To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★☆☆☆

“Let the dead bury the dead.  

Let the dead bury the dead.”

That was an exhausting journey through ugliness.  

Judge Dee and the Mystery of the Missing Manuscript ★★★★☆

The Vampire Library has few rules, but those they have they take deadly serious.  

Unfortunately, Judge Dee is late returning his book - seven hundred years late.

“Death!” the monks chanted. “Death to the unlawful borrower of books!  Death to the late returner!”

“That seems a bit excessive,” Drago of Carpathia said. “He did bring it back!”

The monks hissed at him…

“Seven hundred years of torture, then!”

It was funny to see Judge Dee in the hot seat, to see him penitent yet, as always, clever.  

And yes, there was also a murder mystery.  And again, the ending needed another sentence or two to grab another star.

Read it for yourself: https://www.tor.com/2022/11/09/judge-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-missing-manuscript-lavie-tidhar/

Seven Vampires by Lavie Tidhar ★★★☆☆

That was three vampires too many I think.  There was something about the pace, and the ending, that made the story less satisfying than previous offerings.  

“He thought of their previous adventures - or nightmares, as Johnathan privately thought of them… He might have considered writing them down, but his handwriting was terrible and besides, no one wanted to read stories about vampires.” 

Moments of levity still made it worth the time.  Another two or three sentences at the end, or one sentence of foreshadow, could have added a star.

Read it for yourself: https://www.tor.com/2022/02/16/seven-vampires-a-judge-dee-mystery-lavie-tidhar/

Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre by Lavie Tidhar ★★★★★

On a busy frustrating day I snuck every chance I could to read a few pages - I smiled every time.   

”So long as not too many bloodless corpses were found in the morning and people took care to clean up after themselves, things were generally fine.” 

Vampires have few laws. 

But when a vampire is murdered it’s up to Judge Dee and Jonathan to solve the case!

Read it for yourself: https://www.tor.com/2021/09/15/judge-dee-and-the-poisoner-of-montmartre-lavie-tidhar/

Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels by Lavie Tidhar ★★★★★

 “The truth was that mysteries were bunk: murder was straightforward and everyone did it, from the emperor down.”  

The Count had disappeared and three of his enemies are claiming they killed him, claiming inheritance by vampire law.  

Another clever offering from the Judge Dee series!

Read it yourself: https://www.tor.com/2021/02/10/judge-dee-and-the-three-deaths-of-count-werdenfels-lavie-tidhar/

Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law by Lavie Tidhar ★★★★★

Karen has again mined Tor for the good stuff!  

Vampires have few laws, but those they take deadly serious.  Directed by the Council, Judge Dee travels the medieval world with his human companion and acts a judge, jury, and executioner for his kind.  He is old, powerful, and respected - but that doesn’t mean he cannot be fooled.  

This was clever, fun, and addictive!  I will continue the series.

Read it yourself: https://www.tor.com/2020/11/11/judge-dee-and-the-limits-of-the-law-lavie-tidhar/

Twelve Tomorrows ★★★★★

Fields of Gold by Liu Cixin ★★★★★★

"Are the stars very far?"
"They’re getting closer." 
Six stars.  Jaw droppingly good.  I gasped!  

Elric of Melniboné: The Elric Saga Part 1 by Michael Moorcock ★★☆☆☆

Poor Cymoril.  A practical noblewoman with the misfortune to fall in love with Eric - a skinny, asthmatic philosophy major addicted to a paranormal blend of meth and dark magic.  An albino prince completely unwilling to listen to reason.  

The stories are Eric getting into trouble for not listening to Cymoril.  Eric running away and proclaiming he misses and loves Cymoril - while impregnating Oone the Dream Thief.  Eric accidentally killing Cymoril, like she told him he would.  Eric destroying everything in sadness and then sleeping around some more.   

Sometimes classics let you down :(

Fire: An Anthology

Letter of the Law by Pat Aitcheson ★★★★½ 
Whoops!  Hahaha 😈, best typo ever.

Imagine 2200

The Secrets of the Last Greenland Shark by Mike McClelland ★★★★★ 

“Survive. Survive. Survive.” 
And then I cried.  I cried and cried while walking my dog, unable to explain to passing strangers that I had just read something beautiful.
Read it Yourself: https://grist.org/fix/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-secrets-of-the-last-greenland-shark/

The Cloud Weaver’s Song by Saul Tanpepper ★★★★½ 

Oh that was excellent!  Future survivalist Native American’s get stuck in their new ways, but one woman dares to remember her roots - The Earth needs water too.
Read it Yourself: https://grist.org/fix/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-cloud-weavers-song/

Afterglow by Lindsey Brodeck ★★★★☆ 

This read like a prequel to Emergency Skin - enjoyable!
Read it Yourself: https://grist.org/fix/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-afterglow/

Those were best stories of this free Solarpunk Anthology.

