 2057 and are focused on one particular item that was in the cathedral in Coventry when it was destroyed by the Nazis in 1940. If you enjoy mystery, romance, and lots of humor this is a great book. I do wish it read less like a Victorian romance novel and more like the science fiction I thought I was getting, but I enjoyed the book. Highly recommended.

Swarm - Larson, B. V.

Swarm is book one in the Star Force Series. This is an alien invasion story with a twist.  Humans are being recruited by one alien force to fight another.  If you pass the recruiting tests you can be in charge of your own space ship.  Fail and...well you don't want to fail.



The hero of this book is Kyle Riggs, a professor of computer science. He passes the tests and helps lead earth in a battle against a robot horde who wants to strip our world of all resources. But what price will humans in the Star Force pay to save our planet? Highly recommended.

Sixkill - Parker, Robert B.

Sixkill is the last novel Parker produced before his death.  Unless some other author picks up the thread, it may be the last Spencer story ever.  That made reading it kind of poignant.  Parker novels are full of punchy dialog, great characters, and thoughtful introspection.  He will be greatly missed.



Sixkill is named after a new Parker character. Zebulon Sixkill is a Cree Indian bodyguard who Spencer befriends after thoroughly beating him. This takes place while Spencer is investigating the cause of death of a young women.  Her body is found in a movie star's hotel room and Z works for the movie star. Spencer and Z manage to unravel the mystery, but with a few more dead bodies left in their wake. Classic Spencer. Very highly recommended.

Fuzzy Nation - Scalzi, John

Fuzzy Nation is a remake/rewrite of an old 1963 science fiction novel Little Fuzzy. I read the original and the sequels decades ago.  The story remains the same.  This is a very enjoyable book.  I started it yesterday and was up past 2:30 in the morning finishing it.  I don't often feel compelled to read a novel in one sitting.



Jack Holloway is a prospector on contract to the mighty ZaraCorp.  He's living and working on Zara XXIII, where ZaraCorp has the exclusive rights to strip all marketable resources from the planet.  There is only one catch and that is that there can't be any sentient life on a planet.  Along come the Fuzzies.  Jack and his friends have to find a way to get the Fuzzies recognized as sentient, in spite of the violent objections of the ZaraCorp and their thugs.  Very highly recommended. 

The Fallen - Thomson, Celia

The Fallen is the first book in the series The Nine Lives of Chloe King.  This series is young adult fiction.  First let me get what I don't like about the book out of the way.  The protagonist, Chloe King, is a 16 year old girl.  She lies to her mother, lies to her teachers, lies to her friends, cuts classes, drinks, and in general has no respect for rules.  This is not a role model that I'd want for my daughters or granddaughters.  The only reason the publisher couches this in terms of young adult fiction is because they're interested in money.  They're certainly not interested in promoting standards for acceptable behavior in teenagers.



That said, I enjoyed the book when I wasn't thinking of grounding the heroine. The story is about Chloe discovering that she's not a normal human.  The first clue is when she dies and later wakes up.  Then there are the claws and super human speed and strength to deal with.  But it's not all positive.  Someone is trying to kill Chloe, and trying hard.  Keeping in mind my reservations about the appropriateness for young adults, highly recommended.

The Sword and the Dragon - Mathias, M. R.

The Sword and the Dragon is the first book in the Wardstone Trilogy. Two brothers with a magic ring and a special hawk are key players.  A king's squire is another.  They eventually unite to battle dragons, demons, and evil wizards.  There are lots of interesting characters, plenty of battles, and a few beautiful maidens in this story.



Be aware this is the first part of a trilogy, but this tale comes to a satisfying, if bloody, conclusion.  I wouldn't recommend this for younger readers because the level of violence is amazing.  On the other hand, given the video games kids play these days this is probably kindergarten stuff.  Highly recommended.

Blood Challenge - Wilks, Eileen

Blood Challenge is book seven in the World of the Lupi series.  Try to read the books and short stories in order.  It will be worth it.



In this story, she who can't be named is back and still trying to destroy the Lupi.  This time she's working through interesting intermediaries, some human and some not.  Lily and Rule are both in harms way, but so are all of the good guys.  There's a new heroine who plays a pivotal role in this story, and she could be around for quite a while.  This series just keeps getting better.  Very highly recommended.

A World I Never Made - Lepore, James

A World I Never Made is about a father and daughter who never connected in life. When Pat Nolan finds out his daughter has committed suicide in Paris he realizes he's lost his chance to make amends for the life he missed with her. Then he discovers that it's not Megan's body in the morgue and begins an adventure that will change his life.



Pursued by terrorists, Megan is on the run and enlists the help of her father with clues left in her wake.  Pat is helped by an unlikely French police detective and together they lead the terrorists and security forces on a chase across Europe.

This is a first novel and has some rough edges.  Clearly Lepore is not a gun person.  I'm always amazed that authors will research the most minute details in some areas and then assume everything they've seen in movies or read in comic books is true about guns.  In spite of the rough edges I really enjoyed this book.  Highly recommended.

DragonSpell - Paul, Donita K.

DragonSpell is the first book in The DragonKeeper Chronicles.  I enjoyed this book, but the religious theme was too pervasive.  It was like Chronicles of Narnia on steroids.  In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the Christian symbolism was subtle.  In this book it smacks you in the face.



Kale is 14 and she was a slave until she discovered a dragon's egg.  Then she began a quest that would change her life.  This story has plenty of imaginary creatures, heroes, and villains.  The action is pretty tame, but this is a book for young adults and that's appropriate.  I'll be recommending this to my grandkids, but I doubt I'll read more in this series myself.  Recommended.

