Stacey @ Federal Way Archive.

Darkfever, by Karen Marie Moning

MacKayla is a beautiful and pampered young woman, the product of a happy childhood in comfortable Ashford, Georgia.  Her world is comprised of doting parents an older sister, handsome young men at parties, clothes and shopping and the perfect pink nail polish.  Then the unthinkable happens; her sister travels to Dublin to study and is murdered a few months later.  Mac's world falls apart as she listens to Alina's last frantic phone message before her death, to a sister who's frightened and calling on Mac to help her.  Wracked by guilt she decides to go to Ireland to discover what really happened and to harangue the local police until they find the killer.

But Ireland is not what Mac expects.  Not only have the police proven to do everything they can, but Alina's life turns out to be full of mystery and oddities.  Clearly Alina had changed over the months and now Mac must delve into her life not only to solve the murder but to understand her sister's erratic behavior.  As she searches for clues, Mac begins to see strange things; a Dublin full of magic and mystery, strange creatures only she can see, vast deserted areas where people no longer live but nobody seems to notice, and powerful beings who can kill with a thought.  When Mac runs for her life she stumbles in to an amazing bookstore owned by the handsome and enigmatic Jericho Barrons, but his answers only cause the mysteries to deepen and Mac doesn't know where to turn to find her sister's killer.

The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons, and Growing Up Strange, by Mark Barrocliffe

I did not grow up in England, rather here in Maple Valley, but I did meet my English husband at a Dungeons and Dragons party, and I feel a strong connection to this book on a few levels.  I'm an anglophile and a geek and rather proud of it now, although it caused pain earlier in life when I didn't fit in, so I can vividly relate to this biography of another fantasy misfit.

Growing up in England, Mark Barrocliffe was smitten at the age of twelve by the allure of the new fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, a game in which you can create the character of your dreams and destroy the enemies of your nightmares, but almost assures you'll never get a date.  The enthusiastic boy immersed himself in the worlds of elves and orcs, wizards and warriors, of magic light and dark; of gaming sessions that would last anywhere from hours to days and where the final goals were to kill the Goblin King, save the fair maiden, and loot an amazing Frost Wand, to be used in the next game.  Barrowcliffe speaks with uncompromising clarity of the choices he made as a teen and why, of the odd, lonely, and equally strange young men he met through gaming (very few girls play), and the effect such a youth had on later life and his relationships.  The game consumed him to the point it drove his parents to distraction, drove some real friends away, and surrounded Barrowcliffe with other slightly broken people with the same goals; occasionally cruel boys who'd sit in a damp basement for hours eating junk food and rolling twelve sided dice, rather than going on a beach holiday with friends.  If you've lived the nerdy life of fantasy role-playing before it was popular, have been in situations where you haven't fit in but long to, or are just curious about that crazy D & D you've always heard about, this book will lure you into one young man's world of obsession and adventure, and what some might call his subsequent escape.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour, by Carrie Vaughn

Most of us have at one time or another listened to what we thought was a slightly strange radio call-in show, usually late at night, usually with a supposed expert on their subject, and usually full of weird and possibly wacky callers.  Kitty's Midnight Hour is one of those shows.  But although Kitty isn't an expert, she really is a werewolf, and while many of her callers are wacky, quite a few are the real deal; were-creatures of some kind or another, vampires, or various other flavor of supernatural, all looking for others of their kind, a friendly ear, or advice.

Kitty knows firsthand that there are no paranormal handbooks given to those newly changed; people suffering from fear and violent trauma, often left for dead.  While Kitty tries to help and educate her callers and brings light into some strange arenas, many supernatural beings want to stay in the dark and bring an end to the show, by any means necessary.  Now Kitty must avoid the man hired to kill her while helping the police solve a puzzling murder case, plus show the community of the dark that her show poses no threat and actually helps their secret world.

Kitty Norville is a strong, smart-alecky, and engaging young woman with a love for her work and a passion for helping all the other confused supernatural beings who populate Denver.  This is the first in an action packed urban fantasy series full of quirky and often dangerous characters.  Many have their own agendas, but some are true and loyal friends.

Jeeves Takes Charge, by P.G. Wodehouse

Beautifully read by Alexander Spence

Sometimes the oldies really are the best, or at least what you're exactly in the mood for.  That's how I felt listening to Jeeves Takes Charge, a collection of lovely, humorous, short stories, the first of which was published in 1915.  If you're unfamiliar with the series, Jeeves is an incredibly intelligent and efficient British man-servant, the epitome of the prefect valet.  He is in service to Bertram Wooster, a British gentleman, and himself the epitome of the privileged upper classes in early 20th century England.  Bertie is a sweet, well-meaning, and foppish young man who cares equally for his friends and for his leisure time.  He pops into and out of matrimonial engagements with alarming regularity, attempts to dress in a fashion distressingly modern to Jeeves, and lives in perpetual fear of his stern and ever disapproving Aunt Agatha.  Bertie's own lack of brainpower and addle pated friends seem to land him in one spot of bother after another, with Jeeves always ready and willing to help his master out of a jam, be it with a resorative drink or a clever plan.

Wodehouse wrote quite a bit about the adventures of Jeeves and Wooster and at least one fantastic television series was made from the books, starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. (I used the photo from that series in this post.)  The stories are lighthearted and clever, and a perfect escape.

