2015 late June and July Books: Wrede, Stevermer, Bujold (!), Whalen Turner (!)

[melita66]

After a big purchase of books on "Buy from Tor" day, plus illness, busyness at work, I haven't been in the book to read a new author.

Instead I reread Patricia Wrede's Frontier Magic series which is comprised of:

• Thirteenth Child


• Across the Great Barrier


• The Far West

Set in the 1800s, it's an alternative Earth complete with magic and a lot of magical plants and creatures. Franklin, Jefferson, and ...someone else set up a magical barrier along the Mississippi, and connecting into the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence to hold back the majority of the magical creatures and enable homesteading. A few hardy souls are starting to homestead on the far side of barrier and investigate what's in the west. Eff is the thirteenth child of a college professor father, and the twin of a double-seventh son. She's supposed to be quite unlucky based on classical magic theory, and having problems with relatives who believe it. Her parents decide to relocate to the frontier and a new college where it won't be obvious that she's a thirteenth child. Eff ends up assisting professors in caring and studying the fauna and flora, including traveling beyond the great barrier. Very fun stories, but reading them back-to-back, I found myself getting a little bored in the third book--too repetitive. I'd still love to catch up with Eff.

I then felt like reading Caroline Stevermer's A Scholar of Magics but thought I should read A College of Magics. The latter focuses on Faris Nallaneen, the heir to a Ruritanian country in eastern Europe. Sent off to Greenlaw (in France) to acquire polish, she ends up learning magic too, and becomes quite powerful in her own self. Her best friend, Jane, is a major character in the second book, when she is sent off to Glasscastle (in Britain) to convince a scholar there to take up a similar position to Faris's. While there, she ends up working with Samuel Lambert, an American sharpshooter, who is helping with some research. Both books are just lovely, with interesting twists and turns.

I also read Lois McMaster Bujold's new novella, "Penric's Demon", set in the Chalion universe, I think earlier than Curse of Chalion. Light fluff, but an engaging character.

I also read a short story by Megan Whalen Turner set in her Queen's Thief series. The story is about Eugenides as a child, hell-bent on becoming the Thief like his grandfather.

In other fun news, Martha Wells announced that she's sold a duology, set in the Raksura universe. Yay!!! Happy Dance!!!!

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

When the Wrede series came out, I joked about someone writing a series where interwar Eastern Europe was overrun by monsters and mutants so the author could focus on the fun toys Germany had without the political side issues, never dreaming one day I actually would be sent such a series.

(Although for no good reason the author advanced the timeline by ten years without e.g. checking to see when Otto Skorzeny was born)