Cabin Porn: Inside by Zach Klein ★★★★½

A feast for the eyes, a balm for the soul.  Take a mental vacation friends and pick up some Cabin Porn.

Cover of Night by Linda Howard ★★★★☆

Linda Howard wrote the fantasy handyman and gave him an extreme situation to show off his deadly skills.  Good times.

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta ★★★★★

I found this monster porn gem in Karen’s to-read list, she finds the best titles in smut. 

It did not disappoint 😉.  Best of monster porn, five stars.

The Sword & Sorcery Anthology

Undertow by Karl Edward Wagner ★★★★½   

Oh friends, a full short story: beginning, middle, and oh-shit ending.  We start with stereotypes and bloom into layered, desperate, characters.  This is my favorite “green ribbon” story.

The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams by Michael Moorcock ★★★★½ 

Decades before the Targaryens hit the shelves there was “a race which loved pleasure, cruelty, and sophistication for its own sake. The race of Melnibonéans.” 

Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten ★★★☆☆

Book: ★★★☆☆

Movie: ★★★★☆ 
This doesn’t mean I did not enjoy the book - I did! - it means I appreciated the changes made in the movie version.  

Merfolk by Jeremy Bates ★★☆☆☆

I was expecting a bloodbath and got a dull swim.  

Subterrestrial by Michael McBride ★★★★☆

If you have ever found yourself watching late night "documentaries" on the History Channel, or SyFy, then you know the tasty pool of weird from which Michael McBride writes.

Alien Covenant Origins by Alan Dean Foster ★★★☆☆

The Covenant is getting ready to launch and fulfill mankind’s promise of colonizing the stars.  Who wouldn’t want that?  

Mer Lovers by Tamsin Ley ★★★☆☆

Welcome to the world of evil mermaids and maligned beautiful mermen desperate for commitment and insta luv.  Now that’s a scenario in need of some human ladies!  

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain ★★★★★

The Deepest of Secrets by Kelly Armstrong ★★☆☆☆

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco ★★★☆☆

That just about sums up the book.  

An impressive level of research and love of history went into this book.  But if you don’t share Echo’s niche love of medieval ecclesiastical history the book is tear-out-your-hair frustrating.  

EcoVillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture by Liz Walker ★★★★☆

Building the first Ecovillage in America took grit.  The work required behind real world Solarpunk would send most of us screaming!!!

Irish Gothic: Tales of Celtic Horror by Ronald Kelly

The Spawn of Arget Bethir ★★★★★ 

A young monk has violent dreams that lead him to discover the legends that tore apart his family.  Kelly combines The Book of Kells and werewolves to create a legend that deserves its own series!

Postcard from Kilkenny ★★★★½ 

A man receives a postcard from his long lost uncle, an uncle who should be dead, an uncle who was rumored to be a vampire.  Kelly even managed to slip in a joke about his vampire novel Blood Kin, a book Graeme recommended!

Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horror

My Knowing Glance by Lucy Snyder ★★★★½ 

“It’s just more satisfying to think that he died out of a deep, soul-wrenching despair rather than garden-variety cowardice.”

Type 5 Armageddon Hellspawn, batter up!  Gory, violent, and entertaining, Lucy Snyder hits a home run!

One Last Transformation by Josh Malerman ★★★★☆ 
Shudder.  Maybe because I have been binge watching Criminal Minds, but that felt real in an unsightly way.

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell ★★★★½

The Dead by James Joyce ★★★☆☆

A boring dinner party ends with a poignant moment - that is all.   

It did add some depth of emotion to Emily Prentiss at the end of Demonology, S4E17, Criminal Minds.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré ★★★★★

Last Days by Brian Evenson ★★★★☆

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John LeCarré ★★★★☆

A Murder of Quality by John LeCarré ★★☆☆☆

Call For the Dead by John LeCarré ★★★★☆

Classics Bingo!

I have big goals this year including a Blackout to my bingo board from Catching Up With Classics.  Happy Reading friends!

When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired By Shirley Jackson

TipToe by Laird Barron ★★★★★ 

That sent shivers all the way up my spine and down again for more.  I listened to the end three times.