The Hunt for Atlantis - Mcdermott, Andy

The Hunt for Atlantis is the first Mcdermott novel I've read. There are several that I plan to read though. He has a series based on the characters of Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase and I plan to work through them all eventually.



Nina Wilde is an archeologist and Eddie Chase is her bodyguard. You're probably wondering why an archeologist needs a bodyguard.  When there are two organizations at odds over whether the lost city of Atlantis should ever be found, and you're the expert on the subject, some people will make you a target.  Nina and Eddie switch back and forth between saving each others lives over several continents and a whole series of adventures.  If you like the original Clive Cussler novels you'll love this one.  Very highly recommended.

Storm Prey - Sandford, John

Storm Prey is a Lucas Davenport Prey novel. If you're not familiar with Sandford's Prey series, I highly recommend it. You'll have over 20 books to catch up on, but every one is worth the read.



Lucas is a detective with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.  His wife Weather is a surgeon.  As she's coming to work one morning she almost sideswipes the getaway vehicle used in a robbery of the hospital pharmacy.  This sets off a series of events that make for intense suspense, action, and some interesting twists.  As always, Sandford fills his novels with interesting, and sometimes very sinister, characters.  Very highly recommended.

Blood Magic - Wilks, Eileen

Blood Magic is book six in the world of the lupi series.  Lily and Rule are officially engaged.  The tension of planning a wedding is counterpoint to the ancient evil that's decided to turn San Diego into a feeding ground, and fear is the feast.



The tangle of sorcerers, dragons, and weres battling in this novel keeps things interesting and makes it hard to put the book down.  Lily finds out she's got a dab of something besides human in her.  Dealing with that knowledge could be a complication or an opportunity.  Another winner for Wilks.  Very highly recommended.

The Reversal - Connelly, Michael

Connelly is one of the very best crime/detective writers of all time.  The Reversal is a combination Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch novel.  Harry Bosch is an LA homicide detective who is prominent is a whole series of Connelly stories.  They're all excellent.  Mickey Haller is a defense attorney, introduced in the novel Lincoln Lawyer, who has an overlapping series of novels.  Mickey and Harry are half brothers.  I highly recommend reading the novels in both series, but you can enjoy this book thoroughly without having to do so.



In The Reversal Mickey and Harry team up for a case that goes back 24 years. Mickey is a defense attorney through and through, but he reluctantly takes a position as special prosecutor to retry a child murderer who is going to be released due to DNA evidence.  Harry is assigned by the DA's office, at Mickey's request, to be his investigator for the case.  This book has some gripping scenes, in the court room and out.  The outcome is not what anyone expected.  Very highly recommended.

Indulgence in Death - Robb, J.D.

Indulgence in Death is another Eve Dallas novel. There are over 30 books in the series now. Eve is a homicide detective in New York city about 50 years in the future.

She and her husband Roarke start this story on vacation in Ireland, but when they get home homicides start piling up fast. Eve's got victims who've been killed with exotic weapons and not much to go on.  And she could be on the killer's victims list.  Very highly recommended.

Bad Blood - Sandford, John

Bad Blood is a Virgil Flowers novel.  Sandford spun Virgil off of his Lucas Davenport Prey novels.  This is the fourth Virgil Flowers novel and they're all great.   I recommend both series by Sandford.



This time around Virgil, an investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, is looking at what seems to be a pretty simple head bashing.   That turns into a whole chain of murders, and eventually becomes the biggest sex crime scandal in Minnesota history.   All the action you can handle and more than enough suspense.  Sandford is always a great read.  Very highly recommended.

Changes - Butcher, Jim

Changes is novel number 12 in the Dresden Files series. Right off the bat Harry finds out he has a daughter and that she's been kidnapped by the red court vampires.  That gets things churning.



But I can't even tell you the most interesting part because that would be a major spoiler.  Needless to say there is a trail of bodies, vampire and otherwise, throughout this book, and some you won't believe.  Very highly recommended.

Mortal Sins - Wilks, Eileen

Mortal Sins is the fifth novel in the world of the lupi series. Note there are several short stories in this series that appear in various anthologies.



In this book Lily and Rule are in North Carolina, near the Lediolf clan's home, to pickup Rule's son Toby.  Rule discovers some dead bodies and their family visit turns into a death magic investigation that endangers Lily, Rule, and Toby.  Add in complications with the Lediolf clan and what was a settled custody battle over Toby and the story gains depth and momentum.  It's another one that's hard to put down.  Highly recommended.

Sole Survivor - Koontz, Dean

Sole Survivor is about a man named Joe who lost his wife and daughters in a plane crash. There were no survivors, all 350 passengers and crew perished. Joe is devastated. He quits his job, shuns his friends, and is simply waits to die.

One year later, his life is in ruins when he visits his family's grave. He meets a mysterious woman at the cemetery, who apparently survived the crash, but before he can question her she's chased off by two men with guns. This is the start of an adventure that will strain Joe's hold on reality and change his life forever.  Is his family still alive?


This is classic Koontz.  There's even a cameo by a golden retriever.  This book is hard to put down so be prepared to lose some sleep.  Very highly recommended.

Turn Coat - Butcher, Jim

Turn Coat is book eleven in the Dresden Files series.  The black council has been spreading it's evil influence for the last few novels in this series, but it stayed in the shadows as much as possible.  This time they kill one of the leaders of the white council.



Harry finds himself in the thick of it when the main suspect comes to him for help.  It's his old nemesis, the warden Morgan.  Harry has to clear Morgan's name, keep his from being put on the list, and try to expose the real culprit while staying alive.  There are some real surprises in this book.  Not all pleasant.  Very highly recommended.