2011 Late May books

[melita66]

I managed to read two new novels and a collection while on vacation. I also reread one book: Megan  Whalen Turner's The King of Attolia. The first book was Uncertain Allies by Mark del Franco. It's one of the Connor Grey series. Grey used to be a high-powered operative for the Guild. He's a mage in a world where the Faerie realms ended up in our world a hundred years ago or so. There are two faerie kingdoms in a cold war (Celtic and Teutonic), plus unaligned creatures. Grey lost most of his power several years ago in a battle with a fey terrorist. He still works with the police and some Guild investigators and ekes out a living.

He's getting pulled back into the politics, as he has some power, and dirt on several people. Fall-out from the last book is dealt with in this one. His girlfriend, who ended up in a magical coma, is still in it and several things are tried to wake her up.

I haven't tired of this series yet. It's nice to have a male protagonist, and he's not powering up a level in each book, like some series. There's also some movement forward in the overall plotlines.

I then read book two in a new Stargate: Atlantis series. I never got into SG1, but started watching SGA in season 2, and then backed up and watched the first season. I started watching SGA because I read an SGA novel by Martha Wells, who's one of my favorite authors. I liked the book enough that I decided I wanted to find out more about the characters. Another of my favorite authors, Melissa Scott (who hasn't been writing in the field much recently), has joined with Jo Graham and Amy Griswold to write a six book miniseries continuing the SGA story. The first book, Homecoming was by Jo Graham and Melissa Scott and I was 'eh' about it. Book two, by Jo Graham and Amy Griswold is called The Lost and I really enjoyed it. Rodney is lost and most of the book is trying to find out where he is and mount a rescue mission. As you might expect in book 2 of 6, there are complications. I'm fully into the story now and am looking forward to book 3.

Among several ebooks that I'd purchased recently was a collection by Diane Duane, Uptown Local and Other Interventions. At least two are in her Wizards series. "Uptown Local" is a Nita and Kit story. "Theobroma" is about another wizard and what's missing in a chocolatier's shop. "Hopper Painting" was written for a Janis Ian story. "The Fix" is set in ancient Rome about a slave assigned to the Coliseum and dreams of being a trainer for the gladiators. "The Rizzoli Bag" and "Out of the Frying Pan" are connected stories about gifts from a Sibyl. "Bears" is a story about Berne (several stories have Switzerland connections as Duane points out). There are 11 stories total. All have been published before.