Mystic and Rider, by Sharon Shinn

King Baryn rules over Gillengaria, a land in turmoil.  Barely tolerated before, mystics hide their gifts as persecution escalates, distrust of magic increasing after the rumor spreads that the King's new wife has snared him by magical means.  As ill feeling toward magic users increases, Baryn sends an unlikely group of travelers to assess the danger to him, his kingdom, and his family.  Senneth is a powerful fire mystic in her own right, who has given her loyalty to the King who welcomed her when shunned by her noble House.  Quicksilver Kirra and her servant, Donnel, are shape shifters from one of the ruling Twelve Houses.  Tayse is the leader of the King's Riders, an elite fighting force specially chosen by the King, and who doubts mystics on principal but will defend Baryn unto death.  And Justin is another Rider, young, quick tempered and also distrustful of magic users, but who follows Tayse without question.

The companions cross the land visiting small towns and noble houses searching out magic, treachery, and pockets of loyalty to the King.  They must learn to work together and trust each other in order to fight the tyranny of a dangerously growing fanatical cult bent on the death of all mystics, and an increasing sense that some of the Twelve Houses are intent on overthrowing the King and his mysterious wife.

This is the first in a wonderful series rich in courtly intrigue, a complex world history, and a fascinating magical system.  It is also a tale of tolerance, love, growing friendship, and fiercely won trust.  Sharon Shinn is one of my favorite authors and I gladly return to the worlds she creates.

Odd Thomas, by Dean Koontz

Odd is an average young man in many respects.  He works as a fry cook in a diner, has a sweet girlfriend who understands him, and doesn't have much drive to leave his beloved small town of Pico Mundo, California.  But he's also a peculiar young man.  He survived a strange and traumatic childhood, and he sees and communicates with the lingering dead, ghosts who have a reason to stay in our world rather than pass on to the next, such as violent death or fear of what will follow.  These dead come to Odd with mysteries to solve or messages to pass to loved ones, but they don't speak.

Bodachs are inky black, shapeless creatures of nightmare that only Odd can see, and who are drawn to death and destruction.  When large crowds of bodachs begin sneaking and lurking around Pico Mundo, Odd realizes that his small world is headed for a huge disaster unless he can first find out where the danger is coming from, where it's headed, and what he and his friends can do to stop it.  With the help of the empathetic police chief, an obese mystery writer, and a playful Elvis Presley, Odd attempts to discover and prevent the catastrophe bearing down on his bucolic world.

Fans of Dean Koontz will love the clear and descriptive writing and the supernatural tingle of the Odd Thomas books.  Those who've steered clear of the horror and violence of some of Koontz's books will be wrapped up in the mystery and nail-biting excitement of this less gory series, and will fall in love with the cast of eccentric characters as well as the kind, honest, and humble Odd who never takes his gift for granted and who just wants the simple life with beautiful Stormy Llewellyn he was promised by a fortune teller.

The entire series is also masterfully read aloud by David Aaron Baker.

The Pluto Files: The rise and fall of America's favorite planet, by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Tyson is an astrophysicist, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and lover of all things space like.  When the opening of the remodeled Hayden Planetarium in 2000 created a hubbub about the status of Pluto in our solar system, Tyson became embroiled in a global kerfuffle about how to classify the furthest and most mysterious of the large bodies in our cosmic back yard. 

Here's the problem:  Pluto doesn't fit our current classification of planets.  It's too small, smaller even than several moons we can observe from Earth.  Its orbit around the sun is off kilter, and only matches those of other small objects far out in our system in the Kuiper Belt, none of which is considered a planet.  It's the only "planet" made primarily of ice, with just a little rock thrown in.  But, it is large enough to use its own gravity to remain a sphere, it has an atmosphere, and it has at least three moons.  The International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, but the issue is not an easy one and public outcry continues to this day.

Although he logically thinks it shouldn't be considered a planet, Tyson found that Pluto is too deeply entrenched in the American psyche to be demoted.  It was discovered by an American named Clyde Tombaugh in 1939, from an American observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Mickey Mouse's own dog is named after it, and Pluto's sheer quirkiness makes it the overall favorite of elementary school kids nationwide.  The enthusiastic scientist explores the love we have for this wonky planet-that-isn't and leads us on a rollicking romp through the history of Pluto and the heated opinions abounding in the astronomical community.

Mirron Willis does a wonderful job bringing this book to life in the audio version, but I also encourage you to look at the paper copy for fantastic photos, fun cartoons, copied letters (including hate mail) from school children, and a real sense of science and fun.

Dead Witch Walking, by Kim Harrison

Twenty years ago genetically altered tomotoes created an epidemic which almost wiped out the human race.  During the resulting chaos several supernatural species frightened humans by revealing themselves in order to hold society together; since then humans and Inderlanders have developed an uneasy truce as they learn to live with each other.

Rachel Morgan is a witch and an Inderland Security Runner, a bounty hunter charged with bringing in rogue werewolves, Brimstone drug dealers, and tax-evading leprechauns, to name a few.  Disgusted that her superiors are giving her increasingly mundane and petty cases, she decides to leave the I.S. and start her own runner service. Unfortunately, nobody who's left the I.S. has lived more than a few days, especially when they take two of the best agents with them.  Now Rachel must rely on her own spelling talents and the unique abilities of her new partners, a living vampire afraid of losing her soul and an annoying pixie who hates fairies, in order to stay alive and discover who wants her dead.

Harrison has created a rich and wonderful world in modern Cincinnati after the Turn, as the killer tomato era is called, and populated it with well thought out magical species, complete with legal systems, hidden agendas, and human-seeming foibles.  This is the first in a series packed with adventure, mystery, love, friendship, and smart aleck fun.